The Department of Health (DOH) will retain Alert Level Two in the National Capital Region until it gets more information about the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

''We will not loosen to Alert Level One. We are waiting for new information from the World Health Organization about the Omicron variant and we will calibrate our response,'' said Duque in an interview with dzBB Monday.

''We won't just loosen restrictions. We have to preserve the gains we had. People should remain careful against COVID-19,'' he said.

OCTA Research, in a report Monday, said the positivity rate in the NCR is at 1.1 percent during Nov. 29 to Dec 5.

Duque urged people to be vaccinated vs COVID-19 as threat of Omicron hovers.

Duque said although WHO reported that the Omicron variant is more transmissible, there is no data on whether this will be a dangerous COVID-19 strain.

He added that while border controls are tightening, the DOH is strengthening the country's healthcare capacity.

So far, Duque said no cases of the Omicron variant has been detected in the samples sent to the Philippine Genome Center.

''We are continuing RT-PCR tests on those who came from South Africa in the last 14 days,'' said Duque.

Duque said more than 30 countries have reported the presence of the Omicron variant. DMS