The vaccine that will prevent death is the most efficacious, and that is the goal of all of the vaccines in the market right now.
With vaccines against Covid-19 finally starting to arrive in the country after a year of living with the pandemic under restrictions, the government and health authorities are exerting efforts to educate individuals in doubt due to unpleasant experiences from previous vaccine rollouts or due to brand preferences, on the advantages of having themselves inoculated with the first available or any of the vaccines developed against the Covid-19 virus.
Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, chief of the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit of the City Health Services Office, explained all the vaccines that have been recently produced would give a person a chance to survive even when they get the disease.
She said right now when more people have died, the vaccine that will prevent death is the most efficacious, and that is what all of the vaccines there is right now will do to a patient.
“All of these vaccines, the goal is to prevent death. Its purpose is to tame the virus so it will no longer be fatal. Hindi niya sinasabing hindi ka na magkakasakit. Ang sinasabi niya ay kapag nagkasakit ka, hindi ka mamamatay,” Panes said.
She said once one gets vaccinated, he or she can still have the virus and might transmit it, but he will not die.
She added a 50 or 70 percent efficacy rate of a vaccine would still give one a chance to live rather than none.
Panes said the city’s indicator of success in its response to the pandemic is when there are no people dying.
Baguio has 107 Covid-19 related deaths as of March 5.
“We have 107 deaths in the city and though that is still very low, (most of those who have died) are still our lolos and lolas, our relatives, people we know. They have faces; they are not just numbers. We don’t want this doubled in the next year,” Panes said.
While getting completely back to normal may still be uncertain, she said having the vaccines will at least help protect vulnerable individuals like senior citizens and those with co-morbidities from dying.
She added among the measures the city plans is to further empower people to take responsibility of making sure the virus will not be transmitted to their family members through strict adherence to public health protocols. – Hanna C. Lacsamana
May 1, 2024
