Vaccinations for Expats at Embassies

[Jingthing]

The optics before and after this very serious third wave are entirely different.

 

Before, when there we so few cases, it wouldn't have really mattered if people Thai and foreign could pay for jabs BEFORE the public program starts en masse.

 

There was no urgency. There SHOULD have been urgency a long time ago, but that chance is over. 

 

But now it would look really, really bad.

 

I don't see the private thing happening BEFORE the public program starts en masse now, but if it does maybe for Thais only. But I really don't think for Thais or foreigners. 

 

It's ever more complicated than that though. The earliest Thai en masse program is for HIGH RISK people (age 60, with comorbidity conditions). So it would be similarly bad optics for Thais and/or foreigners to get to pay for jabs if they aren't in the risk groups when most Thais not in the risk groups wouldn't have access yet.

 

[Phillip9]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

I'm against the embassy providing vaccinations just on the optics and security issues.  Nothing endears the locals like being outside looking in when they can't get a life saving jab themselves

 

They could easily eliminate the optics issue by simply donating some vaccines to Thais.  Much like the Chinese who are already offering vaccines to their citizens in Thailand have already done.

[geisha]

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It should be Johnson and Johnson. One jab. That would make it easier for expats not in Bangkok. 

So you really think the embassies are equipped to organize a national vaccination program all over the country ? Really ?

[Jingthing]

33 minutes ago, geisha said:

So you really think the embassies are equipped to organize a national vaccination program all over the country ? Really ?

No.

I never said national. 

At the Embassy

 

[geisha]

12 hours ago, asiacurious said:

 

I read your comment sort of tongue in cheek, but I'll respond to it as if you were serious....

 

If given the choice between flying half-way around the world, or taking a train/bus/car/flight to receive the vaccine at the embassy (or consulate in Chiang Mai could also be possible) which would you prefer?

I was not talking about myself. I’m already vaccinated. I was merely thinking of how one US Embassy , or even all embassies, could reach out to as many citizens as possible throughout the country. If it was possible, wouldn’t it be right that these embassies conduct vaccinations in all countries ? 
Why only Thailand ? How about Africa , India, Brazil ? 
And yes, if I was living in Hat Yao, for example , I would travel to Bangkok for an important vaccination. You would still hear the people complaining . 

 

[asiacurious]

 

31 minutes ago, geisha said:

I was not talking about myself. I’m already vaccinated. I was merely thinking of how one US Embassy , or even all embassies, could reach out to as many citizens as possible throughout the country. If it was possible, wouldn’t it be right that these embassies conduct vaccinations in all countries ? 
Why only Thailand ? How about Africa , India, Brazil ? 

 

In your original reply you mentioned people who lived far south or north of the embassy, so I thought you were talking specifically about Thailand.  As for whether embassies in other countries should also engage in such an undertaking...

 

Yes, though it probably wouldn't be necessary in all countries.  In places where there was a substantial vaccination effort already underway that included all people (citizens and foreign nationals alike) the need wouldn't be as great.  Of course the optics in those places wouldn't be as bad either.

 

I like the idea presented by Phillip9 and others....

 

5 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

They could easily eliminate the optics issue by simply donating some vaccines to Thais.  Much like the Chinese who are already offering vaccines to their citizens in Thailand have already done.

 

[rupert the bear]

18 hours ago, asiacurious said:

 

 

By all accounts, the US and UK are well past their peak demand for hospital beds and critical care for Covid patients, and are well on their way to re-opening as they continue to vaccinate people.  That leaves them with stockpiles of PPE, ventilators, and oxygen concentrators they can share with the parts of the world that need it most.  

 

As much as I would love to immediately receive a vaccine via my embassy, right now expats in Thailand are quite capable of staying healthy and safe.  Said no one ever, go out as little as possible and when you do go out, wear a mask (correctly!) and avoid crowds.

 

Words fail me by your response.  Sending help to India to isn't about virtue signalling or being PC.  It's about trying to get control over the virus in a part of the world where it is literally out of control.  Sending supplies isn't some sort radical chic move on the part of the US, UK, and other nations. 

 

I can't even....  Look, I'm not here to make friends or throw anyone under the bus, but you left out many pearl-clutching buzzwords one would expect to find in such a woke-less, sjw comment.  Perhaps you'll think I'm just a bleeding heart <deleted> for my response to you.  That's ok by me - words are just words and I won't be offended.  (In a way, it's sort of like me thinking you might be a champion of calling a lot of true things fake news.)

