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Unconventional T cells in severe COVID-19 patients could predict disease outcome

Researchers in France have discovered that patients suffering from severe COVID-19 show changes in a class of immune cells known as unconventional T cells. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that monitoring the activity of these cells in the blood of patients could predict the severity and course of the disease.

While most people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus experience relatively mild symptoms, some patients mount an aberrant inflammatory response that can damage the lungs and cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), potentially resulting in the patient's death. However, the immune cells and inflammatory molecules responsible for ARDS associated with COVID-19 remain unclear.

Unconventional T cells are a diverse class of immune cells that help control the response to viral infection and are commonly found in the lungs and other mucosal tissues in the body. "Despite this, the role of unconventional T cells in the pathophysiological process of SARS-CoV-2-driven ARDS has not yet been explored," says Christophe Paget, a researcher at the INSERM Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, University of Tours.

Paget and colleagues, including co-lead author Youenn Jouan, an intensivist at the academic hospital of Tours, examined 30 patients admitted to intensive care with severe COVID-19 and compared the immune cells in their blood and lungs to those found in healthy volunteers or patients admitted to the ICU for reasons other than COVID-19.

The researchers found that two types of unconventional T cells -- known as mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells -- were dramatically reduced in the blood of patients with severe COVID-19. However, the number of MAIT cells increased in the patients' airways, suggesting that these cells might move from the blood to the lungs to control the response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The MAIT and iNKT cells of COVID-19 patients appeared to be highly activated and produced distinct sets of inflammatory molecules. The researchers found that patients whose circulating MAIT and iNKT cells were particularly active at the time of their admittance to the ICU were less susceptible to hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels) and were discharged sooner than patients whose MAIT and iNKT cells were less active.

"This suggests that MAIT and iNKT cells might play a beneficial role during severe COVID-19, although their precise functions and associated mechanisms require further investigation," says Jouan.

"Altogether, our findings should encourage further studies on MAIT and iNKT cells in SARS-CoV-2-induced ARDS to assess their potential as biomarkers and/or targets for immune intervention strategies," adds Paget.

Source:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200904121322.htm

High cholesterol fuels cancer by fostering resistance to a form of cell death

Chronically high cholesterol levels are known to be associated with increased risks of breast cancer and worse outcomes in most cancers, but the link has not been fully understood.

In a study appearing online Aug. 24 in the journal Nature Communications, a research team led by the Duke Cancer Institute has identified the mechanisms at work, describing how breast cancer cells use cholesterol to develop tolerance to stress, making them impervious to death as they migrate from the original tumor site.

"Most cancer cells die as they try to metastasize -- it's a very stressful process," said senior author Donald P. McDonnell, Ph.D., professor in the departments of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. "The few that don't die have this ability to overcome the cell's stress-induced death mechanism. We found that cholesterol was integral in fueling this ability."

McDonnell and colleagues built on earlier research in their lab focusing on the link between high cholesterol and estrogen-positive breast and gynecological cancers. Those studies found that cancers fueled by the estrogen hormone benefitted from derivatives of cholesterol that act like estrogen, stoking cancer growth.

But a paradox emerged for estrogen-negative breast cancers. These cancers are not dependent on estrogens, but high cholesterol is still associated with worse disease, suggesting a different mechanism might be at work.

In the current study using cancer cell lines and mouse models, the Duke researchers found that migrating cancer cells gobble cholesterol in response to stress. Most die.

But in the what-doesn't-kill-you-makes-you-stronger motif, those that live emerge with a super-power that makes them able to withstand ferroptosis, a natural process in which cells succumb to stress. These stress-impervious cancer cells then proliferate and readily metastasize.

The process appears to be used not only by ER-negative breast cancer cells, but other types of tumors, including melanoma. And the mechanisms identified could be targeted by therapies.

"Unraveling this pathway has highlighted new approaches that may be useful for the treatment of advanced disease," McDonnell said. "There are contemporary therapies under development that inhibit the pathway we've described. Importantly, these findings yet again highlight why lowering cholesterol -- either using drugs or by dietary modification -- is a good idea for better health."

