Funds Pile Into Thailand as Vaccine Progress Boosts Tourism Hopes

[thailand49]

Makes no sense this story?  Why would people invest into Thailand they got no vaccine developed if they did it would be close to last entering the market next year. If there was a vaccine Thailand wouldn't be on the first that is for sure! 

This is nothing but a false story rumor at best to prop up their Baht when it should be crashing?

[kiwikeith]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

Why would tourists come here if the BAHT is to high all over again which will reduce their ability to spend money .

The over valued baht will hit exports more as companies will not buy as much goods due to the poor exchange rate .

The article is misleading , investors are gambling on the BAHT, as they know that the Thai government cronies love the high BAHT and they are so busy buying up gold and property overseas to line their pockets.

It's got nothing to do with the vaccine, if and when a vaccine is released Thailand has already ordered and been given priority of supply for the Sino Chinese vaccine that is looking good so far.

That does not in any way signal that Thailand will open the tourist gates and let them flood back in.

 

The European press are touting Pfizer vaccine to be released very soon and they do not mention the Chinese vaccine.

The Thai Baht being so high is just a manipulated fraud that some are getting very wealthy from.

[2530Ubon]

13 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

You have proof Chinese don't need the funds in the bank for 6 months for an SETV?

Someone told me this requirement had been abandoned for ALL tourists, but i still see it listed as a requirement on the embassy website. Interestingly, if you visit this site- the guys who process the application, there is no 500k requirement listed.

https://www.thailongstay.co.th/stv_visa.html

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by 2530Ubon

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Funds Pile Into Thailand as Vaccine Progress Boosts Tourism Hopes 

It ain't going to happen, even if a vaccine became available end of this year, you have to consider the implications of injecting the whole population of Thailand, then what about people coming in?

The hoops that are now in place will stop 95% of anyone thinking of traveling here in favour of going somewhere else with less expense and documentation.

The rise of the baht is also still a big concern.

[Walter Travolta]

2 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

That does not in any way signal that Thailand will open the tourist gates and let them flood back in.

I think most "covid-free" countries are too fearful of opening up and it all going t**s up! Thailand especially. They dont like to look stupid although many actions from the past say different. Probably why the travel bubble never came to fruition

[sambum]

5 hours ago, keith101 said:

Why would tourists come here if the BAHT is to high all over again which will reduce their ability to spend money .

The over valued baht will hit exports more as companies will not buy as much goods due to the poor exchange rate .

Well said - and it would take a fool not to realise that! ????

[Chiang Mai Bill]

15 minutes ago, Walter Travolta said:

Im not sure how many countries average temperatures run at -70C so wouldnt cold countries need to do the same as hot countries to keep the vaccine at that temp?

Distributing the vaccine in 'very hot' countries presents a far greater logistical problem -- especially when the population is spread as in Thailand. 

[Chiang Mai Bill]

1 hour ago, HarrySeaman said:

The Pfizer vaccine is undergoing a small and limited first clinical trial.  Subjects are randomly and blindly assigned to ones who receive the vaccine and those that receive a dummy vaccine. 

 

If anyone in the study group becomes infected they are investigated, and part of that investigation is to find out if they are in the vaccinated group or the group that got a dummy vaccine.  So far the numbers infected are very small, but most of those infected are in the group that got the dummy vaccine.  A larger clinical test needs to be done to determine the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.  It is really fortune telling to clam that the vaccine is 90% effective at this point.

A small and limited trial?  30,000 volunteers in the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, S. Africa!

 

[dallen52]

Wonder what price the vaccine is going to be?

Worldwide it's going to be issued free.

But...TIT.

Nothing is free in Thailand. 

[GroveHillWanderer]

5 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

The vaccines are in development stage and seem to be 90%, at best, effective. The adverse risk scared Government of Thailand is unlikely to open its doors to tourists quickly even after the vaccine is released. Most of Thailand's population would have to be vaccinated before that could be considered safe.

Why would that be required? Surely it's much more likely they would do the same as they do for yellow fever.

 

The Thai policy for that disease is that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers coming from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission.

 

There's no need to vaccinate the whole population of Thailand for yellow fever if you make sure travellers coming from countries where it's prevalent, have been vaccinated. The same principle could well be used for CoVid-19.

