The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently gathering data on Filipinos who still contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19) despite being fully vaccinated against the viral illness.
FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo said that they are set to report the data by next week.
"Nakita natin, meron naman ngang mga nagkaroon ng COVID even two weeks after the vaccination pero mga mild disease. Walang grabe, walang naospital (We saw, there were those who had COVID even two weeks after their vaccination but they only had mild disease. The cases were non-serious, no one was hospitalized)," Domingo said in an interview over ABS-CBN TeleRadyo on Saturday, June 26.
Domingo reiterated that the COVID-19 vaccines approved in the Philippines are effective against the variants of coronavirus, including the Delta variant.
"Nakikita na mabisa pa rin naman bagamat nababawasan ng kaunti (efficacy) compared to the original virus (They are still effective although their efficacy have slightly reduced as compared to the original virus)," he said.
"Effective pa rin sila against the Delta variant although na de-decrease ng kaunti. At maganda pa rin naman ang coverage to prevent severe illness at pagkamatay sa COVID-19 (They are still effective against the Delta variant although the efficacy decreased a bit. And the coverage is still good to prevent severe illness and death)," he added.
Domingo also allayed concerns on the efficacy of CoronaVac, the vaccine made by China's Sinovac Biotech, as more than 300 Indonesian healthcare workers still caught COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
"Kung babasahin natin yung report, yung sa Indonesia, although meron ngang mga nagkasakit na mga fully vaccinated pero mild naman yung kanilang COVID-19. Kaya nakita naman natin na meron pa rin talaga siyang protection for severe disease at yung pagkamatay (If we read the report, the one in Indonesia, although there are people who are fully vaccinated and still got COVID-19--the cases are mild. So, we see that it still provides protection against severe disease and death)," he said.
"Kasi talagang hindi naman 100 percent ang efficacy ng mga vaccines, from the start, sinabi naman natin iyon. Kaya lang kung magkakasakit man po kayo, most likely it will become mild and manageable (The efficacy of vaccines is really not 100 percent and from the start, we said that. That is why if you get sick, most likely it will become mild and manageable)," he added.