By Virgilio C. Ventura
In principle, virus immunity vaccines have a variable protection life span that often necessitates a booster shot that must be given to an individual who has completed his/her initial two-vaccine series but for which immunity against the virus decreases after some time.
While current Covid-19 vaccines are still effective against hospitalization and mortality from the current Covid-19 subvariant BA.5, they are less effective against it in terms of the speed of infection borne from observed cases of immunities among those who were already vaccinated from past Covid-19 strains. Recent studies have shown that Covid-19 anti-bodies in the elderlies decline after 3 to 4 months even among those who have received their booster shots.1/
Yet, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla’s call for a second booster shot in the US was assessed by some Covid experts as “self-serving without scientific merit.” John Moore, professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, deemed that “Statements like Bourla’s create public pressure for a fourth dose that could force the Biden administration’s hand before government experts have time to assess the evidence.” Objectively, people need to realize that: “the decision on how often and widely to vaccinate against covid-19 is part science, part policy, and part politics. Ultimately it depends on the goals of vaccination at a time when it’s becoming clear that neither vaccines nor other measures can entirely stop the viral spread.”2/ As of August 22, 2022, Pfizer has qualified its call to US Food and Drug Administration “to authorize an updated version of its Covid booster designed to target the BA.5 omicron subvariant”3/ which can greatly benefit the elderlies who are most affected of severe viral infections.
“Prodesse scientia est populous” which means – to benefit the people through, and with science is an ideation that seemingly echoes the Philippine context of a science-based public or national policy contained in Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Proclamation 922 issued on March 8, 2020 declaring a state of national emergency due to the threat of Covid-19 heeding an earlier advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the gravity of the Covid-19 virus situation.4/
The Department of Health’s (DOH) public pronouncement last July 26, 2022 about the necessity of a second booster shot immunization can also be seen as an echo advice from Pfizer pharma on the need for the same. DOH’s nationwide booster vaccination campaign dubbed as “PinasLakas” is Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration’s “way of boosting the country’s vaccine programs, so that progress towards a more health-conscious and safer nation is assured.”5/ END
NOTES:
1/ Dr. Jose Alvin P. Mojica, Webinar #92 | “ALERT LEVEL 1: Puwede na ba lumabas ang mga Senior?,” March 18, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5z60ah7CPI
2/ Pfizer CEO Pushes Yearly Shots for Covid. Not So Fast, Experts Say, KHN. https://khn.org/news/article/pfizer-ceo-albert-bourla-yearly-covid-shots/
3/ Pfizer asks FDA to authorize updated booster shot. August 22, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-asks-fda-authorize-updated-booster-shot-rcna44209
4/ Policy responses and government science advice for the COVID 19 pandemic in the Philippines: January to April 2020 in Progress in Disaster Science, Vol. 7, October 2020, 100115. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061720300521
5/ DOH Launches “Pinalakas” – The Nationwide Booster Vaccine Campaign, July 26, 2022.
https://doh.gov.ph/press-release/DOH_LAUNCHES%20_PINALAKAS_THE%20NATIONWIDE_BOOSTER_VACCINE_CAMPAIGN
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