Zambo seeks alert level downgrade
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The national pandemic task force should explain its decision to turn down the recommendation of the city government to lower the alert level despite the steady decline in COVID-19 cases, local officials said.
”We need to know their reason. Local officials are coordinating with national officials,” city secretary Kenneth Beldoa said.
Mayor Isabelle ClimacoSalazar sought the downgrade of the alert level to 2 last week.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) announced on Monday that Zamboanga City would remain under the stricter Alert Level 3 until the end of the month.
Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental and South Cotabato are the three other areas in Mindanao placed under Alert Level 3.
The city health office (CHO) reported that from a high of 1,400, active cases in Zamboanga dropped to 799 as of Monday.
“It could be due to the nature of the... predominant circulating variant. Secondly, it could be because of the protection as most of us have been given the second dose of the vaccine,” CHO chief Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite said.
Iloilo still high risk
Meanwhile, Iloilo City is the only highly urbanized city in the country at high risk for COVID despite a downward trend in new cases, OCTA Research Group fellow Guido David said.
Iloilo City, Iloilo province and Guimaras are the three areas in the Visayas under Alert Level 3 until Feb. 28.
Citing data as of Monday, David said the average daily attack rate (ADAR) in Iloilo City remains high while the positivity rate is “very high.”
In Luzon, Angeles, Dagupan, Lucena and Olongapo are now at low risk while Baguio, Puerto Princesa, Naga and Santiago remain at moderate risk.
Also at moderate risk are Bacolod, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Ormoc and Tacloban.
David said Baguio City has an ADAR of more than 10 daily new infections per 100,000 people at 21.17.
However, he said the number of those found infected among those tested improved to only 18 percent.
OCTA said the other cities with very high positivity rates are Ormoc, 49 percent; Puerto Princesa, 49 percent; Iligan, 41 percent; Butuan, 32 percent; Cotabato, 32 percent; General Santos, 31 percent, and Naga, 28 percent.
The areas with high positivity rates are Zamboanga City, 19 percent; Cagayan de Oro, 14 percent; Davao City, 14 percent; Mandaue, 13 percent, and Santiago, 12 percent.
Zero active cases
In Pangasinan, 13 areas logged zero active cases as of Monday.
The provincial health office said these are Alaminos City and the towns of Anda, Asingan, Bautista, Dasol, Infanta, Laoac, Mabini, Natividad, San Nicolas, Sison, Sta. Maria and Urbiztondo.
The IATF placed Pangasinan under Alert Level 2 starting today until the end of the month as new cases dropped to only 22 on Monday.
The province had 175 active cases as of Monday.