Duque says NCR 'ripe' to ease to Alert Level 1 with current metrics

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said the National Capital Region (NCR) is ready to deescalate to Alert Level 1 with its current metrics.

Duque said the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) will discuss later in the day whether NCR and other areas are ready to shift to Alert Level 1, the lowest in the new alert level system.

The Health chief said NCR’s metrics are already “ripe” for it to further ease its alert status.

“Kung ako ay tatanungin, hindi naman nangangahulugan na ‘yung sasabihin ko ay ‘yan ang position ng collective IATF, sila naman ang NCR ay pasado na sa kanilang mga metrics. Hinog, in other words,” he said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(It does not mean that what I would say is already the position of the collective IATF, but if you would ask me, NCR has already passed the metrics. It is ripe, in other words.)

Duque noted that 83% of NCR’s senior citizens have already been vaccinated, while over 100% of its target population are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

OCTA Research on Tuesday also reported that the positivity rate in the NCR has decreased to 4.9%, lower than the recommended 5% of the World Health Organization.

According to OCTA, this is the first time the positivity rate in the NCR decreased to less than 5% since December 26, 2021 prior to the COVID-19 surge caused by the more transmissible Omicron variant.

NCR also remained at "low risk" classification for COVID-19 with an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 2.85 and a reproduction number of 2.85, it added.

“‘Yan ang kanilang estado (that is their state) which means that to me it’s genuinely ripe for deescalation,” Duque said.

The Health secretary earlier said NCR may only deescalate to Alert Level 1 once its ADAR decreases to below 7 per 100,000 population.

The Metro Manila Council said on Wednesday that NCR mayors have agreed to recommend the de-escalation of the region to Alert Level 1 from Alert Level 2 starting March 1.

Further, Duque said aside from NCR, there are also other areas that may have already reached the metrics set by the IATF.

“Meron na. ‘Yan ang tatalakayin mamaya para lahatin na natin kung sino sino ba ang mga hinog na para mag-Alert Level 1. Hindi lang NCR ang tatalakayin mamaya, kundi lahat ng nakaabot na doon sa ating tinaguriang metrics,” he added.

(There are other areas. Those will be discussed later so we can include all areas that are ripe for Alert Level 1. We will not only discuss NCR later but also other areas that have reached our metrics.)

The government has revised parameters in determining appropriate Alert Level for areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Palace said Thursday.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said that in addition to the case classification and total COVID-19 beds utilization, the following metrics on average daily attack rate will be implemented starting March 1:

• less than six for low risk areas
• six to 18 for moderate risk areas and
• and more than 18 for high risk areas.

Moreover, provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities will also be deescalated to Alert Level 1 upon meeting the following criteria:

• low to minimal risk case classification;
• total bed utilization rate of less than 50%
• full vaccination of 70% of its target population (denominator is 80% of its total population); and
• full vaccination of 80% of its Priority Group A2 (Senior Citizens) or target population (denominator is 85% of A2 population).

There are around 62.6 million Filipinos fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far.  —with Llanesca T. Panti/AOL/NB, GMA News