US CDC adds Philippines to ‘high’ travel risk list

MANILA, Philippines — The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention added three countries, including the Philippines, to its “high” risk list for COVID-19.

The Philippines, Russia, and Nepal were added to places with Level 3 or “high” risk designation.

“Make sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before traveling to the Philippines. If you are not up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, avoid travel to the Philippines,” CDC said on its website.

Level 3 applies to destinations that have had over 100 cases per 100,000 people in the past 28 days.

The Department of Health recorded 28,008 additional cases—or 4,001 infections per day—from August 8 to 14. The figure was 3% higher than infections logged from a week before.

The Philippines is once again seeing a spike in infections fueled by the presence of fast-spreading variants, increased mobility, and waning vaccine immunity of the population.

Despite the increase in cases, the Philippines remained at low risk for COVID-19 spread.

The country has confirmed 3.8 million COVID-19 cases, with 61,078 fatalities, since the health crisis began in 2020. — Gaea Katreena Cabico