MANILA, Philippines — All regions in the Philippines, except Soccsksargen, were at low to moderate risk for COVID-19, the Department of Health said Friday.
In a briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of new coronavirus cases in the country continues to decline.
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Metro Manila, the epicenter of the surge driven by Omicron variant, was at moderate risk.
Only Soccsksargen in Mindanao posted a positive two-week growth rate of 28%.
Despite this, the total bed utilization and intensive care unit utilization rates in all regions, including Soccsksargen, remained at low to moderate risk, Vergeire said.
"The continuous decline in cases and the low risk classification of our national health system capacity prove that vaccines work," she said in Filipino.
The DOH on Friday reported 3,788 COVID-19 new infections, bringing the number of active cases to 91,147.
Preparing for ‘new normal’
The health official said the government was preparing for the country’s transition into a “new normal.”
Vergeire noted Alert Level 1 would be the "new normal." The capital region and other areas will be under Alert Level 2 until February 15.
"When we talk about Alert Level 1, restrictions will be very, very specific already… Restrictions will be implemented only in situations where there is a high likelihood of infection," she said.
"What would be retained would be our self-regulation. We still follow minimum public health standards."
Should the government ease restrictions, the mask mandate would be the last to go, Vergeire stressed.
Not endemic yet
Vergeire also said that COVID-19 has yet to become endemic, which means it will be a permanent fixture in people's lives.
"We will reach the state that SARS-CoV-2 becomes endemic when we have a high vaccination rate in the country or natural immunity, plus the fact that cases in our country or globally are manageable, predictable and stable," she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"We have yet to see that... Nothing is certain at this point."