The World Health Organization(WHO) said on Monday that COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, but is now at a "transition point."

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the WHO’s international health regulations emergency committee discussed the pandemic on Friday, and advised him to keep the virus' status as a public health emergency of international concern(PHEIC), the UN agency's highest alert level. 

The WHO chief said he concurred with the committee's stance.

This decision means COVID-19's status as a global health emergency will surpass three years, after the WHO first declared an emergency in January 2020.

However, Tedros added that he was hopeful that the world will transition out of the emergency phase of the pandemic this year.