COVID-19 booster shots needed to prevent breakthrough infection: expert

Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" Senior citizens receive their Covid-19 vaccine booster shots at the Filoil San Juan Arena in San Juan City on December 03, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/02/28/20211203-covid-vaccine-seniors-jc-5.jpg"/><figcaption>Senior citizens receive their Covid-19 vaccine booster shots at the Filoil San Juan Arena in San Juan City on December 03, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div><p><br/>MANILA - COVID-19 booster shots are necessary to prevent breakthrough infection, especially among the elderly and persons with comorbidities, a specialist said Wednesday.</p><p>Vaccines are effective in preventing hospitalization and severe disease but are &quot;not 100 percent in preventing infection,&quot; according to Dr. Gilbert Vilela, president of Philippine Heart Association and Philippine College of Cardiology.</p><p>&quot;Why do we need a booster dose? Simply the best and shortest answer is because of breakthrough infections,&quot; he said in a media forum organized by the Department of Health.</p><p>&quot;Most people need booster shots. While COVID-19 vaccines are effective, studies have shown some declines in vaccine effectiveness against infections over time, especially when the delta variant was circulating widely.&quot;</p><p>The DOH earlier said severe and critical virus cases were the highest during the wave of infections brought by the delta variant, with the elderly comprising majority of the patients.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/29/21/ph-urged-to-inoculate-all-filipinos-as-delta-variant-slashed-vaccine-efficacy-doh-advisers">PH urged to inoculate all Filipinos as Delta variant slashed vaccine efficacy: DOH advisers</a></li></ul><p>Breakthrough infections can cause mild or moderate symptoms but the chances of &quot;serious COVID-19 are very low,&quot; Vilela said.</p><p>&quot;It is expected na merong (that there are) vaccine breakthroughs but fully vaccinated people are less likely to develop serious illness than those unvaccinated who get COVID-19,&quot; he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/15/22/when-can-a-covid-19-patient-get-a-booster-shot">DOH: Booster shot for COVID-19 patients after isolation, when symptoms subside</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/25/22/persons-who-contracted-covid-still-need-jabs-booster-experts">Persons who contracted COVID still need jabs, booster: experts</a></li></ul><div> </div><p>Those most at risk for breakthrough infections are the elderly and individuals with preexisting illnesses, especially those with cardiovascular disease, according to Vilela.</p><p>The most common comorbidities in patients who had COVID-19 and were intubated are hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease which is an &quot;offshoot&quot; of the former, Vilela said.</p><p>&quot;People with heart disease, stroke, other CV (cardiovascular disease) are at a higher risk for serious complication versus those without underlying condition,&quot; he said.</p><p>Ischemic heart disease and cardiovascular heart diseases topped the leading cause of death in the Philippines last year, followed by COVID-19, Vilela said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/10/21/heart-disease-still-top-killer-in-ph-doctors-say">Heart disease is still leading cause of death in PH, doctors say</a></li></ul><p>This is due to patients being unable to leave their homes to consult their doctors but many have since availed of telemedicine and are now returning for in-person consults, he added.</p><div><strong>Myocarditis, pericarditis risks? </strong></div><p>All brands of COVID-19 vaccines have recruited persons with cardiovascular diseases in their clinical trials and have confirmed the jabs to be safe and effective, Vilela said.</p><p>&quot;The clear benefits regarding the prevention of symptomatic SARS-COV2 infection and related serious non-fatal and fatal complications outweigh the risks of side effects which are generally mild and short-lived and severe complications which are exceedingly rare,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;So nagkaroon nga sila thromboembolism, myocarditis pero nabuhay po sila, sandali lang po ang event na yun. Nabuhay po sila.&quot;</p><p>(Some had thromboembolism, myocarditis but they lived, they experienced it for a short while. They lived.)</p><p>Those infected with COVID-19 are more likely to experience myocarditis or swelling of the heart muscles, according to Vil</p><p>&quot;Once tinamaan ka ng COVID-19 ang una niyang lusob sa lungs pero pagtama niya sa lungs systemic na ang inflammation, yung tinatawag nating cytokine storm. In other terms, hyper inflammation. Sobrang pamamaga ng puso mo na nanghihina siya,&quot; he said.</p><p>(Once you get COVID-19, it goes to the lungs and when it hits the lungs it results in systemic inflammation, what we call cytokine storm. In other terms, hyper inflammation. The heart swells so much it weakens.)</p><p>&quot;So di siya maka-pump. Pag di siya maka-pump kulang ang blood pinapa-circulate niya, nagfe-fail ang puso which can cause death or severe cardiovascular disease.&quot; </p><p>(So it can&#x27;t pump blood, which leads to less circulating blood that can result in heart failure, which can cause death or severe cardiovascular disease.)</p><p>Vilela said he has yet to encounter a patient who experienced myocarditis following COVID-19 immunization. &quot;It may be true, but it is very rare. At kung titimbangin mo, alin ang mas matimbang, ang proteksyon o panaganib?&quot; he said.</p><p>(If you will weigh it, what&#x27;s heavier, the protection or the risk?)</p><p>Adverse reactions following immunization are the same among those who have comorbidities and those who don&#x27;t, Vilela said.</p><p>&quot;Parepareho lang tayo. Mabigat yung arm, masakit, tapos para kang may trangkaso ng isang araw. Konting-konti lang talaga, &#x27;yung may high-blood tsaka may diabetes nagtagal, pero pare-pareho lang po tayo ng reaction sa vaccines,&quot; he said.</p><p>(It&#x27;s the same for all of us. The injection site is heavy or painful and you experience flu for a day. Only a few, those with high blood pressure and diabetes experienced side effects longer than usual, but we all have the same reaction to vaccines.)</p><p>Some 62.82 percent of 9.4 million elderly and 92.51 percent of 14.5 million persons with comorbidities have been given complete doses as of Feb. 28, according to the DOH. Only 10 million out of 63 million fully vaccinated Filipinos have received their booster shots.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/01/22/only-10m-have-received-booster-shots-govt-adviser">Filipinos urged to get booster shots as Metro Manila, 38 other areas deescalate to lowest alert level</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/01/22/over-63-million-filipinos-fully-vaccinated-vs-covid-19-a-year-after-rollout">Over 63 million Filipinos fully vaccinated vs COVID-19 a year after rollout</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1949208" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar"><em>Video courtesy of the Department of Health</em></div><div> </div>

COVID-19 booster shots are necessary to prevent breakthrough infection, especially among the elderly and persons with comorbidities, a specialist said Wednesday.

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COVID-19 booster shots needed to prevent breakthrough infection: expert

COVID-19 booster shots needed to prevent breakthrough infection: expert

Gillan Ropero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 02, 2022 02:32 PM PHT

Read More:

persons with comorbidities

COVID-19 vaccine

DOH

Department of Health

COVID-19

heart disease

cardiovascular diseases

delta variant

senior citizens

elderly

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