Johanna Dagle Pamplona, a member of the pioneer batch of the UST Senior High School (SHS), passed away on Sept. 10, 2021 due to Covid-19 complications.
Her death was confirmed to the Varsitarian by her mother, Juanita.
Juanita said Johanna was found Covid-19-positive through an RT-PCR test her daughter took on Sept. 7.
Johanna had been under medication following online consultations with her doctor before she was rushed to the Medical Center Muntinlupa. She was experiencing low oxygen levels.
She was declared dead on arrival.
Johanna had asthma, and had been fully vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine since May, Juanita said.
Johanna graduated from UST SHS in 2018 under the humanities and social sciences strand.
She took up economics at the Faculty of Arts and Letters during the first semester of Academic Year 2018 to 2019 but paused her studies because she found it difficult commuting from Muntinlupa to UST daily, according to her mother.
Juanita described Johanna as a good daughter who was dedicated to her studies.
Philippe Jose Hernandez, Johanna’s adviser in SHS, said she “was strong and firm” in what she wanted in life and is fearless in taking action towards it.
“In class, she was a woman of few words but when she did recite, there was substance. She was caring to her classmates, too, and would often offer them food or even a ride home,” Hernandez told the Varsitarian.
Aila Maureen Lora, Pamplona’s classmate in SHS, said the latter was a strong, charismatic and independent woman.
Johanna’s remains were cremated. Details of the inurnment have yet to be announced, although her mother said the plan was to place her ashes beside the grave of her grandmother in Muntinlupa.
Deaths among fully vaccinated individuals
On Sept. 9, the Food and Drug Administration reported that 242 out of more than 13.8 million fully vaccinated Filipinos experienced breakthrough Covid-19 infections.
A breakthrough Covid-19 infection occurs when a fully vaccinated individual contracts the disease.
FDA chief Eric Domingo said that of the 242 breakthrough infections, five died.
Breakthrough infections in the Philippines were most common among Sinovac recipients. He noted that 180 of the 242 breakthrough infections were Sinovac recipients.
Meanwhile, of the 9.22 million Filipinos who had received only one Covid-19 vaccine dose, 732 caught the disease.
Of these, 101 died.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Covid-19 vaccines protect people from getting infected and severely ill, and “significantly” reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and death.
