oldcpu

Really? So those who have gone to Bangkok for Pfizer (shipped from USA to Thailand) won't have their Pfizer recognized? or are you only referring to those in this Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya offering? Frankly, I think some countries in the west will recognize Pfizer, and a smaller number will recognize the Thai produced AstraZeneca. Also, I note there is a LOT more to this world than the 'west' .... although clearly for some, only the 'west' matters to them.

... or Thailand government (not the English language Thai press) has an idea but doesn't have the money. I note the GDP of the UK: 2.829 trillion USD (2019). The GDP of Thailand 543.5 billion USD (2019), where I think tourism was something close to like 18% of Thailand's GDP, and that Thai GDP has taken a major hit in 2020/2021. Still - I too would like to see a LOT more testing. A LOT more.

My guess would be that: * Chinese expats who want to return to China will likely select 2 x Sinovac jabs * foreigners who want to visit any country other than China will likely select 2 x AstraZeneca * foreigners who plan to stay in Thailand and not leave the country may wish to consider 1st jab Sinovac and 2nd jab AstraZeneca. The reason being early results from a study/trial underway suggest the mix of Sinovac/AstraZeneca (in that order) gives efficacy similar to 2xAstraZeneca, with the jabs only a few weeks apart, as opposed to going for 2xAstraZeneca where the jabs are 8 to 12 weeks apart. But of course no country recognizes Sinovac/AstraZeneca combo (to my knowledge) and thus its not an optimal approach for international travelers. I'm curious to learn if my 'guess' is accurate.

>1300 tests conducted in two days is a big improvement over June ( ~ 100 tests/day on average) and a big improvement over July ( ~200 tests/day on average). Kudos to the local government for increasing the testing here. Still, I think the Island would benefit if much more testing could be done. More testing gives a better indication as to how the virus has spread and gives the local government better information to support their decision making. My fear is they will run out of test kits, and run out of a budget to buy the test kits, and run out of the 'will' to keep testing.

Unfortunate timing. If you look at the increasing cases outside of Phuket before sandbox, and looked at slow creeping cases inside Phuket before sandbox, and the looked at pathetic too few tests in Phuket before sandbox and still ongoing, it should be clear it is not the international travellers that brought this wave to Phuket. Further, contact tracing ( which is easier to do with the International Travellers) has shown it's the domestic people coming to Phuket that brought the virus to Phuket. The closure to domestic travel was far too late.

Sorry to read your time here in Phuket is not living up to your likely hopes and expectations. I think thou, if you had asked any Phuket expat, prior to booking, everyone would have told you that going to Patong now is a bad idea ... really bad. Rawai, Chalong, ... and even Phuket Town are more lively. Patong has been pretty much 'dead' for over a year now. ... Also, with latest spike in infections causing restaurants to stop serving alcohol, my view is even restaurants in Chalong and Rawai are very subdued.

Indeed. As I said "I stand corrected". Hopefully this will be addressed in the future, and that the AZ production facilities in the countries noted (not yet accepted by EMA) will apply for and obtain acceptance. I do note not all European countries require a quarantine upon entry, if one has been tested very recently for the virus. But the situation is dynamic, and this could change with quarantines needed in the future.

I stand corrected. My assumption ( hope) is this is temporary https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/07/02/eu-vaccine-passport-doesnt-recognise-astrazeneca-vaccines-given-to-malaysia/ ... the Thai AZ did pass the necessary quality checks.

I believe that is incorrect.

Local news is now picking up on this story of AZ vaccinations being moved forward https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-second-covid-vaccination-injections-moved-forward-81004.php

My wife shared with me the Facebook reference where she read this (it is a Thai language page): https://th-th.facebook.com/pg/Phuketandamannews.FC/photos/ I have attached the page relevant to Karon Orchid (where like you my 2nd AZ appointment is there also for 17-September) and thus far there is no change. Below is my 'Google' translation of that page, which may have some inaccuracies: = = = = start of low quality translation = = = = Karon Orchard Resort and Spa The original appointment was 13-16 September-2021 was changed to 16-18-August-2021 Those who have appointment 17-23 September-2021 to come for appointment at same date and time You will receive an SMS informing you of the change to the date of the vaccination appointment. Please come at the date and time specified in the SMS. Please bring the certificate with your ID/passport document to the authorities to receive the injection = = = = end of low quality translation = = = = There are also similar pages on that site for injections given at the Airport X-Terminal, Patong Jungceylon, and Saphan Hin, which I could also post here if requested (together with my rather low quality translations). My suspicion is the dates given for advanced appointments are still not applicable to many / most expats on the island < not sure >.