bradiston

3 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Bong!!!

Sorry, that is an incorrect answer, though thank you for playing.......

Hey, where's my cigar?

16 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I would be very surprised if that were the case... illegals can go get jabbed in the UK, free.

The government says that the COVID-19 vaccines are accessible to everyone, including undocumented migrants, for free and without immigration checks. This is reflected in official guidance too.

Same here in Thailand. The government very sensibly, and commendably so, declared a truce on illegal workers in order for them to come forward, get registered, and get jabbed. It showed a canny understanding of where the priorities were. A jabbed, legit workforce, or thousands of potentially infected workers in hiding and unable to work.

7 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Do you think that it's because illegal immigrants can infect other Americans whilst US expats can't.

Which group poses the greater threat to prolonging the pandemic?

US expats, obviously!

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

Well, it certainly seems to be the case that foreigners in Thailand are largely being ignored, and since we live in Thailand, I really don't care what happens in the UK, only here in Thailand.

 

In Thailand it's hard to believe the policy is not "Thais first", when the policy should actually be "Those most at risk of becoming infected and spreading the virus get vaccinated first, regardless of nationality.

Actually, millions of Thais are also "being ignored", simply because there aren't enough shots to go around, which of course is another matter. We represent a very small fraction of the population of Thailand, maybe a few hundred thousand. When you think they've only vaccinated about 10 million out of a population of 66 million, you can see that really a huge number of people, 50 million plus, are waiting for shots. Probably proportionally, expats are doing quite well. Many teachers and other WP holders have received theirs. Those with Thai wives who managed to find a way, some pink carders, and those like myself who were lucky enough to get a slot based on age and comorbs. In Phayathai 2 the other day, I believe they jabbed over 1000, almost entirely foreigners. I was one of them. Just the luck of the draw.

5 minutes ago, rwill said:

It is great when an embassy decides to do something for their citizens living in a foreign country, like China and France have done in Thailand.

 

However a lot of people seem to have a misconception about what an embassy is for.  It's primary job is to deal with the foreign government and it's citizens that want to go to their country.  Even if there were no expats of that country living in that foreign country the embassy would still be there.  Dealing with their own citizens is a secondary matter to them.

So why do they encourage their citizens to register with them? Oh I get it!

12 minutes ago, rwill said:

I received my first shot at Phayathai 2 hospital last Tuesday.  They are vaccinating about 1,000 people a day.  They were almost all foreigners.  The few Thai's that were there I suspect had dual citizenship.  

(if you do go to Phayathai 2 for a vaccine and are driving a large truck/SUV think about parking somewhere else and taking a taxi there.  The parking lot at the hospital has a very low ceiling and the up/down ramps are very narrow too.)

Hey, I went too, same day. Got an email 2 days before confirming appointment having been extremely lucky and got a booking via thailandintervac before it went completely pear shaped. Yes, all very well run. Had small problem with high blood pressure due to foolishly drinking coffee en route, and not drinking enough water. Anyway, all clear eventually. I got my wonderful Sinovac, and I'm happy to say feel great. I'll be fully vaxxed in under 4 weeks. Thank you to the people responsible. If anyone wants to argue the merits and demerits of said Vax, go fish.

BTW, I travelled up from Pattaya for a 3pm appointment. I caught the 11am blue bus from Northern Bus Terminal on Nua, and the BTS from Ekkamai to Sanam Pao. 5 minute walk, 40 minutes early! Got the 1730 bus back from Ekkamai. Round trip in 9 hours, approximately 300 THB.

1 minute ago, ThaiFelix said:

Good post.  It kinda reminds me of all the young Aussies who go (used to) to Bali, party 24 hours, drunk, race around on motor cycles with no experience, license or helmet, and then complain that the hospitals are not up to scratch and want the Australian Government to bring them home.

 

But I can also see some expats thinking that we still have to pay taxes back home, and often more as expats, but what do they get for it considering they are abroad?  Should their government step up to the plate in a crisis and protect its citizens and just put it down to the cost of doing business?

