NanLaew

Have you checked the price of health insurance for those over 70 especially with pre-existing conditions, which his diabetes would have been. I have no conditions what ever, turned the magic 70 yrs and insurance rose by 80% It's called getting priced out of a life. The NHS pretty much does the same, peddling pills and ad hoc solutions while encouraging the older person to do all sorts of free health checks. Under this guise of appearing to care for you in your dotage, they can find some condition that allows them to write you off earlier as not worth the cost and effort.

Much ado about nothing I think. There's been at least 3 mutations between Wuhan and Delta that didn't quite get onto the 'variant of interest' and then full blown labeling. I recall there was a Philippine one in the mix at one time. Chances are that C.1.2 may go that way as well since not every mutation has the 'resilience' box checked liked Delta and they burn out quite quickly. I believe that's what happened with MERS which was interesting enough to get labeled but didn't roam too far before dropping off the radar.

Good guess! Thailand has administered at least 31,771,819 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 22.8% of the country’s population. https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/thailand/ These would be Sinopharm, Sinovac/Coronavac, AstraZeneca/Siam Bioscience and Pfizer/BioNtech. Thailand has also approved Janssen and Moderna. I think that Janssen may have been the one that the French recently jabbed their citizens in Thaland with. AFAIK Moderna is the one that a slew of private hospitals have taken orders and payments for but there's no firm date for when the first shipments will arrive.

What's the word on crime rates in Pattaya, Jomtien and the area in general? With the lock downs, no tourists and an exodus of retirees and others who may find it still too challenging to return, it's probably safe to say that the Thai-on-farang crime has declined. Has it? How about Thai-on-Thai crime? That's always been there but never as high on the radar as when a foreigner gets involved. Just wondering how things may have changed now that a whole lot of Thai workers who came from all over the country to work in Pattaya have eventually gone home. Just the real locals left.

Then try 100 times that and get back to us.

There's three 'jabbing sites' in Meuang* Udon Thani alone so your guess that there's only 21 nationwide is probably further off than you are prepared to admit. * That's the city alone, not the province.

The link for Bumrungrad vaccine registration from the British Embassy vaccine update email launched microsoft forms that I am unable to access from where I currently am outside Thailand. Apart from sending a general inquiry from their website or phoning, is there another way to contact them and get registered for the Pfizer shot? I already have HN# for Bumrungrad as I get medical examinations done there. Thanks NL

Also some airlines are restarting some domestic routes. For example, I read that Nok Air will begin serving Udon Thani again in September.

I tend to agree. For about 3 months, the infection rise in Thailand has been mirrored across the border in Malaysia and both remained on the amber list. Only after Thailand's daily infection rates start to drop do they get red-listed. Malaysia's are still climbing but they stay amber. Delta is the dominant strain in maybe 90% of countries reporting Covid rates. The whole closed borders concept is redundant. Look at the current surge of infections in under-vaccinated Vietnam fueled by clusters in HCMC. They locked their borders last spring, severely restricted inbound travel and any that did get in served their 14 day in a government facility, not some cushy ASQ digs. Now they are in total lock down, everyone stays home, all businesses closed, no online food ordering or Grab delivery and only the army is allowed to deliver essential food items to communities twice a week. Meanwhile the Australian PM admits that their 'Zero Covid' pandemic management strategy no longer applies. However, NT and WA who claim to be Delta-free want to keep their 14-day quarantines in place for inter-state travelers. They are deluding themselves that their states are delta-free. It's just that nobody's detected it yet because their testing isn't allowed to. New Zealand was already behind the 8-ball when delta kicked the doors in less than 2 weeks ago. VN, AU, WA, NT and NZ all have rubbish vaccination rates too. WA and NT likes to blame it on the federal government prioritizing hoarding for the eastern states. VN's socialist gerontocracy gives them an excuse but these western politicians have all got their heads so deeply where no sun shines right now.

The slippery slope starts when one tries to reverse the natural processes of 'losing it' or 'no longer having it' with t-shots.

Personally, I don't tip anyone in Thailand, never have, never will. Been there almost 40 years and it's no skin off my knob if they get arsey when I pick up all my change. As for the flouncing ladyboy masseuse, why set yourself up for disappointment in the first place? Whatever floats your boat I guess.

I am not willfully delaying. I am 1,000,000% aware of the urgency. Funnily enough, I fully agree with sheryl too. That's why she has a prime spot in this thread and I am very thankful that she responded as soon as she did with good advice that lead me to pursue the options here in Malaysia. Where have I said anywhere I don't want to see a doctor? Where? That's why your 'contribution' doesn't get a rating. Agreed. I now have two appointments with specialists in KL. As soon as I get landed, clear the Malaysian MOH quarantine and PCR testing regime and fly to KL, I will take care of this. Thanks for all the useful advice, experiences based on pre-Covid ease of travel and the other relevant comments. They are all very much appreciated. This thread can be closed now.