In addition to McDonnell, study authors include Wen Liu, Rachid Safi, Dmitri Kazmi, Binita Chakraborty and Ching-yi Chang.

The study received funding support from The Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and the National Institutes of Health.

Source:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824083507.htm

One in two pregnancies are affected by iron deficiency, yet many women don’t get a simple screening test to check

Half of pregnant women who had a simple blood test to check their iron stores had low iron levels, and one in four had severe iron deficiency, according to a paper published today in the journal Blood Advances. But despite how common iron deficiency is, 40% of pregnant women in this large regional study never had their iron levels checked, and women of lower socioeconomic status were less likely to get tested. Researchers said the findings underscore the need to revisit clinical guidelines to ensure that ferritin testing, the standard measure of iron deficiency, is included as a routine part of maternal care and pregnancy health screenings.

"Despite the very high prevalence of iron deficiency in pregnancy, and how easy it is to treat, we are not doing a very good job of checking for it," said lead study author Jennifer Teichman, MD, of the University of Toronto, Canada and its affiliated hospitals including St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, where the study was conducted. "It's not top of mind, in part, because of inconsistent recommendations for ferritin testing across clinical guidelines."

Iron requirements in pregnancy are high to support the developing fetus, the growing placenta, and the increased blood supply needed to sustain the pregnancy. This demand for iron increases over the course of pregnancy. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia (low hemoglobin or red blood cell count) during pregnancy, which has been linked to poorer outcomes for both mother and baby, including a higher risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, post-partum depression, and even maternal death. Anemia early in pregnancy has also been associated with neurodevelopmental delays in the offspring, even as the child approaches school age and beyond, which points to potentially long-lasting effects. Even low levels of iron alone can cause pregnant women to experience fatigue, weakness, and brain fog, Dr. Teichman explained.

The study included 44,552 pregnant women who received prenatal testing at community laboratories in Ontario, Canada, between 2013 and 2018 to determine how often ferritin testing was offered. Researchers also sought to provide more robust data about the prevalence and severity of iron deficiency among pregnant women and to identify whether certain clinical or demographic factors played a role in the likelihood of someone receiving a ferritin test.

Altogether, about 60% of patients got a ferritin test during pregnancy; 40% did not. Most tests were ordered by general practitioners (48%) and obstetricians/gynecologists (32%). The vast majority of ferritin testing (71%) occurred at or around the time of the first prenatal visit, when the risk of iron deficiency is lowest and, often, patients' iron levels were only checked once during their pregnancy.

"Iron deficiency becomes more common as women progress through pregnancy," said Dr. Teichman. "If we don't re-evaluate iron stores later in pregnancy, we miss a lot of women who are becoming iron deficient in later trimesters."

Dr. Teichman emphasized that the women in the study received care in Canada, a publicly funded health care system, which means patients don't incur the cost of ferritin testing. Despite this, the researchers found that women of lower socioeconomic status were less likely to be tested for iron deficiency, which further underscores differences in access to care and how clinicians may treat these patients differently.

Based on their findings, Dr. Teichman urges pregnant women -- and those who plan to become pregnant -- to ask about their iron levels before and during their pregnancy.

"Iron deficiency is very common, and there can be poor outcomes for both mom and baby if it isn't identified and treated," she said. "The good news is that it's easily found with a simple blood test and completely correctable with iron supplements."

She is quick to caution that standard prenatal vitamins by themselves cannot treat iron deficiency.

"Prenatal vitamins contain only a sprinkling of iron and many combine iron with calcium, which can inhibit the absorption of iron," said Dr. Teichman. "The way to address the problem is by identifying iron deficiency early on and then supplementing women with therapeutic doses of iron, which has 10 times the amount found in most prenatal vitamins."

