Expats getting a Covid-19 vaccine in Pattaya for dummies with emphasis on expats outside the Thai system

[dabhand]

The Phyathai website is updated with a message about the registration process.

 

Quote

https://phyathai2international.com/

 

[WaveHunter]

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Perhaps is too for those at the other end... they have to interact. You do seem to be commanding a lot of their resources. Is it really worth all the stress?

Not sure what you mean??

[jacko45k]

Just now, WaveHunter said:

Not sure what you mean??

Well not sure how else I can put it. You seem to be investing a lot of your time, overusing the time and resources on the hospital/ Thai side, and much time posting of it all here too. Is it worth all the stress?

[WaveHunter]

18 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Well not sure how else I can put it. You seem to be investing a lot of your time, overusing the time and resources on the hospital/ Thai side, and much time posting of it all here too. Is it worth all the stress?

Well, it seem to be the only way to get actual facts, and to share what I discover with others.  That is really the purpose of an online forum.

 

Obviously we can not rely on "official" briefings from the CCSA.  All of the registration schemes they have announced have been abysmal failures to date, such as MorProm, In-person registration at designated hospitals, InterVac, InterVac expat, etc.

 

As for hospital websites, the nurse at Samitivej Hospital told me in a teleconference call last night, that hospitals do not post anything about Covid registration because their communication with the Department of Health is (in her words) "often unclear or provided too late to be actionable, and often Ministry guidelines change without notice".  It was her recommendation, not mine, to call the hospital's call center periodically to get actual updates on registration for foreigners.

 

As for online news media, they have been notoriously inaccurate in providing registration information for foreigners.

 

ThaiVIsa has always been a way to facilitate the exchange of actionable information between expats that can not be gotten any other way.  So, I'm not sure why you'd find my posts offensive.

Edited July 6, 2021 by WaveHunter

[jacko45k]

4 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

ThaiVIsa has always been a way to facilitate the exchange of actionable information between expats that can not be gotten any other way.  So, I'm not sure why you'd find my posts offensive.

Offensive was not what was meant... why would you assume such?

But there is too much being presented here, which is often redundant by tea time.

[WaveHunter]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Offensive was not what was meant... why would you assume such?

But there is too much being presented here, which is often redundant by tea time.

The tone of your post seemed to infer that you found such posts annyong, but I apologize if I misread that.

 

 I agree with you that there is a lot of redundancy and also a lot of talk that goes off-topic, but the important posts that are in fact actionable clearly stand out. 

 

I mean can you think of any critically important thread on TVF that has been any different?  Look at some of the critically important Immigration office threads with literally hundreds of pages to them.  It's just how open forums work.

Edited July 6, 2021 by WaveHunter

[WaveHunter]

3 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

I thought only Delta did the pre-boarding malarkey? I had never flown with them until circumstances dictated I needed to connect at Hartsfield-Jackson. Despite languishing in their own lounge during the 5-hour layover, they never advertised 'pre-boarding' as a requirement, either by announcement or on the screens. So, when I saw the display say 'gate open', I rocked on up, presented the boarding pass they had given me at the transit desk only a few hours earlier only to have them hand it back to me and snort derisively, "Where were you for the pre-boarding? We have given your seat to another passenger already,"

 

I did get on through a combination of luck and their absolute ineptitude and got an upgrade to the front of the bus.

 

Then they lost my bags.

 

Now, back to our regular programming.

Obviously way off-topic, I mean WAY OFF, but every airline in the world does pre-boarding for handicapped people and families with extremely young children.

[Guderian]

1 hour ago, dabhand said:

The Phyathai website is updated with a message about the registration process.

 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up! It sounds pretty straightforward, they'll publish a link to the form to be completed on the 12th. Once your registration is successful, they'll send an SMS to your mobile confirming the appointment, which cannot be changed. The vaccine is AZ only and will be given between 19th and 30th July.

 

I'm sure it won't turn out to be that simple in reality. The website will probably be totally overloaded and crash by 9:01 on the opening day. The form might suffer from the same problems as the original Intervac one did, forgetting what you entered or with drop-down menus that don't work. And if it does all work then they might run out of vaccine slots and shut down anyway by 9:15 on the opening day. Still and all, it's a definite possibility, though as this topic was about how to get a vaccine in Pattaya it doesn't actually help with that. Definitely better than nothing, though.

[NanLaew]

26 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Obviously way off-topic, I mean WAY OFF, but every airline in the world does pre-boarding for handicapped people and families with extremely young children.

Delta's 'pre-boarding' is unique in that ALL passengers need to 'check-in' at the gate at an indeterminate time before the listed boarding time where they take away any boarding pass in your possession and give you another one. It's a way of catching no-shows early, getting wait-listed gate pax onboard in their place and full flights.

 

Other airlines do pre-boarding as you correctly describe above.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, dabhand said:

The Phyathai website is updated with a message about the registration process.