 

What does India having a nuclear weapon have to do with any of this?  Can they nuke away the virus?  Sorry, not sorry for saying, but pitting nation against nation may satisfy the identity politics of some snowflakes, but it doesn't do anything to stop the virus from spreading and mutating.  More contagious and deadly strains are not what the world needs.  If the world doesn't get this under control as quickly as possible, the planet is looking at the potential for a widespread literal cancel culture.

 

(If I missed anyone's favorite signaling buzzwords in my response, please let me know so I can add them to my list!)

i dont agree.a nuclear deterrent and modis policies on arms have spent huge financial resources the indian govt now doesnt have.the govt in UK has a duty to its citizens first,it also innoculates foreign people on its own soil which is a good thing,cover as many people as u can.this is not the case here. as for your presumption that we can all look after ourselves here in thailand i find rediculous,no widespread testing is done here 3000 day ,indias nos are much higher.we are sitting on huge nos of infections and ignore it by not testing.beds will or are becoming full and the only solution is to vaccinate people.the thai govt wont do that as theyre inept and now we see in a few days a more severe lockdown ,so that seems to suggest the cat is well and truly out of the bag.having spent a great deal of time in the sub continent the management of resources is always the problem along with logistics,its the same with food,plenty of it in india its moving it to the correct places.india also had prioriteis due to economic factors and social factors,theres a system that means many people are employed daily ,huge nos survive on a daily wage,the no. of people dependent on this money is staggering and the hardship and death in stopping these people working was a decision that they couldnt make.again vacc distribution is the problem,india has a good system for that but its not kicked in.they must solve that and also vacc supply issues ,this is a result of their policy.we could very well be india #2 the way the thai govt is performing or we may be already.my govt needs to serve me a s a taxpayer and citizen.not citizens of another power as it will have a negative effect on my and fellow citizens overall health.as for my comments in regards to PC i stand by them.govts by and large have handled this whole situation appallingly and uk india and thailand are no exception.

[rupert the bear]

1 minute ago, rupert the bear said:

i dont agree.a nuclear deterrent and modis policies on arms have spent huge financial resources the indian govt now doesnt have.the govt in UK has a duty to its citizens first,it also innoculates foreign people on its own soil which is a good thing,cover as many people as u can.this is not the case here. as for your presumption that we can all look after ourselves here in thailand i find rediculous,no widespread testing is done here 3000 day ,indias nos are much higher.we are sitting on huge nos of infections and ignore it by not testing.beds will or are becoming full and the only solution is to vaccinate people.the thai govt wont do that as theyre inept and now we see in a few days a more severe lockdown ,so that seems to suggest the cat is well and truly out of the bag.having spent a great deal of time in the sub continent the management of resources is always the problem along with logistics,its the same with food,plenty of it in india its moving it to the correct places.india also had prioriteis due to economic factors and social factors,theres a system that means many people are employed daily ,huge nos survive on a daily wage,the no. of people dependent on this money is staggering and the hardship and death in stopping these people working was a decision that they couldnt make.again vacc distribution is the problem,india has a good system for that but its not kicked in.they must solve that and also vacc supply issues ,this is a result of their policy.we could very well be india #2 the way the thai govt is performing or we may be already.my govt needs to serve me a s a taxpayer and citizen.not citizens of another power as it will have a negative effect on my and fellow citizens overall health.govts by and large have handled this whole situation appallingly and uk india and thailand are no exception.

 

[billd766]

13 hours ago, impulse said:

 

On the flipside, a GBP that goes to taking care of a Brit living in London circulates through the British economy several times, providing British employment and paying British taxes each time it changes hands.  A GBP that goes to a Brit living in Thailand disappears from the British economy with no knock-on benefit.   That's a huge difference.

 

Same with a $USD.

 

I'm against the embassy providing vaccinations just on the optics and security issues.  Nothing endears the locals like being outside looking in when they can't get a life saving jab themselves.  Not to mention, I don't think embassies should compete with local businesses like hospitals who will (eventually) be selling jabs to foreigners.

 

Half my working life was spent working offshore and the IR deemed that I was working for UK based companies I would be taxed on the whole of my income. No appeals allowed.

 

quote from your post

 

"A GBP that goes to a Brit living in Thailand disappears from the British economy with no knock-on benefit.   That's a huge difference."

