The Surreal Tale of 'Uncle Covid': A Struggle for Survival in Iquitos, Peru

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Iquitos, a city in the Peruvian Amazon, faced an unprecedented crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 70% of its population infected by July 2020. Among the many who suffered was Juan Pablo Vaquero, known locally as 'Uncle Covid,' whose story has captivated and horrified many.

Pronounced dead in April 2020, Vaquero allegedly awoke days later amid the corpses in a makeshift mass grave. His sister, Purificación Chota Chávez, reported that she had been unable to see her brother's body and was shocked to find him at her door, alive but unkempt and smelling of death.

The pandemic hit Iquitos with particular severity due to widespread poverty and a collapsing health system, which was already strained by decades of neglect and corruption. Residents, predominantly working in informal markets, had no option but to defy lockdowns to feed their families, often bringing the virus back to their homes.

A dire shortage of medical oxygen exacerbated the crisis, with government corruption facilitating a black market where oxygen tanks were sold at exorbitant prices. The local hospital struggled, with only seven intensive care beds available. For those who couldn't afford illegal oxygen supplies, thousands succumbed to preventable deaths as the system failed them starkly.

While elites dismissed Vaquero’s story as myth, it resonates deeply with the poorer residents who lived through the chaos, symbolizing resilience against a system characterized by exploitation. Witness accounts of the pandemic's impact reveal a surreal reality where the bodies of the deceased were treated with little regard, creating a landscape marked by grief and desperation.

As the world reflects on the pandemic’s legacy, the case of Iquitos serves as a stark reminder of systemic failures and the continued struggle against profound inequality, a struggle embodied by the haunting figure of Uncle Covid.

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