Nelson and Ilda, married six decades ago, completed their vaccination: “We feel more protected”
Nelson Alemanni, 84, and Ilda Frncica, 83, married for almost six decades, received the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine yesterday at Tecnpolis, where one of the largest vaccination centers in the province of Buenos Aires was installed. , and although they never imagined having to go through a pandemic, now they feel “more protected” but assure that “you have to continue taking care of yourself.”
“We were lucky that they gave us the first dose of the vaccine, which gave us a lot of peace of mind. Today we are going to go to get the second dose; that is a very big booster,” Nelson said in the garden of his Florida home, in Vicente López’s party, to Tlam, who accompanied the couple to receive immunization with Sputnik V.
Ilda, his “lifelong companion”, with whom he had three children, do not hide his excitement about completing the vaccination schedule. “I woke up at six o’clock in the morning, I never get up at that time,” he said before leaving for the vaccination center.
Nelson and Ilda are part of the almost two million people who received the complete immunization scheme against Covid-19 in Argentina”
Nelson and Ilda are part of the almost two million people who received the complete immunization scheme against Covid-19 in Argentina, according to data from the Public Vaccination Monitor, the online registry that shows the figures in real time, which reports a total of 5,863,003 doses inoculated to people over 60 years of age and 9,862,623 total.
In fact, in several districts the vaccination of older adults has already been completed and that of strategic personnel and people up to 59 years with pre-existing diseases has begun.
The province of Buenos Aires has already immunized 85.75% of people over 60 years of age, 50.38% of teaching and non-teaching staff, 27.55% of security staff and 95.23% of health workers , according to data from this Saturday.
Nelson and Ilda are part of the almost two million people who received the complete immunization scheme against Covid-19 in Argentina. Photo: Diego Levy.
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But these statistics take shape in the story of Nelson and Ilda, who this Friday began the day drinking mate as they usually do before breakfast because “it should not be good to go and vaccinate with an empty belly,” according to the woman.
“It is an exciting day, I did not think that the second dose would come so fast, I thought it would take three months, but they called us for the first on March 16 and now they call us again; it really is great, it is a very good effort. It is great to give both vaccines at the right time, “Nelson celebrated by his side.
For this couple, being immunized does not mean stopping taking care of themselves. “It gives us part of the strength that the years have taken us so that if one had the misfortune of contracting it, at least our body could have more strength to face it,” they pointed out.
“I woke up at six o’clock in the morning, I never get up at that time,” Ilda said. Photo: Diego Levy.
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A life together
The Alemanni met in 1955 on a birthday, almost by chance, when Nelson was picked up at the local club “because there was a lack of young men to entertain the girls,” Ilda recalled.
Then the dating began with walks down the street for three years and the waits for Nelson “on the corner” while she had pasta for lunch with her Italian family on Sundays.
“Later my father-in-law, Don Francisco, told me that he had no objection to me entering his house but I had to go with my father and mother,” the man evoked, laughing, agreeing with Ilda that the key to having 59 years of married “is to respect each other, tolerate and be understanding; look for the moment to clarify the difficult things.”
Both went through the pandemic with care and fear for their children and grandchildren, but Ilda said that she never stopped going to the market. “I also dedicated myself to reading, surfing the internet and watching series and movies” on streaming platforms, he said.
“It has not been heavy, but it makes me sad to see what is happening, to see that people die or there are so many infected,” the woman lamented.
The Alemanni met in 1955 on a birthday, almost by chance.
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The second dose
The elderly were the hardest hit by the coronavirus, with more than 80% of the deceased, a reality that began to change with the arrival of vaccines, which allowed them to regain some peace of mind. This sector of the population was the second target group for immunization after that of health personnel, which began at the end of last year. In contrast, the majority of Covid-19 cases occurred in the age group between 20 and 50 years old.
After breakfast was over, the couple settled into the car and set off, with Nelson at the wheel, to Tecnpolis, where about 650 people are immunized per day.
“Ma’am, I’m going to steal your husband,” joked Mariana at the entrance, a worker who welcomes the newcomers before accompanying Nelson to the white tents of the Prevaccination Sector, where medical records are consulted.
“Now I think that with more tranquility I will see my family, my friends. Try to go out a little more.” Photo: Diego Levy.
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Mariana does not see her mother because of the pandemic, but when older adults arrive to inoculate she remembers her. “I don’t want to expose my mom, but I see them and it’s like seeing my old woman,” he pointed out in dialogue with Tlam.
After a few minutes of waiting, Ilda and Nelson joined three other people in a group of five as the Sputnik V vaccine is presented in a vial containing that many doses.
Agostina, the vaccinator, gave a brief talk in which she warned about the effects that can appear after the application, such as pain or itching in the arm, fever, fatigue and headache or muscle pain. “The first dose just raised my fever a little bit,” Ilda commented.
Then the injection arrived and the group stayed for 20 minutes in a tent for observation before leaving the premises for their home.
“We feel more protected, but we want it to be for the youngest, and for all the people who need it””
Nelson Alemanni
“Now I think that with more tranquility I will see my family, my friends. Trying to go out a little more, we liked so much to go for a walk and go to the movies, and what I miss is going to Mar del Plata,” he said. Ilda, with her immunization certificate.
“We feel more protected, but we want it to go to the youngest, and to all the people who need it to try to face this that surprised us all in the best way,” Nelson said goodbye.
Report: Milagros Alonso
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