Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 6) — A panel of vaccine experts are set to recommend to the Health Department to trim down the waiting period before a person who contracted COVID-19 can get inoculated.
Dr. Rontgene Solante, a member of the Vaccine Experts Panel, on Tuesday said they will suggest cutting it down to 14 days instead of waiting for 90 days after patients have recovered. He stressed that the number of days must be counted starting on the day the person is cleared of the infection.
“Ang pinaka-optimum interval is 14 days from the recovery… Ang guideline ngayon sa NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) is that from recovery maghintay lang tayo ng two weeks, it’s that period of time, not 90 days. We just have to do it two weeks from naka-recover ang pasyente,” he said in a media briefing.
[Translation: The most optimum interval is 14 days from recovery. NITAG’s guidelines say you must wait two weeks after recovery, not 90 days. We just have to do it two weeks from the patient’s recovery.]
The DOH earlier issued vaccination guidelines, which state that people who contracted COVID-19 may be vaccinated after 90 days from the last day of treatment.
Solante, an infectious disease expert, explained that several days are needed between recovery and vaccination to ensure that the drugs are effective in protecting a person against severe disease and even death.
“When you have an infection, your body also produces antibodies. So kung meron kang active infection, kapag binakunahan ka [If you have an active infection and you get vaccinated], your vaccine will not work because your immune system is being stressed by that infection,” he said.
The Philippines has administered 777,908 shots, mostly to healthcare workers, the elderly, and people with comorbidities, over a month since the launch of the immunization program.
