Mónica Tapias is a nursing assistant and was the first sanitary vaccinated in Spain, a year ago. His prick came minutes after the Araceli Hidalgo placeholder image, who is 97 years old today, continues to live in the Los Olmos residence (in Guadalajara), but has preferred to spend the first anniversary away from the spotlight. Tapias does not work at the senior center now, he is on leave of absence, but he explains to EL PERIÓDICO how his life has been, that of Araceli and that of the rest of the residents in the last year.
How did you feel knowing that it would be the first Spanish health care provider to be vaccinated?
I was excited. It was a great honor that they thought of me.
How was it chosen?
The decision was made by the management team of the Los Olmos residence, who chose one person from among all the assistants who were working throughout the pandemic and did not catch the disease.
Was she also the first health worker to get the second dose, along with Araceli Hidalgo?
Yes.
And has the third been put on?
This afternoon, coincidentally, I have the appointment at the hospital.
How is Araceli?
She is the same as you saw her a year ago, marvelously, I would like to reach her years as she is, which is phenomenal.
Have you caught either of the two?
No, fortunately not. I have done some test to see if I have passed it and not.
What was work like at the residence hall before and after the vaccination?
Before the vaccinations, it was a residence with a lot of life, because the retirement home is here, there is a cafeteria, a podiatry center and there were exchanges with a school next door and the children came. But suddenly, as happened to all Spaniards, the doors were closed, the residents were each installed in their rooms, alone, without having contact with anyone and it was a bit hard. And that the residents, most of them, have passed the Civil War, they are natural survivors and are used to dealing with bad things, so they have handled it well, better than many young people, with integrity. As of today, normality has recovered a bit in the residence but not the normality that existed before, those agglomerations of people no longer exist. It has to be like that and we have to accept it, we have no choice.
“Normality has recovered a bit in the residence, but not the normality that existed before, without crowds”
Has there been an outbreak in the last year?
No, fortunately a year and a half ago there were no cases among residents. In July 2020 the last resident of the covid plant was taken down. Having them there isolated was very sad, because we entered with epis and they did not recognize us, just by voice.
Is there fear in the residence of contagion due to the high incidence that omicron is causing?
As the residents are already vaccinated with the third dose, they live differently. Although there are many cases, we hope he does not enter the residence.
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What would you say to people who have not yet been vaccinated?
There is no need to have doubts. We are seeing that the vaccine is effective. It is true that it has not eradicated the pandemic, but it is being seen that it makes the effects less adverse. And it is better to pass it as a simple constipation than to have to see yourself in an ICU. Although there are people vaccinated with both doses in the ICU, the majority are unvaccinated people. Hopefully tomorrow, when we are all vaccinated, there will be no more variants and this will end. It is the only option we have to stop this virus. For this reason, I appeal to individual responsibility.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com