Rappler
Experts question gov’t vaccination thresholds for Alert Level 1
The government has set new vaccination thresholds for areas to be downgraded to Alert Level 1, requiring at least 80% coverage for senior citizens and 70% for the general population.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. announced these additional requirements during a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on February 21.
These vaccination metrics were suggested by National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy implementer Vince Dizon to assess readiness for deescalation.
Previously, pandemic officials only mentioned 'high' vaccination rates, low hospital bed occupancy, and low virus transmission as criteria for loosening quarantine measures.
Areas not meeting these new metrics will not be downgraded to Alert Level 1, according to Duque.
As of February 21, approximately 134,332,014 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the National Capital Region (NCR) is ready to be downgraded to Alert Level 1 based on its current metrics.
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The Philippine government is increasing the operational capacity of establishments in areas under Alert Level 4 and below, with additional capacity granted if a high percentage of senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has finalized the metrics for downgrading areas to Alert Level 1.
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Over 63 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of February 28, representing more than 80% of the country's target population.
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Bacolod City is set to transition to Alert Level 1 starting Tuesday, a move Mayor Evelio Leonardia attributes to the cooperation of residents in adhering to health protocols.
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