StevieAus

I live in Chiang Mai Province which is considered low risk I believe and received the first AstraZeneca shot at the local government hospital last Thursday with a date for the second shot on 16 September.

I am 71 years old with no health problems

Myself and several other expats registered at the hospital a few weeks ago.

Service was excellent and professional.

No priority is given to Thais over non Thais shots are administered based on when you register.

My Thai wife who is a lot younger than me has enquired at the private hospital we use in Chiang Mai plus two others and has been told nothing expected before October.

I cannot help you with locations but I live in Chiang Mai Province and went to see my local eye doctor who checks my eyes each year.

I read the normal eye chart both wearing and not wearing the glasses I use for driving.

He typed the results on his letterhead

For NSW you need to email to [email protected].

au

Make sure you add your name and driving licence no

I received no confirmation from them but about 2 weeks later rang 61 13 2213 and was told it had been approved

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

I have a feeling the administration of the jabs themselves will take a lot of time as well. I had my first jab on Monday. It went like this.

 

• Queue for a ticket like you do at the bank (10 minutes)
• 30 minutes later move to a different room to receive some forms, check passport etc.
• Took me 20 minutes to fill in 3 pages of questions (all in Thai language only). Fortunately our HR Manager was on hand to help me with this.
• Go to another room for someone to check the forms were filled in correctly. 15 minutes wait.
• Ushered to another room for someone to type the info into a computer (45 minutes wait)
• Move to another room to get blood pressure taken (40 minutes wait)
• Go to another room for the jab (15 minute wait).
• Go to another room for 30 minutes post jab to see if there is a reaction (good idea).

 

Total process over 3 hours for a single jab. I arrived early and it wasn't particularly busy there either, presumably due to the vaccine shortage. This type of process severely limits how many needles can go into arms each day, even if they had unlimited vaccines.

 

Maybe they could streamline the process? Have a standard form that can be filled in prior to the visit? Turn up with the form and show ID, then get blood pressure taken and the needle in the arm (could these 2 processes possibly be done by the same nurse?). 

 

I know in the UK they have a 'grab a jab' scheme where you can just go to a supermarket or a mall or whatever and just walk in. A few questions and the needle is in your arm. Maybe that's why they rolled it out so quickly? Too much to ask here?

A lower slower process than where I live and less information needed.

It seems to be a shambles in Australia and we are supposed to be an advanced country

However you know how they like paperwork here I needed a new bank book the other day as mine was full.

(I think they stopped using bank books in Aus about 20 years ago)

It was virtually the same as opening a new account.

2 hours ago, club said:

Probably because  other countries have already banned it, Temporarily stopped using it and are donating it such as Japan. I believe Japan still uses Pfizer and Moderna. Also its been recommended for people over 60 . Doesn't help people under sixty does it? 

The only country I am aware of that has completely stopped using AZ is Denmark.

Others I believe are restricting it to those over 60.

Happy to be enlightened

Just now, StevieAus said:

I was vaccinated at Fang Hospital Chiang Mai Province on 24 June with AstraZeneca after previously registering at the hospital.

I am 71 years old with no underlying problems.

Vaccine date was delayed by about 2 weeks

Service at the hospital was excellent and very professional and given a date of 16 September for second shot.

No priority given to Thais over non Thais.

Other expat friends treated the same

Missed the side effects next day felt generally unwell and tired but nothing serious

I was vaccinated at Fang Hospital Chiang Mai Province on 24 June with AstraZeneca after previously registering at the hospital.

I am 71 years old with no underlying problems.

Vaccine date was delayed by about 2 weeks

Service at the hospital was excellent and very professional and given a date of 16 September for second shot.

No priority given to Thais over non Thais.

Other expat friends treated the same

59 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

If you were to look at the figures for covid infections & deaths in Oz & NZ, you might have a better understanding of why they have been a bit slow on the vaccinations. Being remote islands is helpful.

 

Quite apart from the EC stealing millions of AZ doses early on that were destined for Oz ...

From what I read in the media and talking to friends as recent as last night it’s the administration of the vaccines that’s the biggest problem.

The Federal Government obtain them and the States administer them

The usual recipe for disaster too many layers of bureaucracy.

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

So private hospitals in Thailand are so "poor" that they cannot afford to buy vaccines?  Hard to believe.  I have contributed(paid) a small fortune to a major private hospital in CNX for years and they always had a lot of people 'working".

I will not "pay" upfront without a few guarantees:

 

1.  A definite vaccination appointment date

2  Guaranteed 100% refund if the appointment is not met

3. The right to cancel within 30 days of the appointment with a full refund

 

I already know the answer:  NO, NO, and NO.  

Well that sounds as if you will not be getting your vaccine

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The government?

Its citizens?

Which government and which citizens?

 

As far as I know everybody in Thailand is supposed to get free vaccination. It just takes time.

We don't live in a so called 1st world country. And looking at 1st world counties like i.e. the USA and the UK and am happy about that.

