By Alec Go
A pediatric infectious diseases expert explained that vaccine recipients may not achieve their expected protection from COVID-19 if they miss their second shot.
Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group (DOH-TAG) said those who missed their scheduled second dose should head to the vaccination sites “sooner” to achieve the desired protection.
“Kung hindi natin makumpleto ang nakatakdang dosage, talagang hindi natin maaasahan ang kabuuan ng proteksyon na gusto sana nating asahan galing doon sa bakuna,” Lim said in the Laging Handa public briefing on May 22.
The doctor clarified that there is no need to repeat the injection of the first dose in case of a missed second dose schedule.
“Ang assurance is kahit nakaligtaan mo ang schedule o hindi ka talaga makarating sa schedule na ‘yon, kailangan lang na ihabol ang ikalawang dose,” she said.
“Wala namang actual dates. Ibig sabihin, hindi dahil nakatatlong linggo ka na ay hindi na dapat ibigay ang second dose. We still give the second dose,” she said.
Lim reiterated the vaccines approved in the country are safe, and urged priority individuals to get vaccinated as the risk of COVID-19 transmission has not yet fully weakened.
Meanwhile, she said they continue to monitor if there are reported cases abroad of blood clotting following vaccination, even if the country has not yet recorded any clotting incident.
She said there is a possible link between vaccine side effects and a certain ethnic population.
“It seems like marami sa Caucasian population. Sa ibang mga bansa sa Asya na gumagamit ng bakunang ito, parang wala rin tayong naririnig. That’s good news for us, but we continue to monitor para siguradong walang problema,” she said. -rir
Watch full interview with Dr. Anna Ong-Lim.