Another important step, she said, will be to revise guidelines to ensure women are screened appropriately. Currently, the United States Preventative Services Task Force does not recommend universal screening for iron deficiency in pregnancy, citing the evidence as "insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women." But, as Dr. Teichman explained, there are now sufficient data showing the harms of iron deficiency and anemia in pregnancy, such that it would be unethical to conduct a study in which iron-deficient women are not given supplementation. Conversely, there are no conceivable harms to iron screening, she explained.

The study is limited to the Ontario region of Canada and didn't account for women who may have had a miscarriage, who received fragmented care, or were referred to a hospital-based obstetric practice. Information about patients' ethnicity and education levels were unavailable.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210830104917.htm

Metabolic changes in plasma and immune cells associated with COVID-19 severity, can predict patient survival

COVID-19 patients have differing immune responses that lead to disease outcomes ranging from asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to death. After examining the blood samples from nearly 200 COVID-19 patients, researchers have uncovered underlying metabolic changes that regulate how immune cells react to the disease. These changes are associated with disease severity and could be used to predict patient survival. The findings were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

"We know that there are a range of immune responses to COVID-19, and the biological processes underlying those responses are not well understood," said co-first author Jihoon Lee, a graduate student at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "We analyzed thousands of biological markers linked to metabolic pathways that underlie the immune system and found some clues as to what immune-metabolic changes may be pivotal in severe disease. Our hope is that these observations of immune function will help others piece together the body's response to COVID-19. The deeper understanding gained here may eventually lead to better therapies that can more precisely target the most problematic immune or metabolic changes."

The researchers collected 374 blood samples -- two draws per patient during the first week after being diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection -- and analyzed their plasma and single immune cells. The analysis included 1,387 genes involved in metabolic pathways and 1,050 plasma metabolites.

In plasma samples, the team found that increased COVID-19 severity is associated with metabolite alterations, suggesting increased immune-related activity. Furthermore, through single-cell sequencing, researchers found that each major immune cell type has a distinct metabolic signature.

"We have found metabolic reprogramming that is highly specific to individual immune cell classes (e.g. "killer" CD8+ T cells, "helper" CD4+ T cells, antibody-secreting B cells, etc.) and even cell subtypes, and the complex metabolic reprogramming of the immune system is associated with the plasma global metabolome and are predictive of disease severity and even patient death," said co-first and co-corresponding author Dr. Yapeng Su, a research scientist at Institute for Systems Biology. "Such deep and clinically relevant insights on sophisticated metabolic reprogramming within our heterogeneous immune systems are otherwise impossible to gain without advanced single-cell multi-omic analysis."

"This work provides significant insights for developing more effective treatments against COVID-19. It also represents a major technological hurdle," said Dr. Jim Heath, president and professor of ISB and co-corresponding author on the paper. "Many of the data sets that are collected from these patients tend to measure very different aspects of the disease, and are analyzed in isolation. Of course, one would like these different views to contribute to an overall picture of the patient. The approach described here allows for the sum of the different data sets to be much greater than the parts, and provides for a much richer interpretation of the disease."

The research was conducted by scientists from ISB, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Stanford University, Swedish Medical Center St. John's Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center, the University of Washington, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Funding for this project comes from Merck and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Wilke Family Foundation, the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, the Swedish Medical Center Foundation, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Gilead, Amazon Web Services, and the National Institutes of Health.

Source:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210906111320.htm

ETIKA NG BAKUNA LABAN SA COVID-19

Ang Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) ay nilikha ng batas (PNHRS Act of 2013) upang protektahan ang mga taong kalahok sa mga pananaliksik na may kinalaman sa medisina. Ginagawa ang mga pananaliksik para patunayan kung mabisa at ligtas ang mga gamot bago gamitin ang mga ito nang mas malawakan.

Katungkulan ng PHREB na tiyaking may mga safeguard para maiwasan o mabawasan ang mga panganib para sa mga taong kalahok at matiyak ang kanilang kaligtasan. Dahil dito, masinsinang sinusuri muna ang protokol na nagsasaad ng proseso kung paano isasagawa ang pag-aaral. Ang pagsusuri ay isinasagawa ng mga Research Ethics Review Committee (Komiteng Etikal) na binigyang-kapangyarihan ng PHREB.