 

Correct, however, like many people, you fail to point out that we have no access to the NHS (unless we return to the UK) and then we pay 150% of the cost to the NHS.

 

We also pay tax in the UK (no choice in the matter)

 

We are entitled to

 

NO pension increases unless we live in certain countries

No free or reduced cost of medicines

No free anything, the cost of which stays in the UK.

Not allowed to vote in UK general elections after 15 years offshore. 

 

So by living offshore we are saving the UK roughly equal amount of our pensions.

 

As for pensions I EARNED and paid for mine and NO the State pension is NOT a benefit but a RIGHT that millions of Brits have paid for.

 

 

[billd766]

9 hours ago, geisha said:

So you really think the embassies are equipped to organize a national vaccination program all over the country ? Really ?

If it were offered there are few expats who would be unable to make a trip to BKK, stay for 1 or 2 nights and return to their home province. Not during this particular time however.

[Jingthing]

7 hours ago, geisha said:

I was not talking about myself. I’m already vaccinated. I was merely thinking of how one US Embassy , or even all embassies, could reach out to as many citizens as possible throughout the country. If it was possible, wouldn’t it be right that these embassies conduct vaccinations in all countries ? 
Why only Thailand ? How about Africa , India, Brazil ? 
And yes, if I was living in Hat Yao, for example , I would travel to Bangkok for an important vaccination. You would still hear the people complaining . 

 

There would be no point of the U.S. embassy getting involved if the expats there have reasonable and timely access to vaccines via the local system. From the State Department's POV which I predict is probably not going to help expats in ANY country, perhaps they are afraid of the optics of helping expats in some countries and not others. But I think that would be a crappy reason not to help. 

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, billd766 said:

If it were offered there are few expats who would be unable to make a trip to BKK, stay for 1 or 2 nights and return to their home province. Not during this particular time however.

Well I think it's more than a few that would have problems with the Bangkok trip and if there are severe inter-province travel restrictions, that could suppress expats out of Bangkok significantly. 

 

The goal of helping isn't to offer a perfect or 100 percent solution. They could do a lot of good for a lot of people short of that.

 

Also if the Bangkok embassy could do it, why not the Chiang Mai consulate as well?

 

In any case IF they do this, it would seem crazy to do it with any other vaccine than the one jab Johnson and Johnson. 

[asiacurious]

2 hours ago, rupert the bear said:

i dont agree.a nuclear deterrent and modis policies on arms have spent huge financial resources the indian govt now doesnt have.the govt in UK has a duty to its citizens first,it also innoculates foreign people on its own soil which is a good thing,cover as many people as u can.this is not the case here. as for your presumption that we can all look after ourselves here in thailand i find rediculous,no widespread testing is done here 3000 day ,indias nos are much higher.we are sitting on huge nos of infections and ignore it by not testing.beds will or are becoming full and the only solution is to vaccinate people.the thai govt wont do that as theyre inept and now we see in a few days a more severe lockdown ,so that seems to suggest the cat is well and truly out of the bag.having spent a great deal of time in the sub continent the management of resources is always the problem along with logistics,its the same with food,plenty of it in india its moving it to the correct places.india also had prioriteis due to economic factors and social factors,theres a system that means many people are employed daily ,huge nos survive on a daily wage,the no. of people dependent on this money is staggering and the hardship and death in stopping these people working was a decision that they couldnt make.again vacc distribution is the problem,india has a good system for that but its not kicked in.they must solve that and also vacc supply issues ,this is a result of their policy.we could very well be india #2 the way the thai govt is performing or we may be already.my govt needs to serve me a s a taxpayer and citizen.not citizens of another power as it will have a negative effect on my and fellow citizens overall health.as for my comments in regards to PC i stand by them.govts by and large have handled this whole situation appallingly and uk india and thailand are no exception.

 

I tried, but I really can't read that, which actually might be for the best.

 

a few commas would help and some spaces between sentences and use of full words instead of abb words and things like some basic punctuation and stuff without silly super long sentences that lack any sort of capitalization or other basic things to make such a really rambling rant reasonably readable... would be nice.

 

I'd love to read and understand your position, but if you can't be bothered to make it readable, I can't be bothered to read it.

 

[Emdog]

22 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Why would you think the US embassy would be in the least bit responsible for giving you a Covid shot?

 

You chose to live in Thailand, so should the US Embassy also be responsible to pay if you break your leg?

