First-generation vaccines are not the boosters you need CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana As Delta variant wreaks havoc around the world, many people are starting to worry about their risk for infection and severe COVID-19. Vaccination is proceeding globally at an increasing pace. More...
Each part has its own meaning CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana Twenty thousand cases. 22,000 cases. Every day at 4 p.m., people get palpitations waiting for the release of the next Department of Health COVID-19 Bulletin. Most of the attention goes to the number of new cases, followed...
Our early lockdown in March saved 200,000 lives, and continued vaccination is driving down infection numbers CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana Last March 2020, the first community transmission of COVID-19 in the Philippines was recorded. Given the uncertainty surrounding the virus, the...
And what to expect in the next few months CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana There is an internet saying that goes, “This too shall pass. It may pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.” I’ve never had a kidney stone, but I have had many patients who passed one. They all tell me...
(Ali Vicoy / File photo / Manila Bulletin) The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country is seen to increase further amid the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus, a government health adviser said Friday, Aug. 27. “Alam natin, tataas talaga ang kaso kahit anong gawin...
Avoid having ‘booster’ shots of the same vaccines—wait for the ‘souped up’ versions CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana On Aug. 15, 2021, the Department of Health along with the Philippine Genome Center announced the latest variant detected in the Philippines. Lambda, also known...
An infectious disease expert said Monday, Aug. 16, that the Delta variant is more concerning than the Lambda variant of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvaña The Philippines confirmed on Aug. 15 the detection of its first case of the coronavirus variant first...
“Good border control” will keep Philippines protected against the Gamma variant, another 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) modification that is suspected of causing reinfection of people and was reported to have been the cause of deaths among young children in Brazil....
Leaders of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, August 4 raised serious issues on the credibility of the Octa Research Group as they sought a congressional inquiry into the its “qualifications, methodologies, partnerships and composition”. Octa Research logo Octa Research, which has...
What it can and cannot do, and why it is important CLINICAL MATTERS Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana Ever since the horrific surge of cases in India, the world has been racing against the spread of the Delta variant. As a testament to how virulent and transmissible this variant is, it has already...
We still don’t have all the data and enough research Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana It sounds straightforward: If there are more breakthrough infections against our current vaccines, why not give a booster? Or what about giving another vaccine course? Or mixing the vaccines? Many people talk about...
With local transmission of the Delta variant now present, do we have a fighting chance? Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana Just as many countries were starting to relax their pandemic restrictions, COVID-19 threw more curve balls. Rapid vaccination success stories like Israel, the UK, and the US have had...
