735 of 20 million COVID-19 vaccine recipients got infected

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 735 individuals inoculated against COVID-19 contracted the virus, of whom 65 died, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported yesterday.

At a press briefing, FDA director general Eric Domingo said that 546 of the vaccinees got infected after getting their first dose.

Of this, 61 died and they were inoculated with Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines.

Domingo noted that 51 persons contracted COVID-19 after completing their vaccination or receiving their second dose. Two of them died.

There are 116 “breakthrough infections,” including one death. This pertains to recipients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2,14 days after completing their vaccination.

“Most of them, 88 percent, are mild or asymptomatic while 11 percent are hospitalized. One died,” he said.

Data showed 22 other individuals got infected with COVID-19, including one who received the Pfizer vaccine.

“We have to emphasize that it is not the vaccines that caused them to get COVID-19. The vaccines that we use are inactivated viral vaccine, viral vector or mRNA vaccines and they do not cause COVID-19,” he added.

He noted that between the first and second doses, there was “a small percentage of cases who get infected with COVID-19.”

However, this “drastically” drops after the second dose is given, especially two weeks after this is administered.

Domingo maintained that 735 “adverse events following immunization” represent .0013 percent of fully vaccinated individuals.

He added this is a “small percentage” especially considering that now, six to seven of every 100,000 Filipinos are detected daily to have COVID-19.

“If you look at general pattern, I think we can safely say the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risk when it comes to preventing COVID-19 and preveting deaths from COVID,” he said.