boosterism gone viral

The Mexi-Covid vaccination roller coaster continues its wild rodeo.

The Mexican government had taken the supportable position that it would be immoral for richer nations to offer booster jabs to its citizens as long as the rest of the world was unvaccinated. Most philosophers (whether followers of Aristotle, Kant, or Sartre) would have agreed -- especially the Utilitarians who would find moral self-interest in providing treatment to others that would ultimately benefit the donors.

And there certainly was self-interest at work in Mexico (if not the type that John Stuart Mills would recognize). Even though Mexico has plodded along on getting the vaccine into the arms of people inside its borders, it has attained limited vaccination rates: 52% full; 63% first. 

Despite those low numbers, the Mexican president begrudgingly surrendered to the advice of his health advisors and approved a booster vaccination program in Mexico. The program began earlier in the month just as I was flying north to Oregon for a few days.

Similar to the initial vaccination program, the booster program started in the major cities with people over 60. The clinic showed up in Manzanillo last weekend. That means that the elderly soon should receive their boosters.

I was somewhat agnostic about The Initial Jab. Not because I had been seduced by the early worry concerns that turned some very rational people I know into rather adamant Antivaxxers. My lack of fervor for The Shot was based on a healthy scientific skepticism that the early hype verged on being one of those home remedy commercials aired on late night cable television. "One spoonful of Mother's Favorite Tonic will cure any modern ailment."

I took my initial two AstraZenca shots in Mexico because the vaccine was a gift that offered some protection against a virus that was bound to transition from a pandemic to being endemic. And so it did. The combination of the vaccine and keeping myself in negative test territory would allow me to resume my travels.

At least, that is what I hoped. If much weight is going to be given to vaccination requirements for travelers in the future, I am the poster child for ruining an airline ticket clerk's day. For one simple reason. My Covid vaccination records are a shambles.

When I received both shots, the officials filled in a form by hand with the details of the vaccine. I thought that was my official record for travel. It wasn't.

If a destination country requires a passenger to be vaccinated, the airlines will determine if the document is adequate. My hand-written form does not meet that requirement. The form must contain a QR code to verify authenticity. Or so I have been told.

But not to worry. Mexico provides an online form with a QR code simply by filling in a few blocks of information. It took me about 5 minutes to get mine. Unfortunately, the dates on the form do not come close to reflecting my actual vaccination dates.

Because I was not certain when I was returning to Mexico when I flew north this month, I scheduled an appointment for a booster and a flu vaccine at a pharmacy in Prineville. (Several expatriate communities have set up mass trips north to get their boosters in The States.) I was a bit concerned if I could get the booster because The States have not authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine.

That was not a problem. Nor was my shoddy documentation. The pharmacist asked which vaccine I wanted as a booster. That question did not surprise me since mix-and-match vaccines are not only not disapproved, some sources highly recommend them -- though the scientific jury is still out on that. I chose Pfizer.

The pharmacist helpfully provided me with a CDC card that included all three of my vaccinations. It wasn't until I returned to my brother's house that I realized the dates she included on the form were different than the dates on my other two forms.

Now, I have three forms -- each with different dates for my jabs. They may not be factual, but they certainly are true. I have been fully-vaccinated -- with a booster chaser. I am just waiting to explain that to some Latvian immigration officer.

For those of you who are not yet vaccinated, you are not going to hear the type of first-spouse name-calling that I suspect is designed to be counter-productive. Instead, as a fellow human being who shares the same dreams of what you most prize in life, I invite you to join me in the vaccination with a booster brigade. 

Think of it as an investment in causing the ultimate confusion amongst the bureaucracy in your future.

Travel with adventure.