In Uruguay, a country of a little over 3.5 million people, more than 70% of the population has already received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 75% have had at least the first dose. Vaccination progress in Uruguay has been accompanied by an abrupt decrease in severe cases of the disease, as well as the total number of active cases.
Six months after the coronavirus vaccination process began, 70% of the population has received the second dose.
September 13, 2021
Uruguay's strategy included opening special vaccination centers to administer vaccines to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus and, since last May, mobile units have been traveling to locations far from departmental capitals and major cities in order to bring vaccines to people who cannot easily travel.
Here are the stories of Ana León and Gilberto Borges, who contracted the virus and went to the mobile laboratory to get vaccinated after the vaccines arrived, as well as the testimony of Yamila Pereira, a nurse who travels to different towns as a vaccinator, something that she defines as: "a gratifying path to have taken."
Getting vaccinated as soon as possible
Ana León arrived at the vaccination center in Mal Abrigo, a town in the department of San José, at 8:15 in the morning, 45 minutes before vaccination was to begin. She took the bus from San José de Mayo, the departmental capital 35 kilometers away. "I take care of older people. I have to be vaccinated to go take care of them. It never occurred to me not to get vaccinated. So I came to Mal Abrigo," she says. Ana had COVID in January. Anxious to make sure it didn't happen to her again, she traveled to get vaccinated before her turn would have come up in her own city. She received the second dose on a cold Saturday in July.
“The worst thing about COVID-19 was having to be alone for 14 days,” she says. However, she felt supported by neighbors and relatives: "The next door neighbors, one on each side, had also had COVID and were sending me messages and things, or they would come by and say, 'Neighbor, we're coming to pick up the garbage' or 'Neighbor, we're bringing you the things from the supermarket.'"
Ana had a fever only for one day. She says the worst thing was the fatigue. "I spent a lot of time lying down, because I listened to my body and didn’t want to walk, and in the afternoon I would get up and go out to the yard," she says. "I didn't have breathing problems; I had to sleep with the windows open and the fan on, but I still felt that there wasn't enough air."
She felt worse afterwards. "You’re exhausted, no strength at all, and you regain strength slowly. It took me about two months, and it affected my mind a lot too--a lot of headache, forgetting things. And to this day I haven't fully recovered my sense of smell."
Ana believes that traveling to get vaccinated as soon as possible is showing interest and "doing good." "To get vaccinated is to love yourself, to care about yourself," she concludes.
The dairy does not close down, nor does vaccination
Gilberto Borges received his first dose in Mal Abrigo in mid-July. He had signed up to get it months earlier, but had to cancel because he got COVID-19 while waiting for his turn. He lives in the countryside with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. They all had COVID-19, but he was the hardest hit. He says that he had "a tremendous fever" for six days, during which he did nothing but drink water. But he says the good thing is that he was able to get better at home, with follow-up from a doctor who phoned him every day to find out how he was.
The Borges family has a dairy farm and makes cheeses. Worn down by fatigue that prevented him from getting out of bed at first, Gilberto is still delegating his tasks on the farm. "Since I got the coronavirus I haven't gone back to making cheese. I'm on medical leave. You notice that you get tired much quicker," he laments. Gilberto has been milking cows since he was eleven years old. For him and his family, there is no real leave or holiday: "The cows don't understand any of that. You still have to do the farm work, and it always does get done," he says.
"The vaccine gives peace of mind," he says, adding that he has "tremendous faith" in it. Gilberto asks "that everyone get vaccinated. I think that is going to be the most important thing for eliminating the virus. That's the hope we all have."
Vaccinate, contain, inform
"We are all making history, something to remember. It's a very beautiful experience that you get a lot out of. Each town has its own magic," says Yamila Pereira, a nurse who works at a care center for people with mental health problems in the department of San José, and who participates as a vaccinator in the campaign against COVID-19.
Yamila came to administer the vaccine at Estación González, a town 20 kilometers from the departmental capital. She emphasizes the decision to send vaccination teams to remote villages, close to people, so as not to leave anyone out: "Many people lack mobility, cannot get to a vaccination center in a city," she says, adding that this solution makes it possible for "lower-income people to come."
She says her vaccination work has something in common with her work caring for people in situations of dependency, namely, "being able to help people." "Here too, we provide support for people when they come to get vaccinated and are fearful. Or sometimes they’re in a bad situation, or whatever. We always support them."
Among other things, Yamila has to deal with disinformation. "There are people who come happily, and others who arrive unsure about getting vaccinated because they find it a bit scary. Sometimes people hear things that scare them, so we always try to give our best and forge forward," she says.