It was barely one o’clock in the afternoon of Holy Thursday when, with determination and very sure of my decision, I arrived at one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in New York City to receive the first vaccine against the Covid-19.
Taking advantage of being part of the group over 55, and ignoring conspiracy theorists who insist on boycotting the mass vaccination process against the pandemic in the United States and the world, I joined a hundred people from various ethnic groups who they awaited admission to a vaccination center in southern Manhattan.
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It is undeniable that the virus is real and must be fought regardless of whether its origin or birth was in a bird, an animal or created in an experimental laboratory.
It is a necessity or obligation to face it as other pandemics have been successfully fought in the past, applying a vaccine elaborated by specialized scientists and virologists to generate immunity against an infectious disease.
More proof of its existence cannot be demanded, the Covid has already killed more than 2.8 million human beings in the world regardless of ethnic group, rich or poor, religious or atheist; another 395.8 million people suffer from the disease or suffer the consequences of it.
After entering the CDC center, I observed 32 independent cubicles meticulously cleaned and sanitized, which were occupied with an equal number of nursing professionals who, with kindness, agility and precision, received those interested in being vaccinated, all complying with the required protocols.
On my shift for immunization, a gentle “prick” in the upper part of my left forearm consummated the process and was then sent to a large room where another battery of nurses meticulously observed those already vaccinated who, seated and 6 feet apart away, they had to wait 30 minutes before leaving the center after checking that they did not present symptoms or negative reactions.
Of the three vaccines that are given in the US, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, the second was the one that I had to receive. 72 hours later, just when writing this experience, I still had not felt the slightest side effect whatsoever, thus continuing my normal work and activities.
More than 54.3 million people have already received their two doses of vaccine in the United States, a nation that, with an estimated population of 328 million inhabitants, has 30.6 million infected by Covid, and leading the number of deaths above 554,105 persons. Hopefully, it has managed to save more than 23.8 million since the spread of the pandemic in 2020.
In New York State with 12.6 million New Yorkers, the number of infected already exceeds 1.9 million, 50,743 dead and 1.1 million recovered according to the CDC and John Hopkins University.
Last Friday, April 2, due to the large number of people vaccinated in the US, the CDC relaxed the measures for vaccinated travelers (two doses), announcing that they will not have to quarantine themselves or undergo Covid tests.
Regardless of that, it’s important to avoid crowds, continue to wash your hands frequently, and keep wearing face masks.
Something to take into consideration, according to CDC experts, is that regardless of completing the two recommended doses, a minimum of 15 days must be waited for the body to develop the expected immunity as a guarantee of immunization.
In the city of skyscrapers, since last March 19, the dining capacity inside restaurants increased its current amount from 35 percent to 50 percent, encouraging an improvement in the economy in this area.
Deaths from Covid in the state have been gradually decreasing, according to state authorities.
Users of mass transportation systems such as trains and buses continue to increase, exceeding 1.8 million passengers per day, although well below the average of five million registered before the pandemic.
They are encouraging data that indicate that a light is already seen at the end of the tunnel, and not precisely from the subways of the capital of the world.
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