Full disclaimer: I had to cancel the program with Remote Year because on the 1st of September one month before the trip, they are requiring the Covid-19 vaccine. I had already scheduled my yellow fever vaccine and apparently since the body needs time to acclimate to the yellow fever vaccine I would not have enough time nor would it be advisable to get the covid vaccine. I have since found other programs that only visit countries not requiring the vaccine and am researching those alternatives.
You may be asking why I have not taken the vaccine, well first I have chronic bronchitis and I am prone to blood clots. Secondly, I am allergic to the flu shot which leaves me susceptible to harsher side effects. Lastly, I am visiting indigenous people and we do not know what this vaccine really does. Albeit I am keeping my distance from the interviewees, I don’t want to introduce something else into their community. People will argue not getting the vaccine does the same thing but if I test negative before I go how does it affect them.
Technically I have the antibodies since I may have had Covid-19 in January 2020 when I was sicker than I have ever been, before people knew covid was a thing. Losing my sense of smell and taste in March of the same year may be another indication. They did not have covid tests at the time and people were being told to quarantine if their symptoms were not severe. People were being advised not to go to the emergency room if they did not have to because they might contract covid there. My roommate at the time was a resident doctor at the hospital nearby and she advised me to stay home. It was relieving to have a live-in doctor. When I lost my sense of smell and taste I was advised to take a decongestant and I used my holistic methods of chewing raw garlic and swallowing it, it acts similar to penicillin in the stomach and inhaling camphor sporadically throughout the day, not too much it’s poisonous in large doses, to awaken the sense of smell. 9 days later my senses returned.
I have been fine since, no colds, allergies or bronchitis; probably because I barely go out. I always had the lingering thought that the chronic bronchitis prepared me to fight this. Every test I have taken has been negative for Covid-19. I have no problem taking them before and after arrival to any destination. I usually wear a mask even when I don’t have to, again because of my underlying conditions. I am 100x more terrified than most to get it because it could very well kill me.
Anyways the requirement of the Covid-19 vaccine is hindering my ability to travel and I will have to change my itinerary to places that are not requiring the vaccine. Quarantining is not an issue as I would work on my projects while in Quarantine. I have also come up with a very interesting way of still getting the footage I need without traveling. I will be sharing that in future blogs as it’s still in a theoretical phase.
I still have my flight for Peru but recently heard from my stepfather, who just left there, that you cannot enter without the vaccine. So I need to verify this and change my flight if necessary.
If that’s the case I will focus on countries that are not requiring the vaccine like Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexcico, Guatemala, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Canada and maybe Alaska. Asia is completely closed and impossible to enter even with the vaccine. Africa is open to visitors but I would need to thoroughly plan that.
Please keep checking backs for any updates.