This photo shows people who just received vaccination against COVID-19. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Contrary to President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement, health experts on Thursday warned fully vaccinated individuals against going out and moving about whenever or wherever they want to, stressing that the virus can still infect them.
Dr. Nina Gloriani, a member of the Department of Science and Technology’s vaccine expert panel, said fully vaccinated individuals could still experience “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections as different variants of the coronavirus affect the efficacy of the vaccines.
Experts reiterated that vaccines can only protect people from severe or critical illnesses but not COVID-19 transmission.
“Hindi pa po [pwede],” she said in a Palace briefing when asked if vaccinated people can already go out and wander around as asserted by Duterte.
“Although sinasabi natin na hindi naman talaga surge pero ‘yung variants ay nakaka-affect doon sa protection sa bakuna na mayroon tayo so magkakaroon ng breakthrough infections,” she added.
She cautioned fully vaccinated persons, and especially those unvaccinated ones, against unnecessary travels and mingling with other people as coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, can still be spread by either unvaccinated or fully vaccinated individuals.
For Dr. Alethea de Guzman of the Department of Health’s epidemiology bureau, while going out is one of the benefits that vaccinated individuals may enjoy, people should still be “very cautious” because the vaccine does not fully protect against COVID-19 transmission.
“Itong benefits sana are what we want our fully vaccinated individuals to enjoy pero sa ngayon we are being very cautious doon dahil sa nasabi na it protects from severe and critical diseases but less protection from getting the infection,” she said.
She pointed out that while fully vaccinated senior citizens have been allowed by the government to go out, they should still strictly abide by public minimum health standards such as wearing face masks and physical distancing.
In a taped public address aired late Wednesday night, Duterte pronounced that fully vaccinated people can already go out on leisure.
“Iyong mga bakunado, puwede na kayong magpasyal-pasyal. Iyong walang bakuna, tumabi muna kayo at magplano ako kung anong gawain ko sa inyo,” he said.
(Those who are vaccinated, you can already go out on leisure. But those who are not, just stay put as I plan what to do with you.)
National Task Force against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said the Philippines has so far fully vaccinated around 6.8 million people against COVID-19.
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