ALL areas in the country are now under the “low risk” classification for coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.
Vergeire said even areas under Alert Level 2 are now under low risk, indicating the continuous decrease of Covid-19 cases.
She said the country has 559 average daily cases over the past week.
The decrease in cases can be attributed to the continuous adherence of the public to the minimum health protocols and the high Covid-19 vaccine coverage, she added.
“Our shift to Alert Level 1 has thus far been successful in maintaining the health and safety of the general population. We urge everyone to avail [themselves] of their booster shots and continue safety precautions such as wearing of masks and proper hygiene to continue this trend,” she said.
Vergeire also said that currently, 64.6 million individuals or 71.84 percent of the target population are already fully vaccinated, while 69.8 million people or 77.6 percent have received the first dose.
Over 11.2 million have received booster shots.
Over 6.5 million senior citizens, who are more vulnerable to severe Covid-19, have been fully vaccinated, while 1.9 million have received the first dose.
Vergeire said 9.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 1,233,017 children aged five to 11 also received Covid-19 jabs.
Regarding the slow uptake of the Covid-19 vaccines, Vergeire said among the challenges being faced by the government aside from the vaccine hesitancy is the complacency brought about the downtrend of cases, locating the unvaccinated, and the divided time of the people amid the shift to a less stringent quarantine status that allows more businesses to re-open and people to work.
The National Government has extended the fourth national vaccination days targeting to inoculate more senior citizens.
From March 7 to 13, the Department of Health recorded 4,131 fresh Covid-19 cases nationwide, with 591 new deaths and three severe and critical cases.
As of March 13, 1,006 severe and critical cases have been admitted in hospitals. This represents 14.3 percent of the total Covid-19 confinement.
Over 19 percent of the total Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in the country have been utilized, while 17.2 percent non-ICU beds have been occupied. (SunStar Philippines)