Alert Level 0 term not yet final – DOH

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Alert Level 0, which was a word that the Health Department used internally and was not yet final.

“Ito ‘yung term na, it’s like the stage, no, in our situation right now kung saan magkakaroon tayo ng mas manageable ang mga kaso, mas makikita natin na nakakaagapay ang ating heatlhcare system, mas mataas ang bakunahan,” she said.

(It’s a term, a stage in which the number of cases is manageable. The healthcare system can cope with it. As a result, the vaccination rate is higher.)

“Ibig sabihin ‘yung Alert Level 0 na terminology natin, it’s not a final term yet. Kausap natin ‘ang ating mga eksperto kahapon at sinasabi nga nila baka hindi yan ang dapat gawin na terminology,” she added.

(An Alert Level 0, it’s not a final term yet. We talked with our experts yesterday, and they were saying that maybe we shouldn’t use that terminology.)

She predicted that the number of necessary responses would decrease in such a setting.

“Hindi na po natin kailangan magpa-dedicate ng beds sa ating mga ospital, babalik na onti-onti ang non-COVID services, mai-integrate ang COVID-19 conditions na pumapasok sa ospital sa infectious disease unit ng isang ospital.”

Alert Level 0 term not yet final – DOH

(We won’t need dedicated COVID-19 beds in hospitals, non-COVID services would slowly return, COVID-19 cases would be integrated into a hospital’s infectious disease unit.)

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday that all locations in the Philippines are now classified as low risk for COVID-19.

“Magagandang balita dahil lahat po ng areas natin ngayon sa ating bansa, maski po ‘yung nasa ilalim ng Alert Level 2 ay low risk na ang kanilang classificaiton,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

(Good news, because all areas in the country, even those under an Alert Level 2, are classified as low risk.)

As part of the attempt to deescalate to Alert Level 1, Vergeire said the agency is raising vaccination rates in areas still on Alert Level 2.

Meanwhile, she noted that due to solid immunization rates and compliance with minimal public health requirements, restrictions in Metro Manila and 39 other areas are eased.