Higher vaccination numbers needed before considering Alert Level 1, officials say

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila needs higher vaccination numbers before the national government can consider shifting to the more relaxed Alert Level 1 in the capital region, experts and officials said Sunday morning.

Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that "almost all activities" will be permitted under Alert Level 1 while only minimum public health standards will be implemented. 

"The barangays have already submitted a partial list of those who have not been vaccinated in their area that will be the basis for who the vaccinators should go to," he said in Filipino as he admitted that the task force still "doesn't have an answer" as to whether or not the capital region is ready for Alert Level 1.

"If we want to alert level 1...We must increase the vaccination rate so that everyone is safe that no matter what variant comes, the cases will not be severe or critical."

On the other hand, Guido David of OCTA Research was of the opinion that Alert Level 1 could be achieved "by March" as the National Capital Region could already be classified as "low-risk" by that time. 

"Given two weeks, I think we could be okay to deescalate to Alert Level 1," David told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo in mixed Filipino and English.

"We're still hoping we can lower the positivity rate, down to at least 5 percent... we could be a little more cautious in our approach," he also admitted. 

Vaccination for children still ongoing

Dr. Nina Gloriani, chairperson of the government's Vaccine Expert Panel, said that the national government is looking to vaccinate 6 million Filipinos during the National Vaccination Days until February 18. 

Gloriani added that the national government would "try to entice those who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated." The third “Bayanihan Bakunahan” push was initially scheduled on February 10 and 11 but was later extended. 

"There have been no discussions yet of giving a second booster shot or 4th dose because the data is not complete ... We are looking at the vaccines being made now because there are many updated versions," she said in Filipino. 

"Maybe the 2nd booster shot or 4th dose can be given to the immunocompromised but not the general population," she also suggested. 

Earlier, the Department of Health disclosed that 662,318 jabs were administered on the first day of the vaccination activity. Broken down, 442,236 were primary doses and 219,972 were booster shots.

Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, also told DZBB that the government should carefully study first whether or not the age limit for vaccination can be expanded. 

Asked if children below 5 should now also be targeted for vaccination, she said: "Ages 0 to 5 have a high mortality rate or those who do not survive the disease...they are the ones who often become more serious."

Nearly 60 million people have completed immunization while only eight million have received booster doses as of this writing.

Bravo admitted that there were still signs of vaccine hesitancy among parents, though she encouraged Filipinos to trust pediatricians as she highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated.

"Vaccinators who vaccinate children 5-11 years old go through rigorous screening and training...It is important to vaccinate children as a precaution in case a new variant of COVID-19 emerges. The increase in vaccinations is really a sign that we can really recover," she said. 

To date, the DOH has recorded 3.63 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020. Saturday saw a 14.3 percent positivity rate out of 32,067 tests. 

"We also need to focus on vaccination in remote provinces, especially in mountainous areas. Local governments, [the police, and the military] must work together to bring vaccination closer to inaccessible areas," Año also said Sunday, adding that the coronavirus task force would meet Monday to discuss a possible shift to Alert Level 1 from February 16 to 28.

He added that some 200 million vaccine doses have arrived in the country with booster doses still up for delivery. Per the DILG's estimate, there are still some 30 to 33 million Filipinos who have not been vaccinated.

— Franco Luna with reports from Gaea Katreena Cabico

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