Katulad ng PHREB, ang mga Komiteng Etikal ay binubuo ng mga eksperto sa ibatibang larangan – etika, batas, relihiyon, medisina, agham panlipunan, at iba pa. Mayroon ding kinatawan ang pangkaraniwang mamamayan. Kung nakita ng Komiteng Etikal na malalagay sa di makatwirang panganib ang mga kalahok, hindi nila inaaprubahan ang pag-aaral. Ganito rin ang ginawa ng mga Komiteng Etikal bago pinayagan ang pagsasagawa ng pag-aaral sa bakuna laban sa COVID-19.

Kusang loob at ang kahalagahan ng Informed Consent (Maalam na Pahintulot )

May Informed Consent Form (Maalam na Pahintulot) na dapat pirmahan nang kusang loob ng taong pumapayag magpabakuna kontra sa COVID-19. Mahalaga para sa pagbabakuna at anumang pag-aaral na pangkalusugan ang kusang loob na paglahok. Karapatan ng bawat isa sa atin na gumawa ng sariling desisyon kung magpapabakuna o hindi. Ipinapatupad ito sa pamamagitan ng paghingi ng informed consent. Hindi tamang puwersahin o takutin ang sinumang kontra o tutol na magpabakuna.

Gabay para sa pagpapasya tungkol sa pagbabakuna

Ang gabay na ito ay ginawa ng PHREB para makatulong sa pagpapasya ng mga taong nag-iisip kung magpapabakuna sila o hindi. May tatlong importanteng tanong na dapat sagutin ng isang tao sa pagpapasya kung siya ay dapat magpabakuna:

A. Mahalaga ba ang bakuna para masugpo o mabawasan ang problemang dala ng COVID-19 sa lipunan?

B. Malaki ba ang magiging benepisyo para sa indibidwal kung magpapabakuna siya?

C. Sulit ba ang panganib na aking haharapin kapalit ng benepisyo na aking makakamit?

Makabubuting magpabakuna kung masasagot ng “oo” ang mga tanong na ito.

TANONG 1: Bakit mahalaga ang bakuna o pagbabakuna?

SAGOT 1:

a.) Pagbabakuna ang pinakamabisang panangga laban sa paglaganap ng mga sakit na nakakahawa . Bakuna ang matagumpay na ginagamit laban sa paglaganap ng tigdas (measles), dipterya, hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV) at iba pa. Bakuna ang dahilan kung bakit halos naglaho na ang polio sa buong daigdig.

b.) Masyadong laganap na ang sakit na COVID-19. Wala pang gamot na tiyakang makapagpapagaling sa mga nagkakasakit. Bakuna ang inaasahang makapagbigay ng pinakamabisang proteksiyon sa lahat nang tao. Bakuna rin ang inaasahan para pigilan ang mas malawakang paglaganap muli ng COVID-19.

c. Ito ang ilang nakakalungkot na katotohanan tungkol sa bagsik at naging epekto nang COVID19:

Higit na sa 110 milyon ang nagkasakit sa buong daigdig—kasinglaki na ito ng populasyon ng buong Pilipinas. Halos 2.5 milyon na ang namatay – kasingdami na ito ng tao sa Quezon City.

