Yo Me Vacuno (I am vaccinated)

Waiting to receive the Pfizer vaccine

Covid has been in Chile since January 2020 and possibly even earlier than that. It is the topic that everyone wants to talk about and is simultaneously tired of mentioning. According to the WHO, between January 2020 and May 2021, 1,369,756 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 29,047 deaths. On the flip side of that data is the vaccines. Chile rolled out an aggressive vaccination plan earlier this year, and as of May 28, 2021, a total of 18,018,443 vaccines have been given. Unlike the USA or other countries, it was not passed out to essential workers than the public in general. Here the public offering went by age, which meant I had to wait. That is until last week.

The ex-pat community here in Santiago is strong. While the government was posting information regarding the vaccine, very little of it was directed to the 1.5 million foreign-born people living here. This gave rise to loads of Instagram accounts, Facebook groups, and WhatsApp groups trying to piece together the information that we could find. I was closely following the Health Ministry’s Instagram account. Weekly they would put out information regarding who could get vaccinated. However, I was still not seeing any information about tourists receiving the vaccine. Fortunately, my friend Isabelle wrote in a WhatsApp group that she could get Pfizer at the site near my house. Two days later, I was there 15 minutes after they opened with my permit application and passport.

Arriving at the entrance at sunrise

When I arrived, there was not a line to wait in. I let out a huge sigh of relief. I had heard of people waiting over three hours to get the vaccine. Here I was at 0815, walking right up to the front and standing second in the ‘foreigner line’ to talk to the nurse. I was not even there long enough to get my Kindle out. The one thing that my friend mentioned was to make sure that you say you will be here long term. The nurse asked for my name in Spanish. I responded in Spanish, saying that if possible, I would like to speak English to make sure I understand everything. We switched languages. She asked a few more basic questions and then looked at my documents. Without lifting her head, she asked, “How long do you plan to be here in Chile?” I responded as I practiced in my mind on the walk over, “Hopefully for at least five years.” That response was good enough for her. She handed me a slip of paper that said I could receive the vaccine. As she handed it to me, she asked, “How do you like Chile?” She didn’t have time for my answer. Another foreigner was already at the desk next to me. It was time to go to the waiting room.

Here they split up the men and women. As I stepped inside, I was handed a number. I went to the far side of the women’s tent and settled in with my Kindle and coffee travel mug. I had not read three pages and was already being ushered closer to the front. At the very front of the tent was a large screen that showed what numbers were being served and which bay to go to. It became clearer as I inched closer to it every five minutes or so. There were some smaller TVs at the front that were showing a European prank show on mute. The only sound came from a man and woman, each with their own microphone calling out the numbers as they came up. About 0915, my number was called, and I headed back.

The hallways were deceivingly long. From a distance, it looked short, but as I got closer, I realized it was about 30 yards or so long and packed with admission bays. I went into mine and was met by two women who looked to be about my age or a little younger. Again here, the woman sitting in front of the computer asked for my name in Spanish. Again I asked if we could switch to English so I could make sure I understand everything. They both stared at me. The woman standing in front of me said she understood some English but didn’t speak it. I nodded understandingly and said we could stick to Spanish. I was starting to get nervous and just wanted to leave. Did I mention that I ALWAYS pass out around needles? As I exposed my left arm to the woman standing, the woman sitting asked me a question. When I turned to answer her, I felt it. The vaccine I had waited weeks for was now being pushed into me, and I yelped. I started to get flustered at the pain. In my attempt to pantomime that I needed to sit because I normally passed out, I was ushered out of my bay. There was no time to sit with a line of people behind me. I gingerly got up and shuffled to the holding area.

The long hallway opened up to a holding room with an Elvis impersonator jamming pretty hard for it not to be 0930. There were rows and rows of metal chairs spaced out where we were asked to wait 30 minutes before leaving. I sat on the fourth row right in front of Elvis. A young guy was walking around, passing out cups of water. I politely declined and clutched my coffee. While my eyes were focusing on Elvis, my mind was doing an internal scan; I was totally fine. What? I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out? I didn’t trust myself. At the end of Elvis’ set, the screen behind Elvis showing photos and pulsing lights transitioned to a video of a bad Spanish crooner. I decided to relocate outside. There I was met with the stares of about 50 other women, some with friends and some on their phones. I found a spot in the shade and pulled out my Kindle for 10 more minutes. I dove back into my book, and before I knew it, I had overstayed by almost 10 minutes. I quickly gathered my things and headed for the exit.

No one was there to tell us what to expect, but I knew people who had reacted badly and just knew that would be me too. When I first arrived home, I downed a glass of water and put on my dog walking stuff. Bourbon still needed to go out to play. While watching him roll around with another puppy at the park, I started to feel oddly tired. Thankfully Bourbon responded to my first call of “Come’ and we headed home. Once back, I fell asleep and pretty much slept the rest of that day and the next, but that was it.

Now that I am totally recovered, I am looking forward to getting my second dose, even if my reaction is more intense. The vaccine is so much more than just medicine here. It gives you the freedom to move on the weekends - a new order the government just started. It also allows you to travel to other countries. It has been over a year since I have seen my family, and I can not wait to hug them. Fortunately, now I am one shot closer to doing just that.