Doing some further research, I find that using a gas bubble intervention totally proscribes air travel until after the bubble has naturally dissipated. I have seen estimates from 4 to 12 weeks with the tendency towards the longer the safer/better. I also read that removing the vitreous solution and using surgical silicone oil as part of the retinal surgery allows the patient to fly within a relatively short time. However, this will need a follow-up operation to remove/replace the oil. Thanks for leading me towards further research and exploring my options in Malaysia. The bonus would be getting vaccinated while I am here as I am already registered for that through the compulsory MySejahtera app they use here.

Agreed it is an emergency. So is Covid. An eye doctor I spoke with in Thailand has stressed the urgency but acknowledges that Covid regulations are testing the lemergency facilities that have been set up in Thailand. Notably staffing is an issue as all doctors are involved with the call-out to support ongoing Covid-related issues in hospitals. An eye doctor may not be available at short notice but at least there is some sort of system. I am sure Malaysia offers similar. But it also comes back to the question of being stuck in Malaysia after surgery. I have a home in both the UK and Thailand.

Agreed it is an emergency. So is Covid.

Depending on the procedure, I could be 'stuck' in Malaysia post-op since flying is not recommended. I have lived and worked in KL before and they do have facilities but I am unaware if they have stopped elective surgery same as they have in Thailand. The daily infection rates, red zones and other Covid related details in Malaysia are very similar to Thailands.

Offshore Malaysia. Project ends around 6 September. Nobody can replace me due to the mandatory 14-day pre-boarding quarantine for any replacement. I can be ashore overnight and Malaysian MOH inbound Covid clearance formalities will be at least 48-hours. After that, it's a 1 hour domestic flight before 19 hours flying to the UK. I have a Seaman's ticket so I am exempt from the UK's inbound quarantine and testing rules. Otherwise it's about 2 hours flying to Bangkok... then 14 or 15 days ASQ, no exemptions. I contacted a recommended private hospital specializing in eye surgery near my UK destination and gave them an ETA of around 17 September. The said the earliest consultation/referral would be 20 September. I am still working on the Thai options. I could dodge a bullet and try and get this sorted in Kuala Lumpur very quickly but again, I would have to remain in city for at least 2 months post-op. KL's the equivalent of Bangkok's 'deep red' lock-down but on steroids.

I was told not to fly or do any hard work. My guess is that there must be a pressure difference that speeds up the process. How far along are you? My understanding is that flying isn't permitted for up to 12 weeks AFTER surgery, especially the ones where they either inject a bubble or totally replace the vitreous gel with something else. I haven't had anything done yet. So my options are a 3 hour flight and a 2 week wait to get it done in Thailand (at a moderate cost) and then recuperate at home or, 20 hours of travel before getting it done pretty much immediately (and more expensively) in the UK but can't fly home to Thailand for at least 2 months.

I wouldn't qualify for free NHS but what price is too much to save one's eyesight? I can be in the UK within 24-hours and getting a consultation within a few days. Due to the dangers of more permanent damage, a referral will be pretty quick. I am only 3 hours from Bangkok but I would then do 14 or 15 day ASQ before getting a consultation. So far, my online inquiries about treatment in Thailand suggests that there's no elective surgery being done at government or private hospitals due to C-19 restrictions. These may be eased on 1st September, depending on government edict. This may also vary between provinces.

I used the foreignvac email address about 4 hours ago to inquire about my original application that had resulted in a rejection email last week. They responded very quickly saying I am registered and I will be contacted when vaccination is available in my area.

Considering the first 30% of any depreciation kicks in as soon as the proud new owner drives it off the dealership's forecourt, there's no way of getting 100% replacement value coverage from any insurance company.

Some airlines do and other airlines don't. The general get out for this is on a ticket purchased online through a travel agent or a ticket aggregator and NOT direct with the airline.

I've been asked for this and travel regularly. YMMV TiT

Many thanks for the links and tips, very much appreciated. Apparently there's a quite highly rated opthalmologist in Udon that works the General Hospital as well as having a busy private practice. The dangers of permanent sight impairment or loss is very real. Unfortunately there's not much chance of my getting immediate treatment where I am presently located. I may as well be on the ISS waiting for Boeing to sort their bloody Starliner out. My backup plan would be to go home to the UK where I wouldn't need to languish for 2 weeks in quarantine and get it sorted there. Once again, thanks for the fast answers.

I was on a recent hunt for insurance and delved deep into the small print of a 'reputable' company in that they are frequently mentioned and recommended in insurance query threads. I saw that they had a 36-month 'waiting period' that may apply when it comes to their determination of pre-existing conditions. That suggested to me that after a decent 18 or 24 months of being healthy with no claims, if one has the misfortune to require treatment for any one of the typical medical conditions that come with age, they could easily decline to pay anything. If a surgical procedure was needed, that could be a considerable expense. What does the OP's policy small print say? With respect to @BritTim's advice, I understand that the Thai insurance ombudsman has a good track record on holding the recalcitrant p(l)ayers feet to the fire. Maybe a first step before engaging a lawyer?