On 5/11/2021 at 4:22 PM, pookondee said:

Politicians are only interested in the larger groups that have voting power, and everyone else is but an annoyance.

 

Embassy staff are of much the same ilk.

The last thing they want to do is be bothered by the plebs wanting help.

 

Thats the way its been since the 90's.

Probably even well before that 

In 1970 in Paris my passport was stolen in a post office. When I went to the Embassy to get a new one, I had to have an American who knew me go along. The consul said that the passport was temporary and I would have to apply a certain time afterwards to extend, and that I would have to wait 6 weeks wherever I was for the authorization. She also asked about my draft card, which I said was in a safe in the US. Later I was in Kabul with the same friend, and it happened that the consul was a friend of her brother. When I asked the consul about the extension, he said that for $10 he could send a cable to Washington to get immediate authorization.

On 5/11/2021 at 5:04 PM, Grusa said:

Thanks - very interesting, but I still don't see any reference to a report by Jonas Salk, or even any of his descendants!

So, the poster was imprecise by mentioning the creator of the vaccine rather than the Salk Institute that came after.

5 hours ago, cclub75 said:

 

Bip ! Bip !

 

It's farcical. Everywhere. It's "Cargo Cult".

 

Bip ! Bip !

Cargo Cult = waiting at the airport for the vaccine shipment from heaven to arrive.

6 hours ago, wasabi said:

They just installed a pair of those temperature checking machines at my condo this week. Aside from being mildly offended that I am expected to validate my health just to return home it just seems pathetic. Over a year since this started and that is their solution? 98% of residents walk past the machine anyway so not sure who's bright idea that was. Glad I'll be gone in a week. But will gladly return once I'm vaccinated and things calm down here... whenever that is.

This temperature check is just a false sense of security. People can spread Covid, but not even show a fever.

1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:

I'm a bit bemused by this whole topic.

 

Is the US (insert any country you want) responsible to provide you with a flu shot if you live in Thailand?

 

What about if you have a kid in Thailand who is then a US (insert any country you want) citizen responsible to provide all their childhood immunizations?

 

I don't think so

 

So why does anyone think that any Government anywhere is responsible for shipping vaccines half way around the world for their citizens who have chosen not to live in their home country.

The thing that seems to irritate posters here is that, in this pandemic, the Embassy seems uninterested in the fate of it's expats. This is after all not a minor event.

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

Well isn't that just dandy.  I don't dispute that their staff can/should get the vaccine.  But frankly, the US Embassy/Consulate exists from the taxes that we pay.  As a US citizen, I still file my taxes every year.  It's not too much to ask that we get a little in return.  Yes, if the US Embassy/Consulate can provide access to the Pfizer vaccine, I'd even pay for it.  Is it that difficult??

Considering the fees that US Embassy charges for minor services, vaccinations could be quite expensive. If many expats were willing to pay, State might reconsider???

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

I don't think so.  It's not been approved by the FDA, so they won't allow the export.  Red tape sucks!!

The irony is that dangerous chemicals no longer allowed in the US can still be produced there and exported.

4 hours ago, Grusa said:

According to Wikipedia, Jones Salk, the inventor of the Polio vaccine, died in 1995. Give us a link, or have you been using a Ouija board?

Instead of Wikipedia, try this:

https://www.salk.edu/

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-poll-idUSKBN2AT2XK

Over 60% of Russians don't want Sputnik V vaccine, see coronavirus as biological weapon: Reuters poll

After all, it would make a very effective biological weapon for attacking an island!

16 hours ago, Kiujunn said:

Oh! I didn't know

In Russia people use social media to get information because the media are state-controlled, but some of that social media is fake.

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Thailand is using Sinovac. Not Sinopharm.

Please note that both are based on the old inactivated virus technology.

3 hours ago, Mavideol said:

wishful  (dreaming)  thinking .... labs/medical and beauty goods usually have a 400% mark up, FREE it's a word  not on their vocabulary

Thailand is not poor, so of course Pfizer would not be free.

32 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

All jabs will require a follow up. It's probably going to be like the yearly flu jabs.

Apparently, they were talking about a 3rd in the immediate future as 2 did not provide adequate antibodies.