Mahigit na sa kalahating milyon (500,000) ang nagkasakit ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas. Labindalawang libo (12,000) na ang namatay – kasingdami ng nanonood sa Rizal Memorial Stadium kung puno ito

Patuloy na tumataas ang mga bilang na ito habang wala pang lunas ang COVID-19.

d.) Habang hindi napapababa ang bilang ng mga taong nagkakaroon ng COVID-19, at ang bilis ng pagkalat nito, magtatagal pa ang mga lockdown at quarantine na sumasakal sa kalayaaan ng pagkilos at pumipigil sa paghahanap-buhay ng napakaraming tao.

e.) Habang patuloy ang paglaganap ng pandemya, marami ang hindi makakabalik sa kanilang trabaho, kabilang ang mga tsuper at ang mga trabahador sa konstruksiyon, kainan, sinehan, lugar palakasan, at lugar bakasyunan. Hindi rin makabalik sa kanilang lugar ng trabaho ang maraming OFW.

f.) Dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho, nabawasang kita at kakulangan ng pera, marami din ang nagugutom at hindi nakakakain nang sapat.

g.) Habang hindi nababakunahan ang nakararami sa atin at patuloy na lumalaganap ang COVID-19, maaaring magbagong-uri ang virus. Sa ngayon, nakapasok na sa ating bansa ang ilang bagong uri (variant) na mas nakamamatay o mas mabilis kumalat at makahawa.

Mahalaga ang maramihan at malawakang pagbabakuna laban sa COVID-19, para malampasan natin ang mga problemang nabanggit. Dapat isaalang-alang ang mga ito pag nagdedesisyon kung magpapabakuna ang isang tao o hindi. Dapat din natin itong timbangin kaugnay ng mga panganib na maaari nating harapin kung tayo ay magpapabakuna.

TANONG 2: Ligtas ba ang mga bakuna?

SAGOT 2: Kung ang tinutukoy na bakuna ay nabigyan na ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ng Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), oo – ligtas ang mga ito.

Ganito ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging ligtas ng mga bakuna:

a) Napatunayan na sa mga pag-aaral na mahina lamang ang mga karaniwang side effects na dulot ng mga bakunang ito.

b) Ang tindi ng side effects ay tama lamang kung ikukumpara sa proteksiyon na maibibigay ng bakuna laban sa malalang sintomas ng COVID-19.

c) Ang mga side effects ay pansamantala lamang.

d) May mga doktor at iba pang medical professional na nakahanda para tumulong sa mga makakaranas ng side effects.

e) May pagkakataon ang mga babakunahan na ipaalam sa mga nagbabakuna kung mayroon silang kondisyon o karanasang medikal na maaaring maging dahilan para magkaroon ng di mabuting epekto sa kanila ang pagbabakuna.

f) Umpisa pa lamang, dumaan na ang mga bakuna sa pag-aaral ng mga Komiteng Etikal bago inumpisahan ang tatlong yugto ng clinical trial sa iba’t ibang bansa. Ang mga Komiteng Etikal na ito ay may mga kasamang eksperto sa gamot at sa iba’t ibang larangan ng siyensiya. May kasama ring mga kinatawan na pangkaraniwang tao.

TANONG 3: Anong mga panganib ang maaaring dala ng bakuna para sa COVID-19? Ano ang mga maaring maging “side effects” ng bakuna ?

SAGOT 3:

a. Kabilang sa mga panganib ang mga side-effects ng bakuna. Halimbawa, isinasaad sa Informed Consent Form (Philippine National COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment and Vaccination Program) na nakatakdang gamitin para sa bakuna ng Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) ang mga sumusunod na maaaring maging side effects:

• Pananakit sa lugar ng pagbabakuna
• Pamamaga sa lugar ng pagbabakuna
• Pamumula sa lugar ng pagbabakuna
• Pagkapagod
• Sakit ng ulo
• Panlalamig
• Pananakit ng mga kasu-kasuan
• Lagnat
• Pakiramdam na nasusuka
• Panghihina
• Pamamaga ng lymph node (kulani)

b. Mapapansin sa listahang ito na ang mga side effects ay katulad ng mga nararamdaman ng isang taong may trangkaso. Ang mga side effects na ganito ay pansamantala lamang at tanda na nag-uumpisang maghanda ang katawan para sa banta ng virus.

c. Sa ilang mga kaso, maaaring tumindi at maging malala (halimbawa, maaaring makaranas ng mataas na lagnat, pagkahimatay, panginginig, walang tigil na pagsusuka) ang mga side effects at dapat nang dumulog ang binakunahan sa itinalagang pagamutan o health center ng Department of Health (DOH).

