Bi-annual Covid vax drive pressed
Expert: Vaccinate once a year or twice to maintain Covid protection and prevent the mutation of more severe variants
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Daily TribuneExpert: Vaccinate once a year or twice to maintain Covid protection and prevent the mutation of more severe variants
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An infectious diseases expert on Thursday warned the public against the threat of Covid-19, hand, foot, and mouth disease, and other viral infections amid the fast-approaching holiday season.
In a public briefing, Dr. Rontgene Solante, chief of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Unit of the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, reminded Filipinos not to be complacent in adhering to minimum public health standards.
"In the upcoming Christmas, let us not forget to follow health protocols against different infections like Covid-19, and now that we have hand, foot, and mouth disease, including dengue infection," Solante said.
Likewise, he underscored the need for the government to continue with its immunization efforts against Covid-19, stressing that immunity from Covid-19 vaccines wanes after six to eight months.
"I think it's important that we continue our (vaccination) campaign and emphasize its importance to continue the effects of what we called the wall of immunity," he said.
Solante suggested that the government may consider conducting an annual or bi-annual vaccination to maintain the protection of the public against more severe Covid-19 variants.
"So, in the event that we still have a high number of Covid-19 cases next year — January or February — there's still a possibility that cases will go upward slightly," he said.
"One of the possible options is to vaccinate at least once a year or twice to maintain that protection and prevent the mutation of more severe Covid-19 variants," he added.
Earlier this week, the Department of Health said the country recorded 7,731 new Covid-19 cases from 28 November to 4 December, a four percent decline from the previous week.
Of the new cases, the health department noted that there are 595 patients with severe and critical infections in hospitals, representing 9.1 percent of the total Covid-19 admissions in the country.
Likewise, it said that two were severe and critical infections in the previous week.
The Health department also confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in several areas in the country.
Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that from October to December, a total of 155 cases of HFMD have been reported in the National Capital Region, of which the majority of them are children aged 11 and below.
However, Vergeire clarified that there is still not enough basis for local government units to declare outbreaks in their areas.
