‘Pfizer vax can prevent severe post-COVID-19 condition in teens’

MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech is effective in preventing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C among those aged 12 to 18 years, the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) revealed yesterday.

Citing a study in the United States among adolescents aged 12-18, VEP head Nina Gloriani noted that MIS-C is a post-COVID condition that generally occurs two to six weeks after “typically mild or asymptomatic infections.”

The study, however, showed that the estimated effectiveness of two doses of Pfizer vaccine against MIS-C is 91 percent.

“Mild or even asymptomatic infections (can) give you MIS-C. But what they have shown is that when you give two doses of Pfizer vaccine, it is highly effective in preventing MIS-C in persons aged 12 to 18 years above,” she told a forum of the Department of Health.

Gloriani described MIS-C as a “severe posinfectious hyperinflammatory condition” that is “rare.”

She added that not much is known about how MIS-C comes about, but it involves various organs of the body such as the heart, brain and respiratory system.

“It’s probably also related to how the immune system reacts,” she said.

The study was conducted among minors aged 12-18 who were hospitalized from July to December 2021.

The expert also said that 95 percent of adolescents hospitalized with MIS-C were unvaccinated.

“Those who were vaccinated but also had slight MIS-C required no life support. This means they did not progress into severe or critical infection,” she said.

In the absence of adequate information, Gloriani said that Pfizer vaccine probably does not allow the virus to replicate “so you will not elicit that inflammatory response.”

Last night, another 780,000 doses of pediatric Pfizer vaccine procured by the government were set to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

Tonight, a shipment of 455,130 Pfizer jabs for ages 12 and up will also arrive at the NAIA via Air Hong Kong flight LD456 from the COVAX Facility. – Rudy Santos