The government's pandemic task force is being extra cautious about placing areas in the country under the least strict coronavirus (COVID-19) alert level due to the many uncertainties about the new Omicron variant.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement as the country as many of the existing Alert Levels, including the Alert Level 2 over the National Capital Region (NCR), will end on December 15.

In his press briefing on Friday, December 10, Nograles said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases cannot make a decision yet because it is still waiting for "final conclusive data" about the Omicron variant from the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the acting Palace spokesman, this would mean that the country may stay under Alert Level 2 until the end of the year.

"It would appear unless we get more conclusive data from the WHO... Kasi (Because) right now, puro preliminary data lang, eh (all we have are preliminary data)," he said.

"Wala pa yung comfort level ng IATF (The IATF is not yet comfortable) to definitely put and set and finalize the parameters for Alert Level 1. So dahil ganoon nga po (because of that), then we'll wait and see," he added.

"It's a developing thing, eh, with the WHO. We're getting data, they're sending us data but nothing so conclusive enough to give us enough comfort sa (in the) IATF," he continued.

Aside from this, Nograles admitted that one of the reasons they cannot declare areas under Alert Level 1 is they have not yet finalized the parameters for the least strict alert level.

"We're not yet ready in terms of the finalization ng parameters for Alert Level 1," he said.

"Ito'y work in progress pa rin po sa IATF. Tuloy-tuloy naman mga IATF meetings natin (This is a work in progress in the IATF but we continue to hold meetings)," he added.

Nograles said the three things they want to know about the Omicron variant are its transmissibility, severity, and breakthrough infections.

According to the WHO, their preliminary data on the Omicron variant do not "indicate that this is more severe."

"'In fact, if anything, the direction is towards less severity,'" Nograles said, citing the WHO report.

"'We have highly effective vaccines that have proved effective against all variants so far in terms of severe disease and hospitalization. There's no reason to expect that it wouldn't be so for Omicron," he continued.

Despite this, Nograles said that this was no reason for the public to be complacent. He reiterated the government's call for everyone to follow the minimum public health standards.

"Let us all do everything that got us to this point. Many of us will be able to see our loved ones because of our collective vigilance and because of the cooperation of everyone," he said.

"So please wear your mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, and convince everyone you know to get vaccinated," he added.

On Monday, President Duterte said he was praying that the Omicron variant will not reach Philippine shores.

“We are not hoping for the best but we pray to God that it (Omicron variant) will not come to our shores,” he said.

“But if ever na magdating (it comes here), I hope we can cope with as much as we did with COVID-19,” he added.

The Philippines has placed 16 countries on its red list for reasons including the confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.