A health reform advocate expressed his approval following the country’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic task force’s decision to extend the Alert Level 2 status in Metro Manila.

“Ikinalulugod ko ang desisyon ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) at ng Metro Manila Council na susugan nila ng Alert Level 2 (I welcome the decision of the IATF and the Metro Manila Council to extend the Alert Level 2 status in Metro Manila),” said health reform advocate and former National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 special adviser Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon in an interview over DZRH on Monday, Feb. 14.

Despite the decreasing number of COVID-19 infections, Leachon reiterated that the country could not be certain that there will no longer be a surge of infections because of the ongoing political campaigns.

Meanwhile, he stated that in the next two weeks, the national government should ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination drives and improve the pediatric vaccination in the Philippines.

“In the next two weeks, mai-improve natin ‘yung boosters, mai-improve natin yung pedia vaccination at kapag nakita natin na sa loob ng dalawang linggo ay umayos naman, edi tiyaka tayo mag Alert Level 1. sa nakikita ko baka Alert Level 2 until the end kasi lalong iinit ang kampanya (In the next two weeks, if we can improve the boosters, we can improve the pedia vaccination, and when we see that in the next two weeks it will improve, we will definitely go to Alert Level 1. But in what I see, maybe we will stay at Alert Level 2 until the end because the campaign will heat up even more),” said Leachon.

The IATF on Monday, Feb. 14, announced that Metro Manila remains under the Alert Level 2 classification from Feb. 16 until Feb. 28.