MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said it has yet to observe an increase in COVID-19 cases more than a week after Metro Manila and other areas were lowered to the most relaxed alert level.
The capital region and 38 other areas in the country were deescalated to Alert Level 1—or the 'new normal'—on March 1. Under this alert level, most capacity and movement restrictions are scrapped.
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"At present, we have not seen any increase in COVID-19 cases since we have implemented Alert Level 1 in several areas in the country," the DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a statement.
"The government strictly monitors the mobility of the public with incessant reminders on adherence to minimum public health standards as well as the national vaccination drive for those eligible to get inoculated," she added.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Tuesday that COVID-19 hospitalization rates in Metro Manila were "plateauing" as virus-related calls to the One Hospital Command Center were getting fewer.
The DOH is wary of the proposal to implement Alert Level 1 nationwide “at the soonest possible time” to offset the economic impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Not yet at this point. We don’t want to waste our successes. We need to be careful. I’m sorry. It’s because my principle in life is that it’s better to be prudent and conservative," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in an interview with DZBB Super Radyo Tuesday.
The Philippines has reported more than 3.6 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 57,066 deaths. Starting this week, the DOH stopped reporting daily COVID-19 infections and issued weekly bulletins instead.