‘Vaccine passports’ could allow foreigners to visit Thailand without quarantine: TAT

[FarFlungFalang]

6 minutes ago, ttrd said:

Yes, for decades if not generations ...

 

The vaccination will not make it disappear, but help us live with it - and we will ... 

Sars 1 disappeared and it's the closest relative if the mutations aren't fast enough and the vaccines are effective enough I believe it's possible it may disappear.

[ttrd]

1 minute ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Sars 1 disappeared and it's the closest relative if the mutations aren't fast enough and the vaccines are effective enough I believe it's possible it may disappear.

The original SARS virus disappeared – here's why coronavirus won't do the same (medicalxpress.com)

[Henryford]

On 1/27/2021 at 7:03 AM, luk AJ said:

 

can you please share the source that vaccinated people may still present a risk of transmission?

Even the vaccine manufacturers admit the vaccine doesn't stop you getting Covid or transmitting it, it just (supposedly) lessens the effects. Similar to the flu vaccine.

[FarFlungFalang]

2 minutes ago, ttrd said:

The original SARS virus disappeared – here's why coronavirus won't do the same (medicalxpress.com)

Yes another article with lots of maybe,it's possible, it might be a case of, this suggests that,and lots of ifs and buts,but nothing conclusive like the clickbait headline of the article categorically states. 

[ThailandRyan]

10 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Even the vaccine manufacturers admit the vaccine doesn't stop you getting Covid or transmitting it, it just (supposedly) lessens the effects. Similar to the flu vaccine.

How a Covid-19 Vaccine Could End Up Helping the Virus Spread - Bloomberg

 

More reading

[FarFlungFalang]

3 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Even the vaccine manufacturers admit the vaccine doesn't stop you getting Covid or transmitting it, it just (supposedly) lessens the effects. Similar to the flu vaccine.

A preliminary study in Israel has shown so far that a very small number of people, 20 out of  128,000 caught the virus after one week of getting the second dose of the pfizer vaccine with a rate of 0.015% compared to 0.65% of the current rate of the the current population without vaccination indicating a large reduction in infectivity.So it looks promising at this stage.

[ttrd]

23 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Yes another article with lots of maybe,it's possible, it might be a case of, this suggests that,and lots of ifs and buts,but nothing conclusive like the clickbait headline of the article categorically states. 

Pls, dont get me wrong. I do hope like you, BUT at the same time I am open for that it may be staying based on the lack of knowledge among experts even 1 year after the first incident was discovered ... Hopefully it will disappear by it self as quick as it came, but I am afraid it will be staying if not forever so at least for a long period of time and cause limitations - less some places and more elswhere ...

 

Fauci: No Vaccine for HIV/AIDS, SARS -- But Coronavirus Is 'Really Unprecedented' | CNSNews

Edited January 28, 2021 by ttrd

[NoshowJones]

On 1/27/2021 at 6:49 AM, Saddic said:

years before gov's get their sh*t together to agree on anything...  and days until TAT changes its mind again...

 

 

"and days until TAT changes its mind again..."  Is it not the unelected "PM" and his soldiers who have the say on whether the Quarantine should be lifted or not? I am not saying that it's the way it should be, but these soldiers are the ones who seem to do all the sitting round tables making decisions they are not qualified to make, and then changing them the next day.

[sezze]

Unless something special happens , the spreading will never ever go away . Remember , most common colds are corona virus also and might just have started the same way long long time ago . Vaccines will not stop the spread 100% , but it will reduce it . The more people are vaccinated , the better it is under control , and more important , the less the infected numbers do matter . Like i said before many times , nobody cares if somebody is infected , and even the death numbers are nothing but numbers . Its all about taking care of all people who are sick , of all the people who end up in hospital and can be saved without problem but are in trouble because the hospitals cannot handle so much people . The vaccines would take care of that point . Yes it will spread and yes you might be infected , but your spreading it is a lot less , and you won't get sick . Sure some very weak will still die , like people die from flu every year also . If the hospital admissions are under control , taking only a few beds , then it is solved and wont get better ( unless the vaccines really work extremely well , much better then even hoped ) .

In part of the OP , yes , this is what i expectewd , and in fact in the timeframe i expected and posted on this forum before also . 3Q 2021 , many western people would have their vaccine , and if they work as expected , then the numbers would get under control and we would expect quarantine to be lifted for vaccinated people . Not vaccinated people sorry , but you got to wait or go in quarantine , as the situation wont be there just any time yet to get better . It will go there , but not in a timeframe i see improvement of it yet any time soon . Remember , we are in this 1y now , it is very difficult to see 2-3 more years ahead ( situation can change daily ) .

