Good News of Progress in Italy

Greetings everyone. I have been mostly hiding out from covid. I started back in Feb over a year ago, my first grocery cart was full of things I thought I would need. Stupidly I was thinking of needs in months, rather than a full year and more. We were all unprepared for the consequences of this pendemic. None of us had no idea we would be living under terrible conditions for way over a year.

My heart goes out to all the nurses, doctors and workers in hospitals who have made crucial decisions and watched the pandemic take lives. I feel great sorrow towards the victims and these caring workers who are risking their own lives to help the sick. My Mayor, has been a great provider of information to his citizens. He could just enjoy television, or read a book, but instead he has quickly found out facts concerning getting his citizens vaccinated. My wife read his words and quickly went online and got her mother an appointment for vaccine. Her mother's doctor didn't even know of this availability. My Mayor is also writing to share with our village what birth years are now being opened up for the vaccine to be administered. My best news is that he has informed me that I am two years away. However, already he sent an alert that shows that I am now one year away from being able to make an appointment. In 73 years I have never had a mayor who went out of his way like this. I am grateful. My wife works in a place where there have been 10 victims of covid, and I have always figured that she would bring it home. But now there is hope. My mother in law had a appointment for the vaccination at 10:00 PM in Padova. My mother in law lives far out from Padova, you might say she lives in the sticks...The drive into Padova was strange, neither my wife or mother in law have been out during the night for over a year or more. My wife related to me that during this drive into the city and back there were only 10 other cars. That is how the serious lockdown has changed lifestyle here.

Upon arriving at the area where the medical authorities are giving the vaccine, they had to wait outside the parking lot until someone left. (Parking in Italy is always scarce). They sat and watched a huge crowd of people gathered in front of a lighted building. My mother in law said that she thought it must be a protest against the vaccination as there were so many people. You have to imagine the sight through the eyes of an over 80 year old person.

They found a parking spot and went towards the crowd. A volunteer was directing people and they found out that the appointments online had been broken and many more people were given appointments than planned. So the authorities had on their hands a MASSIVE group of older people accompanied by many of their children to assist them. My wife sent me a text and some photos of this small catastrophe. It was hard to believe so many people standing in the cold, forced to be closer to others than they should be. The line snaked back and forth many times so everyone was close to everyone else, more than they should have been. I was afraid that someone with covid would infect others, what an irony for the people there trying to get help.

I wrote a friend in the United States (it was daytime there) and he wrote that after seeing the photos he would agree that if it were in the states there would be a lot of trouble. We have all read about the latest tragedies, shootings, violence and angry people. But here in Italy the people in that crowd seem to demonstrate a different behavior. These older citizens were just glad to have the chance for vaccine and they were determined to stand there the whole night to get it. The authorities have now announced that they have put chairs for those that needed to sit and bottled water is available. However, their website is so inadequate that today it ceased working again. I am sure they are making their best effort to fix it. If I could just step back from this to inform you that we have watched the EU mishandle the vaccine and we have discovered that vaccine has left the EU and gone to other countries. These countries have made a contract with the companies after they signed contracts with the EU. The companies have been telling us that there was a production problem and our shipment would be delayed. This does not seem the case. In fact just yesterday a factory in Italy was raided by the authorities and found to have a shipment that was set aside for being sent outside of the EU. This situation has occured not just in Italy. No wonder the country of Great Britain has had such a successful vaccine campaign, along with Israel. Boris Johnson, has stated that England has been successful because of greed and capitalism. I agree completely. Through all this the Italian people, who have been hit the hardest from the very beginning, have been quite patient. For the most part, they all are wearing masks, and enduring the lockdowns in hopes that a vaccine will be offered to them soon. Now it is happening and sooner than we have expected.

My mother in law eventually followed the lines into the building where she saw more lines as far as she could see. Some time later she turned the corner to see where she would turn in her paperwork and be told where to go next. Her vaccination went well, but she was told to sit and wait 30 minutes before leaving. My wife drove her home and it was the next day before arriving home. What is interesting is that my son, who lives in Sacramento tells me that is far easier to get vaccinated than here. I find it incredible that with the new administration in Washington the plan to vaccinate has gone so well. I am relieved to know that my son and wife have had both shots. Standing on my terrace, on Sunday, at 3:00 in the afternoon, there was no sound of cars, planes or even people. We all still wait and hope for a sense of freedom to return. I hope that you have been vaccinated or will be soon. March 29, 2021. Ciao