SIXTEEN residents of Mandaue City, who have received at least one dose of a vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), have been found positive for the virus, according to the local contact tracing team.
Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise, head of the Mandaue City Contact Tracing Team, said the 16 individuals underwent swab tests to fulfill requirements for travel or medical procedures.
One individual, who has received two doses, was supposed to undergo surgery, but the procedure was deferred because of the positive test result. Entise said the patient is asymptomatic.
Entise said it requires much effort to explain to the eligible individuals that a vaccinated person could still contract the virus and get sick.
The vaccine, however, prevents severe Covid-19, and reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.
Entise also shot down misconceptions that a vaccine would lead to a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result.
A vaccine activates a person’s immune system against a pathogen, but does not make the recipient sick.
“People are so anxious about things. Anxious about almost anything related to Covid. Anxiety is there because of a lack of knowledge. There is anxiety because of the fear of the unknown,” said Entise.
He said it is part of their job as contact tracers to educate the public on the benefits and risks of vaccination. He hoped they could allay the public’s fear and convince them to get the vaccine.
As of June 29, only 13,811 or 4.67 percent of Mandaue’s eligible population have been fully vaccinated. First dose inoculations reached only 68,950, or 23.32 percent. Total doses administered in the city reached 82,761.