KEEP DISTANCE Digital billboards remind bikers and joggers at the CCP Complex in Pasay City to observe physical distancing. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — People still need to wear masks and face shields after being vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“We want to remind our people that the Covid-19 vaccine is not a magic pill. We still don’t have sufficient evidence to have that assurance that [people] won’t get infected [after being vaccinated],” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told an online briefing on Wednesday.
“What we are seeing so far are evidence of less chances of having full-blown diseases, of needing hospitalization, and of dying,” she said.
Immunity period unknown
Vergeire also said the period of immunity to the new coronavirus after vaccination had not been established.
“It is still unknown how long the immunity provided by the vaccines can provide will last,” she said.
“Even after you have already been inoculated, you still need to wear your mask, wear your face shield, do physical distancing, avoid crowded areas,” she added.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
It is reviewing the applications for emergency use permit of AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom, Gamaleya Research Institute of Russia, Sinovac Biotech of China and Bharat Biotech of India.
More infections
On Sunday, the DOH logged 1,949 additional coronavirus infections, raising the overall number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 513,619.
Davao City reported the most number of new cases, 99, followed by Quezon City (98), Cavite (74), Baguio City (73) and Leyte (63).
The DOH reported 7,729 recoveries, bringing the total number of Covid-19 survivors to 475,612. But the death toll rose to 10,242 with the deaths of 53 more patients.
The deaths and recoveries left the country with 27,765 active cases, of which 83.3 percent were mild, 9.1 percent were asymptomatic, 0.53 percent were moderate, 2.7 percent were severe, and 4.4 percent were critical. INQ