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Published July 11, 2021, 1:32 PM
DOH/MB
Antibody testing should not be used to determine if a vaccinated person has already developed enough protection against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said.
“Yung antibody test na sinasagawa sa inyo, ang pinapakita niyan primarily would be yung antibodies nyo (The antibody test, it shows primarily your antibodies) because you had an infection, but it is not going to give you an accurate level of antibody because you were vaccinated. So huwag niyong sayangin yung inyong resources para dito sa pagpapatest ng antibody (So don’t waste your resources on antibody testing),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
(JUAN CARLO DE VELA / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement released on Saturday, July 10, PSAAI said that antibody tests have not been evaluated and validated to assess the level of protection afforded by the immune response after COVID-19 vaccination.
It added that inaccurately interpreted antibody test results may “create a false sense of protection, making people more complacent with lesser observation of health care protocols.”
The experts noted that the level of antibody that will provide protection against COVID-19 “remains undetermined” and neither a “positive” qualitative nor a “high” qualitative test result can tell if a person has enough protection against COVID-19 after vaccination.
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(NOEL CELIS / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
PSAAI President and National Adverse Event Following Immunization Committee member Dr. Rommel Lobo asked the public to overcome their fears, saying that the vaccine is an “additional protection” against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Ang sagot ko po dyan ay absolutely yes po. Kasi ang bakuna makakatulong po sa atin , makakaprotekta sa atin (My answer to that is absolutely yes. Because vaccine will help us, it can protect us) ,” he said during the Laging Handa briefing when asked if he is willing to receive the Sinovac vaccine.
“Kapag po in-analyze natin, sabi nila 50 percent or 50.3 percent protection, 50.3 percent protection is better than zero, ‘yun po ang dapat isipin (If we analyse it, they say 50 or 50.3 percent protection is better than zero, that we should bear in mind),” he pointed out.