 

So I'd address your frustrations to the Government of the country that you have chosen to live in

This is State Dept Mission, from their official website:

"The U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity." I'm part of "American people" being American and all. I pay US taxes which are used to pay for the vaccine. Comparing a pandemic to a broken leg is absurd. Both Trump and Biden have said vaccine would be available for all Americans.

I have written to my senators, reps, called the embassy, contacted various news outlets.

 

[grain]

If embassies were supplied with vaccines they wouldn't administer them at the embassies but at authorized hospitals, the same hospitals they send you to for visa app medicals. So you'd be notified to role up at such and such and show your pp. There's already talk of this happening soon from Australia so all returnees will be vaccinated.

[keemapoot]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:02 AM, Jingthing said:

No.

I never said national. 

At the Embassy

 

 

The Embassy is never going to be a workable place logistically. In addition to the serious refrigeration requirements (especially Moderna -which I received), there is quite a queuing process to this vaccination effort. There is really only one viable choice & that is J&J which you alluded to earlier. Assuming you could eliminate the 2nd jab by only using J&J, and given the fact that only traditional refrigeration is needed, you could organize a vaccination program for all expats (any country's embassy). But, it would never work on premises of the embassies due to security and other concerns. In terms of process, I can tell you from experience in getting two doses in Japan on a military base, that the organization is somewhat complex. It requires a two-three stage processing zone, for documentation, screening, etc., then an organized queuing system for the jabs, then a waiting area afterwards for 15 minutes for each person to determine whether there are any side effects, etc., plus a documentation area afterwards. 

 

So, realistically, you would need access to some sort of stadium or premises for this, during a period of days or weeks, and would need to have the technicians and nurses or nurse aids to administer the vaccine. You also need an online registration and queuing website. So, this would require the participation of the Thai government, and perhaps some involvement of the military medical infrastructure, both Thai and embassy country.

 

The US could most certainly arrange this quite easily in Thailand with its massive resources and substantial relationships with the Thai military. And, I agree that it should. As far as other countries, the abilities would be less perhaps, depending on the country. Maybe the US could organize this on behalf of many other countries.

[Phillip9]

6 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

It requires a two-three stage processing zone, for documentation, screening, etc., then an organized queuing system for the jabs, then a waiting area afterwards for 15 minutes for each person to determine whether there are any side effects, etc., plus a documentation area afterwards. 

 

So, realistically, you would need access to some sort of stadium or premises for this, during a period of days or weeks

 

In the US, shots are literally available at every corner pharmacy--hundreds of locations in every major city.  There is none of the drama you describe.  There is just a nurse giving jabs, and a waiting area to sit 15 minutes afterwards.  It's all super simple.

[Jingthing]

21 hours ago, Emdog said:

This is State Dept Mission, from their official website:

"The U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity." I'm part of "American people" being American and all. I pay US taxes which are used to pay for the vaccine. Comparing a pandemic to a broken leg is absurd. Both Trump and Biden have said vaccine would be available for all Americans.

I have written to my senators, reps, called the embassy, contacted various news outlets.

 

I think there is a way to start a petition on a white house page. If an issue gets enough support they are required to at least respond to it.

[keemapoot]

3 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

 

In the US, shots are literally available at every corner pharmacy--hundreds of locations in every major city.  There is none of the drama you describe.  There is just a nurse giving jabs, and a waiting area to sit 15 minutes afterwards.  It's all super simple.

 

Perhaps that's true in the US. However, here in Japan, this requires a big effort, probably because no local resources are available to assist. This would be the same in Thailand I believe as Thai personnel are busy with Thai citizens, so I stand by my post.

[rupert the bear]

21 hours ago, asiacurious said:

 

I tried, but I really can't read that, which actually might be for the best.

 

a few commas would help and some spaces between sentences and use of full words instead of abb words and things like some basic punctuation and stuff without silly super long sentences that lack any sort of capitalization or other basic things to make such a really rambling rant reasonably readable... would be nice.

 

I'd love to read and understand your position, but if you can't be bothered to make it readable, I can't be bothered to read it.

