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| Enrique Tayag, DOH director for Knowledge Management and IT Service, explained that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines are not yet finished. (Photo from AFP/Joel Saget) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA — Vaccines for COVID-19 don’t necessarily prevent infection and transmission of the virus but it could protect those inoculated against severe illness, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday night.
PhilStar said that Enrique Tayag, DOH director for Knowledge Management and IT Service, explained that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines are not yet finished but these were released by manufacturers through an emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by regulatory authorities of countries. This means that people can still get infected although “there will be no severe COVID-19,” he said in an interview with The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s OneNews. “(From) what we know...it proves that it protects against severe COVID-19 and prevents hospitalization,” the former DOH chief epidemiologist added in reference to the case of a 43-year-old overseas Filipino worker in Mandaue City in Cebu.
The OFW had two doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine while still in the United Arab Emirates. He went through a 14-day quarantine after arriving in Cebu. However, when tested before flying back to the UAE, he turned positive for the virus. Four of his household members were also found infected, although it couldn’t be sure if they got the virus from him.
