Health advocate Minguita Padilla: Some areas not yet ready for Alert Level 1
MANILA, Philippines — Dr. Minguita Padilla, a senatorial aspirant and health advocate, said Thursday that the government should not place under the lowest alert level areas hit by Typhoon Odette and areas where vaccination rates are lagging.
Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) pummelled portions of the country in December, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents in the Visayas.
"You cannot do Alert Level 1 in places that have been hit by [Typhoon] 'Odette', but have not yet been vaccinated. Thirty-five percent vaccination level is not acceptable for Alert Level 1, so we cannot do it for the entire nation," Padilla said in a briefing with reporters on Thursday.
She was referring to the vaccination rate of Filipinos who were fully immunized against COVID-19 during the first nine months of the government's inoculation drive, based on health department statistics as of December 2021.
Padilla added that the government should consider the location and the number of vaccinated people living in an area before declaring Alert Level 1, adding that authorities should always base their decisions on science and data.
She is among the senatorial candidates endorsed by Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.
Padilla's statements come shortly after Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Conception advocated for a shift to Alert Level 1, the lowest alert level, in Metro Manila and other areas with high vaccination rates of no less than 70% in a bid to help the country "recover" from the impacts of COVID-19.
READ: Concepcion pushes Alert 1 by March
Under Alert Level 1, all establishments can operate but they still must comply with the minimum health protocols.
Earlier this week, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting Chairman Roman Artes said the Metro Manila Council might recommend the downgrading of the alert level to one in the capital if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is expected to announce before Feb. 14 the updated alert levels across the country.
Right now, Metro Manila and other nearby provinces such as Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Biliran, Southern Leyte and Basilan are under Alert Level 2.
- Latest
- Trending
