Be Well San Miguel would like to wish you all a very good New Year in 2024.

We have been
busy and look forward to offering a greater variety of support services in the coming months
including legal and social service support especially for new comers who are urged to review
legal as well as medical planning necessary to keep members apprised of opportunities to best
protect their well-being physically, emotionally and legally.

Often legal planning is overlooked until a problem occurs and very simple and inexpensive
actions can prevent added stress when we face serious illness or injury. There is little need for
high priced lawyers to complete the simple paperwork securing your property and saving family
members unnecessary work and even protecting any inheritance intended to go to family
members here or in the states. We can assist you in making medical directives legal in Mexico at
a very reasonable price as well as advise you on burial services that spare remaining family
members a great deal of bureaucratic hassles and allow them to carry out your wishes after you
pass away.

At our initial intake meetings with new members we review not only your medical history, we
also help you put emergency plans in place that can greatly relieve family members of the
burdens involved in dealing with a death in Mexico as well as provide them with a guide to best
carry out your wishes before and after death. Realizing how much of this planning involves
expertise outside of the medical field we are delighted to welcome a new member to our team.

Be Well is delighted to announce the addition of Ms. Laura Miranda to our support and advocacy
team. Laura is a seasoned attorney and graduate of the esteemed faculty of law at the
Universidad de Guanajuato, further honing her expertise with a Master's degree in Public
Administration from Tecnológico de México. Her specialization in mediation and dispute
resolution brings an invaluable dimension to our services.

Before embarking on her legal career, Laura gained valuable experience at the Tribunal Fiscal de
la Federación and the government of Guanajuato, where she contributed to statewide education
and training programs. Her dedication to social justice is evident in her subsequent tenure as a
subdirector within the Ministry of Social Development from 2005 to 2015, where she
spearheaded poverty relief initiatives.

In 2015, Laura established her own consulting services, catering to a diverse clientele ranging
from civil organizations and private firms to hotels, local and external commercial markets, and
real estate agencies. Her extensive experience and expertise have made her a sought-after advisor
in the social and legal spheres.

Laura's arrival at Be Well marks a significant expansion of our services, allowing us to provide
comprehensive support that encompasses both legal and social aspects. Her expertise will be
instrumental in enhancing our emergency planning capabilities, ensuring effective logistics, and
bolstering our member and patient care activities. We are incredibly fortunate to have Laura on
board, and we look forward to the invaluable contributions she will make to our team.
COVID VACCINE AVAILABILITY IN MEXICO

Before I discuss COVID and other vaccine availability I would like to steer newsletter readers to
the Covid-19 SMA Facebook site. Both Joey Merrifield and Jessica have worked hard to
continue to research and post the most recent relevant information regarding COVID-19 locally,
at the state level and nationally as for updates of the CDC guidelines with recommendations for
the US. The civil list (as I humbly admit) is not the best source of information on COVID or any
other vaccine information. Joey and Jessica have forged close alliances with the Ministry of
Health at the local and state level and continue to check in with key governmental health
officials and take great pains to ensure the site reflects the newest and best information related
to COVID and many other infectious diseases available anywhere in Mexico.

First regarding the new Pfizer COVID vaccine targeting the predominant variants circulating
including Omicron: it is now available in pharmacies in Querétaro. The average cost is $800
pesos. There is no information yet on whether there are plans to provide free vaccines again.
Also according to Joey Merrifield : “To the best of our knowledge we do not think that any
farmacias in SMA will carry the Pfizer vax as in general they are not equipped to give any vax
(flu, shingles etc) and the Pfizer has a cold chain protocol and needs temperature
stabilization”. See this link to see what pharmacies in Querétaro carry the vaccines
https://www.eluniversalqueretaro.mx/sociedad/vacuna-pfizer-alcanza-los-800-pesos-en-
queretaro-tiene-poca-demanda/

Joya Hospital is planning to stock the new COVID vaccine and a few local physicians also offer
it. There is also a local physician who will come to your home if needed. I can give you names of
the physicians once it is clear they have a steady source of the vaccine.

Another piece of very good news is that CAISES, the government clinics open to the general
public now carry the new influenza vaccine adapted to the current and projected strains of H flu
vaccines for this flu season. Finally for those that missed an earlier posting, tetanus vaccines
are available at these clinics and are free for anyone who needs the vaccine. See this site for
information about who should get the vaccine and when:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/tetanus/hcp/tetwdmgmtc.pdf

Just to clarify to the best of our knowledge we do not think that any farmacias in SMA
will carry the Pfizer vax as in general they are not equipped to give any vax (flu,
shingles etc) and the Pfizer has a cold chain protocol and needs temperature
stabilization.

Farmacias in Qro have the Pfizer vaccine now.

https://www.eluniversalqueretaro.mx/sociedad/vacuna-pfizer-alcanza-los-800-pesos-en-
queretaro-tiene-poca-demanda/

Several private physicians in SMA are planning to carry it too.