JetCruza

I’m with Swissie on this, although I tend to space my boosters as evenly as possible every 6 months. I rely a lot on the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) for getting up to date and balanced advice on this matter, and basically what they are saying, for the time being, to be considered up to date with your COVID 19 vaccinations, you should get a booster 5 - 12 months after your last shot (refer to the SG MOH web page: https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/vaccination ). I don’t think you can be “over-vaxxed” to the point of too much vaccine causing health problems, but at this time, take the balanced and practical view, read as much expert advice as you can and then come up with your own program that fits in with this advice. I had 3 Pfizer shots in Singapore in 2021 and since arriving in Thailand, I’ve had 2 Moderna boosters, both of which I paid for. I note that most of my friends and colleagues are quite relaxed about their vaccination status, and don’t see the need to keep up to date - that’s their choice, but I prefer to be more proactive in managing my health..

US$3 million for a long term visa - This is extraordinary! I’ve read the original article and I’m wondering if they made a mistake and the actual amount is 3m THB? Travel insurance policies quite often include this type of coverage (US$3m), but they are usually only for a limited period of time and only cover accidents and other unforeseen events that would constitute an emergency, and as such are affordable, but still expensive, especially if you’re getting on in years. Even high-end international expat policies for foreign workers usually don’t include this type of cover and if they do, it’s usually a group policy that covers all staff, so the overall cost to the employer is still affordable. I’m currently sourcing a full international health insurance policy for living in Thailand and to cover me when outside Thailand, and the best in-patient cover I can find is for the equivalent of about US$2m, and if I buy this policy it’s going to cost me about $US5,000/year (I’m over 60). This policy still excludes the USA and Singapore, so I’ll probably opt for slightly lower cover and a deductible of at least US$500 to keep the premium affordable. I’m all for insurance, but US$3m is crazy.

Some countries are using the term “vaccinations are up to date” when specifying vaccination requirements for entry. This is to accommodate the fact that more than 2 shots might be appropriate and recognises the fact that the immunity effect does appear to wane over time. So, whether you need to have 2, 3 or 4 shots needs to be considered from this perspective. I had 3 Pfizer shots last year in another country with the 3rd being in September 2021 and after moving to Thailand, I had a booster using Moderna from one of the private hospitals in Bangkok last month, in order to gain some benefit from the differences between the vaccines. I also think we all need to be patient and practical here - for all intents and purposes, the SARS COV2 virus did not exist this time 3 years ago, and in record time, drug companies have managed to come up with a vaccine that gives good results, so on that basis, while the virus is still mutating and the data is still being analysed, it is most likely going to be a while longer before a definitive answer is available to this question.

Do the banks actually cancel the account i.e, close it down, or just make it inactive? I had the same issue with Bangkok Bank (BBL) as my account was not used at all between Nov 2019 and Dec 2021, since I could not travel to Thailand due COVID. When I finally did travel to Thailand in Dec last year, I arrived at my condo to find a letter from BBL telling me my account had been made inactive. The matter was quite simply resolved by visiting my branch, presenting my ID and all was good again. I got a new pass book and new Debit Mastercard at the same time. Quite straightforward. By the way, I have a DTAC prepaid number and have now had it for 11 years - I monitor the status of the number via the DTAC app and if getting close to expiry, DTAC have a system where you can extend the number validity for 3 THB/month. I think the maximum extension at a time is 6 months. A good easy to use system.