Peermade: A 75-year-old American citizen, who has been living at Vagamon in Kerala for the past 14 months, is in a quandary. He has not received vaccination, nor can he return to his country.
Johnny Pierce had come to visit the tourist destinations in Kerala and decided to extend his stay in the state as the COVID-19 situation aggravated in the US. But everything went awry as the pandemic gripped Kerala too.
As he is a foreign national, Johnny will not currently receive vaccination from the hospitals in Kerala. Though he approached three hospitals, authorities have said that only Indians will be vaccinated. Johnny, who is also a cancer patient, is thus in dire straits.
He had booked the ticket to go to the US for May 7. But since the flight services from India have been suspended, he continues to stay alone at the house in Vagamon. Johnny has said that he is apprehensive following reports that Kerala might impose a lockdown again.
After his visa period expired, he informed the court of his health condition and got the visa renewed. Johnny’s request is that the government should intervene to get him vaccinated in the current circumstances.
