All areas in the Philippines now at low risk for COVID-19 –DOH

All areas in the Philippines are now considered to be at low risk for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday.

“Magagandang balita dahil lahat po ng areas natin ngayon sa ating bansa, maski po ‘yung nasa ilalim ng Alert Level 2 ay low risk na ang kanilang classificaiton,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

(Good news, because all areas in the country, even those under an Alert Level 2, are classified as low risk.)

Vergeire added that the agency is now increasing vaccination rates in areas that remain under Alert Level 2 as part of the effort to deescalate them to Alert Level 1.

Meanwhile, she said restrictions in Metro Manila and 39 others areas are continually being eased due to high vaccination rates and compliance with minimum public health standards.

“Wala pa rin tayong muling nakikitang pagtaas ng kaso sa kahit anong lugar sa ating bansa,” Vergeire said.

(We're not seeing an increase in cases in any part of the country.)

Alert level 0

Vergeire also clarified that the term “Alert Level 0” was a term used internally by the Health Department and that it was not yet final.

“Ito ‘yung term na, it’s like the stage, no, in our situation right now kung saan magkakaroon tayo ng mas manageable ang mga kaso, mas makikita natin na nakakaagapay ang ating heatlhcare system, mas mataas ang bakunahan,” she said.

(It's a term, a stage, in which the number of cases is manageable. The healthcare system can cope with it, the vaccination rate is higher.)

“Ibig sabihin ‘yung Alert Level 0 na terminology natin, it’s not a final term yet. Kausap natin ‘ang ating mga eksperto kahapon at sinasabi nga nila baka hindi yan ang dapat gawin na terminology,” she added.

(An Alert Level 0, it’s not a final term yet. We were talking with our experts yesterday and they were saying that maybe we shouldn't use that terminology.)

She said that changes that will occur in such a situation would be the lessening of “required responses.”

“Hindi na po natin kailangan magpa-dedicate ng beds sa ating mga ospital, babalik na onti-onti ang non-COVID services, mai-integrate ang COVID-19 conditions na pumapasok sa ospital sa infectious disease unit ng isang ospital.”

(We won't need dedicated COVID-19 beds in hospitals, non-COVID services would slowly return, COVID-19 cases would be integrated into a hospital's infectious disease unit.)

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority earlier said Metro Manila mayors will recommend the shift to the so-called “Alert Level 0.”

Deltacron

The Health official also said that the Deltacron variant, the hybrid of the Delta and Omicron variants, had yet to be detected in the country.

Vergeire stressed that Deltacron is not yet considered a variant of concern.

“Ang sabi ng mga eksperto, base rin sa pagaaral, pinagaaralan pa futher if it will cause more severity, if it will cause more transmissibility,” she said.

(Experts are studying it further to see if it will cause more severity, if it will cause more transmissibility.)

“Pero ngayon base sa mga obserbasyon, wala silang nakikita na kaibahan nito sa ating mga variants na currently present,” she added.

(But as of now, based on observations, they do not see much difference with the variants that are currently present.)

Deltacron has only been detected in France, Denmark, and the Netherlands, according to Vergeire. — DVM, GMA News