Metro Manila may be put under Alert Level 2 due to uptick in COVID-19 cases

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Monday raised the possibility of escalating the COVID alert system to Level 2 amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday.

Currently, Metro Manila is under alert level 1 until June 15. 

“The possibility [of Alert Level 2] would always be there ‘pag nagtuloy-tuloy po ang mga kaso pero ang kailangan pong maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan, we are learning to live with the virus. Alam po nating hindi aalis ang virus na ito. It will stay with us,” she said on TeleRadyo’s Sakto.

(The possibility would always be there when the cases continue to increase but what the public needs to understand is that we are learning to live with the virus. We know that this virus will not leave. It will stay with us.)

Of the 17 local government units in NCR, 13 have a positive two-week growth rate of COVID-19 cases.

While the growth rate is positive, the number of cases is still insignificant in terms of crippling hospitals’ operations, Vergeire assured.

According to Vergeire, the slight rise in COVID-19 cases may be attributed to mobility, presence of transmissible subvariants, and the waning immunity of COVID-19 vaccines due to low booster shot coverage.

Based on Department of Health data, the country posted an additional 308 confirmed cases on Sunday, driving the active cases to 2,918.


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