Study: Vaccinated folks spared from severe Covid symptoms; can still infect

By Jessa Samidan and Aileen Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- A small-scale study by the City Health Services Office (CHSO) found that persons fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be spared from severe symptoms but still can infect and spread the virus.
    City Epidemiologist Dr. Donnabel Panes said the study found that out of the 38 fully vaccinated persons who turned positive for the virus in the city from July 5-12, 61 percent had cyclic threshold values or viral loads of 30 and below which means that they can still transmit the virus.
    Panes said the 38 fully vaccinated patients were found to be infected a month after their second dose.
    “What is significant is that nobody among them had severe symptoms.  We are hoping to expand our study in the coming days but based on the available data we have now, all of our COVID-19 patients who were fully vaccinated had no severe infection which means our vaccines are working,” Panes said.
    The study did an analysis of the city’s COVID-19 cases from July 5 to 12, 2021 and found that out of the 452 patients, 68 percent or 305 persons had no vaccination; 13 percent or 60 persons had received their first dose; 11 percent or 38 individuals had completed the two doses while the remaining eight percent are for validation.
    The study aimed to know the city’s vaccination status and its impact on the ongoing fight against the virus.
    While the study is based on limited data and needs expansion and further validation, Panes said it gives a lesson on the need to step up adherence to the highest standard of minimum public health protocol even if an individual is fully vaccinated.