THE OCTA Research Group said that unvaccinated individuals remain a cause of concern that is why the alert level status in the country cannot be downgraded yet to Alert Level 1.
Although there is a significant decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and the National Capital Region (NCR) is believed to be ready in case the alert level is lowered, Dr. Guido David admitted that their concern is still the remaining unvaccinated Filipinos.
During the Laging Handa public briefing, David said there is a possibility of another surge and will affect unvaccinated individuals, especially in areas where vaccination coverage remains low.
If this happens, hospitalization will again increase, and this is just one of the alert indicators that they are monitoring.
He said proof is in the Calabarzon area where hospitalization rate is still quite high.
He said it would be okay if those who will contract the virus are already vaccinated so symptoms won’t be severe and will not require hospitalization.
That is why many Filipinos are still reluctant to downgrade the alert level status of the NCR and other areas in the country to Alert Level 1.
According to David, he conducted a survey on social media platform Twitter and asked the public if they think the country is ready to go down to Alert Level 1 by March.
The survey revealed that 30 percent of respondents said the country is ready, while 38 percent wanted the downgrading to happen after the elections, while 20 percent said they don’t want to downgrade the alert level.
David reiterated that strict adherence to minimum public health standards and increased vaccination, especially in areas with low vaccination coverage, and the administration of booster shots, are all important to keep hospitalization due to COVID-19 at a low level.