THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has retained 26 provinces, under Alert Level 2 for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the same level they have been in since April this year.
IATF Resolution 8-C, signed on June 15 by co-chairmen Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and published in the Official Gazette on the same day, placed the 26 provinces under Alert Level 2 from June 16 to 30 without prejudice to their respective cities or municipalities that may be under a different alert level.
Thirteen of these provinces are in Mindanao.
Alert Level 2 is imposed in areas where there are low or decreasing case transmission and low healthcare utilization, low but increasing case counts, low and decreasing case counts but increasing total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate.
The provinces in Luzon under Alert Level 2 are Benguet and Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Quezon in Region IV-A (Calabarzon), Palawan in Region IV-B (Mimaropa), Camarines Norte and Masbate in Region V (Bicol).
In the Visayas, included are Antique and Negros Occidental in Region VI (Western Visayas), Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental in Region VII (Central Visayas), and Leyte and Western Samar in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas).
The 10 Mindanao provinces under COVID-19 Alert Level 2 are Lanao Del Norte in Region X (Northern Mindanao); Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental in Region XI (Davao); North Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat in Region XII (Soccsksargen), Dinagat Islands in Region XIII (Caraga), and Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The rest of the provinces, cities and municipalities are under Alert level 1.
Alert Level 1 refers to areas where the case transmission is low and decreasing, and the total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is also low.
The alert levels are based on the recommendations of the sub-technical working group (sub-TWG) on data analytics based on the public health situation and social measures adopted on the ground.
Department of Health (DOH) data showed that as of June 18, there are 477 severe and critical COVD-19 patients staying in intensive care units (ICUs).
DOH has recorded 4.159 million cases of COVID-19 cases in the country, which includes 8,659 active cases; 4 million recovered patients, and 66,482 deaths.
GET VAXXED
Meanwhile, a member of the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) yesterday renewed the government’s call for eligible individuals to get jabbed with the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as threats of new subvariants and sublineages entering the Philippines continue to persist.
In a televised public briefing, VEP member Dr. Rontgene Solante said it is necessary for healthcare workers (HCWs) and senior citizens to get inoculated with bivalent jabs, which carry components of the Omicron variant.
“Their COVID-19 vaccines must be updated so that they will have that added layer of protection,” said Solante, adding: “It is important that once bivalent vaccines are available, these vulnerable population should get them so they will get the protection against these new variants.”
The DOH is set to launch the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination today, June 21, at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) in Quezon City.
Based on the guidelines released by the DOH, the bivalent vaccines shall be used as third booster shots of HCWs and senior citizens after at least four to six months from their second booster shots.
Solante issued the appeal on the heels of the detection of the first FE.1 sublineage case in the Philippines.
In addition, a total of 2,216 out of the 2,340 samples most recently sequenced have been classified as under the Omicron variant.
But Solante said the detection of the FE.1 sublineage should not be a cause for alarm to the public.
“We should not panic because, for almost two years now, the healthcare utilization rate has been good. These new variants haven’t been causing the most severe infections,” said Solante.
On the other hand, the infectious disease expert said it also does not mean that Filipinos should be complacent against the new subvariants and sublineages.
“Just like any subvariant that have been reported in the Philippines, we should closely monitor this,” said Solante. — With Gerard Naval
