A lawmaker at the House of Representatives warned those who have been inoculated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines against complacency, stressing that vaccination does not mean immediate actual protection.
Iloilo Representative Janette Garin said COVID-19 vaccinees, especially those waiting for the second dose, should continue practicing minimum public health standards, such as wearing face masks and face shields and practicing social distancing.
Garin was reacting to several reports of first dose recipients not wearing masks and being “very complacent.”
“Our body takes time to develop effective antibodies or soldiers against COVID-19.”
“They should still be wary as vaccination is not immediate outright protection as our body takes time to develop effective antibodies or soldiers against COVID-19. Effective protection starts two to four weeks after the second dose,” the veteran legislator stressed.
The veteran lawmaker said there is no room for complacency especially with the presence of many variants that are more infectious, adding that “even if vaccinated, anyone can still be infected if you are too confident”.
She reminded the public to be “very careful” as there is no herd immunity yet with only a small percentage of the population vaccinated.
Garin said a healthy lifestyle could also help boost the immune system and prevent acquiring the dreaded virus.
As of April 6, data from the Department of Health showed 922,898 individuals have been vaccinated.
Out of this figure, 872,213 got their first dose while 50,685 received their second dose.
“The Philippines is ranked 50th among 155 countries in terms of administering the COVID-19 vaccine.”
National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez reported the Philippines is ranked 50th among 155 countries in terms of administering the COVID-19 vaccine, according to financial and media company Bloomberg’s tracker.
Bloomberg’s data also showed about 673 million doses have been administered across 155 countries, enough to vaccinate 4.4 percent of the global population.
Among those that have administered the most number of vaccines are the United States, China, the European Union, India, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Turkey, Germany, Indonesia, and France.