There have been 7,661 new cases and 43 new deaths recorded in the Philippines on February 2, 2022. This has prompted Malacañan Palace to place Metro Manila and seven other provinces under the less restrictive Alert Level 2. The Philippine Department of Health reported on the same day that the country is back to moderate risk status for COVID-19. It was previously at the high and critical risk classification.
“The average daily attack rate was still at high risk, but it decreased to 19.43 cases for every 100,000 individuals,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Don’t follow other countries blindly
The Philippines may have better numbers now, but the pandemic is still raging globally. Many restrictions are still in place and health protocols still need to be followed, including the continued wearing of masks. “It’s premature for any country to surrender or to declare victory,” said Ghebreyesus.
WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan pointed out that not every country is in the same situation regarding Omicron. “Those countries who are making decisions to open up more broadly also need to be sure of capacity to reintroduce measures, with community acceptance, if needed. So as if we open the doors quickly, you better be very well able to close them very quickly as well,” he said.
The United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands have Recently relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. Denmark and Austria followed last week. Meanwhile, other countries like New Zealand have not yet opened up. New Zealand officials have warned of an expected increase in Omicron cases within the country in the coming weeks.
Key Takeaways
The World Health Organization warns that many countries have not yet reached Omicron peak numbers. Strict health protocols still need to be followed even though some nations are relaxing their COVID-19 restrictions. The highly contagious Omicron variant is still spreading globally. Positive COVID numbers are still dipping in the Philippines, prompting the Department of Health to place the country under moderate risk status now.
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