Early morning travelers arrive looking for a yellow fever vaccine

At the Santo Domingo Health Center, which is located on Galván Street, 175 people were waiting for a shift at 9:00 on Thursday in order to receive a yellow fever vaccination. Signing up on a list to collect applicants, who are filtered when called by name, is the first step in the process. After completing this step, a second list is created with the names of those who have been positively identified as being present.

This is done in this way because many people go in groups and write down all their relatives, but at the time of vaccination, many times they are not even in the center, as one of the young women in charge of the list explained. Another reason is that some people lack patience and decide to leave because, once the doors open, the wait time is about three hours. Travelers are called up in small groups of ten by ten and shown to the registration area, where their personal information is taken, they are questioned about their country of destination, and the vaccination card is filled out.

They are then led to the vaccination room, where they are given the quick shot. In contrast to the COVID-19 vaccine, which requires a 15-minute observation period, travelers are sent off to join a new group right away. According to Juan Pérez, the Health Center’s director of nursing, priority was being given to passengers who had flights booked up until November 4 so they wouldn’t miss the chance to board the aircraft.