37 areas, including 8 Metro Manila cities, under alert level 4 for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Eight Metro Manila cities are among 37 areas that have been placed under alert level 4 due to their increased risk classification for COVID-19 cases and hospital utilization rate, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire named the Metro Manila cities under alert level 4 as Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Quezon City, Taguig, Malabon, Makati and San Juan.

“Alert level four areas are those whose risk classification have reached moderate to critical risk and whose utilization rate of either their total COVID-19 or ICU bed utilization are more than 70 percent,” Vergeire told an online media briefing.

Health Usec. Vergeire says 37 areas in the country, including 8 areas in Metro Manila, were placed under alert level 4. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/tPHRyXdCGg

— Cathrine Gonzales (@cgonzalesINQ) August 6, 2021

Aside from the National Capital Region, several areas in 11 other regions were placed under alert level 4, which required granular lockdowns, active contact tracing efforts and COVID-19 testing, among others.

Vergeire said the DOH is now classifying areas according to alert levels based on their risk classification to COVID-19 cases and their healthcare utilization rates (HCUR).

According to Vergeire, areas under alert level 1 are under minimal to low risk, have a negative two-week growth rate of cases and less than 50 percent HCUR, and do not have Delta variant cases.

Meanwhile, areas under alert level 2 are under minimal to low risk, have a negative two-week growth rate, less than 50 percent HCUR, and have the Delta variant. They can also be areas with minimal to low risk and positive two-week growth rate, or; with minimal to low risk, negative two-week growth rate, but with more than 50 percent intensive care utilization rate (ICUR).

Areas under alert level 3, on the other hand, are those under moderate to critical risk and have HCUR or ICUR of 50 to 70 percent.

The country has 66,895 active cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday.

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