Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) — Local data on breakthrough infections in the last five months suggested that the protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines is not diminishing over time, the drug regulator said on Friday.
The Philippines has recorded 516 breakthrough infections, with 14 deaths as of Sept. 26, Food and Drug Administration Director-General Eric Domingo said. That is around 0.0025% of 20.3 million fully vaccinated individuals, he added.
“At this time, wala naman tayong nakikita na nagwe-wane iyong protection ng mga vaccine,” he said in an online media forum hosted by the Department of Health.
[Translation: At this time, we are not seeing waning protection from the vaccines].
“Wala naman tayong nakikitang pagdami ng breakthrough infections through time, so wala pa tayong dahilan para sabihing bumababa ang protection rate o kailangan na ng booster shots at this time for the general public,” he added.
[Translation: We are not seeing an increase in breakthrough infections through time. So, we still do not have a reason to say the vaccine protection rate is going down, or we need booster shots at this time for the general public.]
Studies abroad showed the effectiveness of some COVID-19 vaccines, such as those developed by Sinovac and Pfizer, wanes after six months.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, for her part, reiterated there is not enough evidence to recommend a third COVID-19 vaccine dose after vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said in a TV interview that the government may start giving booster shots to healthcare workers in November or December.
Healthcare workers were the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccines with emergency use approval in the country. The government’s COVID-19 inoculation drive began in March.
The Department of Health said it conducted a survey among 10,525 healthcare workers from Sept. 15 to 21 to know if they are willing to receive boosters.
“More than 90%” answered they want to get a third dose, according to Vergeire. But when asked if they are still willing to receive a booster shot even if it is not recommended by experts and there is insufficient data to support its use, only 50% answered in the affirmative, she said.
