Fully vaccinated individuals less likely to contract COVID-19, expert reiterates
A public health expert reiterated on Monday, July 5, that fully vaccinated individuals are less likely to contract coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

(KEITH BACONGCO / MANILA BULLETIN)
This after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) announced that fully vaccinated individuals traveling within the Philippines will no longer need to present swab tests results.
Fully vaccinated people will only need to present their vaccination cards for interzonal travel and for intrazonal movement.
In a Facebook post, Dr. Edsel Salvana explained that fully vaccinated individuals "are less likely to get infected" and even with breakthrough infection, their viral loads are low.
"Even if end up with breakthrough infection, the amount of virus they release is much less than that of an unvaccinated individual and there is a lower chance of transmission," Salvana said.
"Also, testing with RT-PCR in asymptomatic person is generally low yield and is even less fruitful in fully vaccinated asymptomatic individuals," he added.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case who remain asymptomatic, only need to quarantine for seven days from the date of the last contact because they are "less contagious" after the 7th day.
However, Salvana stressed that if symptoms develop within seven days, a test will still have to be done and the individual should still be treated as a COVID-19 suspect and isolated for 10 days if mild and 21 days if severe or critical.