By Sean Rafio
Doctor Stephanie Palacios began her study on breakthrough COVID-19 infections in January 2021 without expecting that she would be chosen for the Young Investigator Award at the 26th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.
As soon as vaccines arrived in Iloilo City, Palacios started her study that reviewed the clinical profiles of those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but have been infected with the disease.
Breakthrough infection is defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the detection of SARS-COV-2 RNA from a person 14 days after completion of all recommended doses of COVID-19.
Her study, “Clinical profile of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals who developed breakthrough infections: a systematic review,” found that breakthrough infections only exhibited mild or moderate symptoms.
Palacios also observed that the most at risk for breakthrough infections are the elderly and individuals with preexisting illnesses or with comorbidities.
“Also, gamay ang fatality rate sang mga vaccinated compared sa unvaccinated individuals. Gamay lang man ang symptoms mo kung nabakunahan ka and higher gid ang effectivity ang vaccines kung fully vaccinated ka or makuha mo ang recommended dosage sang imo vaccine,” she told Daily Guardian.
The study was conducted from January 2021 to October 2021, a time during the pandemic when most health experts were urging the Filipino population to get the jab to achieve herd immunity.
During the study, thousands of Filipinos still say they are not inclined to get vaccinated against COVID-19, making herd immunity all the more challenging to reach.
“This can promote the vaccination campaign on anti-vaxxers by validating that the fatality rate among breakthrough infections is low, the symptoms are mild, and the effectivity of the vaccine is higher when fully vaccinated,” Palacios said.
Palacios, a native of Roxas City, Capiz, made the study as part of her first year in medical residency at the Department of Internal Medicine of the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC). It was only in 2022 that her study was recognized due to congresses being postponed by the pandemic.
Among over 3,000 studies, Palacios’ study was among the three chosen for the Young Investigator Award in this year’s Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR).
The prize will be awarded to Palacios during the APSR gala dinner held at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul in South Korea on November 19.
Along with the award, Palacios will receive a cash prize of $500 (P28,000), a travel grant, and a four-night stay at an APSR-designated hotel.
Palacios flew to Seoul, South Korea on November 15 to present her study at the congress.
She was joined by her advisers and co-authors Dr. Patricio P. Palmes, chairperson of the WVSUMC Department of Internal Medicine, and Dr. Glenford R. Refre, Medical Specialist at the WVSUMC Department of Internal Medicine.
Palacios finished medicine at West Visayas State University. She went straight to medical residency after passing the Physicians Licensure Exam (PLE) in 2020.
The 27-year-old doctor hopes to inspire young medical doctors to pursue and excel in research even during residency.
Asked for her advice to newly-licensed doctors from the October 2022 PLE, Palacios said they should pursue the specialty they want the most.
“Because you’re gonna do it for the rest of your life. Dapat your work means something you really love doing because it’s something you will live [with] for the rest of your life. It’s gonna be hard to wake up every day and work doing the same routine with different difficulty as you proceed to the higher level of your residency if you don’t love your work,” she added.