 

Of course, as it stands at the moment, virtually every country in the world (with a very few possible exceptions, such as New Zealand) has local CoVid-19 transmission so once a vaccine is licensed, I suspect it will be required for travellers from virtually everywhere, until or unless countries start to eradicate it within their borders.

Edited November 13, 2020 by GroveHillWanderer

[FritsSikkink]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Slowly pricing out those tourists from the west with the Baht increasing, and then the high amount of money needed in a tourists bank account for 6 months prior to applying, not sure how the Chinese normal zero baht tourist will be able to meet the 500K THB 6 month requirement. That is, unless they have the money hidden from their own Government in a bank account overseas.

Another who keeps sharing the Chinese zero bath tourist BS. They spend more per head than any other nationality. 

[rupert the bear]

90% is high for a vaccine,its usuallly about 50% effective,what that means is 5o% will not get it if exposed.simple enough,so we have 90+ excellent,so once you have the shot you can travel,end of story .uk has enough from pfizer to jab most of the pop that need it,under 30s dont.so i suggest that thailand and any country wanting tourists accepts that fact and allows entry to anyone that can show theyve had it.its really not so hard.europe /uk will do that realquick and the shots will start before xmas,astra and j&j are about to come on board ,moderna too.the russian one,we get lots of visits from there so.....again pull out middle digit,bali will so will lanka maldives ph singapore .trailling in the wake again and finding an excuse that chinese can come and others cant unless they jump thru absurd hoops.as for chinas vacc ummm im sure thai govt will be all smiles about that one even if its not up to it,we have seen little int data on it,it appears at 50% but given they invented the virus and are the worlds copy experts that could change!

[spidermike007]

Even with a vaccine, tourism will return slowly. The low and middle income people who make up 96% of the people who travel here these days, are strapped. 

 

And major changes need to be made, if Thailand wants to continue to continue to enjoy the cash cow of tourism. Travelers these days simply have too many choices. Creativity is required. Progress needs to be made. Thailand cannot continue to be one of the least progressive nations on earth, and expect foreigners to tolerate that degree of ignorance. These seeds were planted over a decade ago. The hapless army has accelerated the process dramatically. If Thailand had a qualified health minister, and a slightly intelligent tourism minister, they would stop this nonsense, and realize no tourism program requiring quarantine will ever work. Period. And even without quarantine, I don't expect arrivals to top 5 million in the next three or four years. And it will never get back to even 25 or 30 million in our lifetimes. Thailand blew it on so many levels. 
 

[JusticeGB]

2 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

I haven't ever seen what "effectiveness" means in these studies? Are that all using the same standard definition....for example does 90% effective mean that if people 10 people out of 100 taking placebo would catch COVID vs only 1 taking the vaccine or does it mean that if 100 people take the vaccine only 10 will catch the disease which is of course not very impressive? Are the studies done in a lab or in a real life situation?

These are the statistics released by the first company Pfizer that has trialled the vaccine. Frankly it can only be a broad estimate as it hasn't been properly tested yet.

[JusticeGB]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

Not necessarily. If the traveler is vaccinated plus has a negative antigen test and proof of antibodies, that would make them safe to come even if the Thai population is unvaccinated.

 

 

I agree with you but I don't think that the Thai Government will. 

[2530Ubon]

20 minutes ago, rupert the bear said:

90% is high for a vaccine,its usuallly about 50% effective,what that means is 5o% will not get it if exposed.simple enough,so we have 90+ excellent,so once you have the shot you can travel,end of story .uk has enough from pfizer to jab most of the pop that need it,under 30s dont.so i suggest that thailand and any country wanting tourists accepts that fact and allows entry to anyone that can show theyve had it.its really not so hard.europe /uk will do that realquick and the shots will start before xmas,astra and j&j are about to come on board ,moderna too.the russian one,we get lots of visits from there so.....again pull out middle digit,bali will so will lanka maldives ph singapore .trailling in the wake again and finding an excuse that chinese can come and others cant unless they jump thru absurd hoops.as for chinas vacc ummm im sure thai govt will be all smiles about that one even if its not up to it,we have seen little int data on it,it appears at 50% but given they invented the virus and are the worlds copy experts that could change!

