MANILA – Nilinaw ng Department of Health (DOH) na tuloy pa rin ang pagro-rolyo ng Pilipinas sa COVID-19 vaccines.
“Its very clear from the report that there’s no reason to suspend our vaccination program. The vaccine is not what caused our healthcare worker death,” ani Dr. Beverly Ho, Director IV ng DOH-Health Promotion Bureau.
“DOH and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has continued to emphasize the benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risk of us getting COVID, particularly severe (infection).”
Nitong Miyerkules iniulat ng DOH at FDA na isang healthcare worker ang nabakunahan laban sa COVID-19 at hindi kalaunan ay namatay.
Pero nilinaw ng mga ahensya na hindi bakuna ang sanhi ng pagkamatay ng frontliner, kundi impeksyon sa coronavirus.
Batay sa datos ng National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC), isang 47-anyos na babaeng healthcare worker ang naturang namatay.
“With known hypertension, diabetes, and bronchal asthma as declared in the health assessment form,” ani NAEFIC vice chairperson Dr. Rommel Lobo.
May iniinom din daw na maintenance na gamot ang naturang pasyente.
Nag-positibo sa RT-PCR test ang healthcare worker noong February 22. Pero nag-negatibo rin nang magpa-test kinabukasan, February 23.
Tinurukan siya ng Sinovac vaccine noong March 4, kung saan asymptomatic o walang sintomas, batay sa nilagdaan niyang health declaration form.
“On March 8 she tested for COVID-19. She was advised for admission but she refused.”
Nagpa-admit lang daw ang healthcare worker noong March 10, at namatay ng March 13.
“She died of COVID-19 infection.”
Inamin ni Dr. Lobo na una nang nag-positibo sa coronavirus ang healthcare worker noong nakaraang taon, kaya pinayagan itong magpabakuna.
Ayon kasi sa mga eskperto, pwede lang mabakunahan ang mga confirmed cases paglipas ng tatlong buwan mula nang sila ay gumaling.
“According to the infectious disease consultant of NAEFIC, they mentioned that they tried to look at the CT threshold and they made a call on that point that the positive RT-PCR could have been remnants of the previous infection. And she’s not anymore infective that time.”
Naniniwala ang eksperto na baka na-expose sa asymptomatic na indibidwal ang healthcare worker bago nabakunahan.
Paliwanag ni Dr. Lobo, mayroon “incubation period” o pagitan ng mga araw bago makaramdam ng sintomas ang isang tao mula sa unang araw na nagkaroon ito ng exposure sa taong may sakit.
“The patient might have been exposed to a individual that she had encountered and she might be incubating or having asymptomatic symptoms when she was vaccinated.”
“During the first few weeks after you’re injected with the vaccine, you have no protection. This is the time you’re immune system is trying to develop (antibodies), so talagang expected after few weeks after vaccination you’re at risk of developing COVID-19 and getting severe illness or probably dying from it is the same as a non-vaccinated person,” paliwanag ni FDA director-general Eric Domingo.
Binigyang diin ng mga eksperto ang kahalagahan ng pagsunod pa rin sa health protocols kahit mabakunahan na laban sa COVID-19.
Sa ngayon kasi ang mga dinevelop na bakuna ay may kakayahan pa lang daw na agapan ang paglala ng impeksyon at banta ng pagkamatay.
“COVID-19 vaccines does not cause COVID-19 disease… none of the vaccines use in the Philippines can make people sick (with coronavirus),” ani Dr. Lobo.