All is , if the new mutations do not throw a lot of problems around ( aka vaccines not working ) .

[NoshowJones]

On 1/27/2021 at 7:22 AM, Blumpie said:

Nobody is certain if you can or you cannot, so the worldwide assumption is that you probably can.  

Just like our vaccines may only work for a year.  

Stay tuned.

No one is 100% sure of anything, we have to fight this pandemic, not hide from it. fight it with the vaccine, then stop the quarantine, not stop the whole world, 90 odd percent of people who get it are going to recover anyway.

[sezze]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

No one is 100% sure of anything, we have to fight this pandemic, not hide from it. fight it with the vaccine, then stop the quarantine, not stop the whole world, 90 odd percent of people who get it are going to recover anyway.

Again , yes true what you say . But your hospital cannot handle 10% of the people . They can handle if it is spread out over time . Same like you go to the doctor or dentist or whatever . They can handle X amounts of people a day . If your car got a problem you want it taken care in short timeframe . Flat tire , isnt any issue , but it can be if you are further from work and they cannot change it in next 24h . It is the same with this , we need to take care people and yes , 90% or even much more are OK with Covid , but due to unknown reasons yet , some people do get sick and/or die . And no , not all are old ( most deaths are but surely not all people in the hospitals are ) . Covid spreads so fast that if you let it run freely , then much much more people die then the ones you would die anyway from it ( or anything else for that matter ) .

IDK you've seen the images from Brazil / Portugal / UK where hospitals are run over and you got to wait to go for basic treatment for hours before being able to get it . This might be not covid related and might just been very easy to be handled these days , but due to the amount of people , some things are overlooked or not available , or just full right now . And all is fine for lets say 7billion of people out of this world , but that person might just be you , your partner , children , family , relative , friend ....

[NoshowJones]

On 1/27/2021 at 7:31 AM, Shuya said:

The TAT is pretty much last in line when deciding anything in Thailand. 

Everything is last in line when anything is decided in Thailand, the military academy educated unelected "PM" and his soldiers decide everything, that is why the country is in such a mess now.

Are they making any plans to attract tourists, retirees etc with easier visas to make Thailand an attractive country to come to when this pandemic eases? Are they doing anything to to weaken the strong baht? You can bet they are not. All they are interested in is sitting round tables, loving their authority and giving out orders just like typical soldiers.

They are not interested in the people of Thailand and the need to get them back to full employment, especially in the tourist sector, while they themselves are stinking rich and getting richer.

Another point, are they afraid of the pandemic easing and the students starting their protests again?

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, sezze said:

Again , yes true what you say . But your hospital cannot handle 10% of the people . They can handle if it is spread out over time . Same like you go to the doctor or dentist or whatever . They can handle X amounts of people a day . If your car got a problem you want it taken care in short timeframe . Flat tire , isnt any issue , but it can be if you are further from work and they cannot change it in next 24h . It is the same with this , we need to take care people and yes , 90% or even much more are OK with Covid , but due to unknown reasons yet , some people do get sick and/or die . And no , not all are old ( most deaths are but surely not all people in the hospitals are ) . Covid spreads so fast that if you let it run freely , then much much more people die then the ones you would die anyway from it ( or anything else for that matter ) .

IDK you've seen the images from Brazil / Portugal / UK where hospitals are run over and you got to wait to go for basic treatment for hours before being able to get it . This might be not covid related and might just been very easy to be handled these days , but due to the amount of people , some things are overlooked or not available , or just full right now . And all is fine for lets say 7billion of people out of this world , but that person might just be you , your partner , children , family , relative , friend ....

Excellent post, and thank you for taking the time to write it, I can't disagree with most of what you have said.

[NoshowJones]

On 1/27/2021 at 8:41 AM, NorthernRyland said:

Agree 100%. They're also taking credit with their lockdown policies even though it's easy to compare different states/countries and see that the virus is migratory and will simply move out by itself. In the US the states that did lockdown are congratulating themselves because the numbers are receding, while ignoring the numbers are going down in parallel in non-lockdown states.

 

How many people even know the average age of death is about 80+? A more effective policy would be to quarantine the 70+ demographic and let the younger fend for themselves.

There are a lot of older people although probably in the minority, and even in their eighties, who are fitter and more healthier than those in their fifties. You cannot just put the over seventies in permanent quarantine, a lot of them have healthy lifes to lead.

[Bez1]

I wonder if I write to the British Embassy for a Vac passport they will knock me one up !!

[metisdead]

A conspiracy troll post has been reported and removed.

 

Some off topic posts have been removed. 

[SomchaiCNX]

13 hours ago, placnx said:

You are right. There needs to be a physical card that even someone in a remote village can have, where cell service is limited. But the card can be read through a QR code unique to the individual by health workers, immigration, etc.