What are you talking about? Are you one of those anti-vaccination 'experts' we see on Fox News periodically?

 

"most are usually 50% effective" - NO. They're usually pretty damn close to 100% because 50% would be useless. Could you imagine if condoms were 50% effective? Only the seasonal flu jab is round 50-60%. That's due to the virus constantly mutating. 

 

"Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective. Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox)." - source;https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/measles/index.html

Edited November 13, 2020 by 2530Ubon

[KhaoYai]

5 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

The vaccines are in development stage and seem to be 90%, at best, effective. The adverse risk scared Government of Thailand is unlikely to open its doors to tourists quickly even after the vaccine is released. Most of Thailand's population would have to be vaccinated before that could be considered safe.

I would agree that Thailand may want most of the population to be vaccinated before opening the borders but please note that a large proportion of vaccines against other diseases are far less than 90% effective. 90% is actually a very good result and is far better than many hoped this initial vaccine would be. Very few vaccines provide total protection against any disease.

 

Many other Covid vaccines are being developed and I'm sure that even Pfizer will continue to search for one with 100% protection.  As one of the scientists said in a TV interview, the intial results from the Pfizer tests showed that this virus can be beaten - other diseases have proved more difficult, even impossible to vaccinate against - the search for a HIV vaccine has been going on since 1984 for example.

Edited November 13, 2020 by KhaoYai

[sammieuk1]

More likely generals repatriating funds from Swiss accounts buying up their own debt and getting a better rate of return than any sane businessmen???? 

[heybuz]

35 minutes ago, Chiang Mai Bill said:

Distributing the vaccine in 'very hot' countries presents a far greater logistical problem -- especially when the population is spread as in Thailand. 

They use dry ice to keep to the temp, part of the deal most countries have with phizer is that phizer is responsible for the delivery to the clinics they have apparently already have sorted this out.

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, KhaoYai said:

I would agree that Thailand may want most of the population to be vaccinated before opening the borders but please note that a large proportion of vaccines against other diseases are far less than 90% effective. 90% is actually a very good result and is far better than many hoped this initial vaccine would be. Very few vaccines provide total protection against any disease.

 

correct. And there is no need for a COVID vaccine to be 100% effective for it to render the situation manageable.

 

Any country can cope with a few COVID cases here and there (and likely all will have to for a long time to come). It is the explosive epidemic that threatens to collapse health services and, due to the sheer numbers infected,  causes significant mortality.  Once brought down to just an endemic level, it will simply be no big deal.

[Stevemercer]

Most comments seem to be missing the point. Funds are piling into Thailand to gain from an appreciating Baht. Well, it is a self fulfilling prophecy. The more money comes in, the more the Baht will go up and the more investors will profit.

 

The bit about a vaccine is just a furphy. 

. 

The Thai Government, as usual, will just sit back and fiddle around the edges. The old army guys in cabinet think that a strong Baht shows how good Thailand is. <deleted> the economy, it can look after itself.

 

As to the excuse that the Government can't push the Baht down in case the country is listed by the USA for currency manipulation - get real. Again, it is just an excuse. If those in charge were really concerned that the high Baht was a drag on the economy, they would do whatever is necessary to rein it in.

 

 

[Walter Travolta]

38 minutes ago, Chiang Mai Bill said:

Distributing the vaccine in 'very hot' countries presents a far greater logistical problem -- especially when the population is spread as in Thailand. 

Really? So Thailand is 30 degrees, UK between 0-20. A minus70 storage is not going to worry about a difference of 10-20 degrees. Plus Im sure Thailand have refrigerated trucks otherwise you wouldnt see ice cream in the freezers!!! 

You set your freezer according to the temp you want to keep the contents. The same will be for medical refrigerators although they will obviously have the capacity to reach lower temps

[Walter Travolta]

38 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Another who keeps sharing the Chinese zero bath tourist BS. They spend more per head than any other nationality. 

Is this really true? Im not saying they dont part with their money, but where does their money go? I would guess their money goes to Chinese tour companies and then to Chinese owned hotels. Not sure how much the Thai population who depend on tourism for their income see of Chinese cash. A liitle 200 baht wooden elephant isnt going to pay for a childs education

[Expat Tom]

When the world reopens for tourism it will not be a mad rush for airport. It will be gradual and the competition for the tourists dollar will be fierce. Thailand will actually have to compete and convince the world that it is a "tourists friendly" destination. The country and its tourism sector will have to do much more to attract customers than hang an "Open for Business" sign on the door. 

