The Department of Health will use four alert levels to determine the situation of various areas in the Philippines when it comes to COVID-19.
The DOH said it would help with a quick decision in accordance with the COVID-19 situation somewhere.
“Kaya kami naglagay ng alert levels because we are in a crisis at kelangan po natin ng agarang desisyon at agarang aksiyon galing sa gobyerno. These alert levels will give us triggers kung ano ‘yung mga kailangan gawin at ano ang mga flagged areas natin. For us to be able to balance that and give appropriate signals, ginawa natin itong alert levels,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Alert Level 1 is lowest with a low number of cases, less than 50 percent health care utilizatiion rate, the 2-week growth rate is negative, and no Delta variant cases are recorded.
So far, 9 places in the country are below this level.
At Alert Level 2, even though the number of cases increases, the health care utilization rate remains low at 50 percent, the 2-week growth rate is negative, and there is a case of the Delta variant.
At Alert Level 3, enter areas with moderate to critical rates, and the total COVID-19 or critical care bed capacity is 50 to 70 percent. It covers 42 areas, including 9 areas in Metro Manila.
Alert Level 4 includes areas with moderate to critical risk and areas with a utilization rate above 70 percent. It covers 37 places.
4 DOH alert levels for COVID-19 status of each area
Eight areas in Metro Manila are under Level 4, including Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Quezon City, Taguig, Malabon, Makati, and San Juan.
It is important in Alert Level 3 and Alert Level 4 areas to implement granular lockdown and search in COVID-19 active cases.
Hospitals should also try to make facilities more spacious and provide extra beds for those who may still fall ill.
It is also important to ensure that Level 4 areas have an adequate supply of oxygen.
Meanwhile, the DOH recorded 119 samples that tested positive for the Delta variant. Here, 93 are local cases, while 20 are returning overseas Filipinos.
Of the cases, 12 are active cases from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Western Visayas.
In total, there are already 450 Delta variant cases in the country.
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