1 year after COVID-19 declared pandemic, cases are down and vaccinations are up One year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, communities still working to keep cases down and vaccinate as many people as possible. and last updated 2021-03-11 18:16:53-05 KANSAS CITY, Kan. â One year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the nation and Kansas City, Missouri, are still recovering. However, vaccinations are offering hope for people like Bill Worley. "It was great. It's the right thing to do," Worley said, after receiving his first vaccination dose. "I want this crap to be over with and get back to normal."