 

With demonstrations against the military government and silly requirements like quarantines,  other countries in the region and around the world will be in a much better competitive position than the LOS. Thailand could likely benefit from mass tourism from China. The military government will be driven closer to their overlords in the CCP as India, Australia, Japan, the USA and many other countries stand up to China. I wonder what new gifts the Chinese will bring their little brothers to the south. Before they brought Asian Flu, Hong kong Flu, Avian Flu, Swine Flu, Sars, and the CCP Wuhan Flu...aka Covid 19. 

 

Vietnam is vacuuming up industries fleeing China and the CCP while Thailand wants to vacuum up cheap, rude, obnoxious, disrespectful Chinese tourists. Which business model do you think is better for the country?      

[Orient Express]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

I think I read that the leading contented in the Vaccine race has a Major stumbling Block, in that it needs Storage and Transportation at Minus 70 Deg C.

Also 2 Doses  are needed for each 'Patient " to be  properly Immunized, with the second dosage many weeks after the first one.

Correct me if I am wrong with this.

 

You are correct. A second jab is required three weeks after the first.

 

What will be really interesting to see over the next few weeks will be the results of the AZ-Oxford vaccine tests. This is a much cheaper (than the Pfizer) vaccine, easier to ramp up to large scale production, and doesn't require cold storage.

[geisha]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

 

Any country will need a cold storage distribution system, mainly through hospitals or local government agencies? Sounds like First World first, and Third World last to me. And Thailand is not First World.

Quite right. I know that the US and GB are already preparing the special refrigeration transport flights and storage and then the deliveries via again special transport. They are also having special ( due to the -70 necessity) distribution centers set up. I doubt that a lot of third world countries will have this vaccine soon , including Thailand. But, there are 3/4 more companies very confident in their own vaccins. By the way, this new vaccin has been tested, and I don’t think that Pfizer or any other company will risk putting a vaccin on the market worldwide that doesn’t work, which would loose them billions of $ and their reputation. 

[DrPhibes]

Let's get the tech details of this straight:

 

"How will it be distributed? At present, BioNTech’s vaccine (Pfizer) must be stored at approximately minus 75 degrees Celsius while being transported, making it difficult to deliver to developing countries without robust logistics infrastructure. The vast majority of doses available in the next year, however, have already been bought by the US, EU and Japan, where shipping hypercold products is far easier. Once it arrives in clinics, the vaccine — which can be kept at approximately minus 75C for up to six months — can survive in a normal fridge for up to 5 days."

 

Take it from there everyone.

 

Phibes

 

 

[sydneyjed]

Best performing currency in SE Asia..apart from Indonesian Rupiah?Australia has just announced it is lending Indonesia 1.5 billion AUD to help them with the Covid pandemic!Am I missing something here?

[Time to grow]

4 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

1) We still do not know the efficacy of any of these vaccines. 90% & 92% (Phizer & Sputnik V) are two efficacy numbers being touted with much fanfare, but we don't know how effective they are in the people who matter (older, sick, vulnerable people). This is because these people are deemed to be too 'at risk' to place in the testing groups

You make a number of valid points but you are assuming the efficacy numbers are valid. This vaccine requires a -70°F cold chain which will be virtually impossible in Thailand. Not to mention the risks associated with an RNA vaccine. But let's suppose the vaccine is everything it's touted to be and Thailand overcomes the cold chain difficulties, it won't even be available for a year or more and then a whole nation has to be vaccinated.

 

Those who continue to hold out for tourism to return to it's pre-Covid levels will bleed to death on false hope.

[Time to grow]

1 hour ago, Walter Travolta said:

You set your freezer according to the temp you want to keep the contents. The same will be for medical refrigerators although they will obviously have the capacity to reach lower temps

Hmmm? I have never heard of a medical freezer that pulls down to -70°F. Maybe liquid nitrogen? But you might consider that the rural nature of Thailand coupled with these cold chain requirements, will make distribution most challenging. Maybe even unrealistic?