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Why Vaccinated Filipinos are Still Infected of Covid-19

Why Vaccinated People are Still Getting Infected

As more Filipinos receive their COVID-19 vaccine shots, the government and the people see a possibility of faster recovery of the whole of the Philippines. Although, figures of vaccinated people still getting infected of the virus brings alarm to those who are yet to be vaccinated and to those who had been vaccinated.

Today more than 22 million have been fully vaccinated and more than 18 million have already received their first COVID-19 vaccine doses as of 18 September 2021.  Hence, a total of roughly 41 million Filipinos have already been vaccinated at least a single dose according to the latest data of the national COVID-19 vaccination dashboard reports.

However, several vaccinated individuals have still tested positive from the virus even after receiving their vaccine jabs. Hence, some individuals are still hesitant to take the necessary vaccination recommendation of the government as the lack of confidence in the vaccines continues.

Based on the previous figures last August 2021, a total of 735 individuals who at least received their first COVID-19 vaccine shots tested positive out of approximately 21 million partially and fully vaccinated individuals.

Here are some questions that people usually ask after receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots that you should also need to understand.

1. Why are persons who have been vaccinated testing positive for the coronavirus?

1. Why are persons who have been vaccinated testing positive for the COVID-19?

To begin, keep in mind that a positive test implies an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Only after the infection creates symptoms like fever and cough is the condition detected; a large percentage of persons who become infected never show any signs or symptoms. Vaccines provide a strong resistance against the severe disease produced by SARS-CoV-2, but none totally protects against the infection, so many vaccinated persons are still at danger of contracting the virus and spreading it to others. The greater the amount of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in a community, the greater the risk of infection.

Meanwhile, a very small number of cases might involve the infection superseding the vaccine strength which can result to COVID-19 symptoms. The sickness may be life-threatening in some circumstances. Another concern is what’s known as protracted COVID, which causes long-term weariness, dyspnea, and other symptoms in about one out of every ten COVID survivors; it’s unclear how well immunizations protect these problems.

2. What causes breakthrough COVID-19 cases?

It boils down to three basic considerations:

The virus: The pandemic virus is continuing to mutate into more dangerous versions that are both more infectious and more able to evade immunity provided by inoculation or a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. These “better” forms have spread around the world, making SARS-CoV-2 more difficult to eradicate.

The vaccination is as follows: According to current data, the majority of COVID vaccines approved for use provide protection against severe illness caused by the most common variants, with some vaccines—specifically, the so-called mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE—providing a stronger defense than others. According to research, receiving a full course of vaccine—typically two doses spaced 2 to 12 weeks apart, depending on the product—is required to achieve maximal immune protection. And it takes time for the vaccination to have its full effect—about two weeks after the last dosage, but certain vaccines’ protection can take months to build up. Manufacturing issues and incorrect storage and handling can also affect a vaccine’s potency, though instances of this happening are rare.

Individual response: Immunity is not guaranteed even if the most potent vaccination is administered perfectly. Some people may not have a strong enough immune response to the vaccine, which means they don’t produce enough virus-blocking antibodies or T cells to hunt down and kill virus-infected cells. Older persons and those who are immunocompromised, or those who have a weaker immune system because of a condition that affects it, such as AIDS, or those who are taking immunosuppressive medicines after a transplant or to treat cancer, are of particular concern. Vaccine protection is anticipated to fade with time, even in people with strong immunity, though researchers aren’t clear how quickly this happens.

3. How common are infections that cause a relapse?

Any actual figures are hard to be provided as other countries are also experiencing the same situation. It’s safe to assume that there were many more than were reported, especially among those who had no symptoms.

4. How well do we understand these infections?

There is some evidence that inoculation reduces the severity of any sickness in people who have been vaccinated but still become unwell.

5. What about evidence from other sources?

By late April, Israel, which had provided more COVID vaccines per capita than any other country by early 2021, had recorded over 400 hospitalizations among fully immunized people. 234 of them developed severe COVID, with 90 cases resulting in death. Pre-existing illnesses, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart failure, as well as medical disorders that compromised their immune systems, were found to increase the likelihood of acquiring a serious disease in over half of the hospitalized vaccinated persons.

6. How efficient are COVID-19 vaccines in preventing the disease?

Efficacy ratings for the COVID vaccines currently in use ranged from 50% to 95% in clinical trials. These figures indicate that cases of COVID were 50 percent to 95 percent lower in the group of trial volunteers who received the vaccine than in the group who received a placebo. An efficacy rate of, say, 80% suggests that a vaccinated person’s chance of falling ill is around 20% lower than that of a non-immunized person with otherwise similar characteristics. However, a vaccine’s effectiveness in the real world isn’t always the same as its efficacy in a laboratory setting. And efficacy and efficiency of the same vaccine can differ between groups, time points, and regimens; rates are determined by a variety of factors, including the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variations and adherence to social and public health measures that minimize virus transmission.

7. How likely is it that someone who has been vaccinated may spread COVID-19?

COVID vaccinations have been shown to minimize the likelihood that a person with a breakthrough infection may spread it to others. Documented COVID cases among household members of vaccinated health-care workers were 30 percent lower than for their unvaccinated cohorts, according to a study of health-care employees in Scotland conducted in late 2020 and early 2021. Research conducted at the same time in England found that the likelihood of home transmission was roughly 40% to 50% lower in vaccinated patients’ households compared to unvaccinated patients. The introduction of more-transmissible mutations after then could invalidate those conclusions. COVID vaccinations, on the other hand, have been demonstrated to reduce the quantity of infectious virus particles, or viral load, in the upper airways of vaccinated people, limiting the risk of illness transmission to others.

8. Should you get booster shots?

After first supplying formulations from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. or Sinopharm Groups, countries such as Thailand, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates are now making alternative vaccines available for booster doses. Vaccine specialists and health officials in the United States and Europe have said that while booster shots may be required in the future, there isn’t enough evidence to conclude that they are today. Public health experts have cautioned that recommending booster shots too soon would waste important vaccines that may be given to billions of people who aren’t immunized at all.

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