«I prefer to die from another cause and not of Covid»: Carmela’s emotional testimony minutes before being vaccinated

Carmela Duarte Guerrero is 92 years old. She’s a widow, and mentioned she is afraid, but she is going to get vaccinated anyway because she affirmed that «I prefer to die from another cause and not of Covid”. With these emotional words and a call to young people to take care of themselves, this Wednesday morning Carmela told ADN Hoy she’s leaving her house for the first time in 10 months to specifically get the coronavirus vaccine.

Minutes before leaving to the healthcare facility where she will receive the medicine, Carmela nostalgically tells us that she “does not even crosses the door” and adds: “They bring me lunch. I’m alone, I’ve been a widow for about 18 years and I had a stroke about 20 years, so I can’t go out. I’m always shut in my house, I don’t talk to anyone (…) I’m going to get vaccinated, I’m happy because I’m going to get vaccinated. I have a daughter in Buenos Aires and I asked her for permission, because I tell her about everything that happens to me.”

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Carmela also said that she has two other children. One of them is in Australia and he’s 40 years old, and her older daughter, who’s 70 years old, «is ill and cannot come visit me,” although all of them will also receive the antidote.

«I’m ready… I put on some perfume, so I don’t go out just like that.»

For Carmela, going out for the first time in 10 months is a special occasion, so she mentioned that even though she slept well, she’s excited, something she couldn’t hide in her trembling words.

“I’m ready. I washed up, I put on some perfume, so I don’t go out just like that, but I’m happy. I’m happy to go get vaccinated, because I’m very afraid of it. I know I’m going to die, I’m 92 years old, but I don’t want that to be the cause of my death. I want to die from an attack, but not of Covid, so I thank these ladies who are going to go with me, because I had no one to go with,” she said.

Finally, she had a message for the youth and acknowledged that “At first, I didn’t want to get vaccinated,” but she’s more afraid of coronavirus.

«My message for young people is to not do things they shouldn’t do, the masks… how much money do you need to buy a mask? My message is to please take care of themselves, because Covid is terrible. Maybe kids don’t believe in it, I’m telling them I’m 92 years old and I’ve lived very well (…) At first, I didn’t want to, but I prefer to die from another cause and not of Covid, so I thank you very much for coming to pick me up. Last night I slept splendidly well when I thought about these good girls that God sent to me,” Carmela Duarte concluded with a smile, minutes before going for her Covid-19 vaccine.

Carmela was inoculated in the commune of Santiago. She was welcomed by Health Minister Enrique Paris and other authorities, and later posed happily with her vaccination record card, which indicates when she has to receive the second dose of the vaccine again.