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Over 300 individuals who received their first dose of vaccine against coronavirus disease in the Philippines have contracted the virus with some severe leading to their deaths, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday.

In the "Laging Handa" public briefing, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said since the vaccination rollout last March, 3.7 million individuals received at least their first dose of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.

"Between the first dose ad the second dose, there were those who contracted COVID, there were 173 who were infected with COVID between the first and second dose of Sinovac," he said.

Of the 173 who were infected with the virus, eleven were severe cases and "died from COVID," he said.

Of the 1.6 million individuals who received the second dose of Sinovac vaccine, Domingo said 33 were infected but none were severe cases nor died.

"All of these are mild. And 33 out of 1.6 million is a very, very low percentage and all of them were mild and recovered," he said.

For AstraZeneca vaccine, the FDA chief said out of 2.1 individuals who received their first dose of the UK brand, 188 were infected with COVID-19 and "11 of them were severe COVID and died from COVID."

He said 427,000 people got their second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine and of the total, five were infected with the virus and none died.

"So, we can see there were those who have contracted COVID but very few even after the first dose. (It) drastically goes down after the second dose. And definitely after the second dose, the chances of getting severe COVID and dying were declining," the official said.

For Sputnik V and Pfizer vaccines, which were administered to only a few people due to low supply, five were infected with COVID-19 after receiving the first dose and no severe cases after the second dose, he said.

Domingo reiterated the importance of being fully vaccinated and to continue to follow the health protocols.

"These are what we saw in our monitoring now, actual numbers and I think it shows that the vaccines really work and that we really should get vaccinated as soon as it is available in our community," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS