MANILA, (PIA) -- Department of Health (DOH) Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire over the weekend said at least 11 cities in Metro Manila are now under Alert Level 4, highest alert level for COVID-19 monitoring.
During the Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday, Vergeire said the areas under Alert Level 4 include:
- Las Pinas
- Malabon
- Makati
- Marikina
- Muntinlupa
- Navotas
- San Juan
- Pateros
- Taguig
- Valenzuela
- Quezon City
The DOH official said the ICU utilization rate in the entire National Capital Region is at 71 percent.
At least 63 percent of the 4,700 isolation beds and 64 percent of 3,900 ward beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients in the capital region are also in use, she added.
"Pataas pa rin ang trend ng ating mga kaso katulad ng sinabi natin kahapon marami na ang nag-escalate from Alert Level 1. Ngayon wala nang under (Alert Level) 1, puro 2 to 4 na (The trend is still upward and like we said yesterday several areas climbed from Alert Level 1. Now there are no longer areas under this level)," Vergeire said.
Vergeire said rapid antigen test for areas with local Delta variant cases, granular lockdowns, and active case finding can be utilized in areas under alert level 4.
There is also an “urgent need” to increase hospital beds in these localities. Supply of medical oxygen should likewise be ensured.
The DOH has a four-tier system with Alert Level 1 as the lowest, indicating COVID-19 case transmission is low and the health care utilization rate is less than 50 percent.
The highest of the four is Alert Level 4, meaning dedicated beds for COVID-19 patients are more than 70 percent occupied. (PIA-NCR)
