It's been a long time since my last post regarding Covid here in the DR, and the news is good. As I type this, it has been 3 days since anyone died of Covid here, and daily positive tests are in the 300 range (in a country with at least 11 million). Most of the draconian government mandated restrictions have been lifted. Masks are still required in most indoor settings, and they have clung to a curfew, but it is now 11 PM, with transit allowed to 1 AM, so it only affects the party animals (There used to be a lot of them here. Not so much now.) Vaccines (Pfizer and Chinese versions) are available free to the public. I got my first dose of Pfizer juice last week and will be fully vaccinated on 9/10.
I attribute the success to a couple of things. First and foremost, because of the wonderful weather, people in general live their lives outdoors more than most places, and with the pandemic, this has become even more prevalent. The virus is almost never transmitted outdoors, and exposure to sunlight results in a high level of vitamin D, which is great for the immune system. No way I could prove it, but I suspect the high recovery/low death rate has also been partially a result of the fact that the country has been a leader in the "compassionate use" of Ivermectin, and the results of an unscientific study of about 3000 patients who were given it when coming to the hospital with Covid-like symptoms are startlingly good.
https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the ... inical.pdf
To be honest, right now I feel like I am much safer here than I would be in Indiana, where I stay with family when I am in the US. I'm sure I will end up coming up for the holidays as usual, but as it stands now, it will be with some apprehension that I do so.