(TANDAAN: Bago magpabakuna, tiyakin na alam ninyo kung nasaan ang itinalagang health center na dapat puntahan ng mga makakaranas ng lumalang side effects.)

d. Maaaring may karagdagang panganib para sa mga taong nasa listahan ng kulang pa ang pag-aaral sa epekto ng bakuna sa kanila. Ganito ang sinasabi ng World Health Organization (WHO) tungkol dito:

• Mga may nakamamatay na allergy o “anaphylaxis” sa mga sangkap ng bakuna – para maiwasan ang panganib, dapat alamin muna ng indibidwal sa pinagkakatiwalaang doktor kung maaaring may allergy siya sa mga sangkap ng bakuna.

• Mga buntis at nagpapasuso – kulang pa ang mga nagawang pag-aaral. Kailangang magkonsulta sa pinagkakatiwalaang doktor para makapagpasya tungkol sa mga partikular na panganib.

• Mga may pagkukulang ang immune system (immunocompromised) dahil sa ibang sakit o dahil sa mga gamot na ginagamit – Kailangang magkonsulta sa pinagkakatiwalaang doktor para makapagpasya tungkol sa mga partikular na panganib.

• Mga kabataan – batay sa rekomendasyon ng World Health Organization (WHO) hindi muna dapat bakunahan ang kulang sa 16 taon (bakunang Pfizer) o kulang sa 18 taon (bakunang Astra Zeneca) dahil hindi pa napagaralan kung ligtas para sa kanila. (Interim Recommendations, 8 Enero 2021/ 10 Pebrero 2021).

Para makaiwas sa mga panganib ng bakuna kontra COVID-19, at makapaghanda nang mabuti para sa mga ito, dapat magbigay ng tama at buong impormasyon sa mga tagapagbakuna.

Tanong 4: Ligtas ba ang bakuna kontra COVID-19 sa mga taong may iba pang karamdaman o kaugnay na kondisyon? May mga pag-aaral na bang ginawa tungkol dito ?

Sagot 4:

Dahil sa iba’t ibang kondisyon o lagay ng kalusugan ng mga babakunahan, ang inirerekomendang bakuna ay iyon lamang mga angkop para sa kalagayan o kondisyon nila. May panayam na isinasagawa bago magbakuna. Kailangang sumagot nang tapat at maglahad ng makatotohanang impormasyon para makaiwas sa pagkakamali na mapanganib. Kung may pagdududa, makakatulong ang pagkonsulta sa pinagkakatiwalaang doktor bago pumunta sa lugar ng pagbabakuna.

TANONG 5: Kung talagang ligtas ang mga bakuna kontra COVID19, bakit para sa Emergency Use lamang ang pahintulot na ibinigay ng FDA para dito?

SAGOT 5:

Ang ibinigay na Emergency Use Authority ay batay sa kaligtasang naobserbahan sa mga pag-aaral na naisagawa na sa libo-libong tao sa ibat ibang bansa. Emergency Use ang tawag sa pahintulot sapagkat nasa health emergency tayo na nangangailangan ng madaliang aksyon upang mapigil ang paglaganap nang COVID-19 at mabawasan ang perhuwisyong dulot nito. Ipinapagamit na ang mga bakuna habang patuloy pang pinag-aaralan ang bisa ng mga sangkap sa mas marami pang tao.

TANONG 6: Kung talagang ligtas na ang mga bakuna, bakit may mga clinical trials pa rin na isinasagawa kahit nag-umpisa na ang pagbabakuna? Hindi ba’t nauna na sana ang mga clinical trials para mapatunayan na epektibo at ligtas ang mga bakuna?