 

i have another machine the last oldand not working correctly.my position-vaccs are the way out of this,we need to be vaccinated here,the uk govt is vaccing its staff at brit council and embassy,we as tax payers pay for this.i do pay tax and they have a duty to protect their own people  thats the purpose of govt or one of them.the uk govt obviously thinks that their own staff need to be vacced so they dont believe the thai govt position,so what of the rest of us?as a taxpayer im left hi and dry.the emb boys arnt and its done with my money.i have a right to an opinion on this.most people i discuss it with seem to agree.the situation here is,no testing, no vaccs and little info.theyre way behind everyone and after the daft decision to spread from bkk to the  rest of the country over songkran we are screwed now.as for india a nuclear deterrent and massive armed forces leaves a hole .a big one in the pocket,they are responsible for that no one else.ive spent a long time in the subcontinent and the problems always the same logistics,organisation and red tape.oxygen supplies were being stopped at state borders due to redtape that is stopped now.food is the same,plenty of it,in the wrong places,india finds itself in a unique position.massive pop of day workers,they decided to let the lockdown go earleir,the only decision they could make really due to the poverty hardship and death that such a thing could bring.the middle class has been heavily effetcted now hence the noise,india has 160 deaths per mill approx look at the figs and many countries have approaching 2000 per million,so this seems like more of the same old PC guff.why not the philippines?a perhaps more deserving case,of course when weve taken care of our people in harms way give the vaccs to other countries but charge them especially india where as a foreigner your pickpocketed by all and sundry especially the govt who charge u extra for everything based on skin tone but at the first opportunity scream racism.it would be like giving it out here for free from USA or UK etc whilst the hi so count their money in germany and the generals figure out a new way to buy subs with taxpayers money.solve this problem by mass vaccination,in UK we vacc everyone,it needs to be done in that way asap.the uk govt has  a duty to look after its citizens and taxpayers  first!,now i hope the punctuation on this computer works.you can read my position

[asiacurious]

 

On 4/29/2021 at 10:41 PM, rupert the bear said:

i have another machine the last oldand not working correctly.my position-vaccs are the way out of this,we need to be vaccinated here,the uk govt is vaccing its staff at brit council and embassy,we as tax payers pay for this.i do pay tax and they have a duty to protect their own people  thats the purpose of govt or one of them.the uk govt obviously thinks that their own staff need to be vacced so they dont believe the thai govt position,so what of the rest of us?as a taxpayer im left hi and dry.the emb boys arnt and its done with my money.i have a right to an opinion on this.most people i discuss it with seem to agree.the situation here is,no testing, no vaccs and little info.theyre way behind everyone and after the daft decision to spread from bkk to the  rest of the country over songkran we are screwed now.as for india a nuclear deterrent and massive armed forces leaves a hole .a big one in the pocket,they are responsible for that no one else.ive spent a long time in the subcontinent and the problems always the same logistics,organisation and red tape.oxygen supplies were being stopped at state borders due to redtape that is stopped now.food is the same,plenty of it,in the wrong places,india finds itself in a unique position.massive pop of day workers,they decided to let the lockdown go earleir,the only decision they could make really due to the poverty hardship and death that such a thing could bring.the middle class has been heavily effetcted now hence the noise,india has 160 deaths per mill approx look at the figs and many countries have approaching 2000 per million,so this seems like more of the same old PC guff.why not the philippines?a perhaps more deserving case,of course when weve taken care of our people in harms way give the vaccs to other countries but charge them especially india where as a foreigner your pickpocketed by all and sundry especially the govt who charge u extra for everything based on skin tone but at the first opportunity scream racism.it would be like giving it out here for free from USA or UK etc whilst the hi so count their money in germany and the generals figure out a new way to buy subs with taxpayers money.solve this problem by mass vaccination,in UK we vacc everyone,it needs to be done in that way asap.the uk govt has  a duty to look after its citizens and taxpayers  first!,now i hope the punctuation on this computer works.you can read my position

 

I'm sorry.  I really tried to read this one but I couldn't.  I did see the first sentence or two where you blame your machine for the problems.  It's a rather strange reason given that, well....

 

im not sure why you can manage spaces betw words but not spaces after punct.it really is quite strange.and as i type this response i notice the capitalized UK in your response so you do seem to know about and be capable of using the shift key.also too the capitalized PC which pops out in the middle of your response.so it is strange that you dont like to capitalize the start of sentences.so i would guess that it isnt really about your machine or any other impediments and is just how you prefer to write and of course that is ok and perfectly your right,you know to each their own.but for me it requires too much effort to read.it hurts the eyes and if im being honest makes it hard to understand what your thinking is simply because i have to work overtime to parse out the words into logical segments.even typing this response to you using your very particular writing style is pretty painful to do.so i guess this is the last time i will.it might be you have good points but i dont know,and i guess ill never know.

