CAGAYAN de Oro City is not ‘out of the woods’ despite being placed under Alert Level 1 due to fewer Covid-19 cases and a high vaccination rate, Mayor Oscar Moreno said yesterday.
“It doesn’t follow that just because we are on Alert Level 1 that we’re out of the woods now, that we don’t have any more problems. That’s because the virus is still out there (waiting to infect people). The virus is still contagious and transmissible that’s why di pa ta angay magkumpinyasa…the alert level 1 declaration is an experimental move by (the) government to see if the people can (protect themselves while resuming their routines),” Moreno said.
During Monday afternoon’s City Hall press briefing, Moreno said Cagayan de Oro City and the rest of the local governments under Alert Level 1 are ‘under observation’ not only because they have fewer cases but due to their high vaccination rate, especially among seniors and persons with comorbidities.
“My reading is that the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) wants to jumpstart the country’s economy (under the more flexible alert level system),” Moreno said.
“Compared to the previous quarantine level system, the alert level system provides more flexibility depending on the local government’s vaccination rate. That’s why Cagayan de Oro City qualified for Alert Level 1 even if the city’s total Covid-19 cases (since 2020) is higher than others,” Moreno said.
In his daily updates, City Health Office (CHO) medical officer Dr. Ted Yu Jr. said Cagayan de Oro’s vaccination of seniors and A3 is pegged at 100 percent by the Department of Health (DOH).
“Based on the city’s health indicators, Cagayan de Oro’s average daily attack rate is now at low risk at three percent while our two-week growth rate is at negative 84 percent. Our total bed utilization rate is at 16.33 percent for a health care/critical care utilization rate of 18.41 percent as of Feb. 26,” Dr. Yu said.
Moreno said a high vaccination rate is critical for local governments especially if their alert level status is raised by the national government.
“On Alert Levels 2 and 3, local governments are allowed an additional 20 percent room capacity for indoor venues and 30 percent for outdoor venues if they have a high vaccination rate. That’s why we are doing our part in sending our vaccination teams to Misamis Oriental province to assist them in speeding up their efforts to reach herd immunity,” Moreno said.
Nearly a year after the government launched its nationwide vaccination program, Misamis Oriental province had yet to reach 70 percent herd immunity coverage while its vaccination rate for their senior citizens is at 54 percent for the first dose and 42 percent for the second dose as of Feb. 21.
Vaccination teams were deployed by Cagayan de Oro City Hall last January after the city achieved the minimum 70 percent herd immunity target as of late December last year. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
