The distance between Mexico City and the Texan community of Corsicana is 1,750 kilometers. It is reached from Dallas, the third largest city in the state.
The flight, leaving from the Mexican capital, although not direct, is worth it.
Corsicana, Texas, is a community that is on Interstate 45. It has less than 100,000 inhabitants, Lake Halbert, vineyards, fairs and although none of the attractions are visited and the stay is not more than an hour.
That small city is 90 kilometers from downtown Dallas and there, without problems, without many questions, Mexicans and anyone can be vaccinated against Covid-19.
On April 18, several states in the American Union reported that they were opening the vaccine against the pandemic for foreign travelers over 16 years of age.
Arizona reported that it would administer the vaccines beginning March 31. Louisiana would do the same as of March 29. In Texas, it was reported that it was not a requirement, as of March 29, to be a resident or citizen to receive the immunization.
The travel dilemma
Planning the trip did not present any dilemma. The goal was to get vaccinated so as not to be part of the statistics of the pandemic that is released in Mexico and many people question.
Official data indicate that in Mexico, as of last Friday, more than 2.3 million people had been infected in the country and around 212,000 Mexicans have died.
In Mexico, the official discourse has been ambiguous, the vaccines have not arrived in a timely manner, everything has been delayed, despite the government saying that everything is going well.
To date, around 14 million Mexicans have been vaccinated, out of a total of 126 million, 10% of the population, and the application of aid has been slow, slow, slow.
In the United States, they are about to reach 130 million vaccinated people, that is, almost 40% of its total population.
Registration for the vaccine is simple. On the CVS pharmacy chain page, fill out the form with the requested day and time. Once the information has been accepted, it is sent to the interested party’s phone, confirming the appointment. A big step. You can also go to the Walmart page.
Trip
The trip was made by three adults; my brother, my sister-in-law, the one who writes this and my 16-year-old niece. Due to space and cost issues, the Mexico City flight was not direct. Stopover in Monterrey and from that northern city, the flight to the impressive Dallas airport in Texas.
Viva Aerobús flight 688 to that city in the United States, full of Mexicans. I guess a lot of them flew for the same reason we did, that is, to be vaccinated. Despite the fact that all passengers are asked for a non-Covid test, the precautions are not exaggerated, double face masks, mask, liquid alcohol and chlorine wipes.
Passing through customs, easy. The migration agent’s question was simple. How many days do they come to the US and what? The similar answer, one day and shopping.
It will be that the agent has no experience and believes that a Mexican family can go shopping in Texas and take only 24 hours to do the shopping. It is not credible, they know that many Mexicans travel just to be vaccinated.
The break that Thursday, after the flight, was in Dallas. The next day the appointment for the vaccine was at 4.30 in the afternoon. They asked to be able to extend the time of departure from the hotel room until three in the afternoon, impossible, everything is busy and many of the clients, they said, are Mexicans who would go to that city for the weekend.
Flights, hotels, car rentals, in the main cities of Texas occupied by Mexicans, says a person close to the Mexican consulate in Dallas, Texas. Figures of Mexican travelers who are going to be vaccinated are difficult to know, but word of mouth has already spread, and in cities like Austin, Houston and Dallas, many Mexicans come to do medical tourism.
Around 15 minutes before the appointment, a message arrives confirming the data. These are shown in the pharmacy box, the information is collated and the card is delivered in which the generals of the person, the day and the vaccine that was applied, be it Moderna, Pfizer or any of those that are allowed in the United States, except for Johnson & Johnson, temporarily suspended.
The wait was less than 30 minutes. It took longer to sit down than to be vaccinated. It was Pzifer, the first dose, there will be a second round.
The myths are many, they do not ask for identification, nothing, only the registry. Patients are asked to wait in a corridor adjacent to the vaccine application module, seated for at least 15 minutes to see negative reactions.
Later in a brochure, the pharmacy gives the participant a QR code so that, if they want to, the photo is shared on CVS’s Instagram.
EE Photo: Eduardo Huerta
–
The free vaccine costs the United States government between $ 9 and $ 12, but he knows that his investment will be reflected in the visit of foreigners who will help reactivate a part of his economy.
For foreign travelers it has a price, the expense of the plane ticket, hotel, food, among other things. Or wait for the deadlines proposed by the Mexican government to be met.
However, for Mexicans who have seen close people, friends and family, get sick and in some cases die, the vaccine applied in the United States is invaluable, it is life.
–
