MANILA -- Malacanang on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, announced that the Philippines is now at low-risk classification.

“Nasa low-risk classification na po ang National Capital Region at ang buong Pilipinas,” Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a Palace briefing, adding that three metrics have been used to determine the current classification, namely, growth in cases, average daily attack rate per 100,000 population and health systems capacity.

Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, a resource person during the press briefing, further explained that average daily cases per day this week (February 8 to February 14, 2022) is 56% lower than the cases last week (February 1 to February 7, 2022).

The health official underscored the country’s steady decline in new COVID-19 cases had helped in managing our national health system capacity.

Secretary Nograles, in the same briefing, thanked the public for their cooperation in observing the minimum public health standards and expressed satisfaction over the increasing number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

“All of the progress we have made to bring down the number of cases is a product of our collective efforts, and we thank our kababayans for their cooperation. We urge everyone to remain conscious of our health protocols as we work to build on the progress we continue to make,” Nograles stressed.

Nograles, who is the concurrent Co-Chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force, likewise made it clear that the acute phase of the pandemic could only end this year if the 70 percent vaccination target is achieved by the middle of 2022. Quoting the World Health Organization, Sec. Nograles said that this is a matter of choice.

The Cabinet official cited the target of the Philippines to vaccinate 90 million Filipinos before the end of the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

More than 61.6 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, as of February 14, 2022. (OPS)