HIV is not a reason to postpone coronavirus vaccination. Our today’s hero, program manager of the Global Network of People Living with HIV, Alexandra Volgina, is firmly convinced of this. The pandemic caught Alexandra in Amsterdam, where she and her family moved four years ago. Read about how it was and when it all will end in today’s interview.
Sasha, please tell us how you met the pandemic a year and a half ago?
I was supposed to fly to St. Petersburg to conduct a meeting there on decriminalizing HIV infection, for which I had been preparing for a long time. In addition to the meeting, I wanted to meet friends and, of course, my mother, whom I missed. And then all the borders have shut before my nose. It is how I met the pandemic. On the other hand, it’s good that I didn’t fly out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t come back. After all, I have children and a husband here. At first, it was not clear how long all this would last and what would happen next. And then hell opened for our communities: interruptions, drug shortages, people stuck in other countries who needed help. And we started to work non-stop.
And you, as I understand it, started working from home?
Yes, of course.
Was it complicated regarding the fact that you have two young children?
Indeed, very much, they were all still at home. And they had to be helped to learn from home. To make it clear – the youngest daughter is five, the eldest is ten. It would be OK if it were in the language I knew. But it was necessary to do it in a language that I did not know. And so I sat with a google translator and helped as best I could. It was fun (laughs).
Was it psychologically challenging?
Way too much! My husband and I are both former drug users, and we really needed to go to self-help groups, preferably live ones, and not online. That is, we also lost our resources for support. Now I remember all this and think – how did we survive in general? And we all envied you all like hell. We were all quarantined and locked up. And you all walked there; I mean the CIS countries. For more than a year, nothing worked for us. The children either went to school or did not go. And everything else – cafés, restaurants, cinema – was closed. I remember how we arrived in Kyiv for the New Year, and everything worked there: restaurants, cafés, live groups, a skating rink. You could go to the skating rink with the children! The Western European strategy for combating the pandemic was generally different. At first, we were all kept in strict quarantine, and then we were given access to vaccinations. Accordingly, there was no such rejection of vaccination. Because when you sit at home for a year, you will get vaccinated with anything, and on whatever conditions – to get out! (laughs)
Did you get vaccinated with your husband?
Yes, of course. I was also vaccinated earlier because I have HIV, and my husband is negative. In the Netherlands, HIV is considered an aggravating circumstance, so I got vaccinated earlier than most of the population.
How does the vaccination process work?
We had three types of vaccines available at that time. My age group wasn’t yet vaccinated. During that time, everything went according to your age. But because of HIV, they called me earlier. I received a letter from the government inviting me to get vaccinated on a specific day. You find a vaccination center and go there on a specific day.
Have you prepared for this?
No. I am a person who firmly believes that vaccination is the foundation of public health. And I understand how many diseases humanity was able to destroy thanks to the fact that there are vaccines. There is a vaccine – and that’s great. It saves lives. At the beginning of the pandemic, I had a tough moment. After all, I got my medicines in the hospital, and I regularly went there. I remember how I got out of there on one of these visits and started crying. The entire hospital is covered with these protective tapes, tortured doctors. It is simply unbearable. And the Dutch people are such good guys, and they try to support their own people, balloons, and posters with gratitude hung everywhere at the entrance to the hospital. Some volunteers brought coffee and food to the doctors. I remember it now – and my eyes blur with tears. Therefore, I think so: if it is possible to reduce the number of hospitalizations and the hellish burden on people, then this must be done. And if I have the opportunity to get vaccinated, I will go and make it.
How are you doing with the vaccination of children – has it already started?
No, it is yet not foreseen. There is talk of re-vaccination for those over 75. We had discussions on this topic, but everything has remained only at the level of a debate so far. You also need to understand the local specifics – here, everyone is discussing everything with everyone. In the Netherlands, there is a reasonably high level of trust in the healthcare system, hence a high level of confidence in vaccinations.
I found information that you have almost 80% of the population vaccinated. Right?
That’s right.
What do you think is the success?
Firstly, it is the high level of education of people. Children from school know how the health care system works; they understand how vaccines work and how many terrible diseases have been destroyed thanks to vaccinations. Well, the total lockdown, of course, played a role. We spent almost a year at home with a sense of danger. Of course, after this all, a vaccine was perceived as a miracle. My family doctor told me that after the start of the vaccination, her phone didn’t stop: everyone wanted to know – when will they finally be vaccinated? It’s the same with us at the very beginning: first, people aged 70 to 75 are vaccinated, then from 65 to 70, and so on, lower and lower. And everyone was waiting when they finally would be called for an injection. People here trust the healthcare system because they understand that it is working.
We had a golden time when we were allowed to walk without masks at all and not keep our distance. It is due to the fact that vaccination took place at a fairly rapid pace. This incredible happiness lasted just a few months. It was worth getting vaccinated for this alone.
What will you say to people with HIV who are still afraid to get vaccinated?
Just bullshit! Research has proven that people with HIV should be vaccinated first. Here I am as a living example! I went for the vaccine earlier than my HIV-negative husband, and I think it is correct. I got vaccinated, and everything is fine with me. Even though I have many other diseases – three hepatitis, a non-working valve in my heart, and kidney problems – I simply want to say: “Friends, go and get vaccinated!” Moreover, in most countries, this can be done freely.
Has the pandemic changed you in any way?
We first had a crisis in the family because I suddenly began to live at home. I used to travel a lot. I came home, repacked my suitcases, and drove away. And then I had to get acquainted with my children again – it turned out that I had cool children! At first, I was in a state of shock, but now I am much more at home with my family. I recently had the opportunity to apply for a higher leadership position – and I deliberately did not go. Because I understood that the children would grow up, but I won’t notice it because of my work. I can go to this position later when my children grow up and no longer need me. By the way, my husband had a severe crisis too. However, the relationship is much better now than before the pandemic.
And at work, you know how it was: when I went to a live meeting for the first time and saw live people, it was like: “Wow!” It was a meeting, by the way, to which I did not go during that time, when the borders were closed, on the decriminalization of HIV. And now, a year later, I finally made it. It was so strange: you were standing, and real people were in the hall. And I, who had held a vast number of meetings and training, did not know how to behave. I was at a loss! (laughs)
When do you think this will end?
I don’t know. And if I understand correctly, given the emergence of new strains and waves, we need to get used to living in this mode and further. Drugs for the treatment of COVID have already been developed, and this is very cool. The treatment is very effective! So far, only two companies have patented drugs – Merck and Pfizer.
I agree: shocking news.
At such moments, I am bursting with two feelings. On the one hand, I think how terrible this world is. Past epidemics did not teach us anything, which goes for the HIV epidemic as well. On the other hand, it amazes me how wonderful humanity is: people got together in a year and invented a vaccine, which usually takes ten years to create! And treatment is also available today.
What lesson have you learned from this pandemic?
I had already blurred boundaries due to global work; I have long ceased to divide people by their origin or residence. And with the pandemic, I realized that we are much more similar than we think. And we all have the same problems. And when we all want something together, everything starts to work out.
Text by Elena Derzhanskaya
Photo: Personal archive of the heroine
A series of materials created supported by UNAIDS