AS Thai Felix mentioned I had a yellow card (booklet) with all the information and yellow fever was one of them .

 

[SomchaiCNX]

13 hours ago, placnx said:

You are right. There needs to be a physical card that even someone in a remote village can have, where cell service is limited. But the card can be read through a QR code unique to the individual by health workers, immigration, etc.

Yes an "all in one medical card" would be perfect. 

[davidill]

I remember when I first started traveling international I carried a vaccination record card.

 

[richard_smith237]

29 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

AS Thai Felix mentioned I had a yellow card (booklet) with all the information and yellow fever was one of them .

 

 

I have the Yellow Vaccination Booklet. When I get my Covid-19 Vaccination, I will try and had the proof of vaccination added to that Booklet.

I will also ask for a certificate of vaccination (which may or may not be required for international travel at some point in the future).

 

Thats the best think I can think of for now. 

 

25 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Yes an "all in one medical card" would be perfect. 

 

It would make perfect sense for ALL authorities to agree on a ‘health card’ with a Chip and a QR code. 

 

This very simple, cheap and elegant solution could be made available right now - I don’t know why it isn’t. 

 

IF one major country started this - others would follow suit with their own. 

 

The problem is, all major countries have ‘rights’ issues to deal with, people will refuse vaccines but still claim their right to travel etc.. there will be law suits etc... 

 

Ultimately it's a a legal minefield and thus will perhaps be a requirement for countries with a more control on their ID policies and information policies. 

[Stargeezr]

If the Corona or covid 19 virus is going to be around for several years, it will mean

that we will have to get more vaccines, I would believe that the next vaccine for this

virus will not be free, in any country.  Something to think about for your future travels....

Geezer

[johnarth]

many have missed what is a true story, the major vaccine has proved to be useless for aged people, so there is a long way to go yet

[treetops]

7 minutes ago, johnarth said:

many have missed what is a true story, the major vaccine has proved to be useless for aged people, so there is a long way to go yet

If that's referring to the claim from Germany that the AstraZeneca vaccine was only 8% effective for over 65s, this has already been proven false.

[JeezeLooeze]

Back in 2009 I took a return flight to Nairobi, Kenya from Bangkok but was afraid I wouldn't be let back into Thailand if I couldn't present evidence that I had been vaccinated against Yellow Fever as is current Thai regulation.

 

The only place offering this vaccine in Thailand at the time was the Thai Red Cross. My only reason for getting the vaccine was not because I was afraid of getting sick but of being locked out of Thailand where I worked. Interestingly enough my vax status was not verified when checking in for the return flight, nor upon arrival in Bangkok. It turned out to be a much ado about nothing.

 

My point being that "Vax Passports" already exist albeit on limited routes/locations. This time around though it's on a whole different scale and I suspect more to do with profiteering Big Pharma and the control of populations than it is about health. If it wasn't we would hear more  promoting good diet, exercise and building a strong immune system, and proven remedies rather than propaganda about dodgy vaccines ad nauseam.  The annual flu bug has now been re-branded as C19 with the fear-factor ramped up and from the comments one reads here it looks like the propaganda is working. 

 

I now read that "Merck scraps COVID-19 vaccines that produced ‘inferior’ immune response" as the vaccine candidates provoked immune responses weaker than those seen after someone was naturally infected with the virus. Maybe there is hope for us yet.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by JeezeLooeze

[Jud Canada]

On 1/27/2021 at 7:03 AM, luk AJ said:

 

can you please share the source that vaccinated people may still present a risk of transmission?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55784199
 

[alyx]

1 hour ago, JeezeLooeze said:

Back in 2009 I took a return flight to Nairobi, Kenya from Bangkok but was afraid I wouldn't be let back into Thailand if I couldn't present evidence that I had been vaccinated against Yellow Fever as is current Thai regulation.

 

The only place offering this vaccine in Thailand at the time was the Thai Red Cross. My only reason for getting the vaccine was not because I was afraid of getting sick but of being locked out of Thailand where I worked. Interestingly enough my vax status was not verified when checking in for the return flight, nor upon arrival in Bangkok. It turned out to be a much ado about nothing.

 

My point being that "Vax Passports" already exist albeit on limited routes/locations. This time around though it's on a whole different scale and I suspect more to do with profiteering Big Pharma and the control of populations than it is about health. If it wasn't we would hear more  promoting good diet, exercise and building a strong immune system, and proven remedies rather than propaganda about dodgy vaccines ad nauseam.  The annual flu bug has now been re-branded as C19 with the fear-factor ramped up and from the comments one reads here it looks like the propaganda is working. 