 

Oh, and....

 

tHe0nlYthInGthAtw0uLDbEhArdErt0rEadiSiFY0uwEre

torANDomlYcapi0liZeletTErsanDrEM0vEAlLspACEsfr0m

y0urwRiTINg. ????
 

Edit:   the above is:  

The only thing that would be harder to read is if you were to randomly capitol letters and remove all spaces from your writing.   

 

 

 

[treetops]

Did you mean to reply in that post?

[rupert the bear]

On 4/28/2021 at 4:51 PM, geisha said:

So, all of you who live near the Embassy would have a right to a vaccination, and those others that live far south or north don’t count ? 

it would be the embassy to make  vaccs available in each region ie CM puket and perhaps udon.that  would be a logical answer or to make an appt,this place could be a little india,no testing etc

[expatjustice]

*Removed post edited out*

Regardless of his punctuation, he is pretty much right in his opinion. 
 

What did India do for the UK when the UK was on the verge of disaster and India was relatively fine? Nothing at all; if anything rich Indians were laughing at the UK….
 

Now, things have turned around, But make no mistake, India is not some extremely poor country like those in Africa or certain parts of Asia and South America which rely on first world countries to give aid to them. 
 

India is a superpower, with nuclear weapons, one of the biggest armies on earth, etc… That all costs a lot of money, obviously. 
 

Why should the UK give away its medical supplies to a country which nowadays has nothing related to COVID-19 fight because the powerful and the rich have literally been stealing it off the lower class ?? 
 

If the UK really has an excess of material they do not need, they would be better off either donating it to countries which really need it and can’t afford it, or selling it to India at a good price. 
 

Most people in India are very poor, but the government is very rich and powerful. They can afford it, and this situation was brought upon them by their government itself. Nothing that the UK should take pity of….

[asiacurious]

1 hour ago, expatjustice said:

*Removed post edited out*

Regardless of his punctuation, he is pretty much right in his opinion. 
 

What did India do for the UK when the UK was on the verge of disaster and India was relatively fine? Nothing at all; if anything rich Indians were laughing at the UK….
 

Now, things have turned around, But make no mistake, India is not some extremely poor country like those in Africa or certain parts of Asia and South America which rely on first world countries to give aid to them. 
 

India is a superpower, with nuclear weapons, one of the biggest armies on earth, etc… That all costs a lot of money, obviously. 
 

Why should the UK give away its medical supplies to a country which nowadays has nothing related to COVID-19 fight because the powerful and the rich have literally been stealing it off the lower class ?? 
 

If the UK really has an excess of material they do not need, they would be better off either donating it to countries which really need it and can’t afford it, or selling it to India at a good price. 
 

Most people in India are very poor, but the government is very rich and powerful. They can afford it, and this situation was brought upon them by their government itself. Nothing that the UK should take pity of….

 

I'm happy to reply to your post.  I can't reply to rupert's however, as I really can't read it.

 

I don't know whether or not other countries did much to help the UK earlier during the pandemic.  I do recall early on that the UK government was advocating strongly to take the natural herd immunity approach.  That backfired on them and they changed course, but not before some real damage was done.  I also don't recall the UK ever asking for help from other countries.  Perhaps they did and I missed it?

 

It's quite difficult to speak intelligently about the situation in India without first acknowledging a few unambiguous facts:

• India has roughly 21 times the population of Great Britain
• The rate of vaccine production is limited by the availability of raw materials and manufacturing capacity.
• India has vaccinated (with at least one dose) more people than all other countries except the China and the United States

 

Even with those facts, it's still quite difficult to compare India and the UK, but I'll give it a shot.  According to this site, the number of doses (at least one shot) in India and the UK are:

• INDIA: 126.33 million vaccinations (9.15% of the 1.38 billion population)
• UK: 34.35 million vaccinations (50.4% of the 67.89 million population)

So India has vaccinated about 3.7X the number of people that have been vaccinated in the UK.  (Another way to put it, India could have vaccinated almost everyone living in the UK twice!)  In fact, India has vaccinated MORE people than the entire EU has vaccinated.  So I have to ask (mostly sarcastically), why is such an advanced, wealthy nation like the UK so very slow?!  And why is the EU so slow too?!  Only the China and the United States have vaccinated more people than India.  All other countries fall behind the US and India....