22 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm good for that... As I said, I've been making no predictions about the future, just looking at where Thailand and the U.S. already have been to the current point in time.

 

As for starting from NOW... Right now, even with its more advanced vaccination campaign, the U.S. is recording 700-800 CV deaths each and every day, though a bit less today. Thailand, with about one fourth the population of the U.S., is recording -+ 20 CV deaths daily.

 

Divide the U.S. deaths by the population difference and you come out with about 200 per day. Reduce it even further to account for the testing/case recognition differences, and you still would be hard pressed to get a per capita real CV daily deaths number down to the current 20 or so number in Thailand.

 

Sure, Thailand may be missing some deaths that are in fact CV related.....  But if people were dying in vast extra numbers in the hinterlands of Thailand, there's be some news of that creeping into all the social media outlets that Thais love to use... And thus far at least, that just hasn't been happening.

 

U.S. - No. 1 with a CV bullet!

(the U.S. ranks No. 1 in the world for total CV cases and CV deaths (total, not per capita)  by a wide mile, though India lately is beginning to catch up). Per capita, last time I checked, the U.S was usually around the top 10-15.

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106142991004034/321707592780905/

 

In this US will not be number 1 for long. In reality, now India is ahead and barely getting started.

On 5/8/2021 at 7:44 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Not quite, as regards your Florida example... Yes, the governor there has removed the restrictions, and his residents are paying the price for it. High capita deaths, hospitalizations and one of the highest current per capita rates of infections among U.S. states --- all data below from the U.S. CDC in the past week.

 

 

 

 

Is there a Thai restaurant in Palau?

On 5/7/2021 at 8:05 AM, robblok said:

But in this case the Americans could easily fly back to guan or the states. Its not a danger thing its a money thing. They want the vaccine but don't want to pay the extra expenses of flying somewhere and back from their own pocket. 

 

That is different from being under siege by armed militia and so on.

Is it really possible/feasible to get vaccinated in Guam? America is in a sorry state regarding vaccine certification. Would you be able to prove that your card is not fake, like the ones supposedly available on Ebay?

15 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

The Seychelles, which relies on tourism for much of its income, began vaccinating its population in January using Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by the United Arab Emirates.

By mid-April about 60% of the vaccine doses administered in the country were Sinopharm

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56992121

Isn't Sinopharm the one tried in UAE where there is now discussion about doing a third shot?

5 hours ago, PEE TEE said:

They last announced the cost will be 3.000thb for the 2 doses so now it will announced again at another price i expect. the way Thailand is operating i won't hold my breath until about April 2022 . Or tomorrow another statement reversing  this one  

It's confusing also because the Pfizer CEO in the last few days was saying that they would be selling at differential pricing for middle and low-income countries. So for the poorest countries it could be "free".

On 5/8/2021 at 6:03 PM, placeholder said:

Why would it be more likely for bacteria to flourish at a given temperature in the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine than in any other vaccine?

I think that the temperature issue concerns the stability of the mRNA. So being frozen prevents it from being shaken in transit.

20 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Chip on your shoulder?

 

The UK embassy is getting blasted for an issue bigger than its role and sorry to say, it is an issue of medical ethics and also international law. The UK cannot vaccinate people in a foreign country on its own even if it wanted to or had the means to do so.   The UK or any other government cannot say to a sovereign nation, hello, we will be sending over controlled substances and will administer only to our nationals.  

 

Please understand;

Legal: A foreign government cannot undertake an activity in a foreign country without permission of host.  Any import of vaccine must be approved by host. Administration must be in compliance with host country rules and regulations. There is  legal liability that comes with vaccine. In UK, there are laws and procedures that apply when something goes wrong or a person has a problem with vaccine. Those rules and regulations would not apply in Thailand. The UK cannot force Thailand to change its normal internal practices anymore than Botswana can make UK change its  internal practices. 

 

Ethical: It is not ethical to provide priority access to a group of people based only upon their status as foreign nationals. In the UK as elsewhere, there was a schedule of priority vaccination groups with essential workers, and vulnerable groups given priority. What many people complaining are saying is that they wish to a have  priority access over others more vulnerable or at risk in the communities in which they live.  I think you would be hard pressed to find any medical professional or medical-legal ethicist who could support such activity.