 

I now read that "Merck scraps COVID-19 vaccines that produced ‘inferior’ immune response" as the vaccine candidates provoked immune responses weaker than those seen after someone was naturally infected with the virus. Maybe there is hope for us yet.

 

 

Kind of the same situation: I was denied boarding in Colombia to Costa Rica although I was already in the international zone. The airline said that the Yellow fever was mandatory. I spent hours trying to find a solution until a staff discretely told me to fly to Panama where this was not required and from Panama to Costa Rica. Yellow Fever vaccination not asked on that route. 10 hours of delay but eventually made it. The custom did not even look at my visas of provenance....I eventually got vaccinated upon my return to Thailand in order to avoid useless detours. The moral is: there are loopholes and I am sure some clever people already put their mind at it.

[jomtienisgood]

On 1/27/2021 at 6:34 AM, webfact said:

‘Vaccine passports’ could allow foreigners to visit Thailand without quarantine: TAT

 

File photo: Travel Daily (for reference only)
 

Foreigners who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 could be allowed to visit Thailand without the need to quarantine, according to new proposals from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

 

The tourism authority says so-called ‘vaccine passports’ would enable foreign tourists to stay in Thailand without needing to spend the first 14 days of their trip in an alternative state quarantine facility.

 

The ‘vaccine passports’ are one of a number of ideas mooted by TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn in a bid to revive the country’s decimate tourism industry, which faces the prospect of one million workers left unemployed as a result of the pandemic. 

 

Mr Supasorn said under the proposals, vaccinated tourists from the United States and Europe could start arriving in Thailand as early as March or April, with a focus on what  would be the Easter holidays in Europe. 

 

Tourists from China, Japan and South Korea would arrive later once restrictions on all but necessary travel had been lifted by the governments in those countries, he told Thairath.

 

Mr Supasorn said that if the ‘vaccine passports’ get the approval he would expect 10 million tourists to visit the country in 2021.

 

Mr Supasorn added that TAT have already entered discussions with Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways about offering tourists all inclusive packages. While details were not specified, it is presumed that the packages would enable vaccinated foreigners to travel to Thailand without restrictions or the need to enter quarantine.

 

TAT will also ask the tourism authorities in other ASEAN countries to adopt the ‘vaccine  passport’ model in order to stimulate tourism across the region.

 

The news comes as two of Thailand’s largest hotel operators have urged the government to cancel the current Covid-19-quarantine rules for vaccinated visitors in a bid to revive the country’s tourism industry.

 

Speaking to the Financial Times [paywall] William Heinecke, chairman of Thailand’s largest hotel group, Minor International, said: "There are tremendous numbers of people who won’t come to Thailand, or won’t come to any country that has a quarantine, because it takes too much time.

 

“We should be very quickly allowing people who are safely vaccinated to travel without quarantine.”

 

Meanwhile, Dusit International CEO Suphajee Suthumpun said: “The current quarantine restrictions are crippling our industry and having a massive impact on Thailand’s economy. With foreign tourists accounting for around 70% of the total industry, and with tourism representing around 22% of GDP, it’s clear that we need to open the borders to vaccinated travellers as soon as possible.”

 

Suthumpun said that people working in the hospitality sector should be given the vaccine as a priority in order to help protect locals and foreigners by limiting the risk of infection.]

 

Thailand, which normally welcomes around 40 million tourists, saw tourist arrivals fall by  90 percent in 2020.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-27

 

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Suthumpun said that people working in the hospitality sector should be given the vaccine as a priority in order to help protect locals and foreigners by limiting the risk of infection.]     Does that include ' hostesses ' ?  55555

[jomtienisgood]

4 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

AS Thai Felix mentioned I had a yellow card (booklet) with all the information and yellow fever was one of them .

 

Indeed, together with Typhus, hepatitis, etc....

[placnx]

17 hours ago, cdemundo said:

Just a thought.  If a vaccine has "50% efficacy" it reduces the risk of becoming ill from COVID by half.  A 95% efficacy almost completely eliminates the risk of infection.  50% efficacy does not mean you have a 50% chance of getting sick.  

So if you encounter an infected person, your chances of avoiding sickness are a lot better with the 95% vaccine. The increasing problem is these variants that are much more infectious, and some that may also be more deadly. This makes the 95% vaccine an even better idea.

[placnx]

16 hours ago, RobU said:

In the UK you get a record card when you are vaccinated it also is recorded on your NHS Medical record and thus can be certified by your GP in a letter on headed notepaper

We have to separate the medical records concept (NHS) from public health issues. Privacy is one reason, but dealing with the software of complex health systems worldwide doesn't make sense. The public health solution is national databases that have common data fields and use the same digital standards for access.