Yes, they should. I consider myself to be a great ambassador for my country. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't cuss, don't yell. People look at me and say "Wow, what a great country this guy must come from". And I do all this for free!

4 minutes ago, Knobby37 said:

Wake up and smell the coffee, Most governments couldn’t give 2 hoots about their citizens or any other

Depends. Election time they sure seem to get interested. Seem being the operative word I guess.

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

You have to be more precise; the freeze your state pension if you live in certain countries. Thailand is one of those countries.

 

As the Hollywood producer said, "(re)location, (re)location, (re)location!"

Sure, a move to the Philippines might be on the cards as they are one of the very few countries outside the EU that has an agreement with the UK on that subject. AFAIK, everywhere else in the world, they're going to take their greedy cut.

37 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Bit puzzled, why would self isolation apply to anyone leaving the UK, or any other country, isolation would normally apply to people entering a country.

My mate from Hong Kong had to self isolate in his apartment when he returned there last year. Had to wear an ankle tracker for 15 days to make sure he never left.

At the moment entry to the UK means 10 days in government quarantine if you come from a red country or 10 days of self isolation if come from an amber country.

What I was referring to was press reports that the self isolation may not be required from an amber country if fully vaccinated.

As most adults in the UK are now double jabbed they could travel to amber countries and return without the self isolation requirement. It would however be a bit more difficult for other countries to travel to the UK where double jabbing has not reached such a high level.

At the moment my ticket to the UK is for the 15th August and my second jab is due 16th August, looks like a flight amendment is on the cards, unless Thailand is listed red, that would be a cancellation.

I see an opening for a website where you enter origin, destination, number of jabs if any, and get back the list of required docs, quarantine levels, return restrictions etc etc. Or, just omit destination to see where you can go and what the return trip might involve. Digital gonads, now's your chance!

Hats off to Prayut for telling it like it is, and not ducking out, like almost all other politicians. Yes, he says, it's a mess. Well, take a bow old bean, for coming clean.

Hun Sen has taken a leave of absence, citing covid infection. So he won't be taking questions.

Surely red light, loud bang, might have been a bollard?

7 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Sorry but you are incorrect.  I registered with them back at the end of May and had a number of email exchanges with them, with them assuring me each time that I was indeed registered and that they would contact me when they were ready to issue appointments.

 

Then a few days ago I got the Text message saying I must come in and register, and also pay in advance.  When I reminded them I was already registered, they said I would need to re-register in person and pay, but that I could come in anytime up until June 25.

 

And them less than 24 hours later I got a second text message saying that booking was now closed with no further explanation.

 

The PHA is in charge of producing the vaccines on behalf of it's member hospitals and THEY are the ones that set the terms, not Pattaya Memorial.  They released a press release about two weeks ago that specifically set the price at 3800 THB for ALL member hospitals.

 

I don't think PMH was being deceptive in accepting registrations by email (which is what they had me do after a lengthy phone conversation with them back in May), and I don;t think they were up to no good in setting the 4000THB price and asking for it in advance.  But I do think they were incredibly misinformed about the PHA terms, and I think it was ethically wrong of them to demand payment in adance for a vaccine that has not even been ordered yet, and could be months away from being administered.

 

All in all, it's just another example of how screwed up BOTH public and private rollout of vaccines is going here in Thailand.  It really is shameful, especially for expats to just be kept in limbo like this  .

 

I mean when you compare the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated to date in Thailand compared with the Asian region, surrounding countries and the world, this is nothing to be proud of.

 

 

 

Yes, apologies, some kind of time warp. I got the SMS on 17th and the closure notice on 19th. Odd, it seemed longer.

But I still don't see the involvement of the PHA anywhere. Did Memorial ever mention them? And like I said before, why is there a resounding silence from all the other 200 members, excepting, apparently, International.

3 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

Is there really any difference between Thai and Vietnamese durian?