You can add Australia to the list for me.

I have already had my first free AZ shot here with an appointment for the second on 16 Sept

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

So private hospitals in Thailand are so "poor" that they cannot afford to buy vaccines?  Hard to believe.  I have contributed(paid) a small fortune to a major private hospital in CNX for years and they always had a lot of people 'working".

I will not "pay" upfront without a few guarantees:

 

1.  A definite vaccination appointment date

2  Guaranteed 100% refund if the appointment is not met

3. The right to cancel within 30 days of the appointment with a full refund

 

I already know the answer:  NO, NO, and NO.  

Well that sounds as if you will not be getting your vaccine then.

16 hours ago, Ventenio said:

Reasons why I LOVE It here...

 

1. cheap women

2. cheap rooms

3.  cheap food

4.  cheap drin...........5000 baht fine...........

 

Reasons why I'm leaving

 

1.

The fine was for breaching quarantine regulations not a cheap drink.

In my country the fine would have been the equivalent of about 24,000 baht so it was cheap.

On 6/28/2021 at 7:29 AM, HashBrownHarry said:

I use these guys to renew passports as well, very good.

I agree we used them about five years to obtain our daughter’s first passport.

A few months ago used the VFS office in Chiang Mai for the renewal, again good service.

You don't need to be Einstein to realize that the biggest problem facing Thailand now is the lack of sufficient quantities of vaccines.

Unfortunately motherhood statements by Stanley Kang and his ilk are not going to change that.

A more practical approach would be for the organisation to seek donations of the vaccines to Thailand from the 35 countries they represent.

PS not Sinovac please.

2 hours ago, smedly said:

 

it is imprisonment - no other word for it

 

no wonder they are now on the run trying to escape 

 

disgraceful 

Isn’t enforced quarantine for fourteen days, when you cannot leave the room?

Desperate measures for desperate times

11 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

Unfortunately for many it is the only option to be had.

Compare a military command which if  refused to follow has (usually) repercussions .

Thailand has survived multiple internal historical medical/ infectious calamities.

I doubt a sincere declaration by an "Ex Special Forces,Former Bar Owner" will dictate the fortunes of Thailand one way or another in reality.

I suppose the only relevance is that someone in a pub told him.

12 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

Which hospital?

Fang, gave excellent service very professional.

Myself and several expat friends have received the AstraZeneca vaccine at our local hospital in the North of Chiang Mai Province over the last two weeks.

For this vaccine you need to be aged over 60 years and provide some form of identification when registering eg passport.

We were treated equally as Thai residents.

On 6/24/2021 at 10:23 AM, Thaiwrath said:

In any normal country, certain people would be held accountable for such a vaccine fiasco, and dismissals would be inevitable. 

But here, with his "whatever will be, will be" attitude, things will continue, and things will get progressively worse.

Nothing short of shambolic by this unelected regime.

Before you start criticizing what is happening here have a look around the world and you will see good examples of shambles

In particularly my own country Australia where it’s an embarrassment as they lurch from one farce to another and that’s an advanced developed country.

For what it’s worth myself and several expat friends have received the AstraZeneca vaccine and we were all very impressed with the service provided

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Lockdowns aren't a panacea. If you're infected you'll definitely infect the people you're locked down with.

The lockdowns and restrictions  that have been applied and still apply in Australia and the UK, have been far more stringent than anything seen in Thailand.

Both of those countries obviously don’t have the answer either.

On 6/24/2021 at 10:58 AM, Kwasaki said:

Please come back and report how your getting on seeing as you don't seem to be listening. 

 

I do wish I had known this guy many years ago when I brought my two Jack Russell Terriers from Australia.

All the “ fun” with the Customs Department he could have saved me from to say nothing of the money.

3 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

 

The OP does not look like a company appointment, the roll out appears to be a shambles from what I have seen. 

You maybe have be looking in the wrong place, myself and several expat friends have received our first AstraZeneca shot from the local hospital.

Very orderly and professional not a shambles in site.

15 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Not enough and not soon enough. Read this and compare.  UK is going to use this jab a 3rd booster shot this autumn (northern hemisphere). 60 million more doses. If 3 shots are needed it will be the end of next year at this rate for Thailand. These grandiose statements bear no weight with me as time and again they are proved to be just grandstanding nonsence. 

 https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1116

You can hardly compare Thailand and the UK re infections, lockdowns and other restrictions together with the time they have been in place.

8 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Not in CNX - Hang Dong - late last year

I live in Fang, I know the Head Office in CNX will accept them not worth the up to six hour round trip.

The local Immigration Office arrange the residency certificate and I get both licences for 6 years, can handle that

22 hours ago, jomtienisgood said:

I would think so as you are stated  as residing in there... 

I have a yellow book and pink ID card and my local DLT office in Chiang Mai Province still require the certificate of residence even for renewing the driving licence