DOH-7 verifying if health worker, who died of COVID-19 after vaccination, is from Central Visayas
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, Department of Health in Central Visayas spokesperson, says the DOH-7 has no information yet if the healthcare worker, who died of COVID-19 after getting injected with Sinovac, is from the region or not. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on Thursday, March 18, said they were checking if the health worker who died due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after recently receiving a vaccine came from Central Visayas.
“We still cannot confirm (if the patient came from Central Visayas) until we have the full report submitted to the RESU (Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit),” said Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 spokesperson, in a message sent to reporters.
Loreche said this when asked by reporters if the healthcare worker involved was from Central Visayas.
Read: PH’s COVID-19 vaccination to push through despite healthcare worker death
On Wednesday, March 17, DOH’s central office confirmed that a 47-year-old female healthcare worker succumbed to COVID-19 despite receiving the vaccine.
However, they clarified that her death was caused by the infection, and not by the vaccine.
Read: Comorbidities increased risks of vaccinated health worker who died after contracting COVID-19
The National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC), the government’s group dedicated on monitoring the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, revealed in a press briefing on Thursday further details about the patient.
According to NAEFIC, the patient received the first dose of CoronaVac, the COVID-19 vaccine brand of China’s Sinovac, last March 4, and exhibited no adverse effects after the inoculation.
However, four days later, or on March 8, she tested positive of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
She was admitted in a hospital on March 10 after initially refusing to do so but on March 13, the patient succumbed to the disease, the committee said.
NAEFIC also disclosed that the health worker had co-morbidities including diabetes, hypertension, and bronchial asthma.
But both NAEFIC and DOH reiterated the vaccine was not the primary reason of her death.
Read: Region 7 has enough COVID-19 vaccines for all hospital workers – DOH-7
On the other hand, as of March 17, DOH-7 recorded 13,843 healthcare workers in Central Visayas that have been inoculated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
The figures posted by the regional health office included medical frontliners who opted to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca.
Read: COVID Vaccine Watch: 12k healthcare workers in Region 7 receive Sinovac
But 202 of these healthcare workers, said Loreche, reported mild adverse reaction after receiving CoronaVac.
“We have no reports yet of our healthcare workers experiencing serious adverse reaction from Sinovac,” she added.
/dbs
Read: Health workers vaccinated in Cebu City in good condition
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