WITH the threat of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Department of Health (DOH) said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is still assessing in terms of timing if it is good already to lower the alert level status of the National Capital Region (NCR).
NCR is under Alert Level 2 until December 15.
For an area to be downgraded to Alert Level 1, DOH Spokesperson and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said it must have a vaccination coverage of 70 percent for the elderly, those with comorbidities and the target population.
She said the only area thus far that has achieved this is the NCR.
At present, all provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities in the Philippines are under Alert Level 2, Vergeire said earlier.