Impact of higher COVID-19 vaccination rates not immediate —DOH

The benefits of higher COVID-19 vaccination rates will not be felt immediately, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday, after the government ramped up its inoculation campaign to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Dr. Alethea De Guzman said significant protection against COVID-19 could only be achieved six weeks after receiving the first dose of a two-dose vaccine. 

"I call vaccination a long play," she said in an online Go Negosyo forum.

Health officials say a person is considered fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks or more since he or she received the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks or more since he or she got a single-shot vaccine. 

De Guzman said the impact of the large-scale vaccination campaign could be seen by November. 

“We can expect case projections to drop by around November. The earlier we ramp up our vaccination efforts, the earlier we will perceive benefits in terms of case reduction and decrease in hospitalization,” De Guzman’s presentation stated. 

A total of 13 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, still far from the government’s target of vaccinating up to 70 million people before the end of the year. 

Along with higher vaccination coverage, improved adherence to minimum public health standards and better case detection to isolation time could help drive down infection numbers, De Guzman said. —KG, GMA News