Yes, there are a lot of differences between locales. For instance, I think it's true to say in Malaysia the fruit are allowed to ripen on the tree before being picked, whereas in Thailand, not sure about Vietnam or Philippines, the fruit ripens after picking. Then there are the varieties. It makes an enormous difference. Golden Delicious versus a Cox's Orange Pippin anyone?

Anyway, it's all there on Google for the interested.

15 hours ago, Caldera said:

I'm concerned that these "false" positives are actually "true" and they're just looking for reasons to fob people off because they're overwhelmed.

The NHS in the UK hands out these rapid antigen tests free in packs of 7. My daughter tests herself twice a week as required by her employers. Here, a PCR test will set foreigners back about 3500-3800, Thais maybe a lot less. Presumably the RATs are available here, bit I'm not sure where to obtain them. Aren't they what was/is being used to get into Phuket, possibly at one time? I found one RAT advertised for 1358 THB.

But there have been questions about the accuracy of the rapid antigen test kits for quite a while.

51 minutes ago, sandyf said:

What is more likely to happen is the exemption from self isolation from amber if fully vaccinated.

That would allow most Brits to travel without opening the doors to the countries with low vaccination rates.

Is that leaving UK, or returning? I don't follow any country's requirements as I never go anywhere outside Thailand. But surely it's impossible to book with confidence, in the knowledge that you might have to cut your holiday short because Hancock has fxxxxx it up again?

37 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

  21 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Actually, the Private Hospital Association (which is procuring the vaccine for the 200 member private hospitals) mandated a price of 3800 THB.  Pattaya Memorial probably got in trouble with the PHA by announcing the higher price and demanding payment in advance, and that's probably the real reason they suddenly did their flip-flop in taking registrations.

I don't think they ever got any deposits.  They retracted the offer in less than 24 hours of announcing it.

 

No they didn't! I got an SMS from them as I was previously registered. When I went there on day two of the announcement there weren't that many people there, but I asked about it. That's when they told me 4000 payable up front, for a possible October delivery. I passed as I had another less reliable but totally acceptable jab booked elsewhere.

But out of curiosity I went back several days later and there were a lot of people queuing to book. I guess this was spread over a week. The next day, they closed their books. So yes, I'd say they were taking bookings for a week at least.

I don't know about the PHA's involvement. It's the first I've heard about it. Way back when, the price was supposed to be 3000 all in. The question is, why haven't all the private hospitals followed suit? Is the Memorial offer a hoax? Or just something they hope to make good on in the future?

11 hours ago, mackayae said:

Since Moderna is coming in October, can you safely get that if you already had 2 doses of Sinovac?

I'm not sure even the scientific community knows the answer to that, but of course, this is the comments section which as everybody knows, is far more knowledgeable. So if you want my opinion, I'd say definitely. Angela Merkel took a Moderna shot after an initial AstraZaneca shot, and she is a qualified something or other, and I like her. But, YMMV!

18 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

No it doesn't because Sinojunk is relatively below all standards and does not give assurance of protection after 2 or maybe even 3 jabs. Then you have AZ and its' short coming against Delta variant and now numbers are coming out of it about the Alpha variant. So this point towards putting that 3.3% in the dumpster of safety on some variants taking over.

Ok wiseguy, so what's the answer?

7 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

no chance as brits cant get to greece and spain yet ,thailand will be well down the list

And look what happened with Portugal. You just never know when they're going to pull up the drawbridge.

1 hour ago, Goldpanner said:

Article in one of the UK newspapers this morning stated it was less than 40% effective. I've had both AZ shots now

Always amazes me, according to a poll recently, most Sinovac haters are Heineken drinkers, so they certainly know all about filling their bodies full of ineffective gnat's pxxx.

6 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Actually, the Private Hospital Association (which is procuring the vaccine for the 200 member private hospitals) mandated a price of 3800 THB.  Pattaya Memorial probably got in trouble with the PHA by announcing the higher price and demanding payment in advance, and that's probably the real reason they suddenly did their flip-flop in taking registrations.

So are they returning deposits?