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By Dr. Kathy Crispell
Retired Colfax MD 

An outside perspective about COVID vaccinations

 

November 11, 2021



In early 2020 I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. My trip began with uncertainty because of the proximity of my destinations to China where COVID19 began, and the first COVID19 cases were just being identified in the USA. While I was in Vietnam COVID19 disease was declared to be a pandemic (infection occurring worldwide). The Vietnamese were already being educated by their government to practice good hand hygiene and to wear masks, which was already common in Asia. When I returned to the USA a month later, the world had changed. The airports and airplanes were empty of people. The lockdown outside of China had begun. This was the last time my Vietnamese guide, Tee, would work because of the lockdown in Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of four communist countries left in the world. When Tee could no longer work, he had to live on his savings and the kindness of others because there is no unemployment in Vietnam. If the people do not obey the lockdown, they are arrested, sent to quarantine camps, and their businesses can be confiscated by the government. Vietnam’s economy and its people have suffered greatly. Tee began to have a little hope when vaccines became available in the USA and Europe in late 2020. However, vaccines are only now becoming available in Vietnam, and in the interim, the Delta variant hit Vietnam hard.

After being on lockdown for over a year, but unvaccinated, Tee became infected with the Delta variant. He became quite ill, despite being young and healthy. He was sent by the government to one of the newly built COVID hospitals. These hospitals house only COVID19 patients and have about 1,000 “beds”. The beds are more like cots that are closely packed together. There is no privacy. There is one bathroom for every 50 people. The doctors and nurses who work there are exhausted. The food is terrible. After spending two weeks in the COVID hospital, Tee recovered well enough to go home. However, life was still very hard for Tee and his family because of the strict lockdown. He could not even go to the bank to get money for food and despite having no choice about going to the COVID19 hospital, he still needs to pay the government for the care he received.

COVID19 vaccinations are now becoming available in Vietnam and the government is loosening up the lockdown. Tee is still suffering adverse effects from COVID19 but thinks he may be able to work again soon. He plans to get vaccinated as soon as he can. He feels fortunate to have survived not having enough food, no income, and getting sick from COVID19.

Tee is aware that there are still people in the USA who have not yet been vaccinated and do not understand why. Tee represents many people worldwide who look to the USA for being a world leader and providing hope to those who are less fortunate. They know that despite the USA’s imperfections, those who live here have so many advantages compared to those who live in many other countries. One of those advantages is having ample access to COVID19 vaccinations. Tee and others also understand that when most of the USA population is vaccinated, economies in other countries around the world will benefit especially as their vaccine supplies increase and become more available.

Please get vaccinated and help the entire world.

 

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