 

 Consider the impact upon a family where one member was UK and others were not. It could cause family strain to have discrimination of  access.

 

Logistics: An embassy is not a health clinic. In the UK as in other countries, there is an administrative infrastructure that accompanies vaccination of people. People are registered, so that the 2nd dose can be given, or adverse reaction tracked and also general health file can be updated. This cannot be done securely in Thailand under current circumstances. There is a vaccine delivery protocol to follow including supply chain, local storage, administration and health care support.  The process would require the UK government to identify a third party contractor capable of providing the service.   

There is a worldwide shortage of vaccine. UK cannot pick up the phone and tell manufacturer to drop a thousand doses at the tent in Lumpini park. With the exception of the UK produced Oxford vaccine, the other vaccines come with strict geographic controls. The Pfizer vaccine UK gets is designated as from Belgium and subject to EU rules. The UK cannot re-export without change in rules and contract. Trying to push the allowance could breach contract and result in a dispute that could delay  tens of millions of Pfizer vaccine doses being delivered to UK people. Some people assume  vaccine distribution is a simple process. it is not and is subject to multiple regulatory agency  involvement.

 

The guidelines for which vaccine to provide, Oxford v. mRNA changed this week, with younger UK residents to be offered alternative to  Oxford vaccine. It is unethical to only offer partial access and creates problem when it comes to trying to manage the necessary inventories of multiple vaccine type.

 

Local Safety:  Giving preferential treatment to a small group of people is an invitation to civil disturbance. The potential for angry outburst exists and once it starts, it is difficult to contain. Consider the result if a local group of self proclaimed nationalists makes an issue  of the preferential treatment.

 

Please stop blaming UK embassy (or any other foreign embassy) for lack of personal access to vaccines. Vaccine is available to you now if you return to home country. Up to you to return. Otherwise, you will be in line like Thailand population.  

 

Please remember too that all embassy staff have suffered with stress and strain from this with people sick and friends or family members who may have died from infection. They do not wish to see anyone suffer, so stop making it personal and blaming them for one of the costs of your decision to live in Thailand.  

 

 

 

Sounds like blame the victim, i.e. Brits who opted out of living in Britain. Returning to home country? Not much of a home with the attitude displayed in your post.

Administration would require discussion with the Thai government, if as someone else suggested, private hospitals would take care of this (BTW Where did Embassy staff get vaccinated, since you present the Embassy as not an appropriate place for vaccinations. State secret?). Perhaps people would be happy to sign a release, just as is done frequently in medical settings in Thailand.

It seems unethical to me to leave your citizens to their fate, as it were. 

Really this harping about "civil disturbance" is over the top. Please control your fantasies.

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

What if the Sinovac vaccine also cure your erectile dysfunction problem. Will you take it. ????

Maybe you end up with priapism??

2 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

 

Here's some figures from a study by Mahidol University, though they are a little outdated (I couldn't find anything newer).

 

 

 

Even though this dates from 2010, it gives some idea. Thanks.

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Agreed.... 

 

The best thing the British Embassy (and all other Embassies) can do is to lobby the Thai government for a faster approval process to approve the other vaccines which have not yet been approved (only AZ, Sinvac, Janssen have been approved in Thailand so far). 

 

Then ensure all foreign national have equal access to the vaccines at their local healthcare facility. 

 

Embassies can also assist in expediting export / import of the vaccines to speed up the process on a national level for Thailand.

 

 

 

Undertaking individual efforts to import a vaccines to each individual nationality will quite likely achieve a slower availability of the vaccine to many individuals. 

 

 

What you propose is not producing results after we are in this situation for months. Please think of other ways to take care of British citizens. That said, private hospitals would be a sensible place for shots if the Thai government would agree. Coordination with other embassies for importing in bulk would make sense.

7 hours ago, PEE TEE said:

IF true???? How would they transport it i think it has to be stored at minus 70 degrees 

The temperature parameters were revised several months ago to something fairly practical for sending to major cities in Thailand.

On 5/7/2021 at 1:35 PM, rabas said:

 

Wow. Another day, another fantasy.

 

These guys are infighting and shooting their weapons of mass confusion through public media.

 

I guess the best is to ignore this "news" and check from Pfizer for announcements. Perhaps a good way to analyze factions and their designs, though.