On February 22, mom sent a message that she and dad had booked an appointment on March 11 to get their first recordings, followed by second doses in April. A day later, she reported that Dad had not pressed the button to confirm the appointment on the online booking system and that he had lost the slots.
The following week, they texted again: they were walking to a private clinic handing out Sinovac shots. After a short wait, they received the vaccine. On April 2, they told us that they had received their second dose of Sinovac and that they were feeling well. Mom said they ‘had to wait another half hour’, even though they had an appointment.
Our responses were more enthusiastic.
“Good news,” I wrote.
“Yay!” Pui-Ying sent an SMS, followed by festive emojis.
“Happiness!” Pui Ling said.
Blantyre, Malawi
Pui-Ying moved to Malawi with her family in 2016 to work as a doctor and conduct clinical research on children’s health. Resources at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, where she works, were limited. When Madonna’s charity helped build a new children’s wing in the hospital, which opened in 2017, it was big news.
Pui-Ying said the staff members were still strict before the coronavirus. When the pandemic came, the hospital decided on a week-on-a-week routine to reduce staff exposure to Covid-19 while ensuring that enough medical staff would work at all times. Masks, gloves and other protective equipment were scarce.
In pediatrics, Pui-Ying and her colleagues set up a “respiratory zone” for children with Covid-19. It was essentially a two-room section with about a dozen beds in the main room. The second room, which was an isolation unit, can accommodate four children.