On Friday, he waited in line at the Sierra Pacific drive-thru clinic in northeast Fresno to protect himself against the coronavirus.
There were no secondary thoughts for Madrid, just an idea – to survive this pandemic, as polio did all those years ago.
“You know people fall in love with taking it, being sick afterwards, not me,” he said. – I feel good.
His daughter Gloria Mendoza accompanied him during the trial.
She takes care of him daily and has taken every precaution to protect his father.
“He caught fire like a professional,” she said. “He was there and I was very, very proud of him. Very proud of him. When the time comes, I will continue to take him.”
Health officials in Fresno County say this week their goal was to vaccinate 3,000 people, but between all sites they exceeded that number.
They are now preparing to deliver even more doses next week as they receive a new level of people who are eligible for shooting.
Earlier this week, Fresno County moved to the next distribution phase, allowing residents age 75 and older to receive the vaccine.
This has led to long waiting periods and even longer lines.
But Mendoza said they entered and left in less than an hour.
“They were nice, really organized,” she said. “I think it was maybe a 30 to 40 minute wait.”
But some who go out for a vaccine have no one to help them with this process.
That is why health officials work with community organizations for additional care.
“We are really trying to develop a 1-800 number where individuals can call for assistance with effective online registration,” said Joe Prado, director of Fresno County Health Division.
Fresno County aims to vaccinate half of its population by the end of July.
“It’s about building a distribution system, not just for the next thirty days, but for the whole period until July 31,” says Prado.
The director of the health division of Fresno County, Joe Prado, says that so far, the county has received 47,000 doses of vaccine.
And all the remaining doses in the ultra-cold freezer of the county are already mentioned.
“This is heading to our Fresno Fair clinic and supporting some of the other clinics as well as providers,” says Prado.
Health officials are currently working to improve the vaccination process.
To clear up the confusion, Prado says they will further define the groups and categories that will be eligible for immunization.
For example, law enforcement officers will be eligible to receive the vaccine next month in the emergency services category, but this is not explicitly defined in the vaccination schedule.
“What we need to do and what we will do is add a definition to some of those categories that fall into those categories, so that people have more details about where they fall,” says Prado. .
Health officials say there is a reason they chose this method, which could change in the future.
“If someone has an adverse reaction in the car and is beyond your parking lot, will you really be able to see and monitor them?” says Vohra
Some backups are also on the way.
Prado estimates that more than 100 healthcare providers have requested the distribution of the vaccine.
Prado says many more doses are heading to Fresno County next week.
Madrid is now waiting for the second dose.
And until then, he urges everyone to do their part to protect our elders.
“I encourage people to be more careful with each other,” he said.
The Sierra Vista Clinic in Fresno County will begin vaccinating residents over the age of 65 starting Monday. To immunize yourself in this location and in other locations in the county, you must first register for an online appointment. People can register here.
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