An infectious disease expert has expressed confidence in Chinese-made Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, noting that it still offers protection against the highly contagious Delta variant.
In an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday, July 22, Dr. Rontgene Solante reiterated that vaccinated individuals have protection against COVID-19 variants, including the Delta variant and against severe COVID-19.
"I would still stay that Sinovac can still be effective against the Delta variant, even if you say you have 50 or 65 percent protection, then that's still better than not getting the vaccine," Solante, head of adult infectious diseases department at San Lazaro Hospital, said.
"In studies where there's a decrease in antibody against any of these vaccines, I think we're still getting good results with the Sinovac at this point in time, so I still believe, I'm confident that Sinovac can still protect us against this variant," he added.
On Thursday, the Department of Health reported 12 new cases of the Delta variant, all of which are considered local cases.
The country now has a total of 47 Delta variant.