ALERT LEVEL 2 MULLED FOR METRO MANILA

THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is studying the possible deescalation of Metro Manila (National Capital Region or NCR) from Alert Level 3 to the less strict Alert Level 2, Malacañang said on Friday, amid a continued decline in the number of Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases in the region.

In his virtual news briefing on Friday, acting Palace spokesman Karlo Alexei Nograles said the IATF would study the alert level classification in the NCR and announce its decision over the weekend.

Metro Manila, the epicenter of the surge driven by the Omicron variant, is currently under Alert Level 3.

“Ito po ay masusing pinag-aaralan ngayon ng IATF. At tulad ng aking sinabi, maglalabas po kami ng desisyon ngayong weekend (This is still being studied carefully by the IATF. And just like what I said, we will announce our decision this weekend),” Nograles said.

This came a day after the IATF approved the escalation of alert level status in the provinces of Palawan, Camiguin, Davao Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu starting January 28.

“The said escalation shall take effect on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 until Feb. 15, 2022,” Nograles said in a statement.

On Wednesday, he also said the government is monitoring the growth rate of Covid-19 cases in 22 areas outside Metro Manila.

These are: Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Dagupan City, Cordillera Administrative Region, Baguio City, Cebu Province, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Iloilo Province, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao City, General Santos City, Ormoc City, Naga City, Western Samar, Tacloban City, Biliran and Zamboanga del Sur.

Nograles said these areas of concern must further increase hospital bed capacities for Covid-19 patients to prevent their respective health care utilization rates from exceeding 70 percent.

On January 21, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province and Northern Samar were also placed under the more stringent Alert Level 4.

An escalation to Alert Level 4 means that an area has reached more than 70 percent in health care utilization rate, and alarmingly high two-week growth and average daily attack rates (ADARs).

Many areas in the country, including the so-called NCR Plus (composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) are under Alert Level 3 until January 31.

The NCR and the entire Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,

Rizal and Quezon) Region are experiencing a continued drop in the number of Covid-19 cases, according to OCTA Research.

Data calculated by OCTA senior research fellow Dr. Guido David said the NCR’s daily growth rate slid to -67 percent, while its average daily attack rate remained at “very high risk” at 31.13 cases per 100,000 population.

Its reproduction number has also gone down to 0.52, while its positivity rate is at 22 percent, while hospital utilization rate remains at low risk at 43 percent.

Despite this, the region is now considered to be in the high-risk category, down from very high a week ago and severe during the start of the year.

In an interview on CNN Philippines, David said the NCR is not yet ready to move to Alert Level 2 because of the risk level, but he added in a message to The Manila Times that the NCR is now nearing the “low risk” category, where the region will not have a problem when it de-escalates to Alert Level 2.

Rizal led the declines in the Calabarzon Region, with a 61 percent decrease in its growth rate, an ADAR of 21.29 cases per 100,000 and a reproduction number of 0.69, putting it into the “moderate risk” category.

Cavite and Laguna had a 48 percent decrease in their growth rate while having an ADAR of 32.66 and 31.96 cases per 100,000 population, respectively, while Batangas had a -41 percent decrease and an ADAR of 17.01.

Quezon had the highest growth rate at -18 percent, while its ADAR is at 11.13 cases and its reproduction number is at 1.35, putting it under high risk as well.

In a separate briefing, Vergeire said aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal are now considered under moderate risk because of a sustained decrease in the number of cases.

She warned, though, that other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, such as Central Visayas and Western Visayas and Davao Regions are now seeing an increase in the number of cases caused by the Omicron variant.

Vergeire said she hopes that cases in the country would now experience a decrease even if there would be continued major holidays that could lead to possible spikes such as the coming Lunar New Year.

“Dapat lahat ng components ng minimum public health standards, ipatupad natin para tuluy-tuloy na ring bumaba ang kaso at magpabakuna na rin tayo (All components of the minimum health standards should be implemented so we can continue to experience case decreases and we also urge you to get vaccinated),” she added.