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2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine effective vs Delta variant -- DOH exec
2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine effective vs Delta variant -- DOH exec
An official of the Department of Health (DOH) said that two doses of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine still offer strong protection against the Delta variant.
"Epektibo ang ating mga bakuna at napakahalaga na dalawang doses ang maibigay sa atin para maabot natin yung magandang efficacy rate (Our vaccines are effective and it is very important that we complete the two doses, so that we can have a good efficacy rate)," said DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Dr. Alethea De Guzman during the Malacañang press briefing on Thursday, July 15.
Citing studies, De Guzman said that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 88 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection with the Delta variant. While the efficacy rate of the AstraZeneca vaccine is at 66 percent.
Meanwhile, the other vaccine brands showed over 50 percent efficacy against the Delta variant, said De Guzman.
"Ito ay mga initial na pag-aaral. Ayaw natin sabihin na merong bakuna na mas magaling over the other (These are initial studies. We don't want to say that one vaccine is better over the other)," she said.
"Meron posibleng pagkakaiba sa efficacy nila, pero lahat sila ay nagpapakita ng more than 50 percent na efficacy (There are differences in their efficacy, but they all show more than 50 percent efficacy) in such that more than 50 percent...is better than zero pag hindi tayo nagpabakuna (if we don’t get vaccinated)," she added.
The Delta variant has already spread to at least 98 countries since the first case was identified last December in India, said De Guzman.
"From just seven months, we have already seen its spread across the globe and it is now the 'more dominant variant,' especially in India, United Kingdom, and United States," she said.
The number of Delta variant cases in the Philippines remains at 19, said De Guzman.
"Meron tayong mga nadedetect na Delta variant cases ngunit sila ay among incoming international travelers pa lamang. Wala pa tayong nadedetect na any local case (We have detected Delta variant cases but they are only among incoming international travelers. We have not detected any local cases yet)," she said.