SAGOT 6:

a) Kailangang magkaroon pa rin ng mga clinical trials sapagkat ito ang paraan para patuloy na masubaybayan ang epekto ng mga bakuna sa masmahabang panahon. Importanteng matiyak ang tagal ng proteksiyon na ibinibigay ng bawat bakuna, ang epekto ng pampalakas na pangalawang dosis, ang posibilidad ng paggamit ng magkakaibang tatak ng bakuna, at ang kaligtasan sa pangmatagalang paggamit nito.

b) Dapat ding makahanap pa ng ibang mabisang bakuna. Sa kasalukuyan, hindi pa sapat ang mga bakuna para sa lahat ng may pangangailangan. Pakay din na patunayan ang bisa ng mga bakuna para sa mga sektor na hindi pa ganap na nakasama sa mga naunang pag-aaral – mga bata, mga buntis, at mga may ibang kundisyong pinag-iingatan.

TANONG 7: Bakit pa kailangang magpabakuna kung hindi naman nagkasakit ng COVID19 ang isang tao sa loob ng isang taon?

SAGOT 7:

Kung sinuwerte siya nang isang taon, hindi siya makakaasa na magpapatuloy ang kanyang suwerte, lalo na sa harap ng mga bagong uri (variant) ng virus. Ang taong hindi nakaramdam ng sakit ay maaaring nagkaroon na rin ng COVID-19 pero hindi lamang nagkaroon ng sintomas. Maaari din siyang magkaroon ulit ng COVID-19 at makahawa sa iba. Kung iniisip niya ang kapakanan ng kanyang pamilya at sambayanan makabubuting magpabakuna siya. Maski na nga ang mga gumaling na sa COVID19 ay kailangan pa ring mabakunahan muli.

TANONG 8: Di ba dapat mga nakatatanda lamang ang bakunahan, dahil sila ang delikadong magkasakit nang malubha o mamatay mula sa komplikasyon ng COVID-19?

SAGOT 8:

a) Hindi lamang ang mga nakatatanda ang naaapektuhan ng COVID-19. Kailangang maprotektahan ang lahat. Mayroon pa ngang mga kilalang doctor at medikal na propesyonal na namatay dahil sa sakit na ito, kahit na bata pa sila.

b) Nakakahawa rin ang mga bata kahit hindi sila nakararamdam ng sakit. Ang mga nakababatang pumapasok sa trabaho, nakikihalubilo sa maramihan at nalalantad sa COVID-19 ay maaaring mag-uwi ng virus at makahawa sa kanilang mga kasama sa bahay. Baka nga dapat mauna pa silang mabakunahan kaysa sa mga nakatatandang kamag-anak dahil lumalabas sa mga pag-aaral na kadalasan ay sila ang nag-uuwi ng virus sa kanilang pamamahay at pamilya.

Kusang loob, kagandahang loob at pagtitiwala

Dapat nating pag-isipan ang kahalagahan ng pagbabakuna, hindi lamang para sa ating sariling kalusugan, kundi bilang kagandahang loob para sa ating pamilya at mga kapwa tao. Dapat din nating isaalang-alang ang mga problemang kasalukuyang nararanasan ng halos lahat nang tao dahil sa kinakailangang lockdown at quarantine. Ang posibilidad na makaranas ng pansariling kaligtasan mula sa sakit ay nakasalalay din sa pagkakaroon ng panlipunang kaligtasan mula sa COVID-19.

Kung nag-iisip tayong magpabakuna dapat unawain natin ang maaaring panganib. Timbangin natin kung angkop at sulit ang mga panganib kung ikukumpara sa benepisyong gusto nating makuha para sa ating sarili at mga mahal sa buhay. Ang desisyon ay magiging maluwag sa atin kung magagawa natin ito nang kusang loob. Kung mayroon tayong mga pagdududa komunsulta muna tayo sa pinagkakatiwalaang doktor na makapagbibigay sa atin ng lakas ng loob para gawin ang karapat-dapat.

Source: https://ethics.healthresearch.ph/index.php/2-uncategorised/415-etika-ng-bakuna-laban-sa-covid-19