 

 

 

In praise of the UK, they seem to have done a good job working to ramp up the ability to domestically produce some of their vaccine needs (though some facilities appear to still be offline).  Here's a good article on that.   However, according to the BBC, the UK has also been importing vaccines from other countries:

• AstraZeneca is being manufactured in the UK at a number of sites
• Pfizer-BioNTech is imported from Puurs, Belgium
• Moderna is imported from sites in Switzerland and Spain, via Belgium.
• Expected in the future are AstraZeneca doses from the Serum Institute of India and the Halix plant in the Dutch city of Leiden.

 

Did you know that India was originally going to be supplying the UK with vaccines?  (I would expect this won't end up happening as the need may not be there by the time India can produce enough to export.)  

 

Finally, with all of the above, it's important to remember that while India does indeed have it's wealthy elites, it isn't exactly a wealthy nation in terms of GDP.  The IMF rankings for GDP per capita in 2021 as:

• USA - 5th
• UK - 21st
• India - 138th

There is much more I could say about why I think it's important for other nations to come to India's aid.  (I could go into great detail about how India is a major global producer of pharmaceutical chemicals used by other drug manufactures outside of India in the production of finished drugs.  Or how India supplies roughly 20% of the world's generic drugs.)

 

My position is that the world must take a broad global approach towards the fight against Covid, not a narrow nationalistic approach.  The virus does not recognize or respect national borders and neither can the efforts be to get it under control.

 

 

 

 

[heyx2rr]

N

Quote

Not sure if this has been posted earlier in the thread (it's been a day or two since I read the full thread), but I did get the info below from the US Embassy in Bangkok as a part of the standard reply they send out to email queries:

 

-----
7.            COVID 19 Vaccination
The United States Government does not plan to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to private U.S. citizens overseas.  Please follow host country developments and guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination.

 -----

 

So, although I can appreciate many of the arguments made for the US govt providing dedicated vaccines for US citizens overseas, I think the only way it could potentially happen is indirectly via US support for local government vaccination efforts (with US citizens getting in line along with the local population and getting vaccinated according to the local priorities and by local authorities).

  

Unfortunately for those without pink ID cards here in Thailand (myself included), when we can actually get in the queue remains unclear.  FWIW, I don't really expect an answer to that until late May or the first half of June.

 

Cheers...

 

[Damrongsak]

On 4/30/2021 at 1:23 AM, Phillip9 said:

 

In the US, shots are literally available at every corner pharmacy--hundreds of locations in every major city.  There is none of the drama you describe.  There is just a nurse giving jabs, and a waiting area to sit 15 minutes afterwards.  It's all super simple.

I got mine at the county fairgrounds, LOL.  They have a big shed building and parking right next to all the other county government buildings, so the county health department uses it among other locations.  When I got it, they were giving about 1,000 shots a day at that location.  Now I could get a shot at a pharmacy 2-5 miles from my house.  

[Jingthing]

12 hours ago, heyx2rr said:

N

 

 

11 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

I got mine at the county fairgrounds, LOL.  They have a big shed building and parking right next to all the other county government buildings, so the county health department uses it among other locations.  When I got it, they were giving about 1,000 shots a day at that location.  Now I could get a shot at a pharmacy 2-5 miles from my house.  

They didn't mean to allow foreigners to register even with a pink card this early. Some did. The current schedule for foreigners is sign up in July for beginning in August. Way too shabby particularly for high risk foreigners.

It's unknown whether online bookings for foreigners for June will be honored because they weren't meant to be allowed to be made in the first place. Software design issue.

[Damrongsak]

On 4/30/2021 at 6:33 AM, asiacurious said:

... Oh, and....

 

tHe0nlYthInGthAtw0uLDbEhArdErt0rEadiSiFY0uwEre

torANDomlYcapi0liZeletTErsanDrEM0vEAlLspACEsfr0m

y0urwRiTINg. ????

Looks almost like fancy Thai script to me. 

 

It would be nice if foreign embassies arranged for their citizens to get vaccinations through local channels.  Pay double the cost - Vaccinate one farang, get one Thai shot for free. 

[Jingthing]

I reckon the vast majority of the expats that want vaccines are willing to pay. But getting back of bus treatment as far as priority particularly for high risk people ain't  so great.