 

 

For those with limited online resources, it looks like this. I note that they will be using Google Forms which is more robust than a smartphone app and very computer friendly too for those who only use their smartphone as a phone.

 

 

This looks like the best organized and more reliable opportunity to-date for Pattaya residents to get vaccinated quickly. Since you will be traveling from deep-red province to deep-red province and back, it's a no brainer for the more ardent vaccination seekers.

 

Good luck to those that subscribe.

[dabhand]

Just now, Guderian said:

 

Thanks for the heads up! It sounds pretty straightforward, they'll publish a link to the form to be completed on the 12th. Once your registration is successful, they'll send an SMS to your mobile confirming the appointment, which cannot be changed. The vaccine is AZ only and will be given between 19th and 30th July.

 

I'm sure it won't turn out to be that simple in reality. The website will probably be totally overloaded and crash by 9:01 on the opening day. The form might suffer from the same problems as the original Intervac one did, forgetting what you entered or with drop-down menus that don't work. And if it does all work then they might run out of vaccine slots and shut down anyway by 9:15 on the opening day. Still and all, it's a definite possibility, though as this topic was about how to get a vaccine in Pattaya it doesn't actually help with that. Definitely better than nothing, though.

 

Yes, it is certainly worth a shot and, as others have noted, arranging a secure (Bolt?) mode of transport at reasonable cost is probably the way to go if successful. The distance is surely not an issue, so even those located in Pattaya must see this as an opportunity that should not be missed.

 

May not work out but I will be online to give it a try. 

[jacko45k]

42 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

I mean can you think of any critically important thread on TVF that has been any different?  Look at some of the critically important Immigration office threads with literally hundreds of pages to them.  It's just how open forums work.

And that is my point. With Immigration policy changes everybody jumps around waving their arms about, rumours and false interpretations are everywhere and people start packing their bags. This is similar.  I think to wait for the dust to settle and things to become clear and often modified. I likely will be caught with my pants down this time, but it won't be for a jab. I am particularly struggling to glean anything useful lately..... 

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, Guderian said:

 

Thanks for the heads up! It sounds pretty straightforward, they'll publish a link to the form to be completed on the 12th. Once your registration is successful, they'll send an SMS to your mobile confirming the appointment, which cannot be changed. The vaccine is AZ only and will be given between 19th and 30th July.

 

I'm sure it won't turn out to be that simple in reality. The website will probably be totally overloaded and crash by 9:01 on the opening day. The form might suffer from the same problems as the original Intervac one did, forgetting what you entered or with drop-down menus that don't work. And if it does all work then they might run out of vaccine slots and shut down anyway by 9:15 on the opening day. Still and all, it's a definite possibility, though as this topic was about how to get a vaccine in Pattaya it doesn't actually help with that. Definitely better than nothing, though.

I'm unclear on part of your post.

I'm not familiar with Google Forms.

Are you saying that your understanding is that there will access to their Google form for their registration BEFORE the opening time of the registration? 

I have to agree that it seems quite possible that the opening may be followed very shortly with the closing.

[Jingthing]

Also they are saying it will be Astra Zenica which most people, including me, prefer to Sinovac. I actually think Sinovac is OK after the second dose but almost worthless after the first dose. So getting the first dose of Astra Zenica would definitely be better at that stage.

[Jingthing]

This is kind of like the Hunger Games with vaccines, innit?

[Guderian]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Are you saying that your understanding is that there will access to their Google form for their registration BEFORE the opening time of the registration? 

 

I've no idea how they'll do it in practice, but there's not much point in opening for registration if nobody has the link to the form to be filled in is there? This is Thailand, though, so who knows, lol?

[VaccineHunter]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Well not sure how else I can put it. You seem to be investing a lot of your time, overusing the time and resources on the hospital/ Thai side, and much time posting of it all here too. Is it worth all the stress?

I have to chip in here - I don't think calling the Hospitals and inquiring about their publicly announced services is "overusing" their time and resources. That's what they are here for. Whether its worth all the stress is a personal decision - and since this thread is about getting vaccinated I think we all have already made that decision to a certain degree. If you feel otherwise I wonder why you take the time to read the threads?

Edited July 6, 2021 by VaccineHunter

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, VaccineHunter said:

If you feel otherwise I wonder why you take the time ready the threads?

That is part of the issue...... it is becoming of less and less use. 

And I actually think the hospitals and nursing staff are there to answer serious questions and take care of patients....... I am sure they have been deluged lately. 

Edited July 6, 2021 by jacko45k

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, Guderian said:

 

I've no idea how they'll do it in practice, but there's not much point in opening for registration if nobody has the link to the form to be filled in is there? This is Thailand, though, so who knows, lol?

Interesting.

I would assume that they won't release the form until the opening time of the registration, but of course I don't know either. 

[Jingthing]

I wonder exactly how many Astra Zenica vaccines we're all competing for, that is all the high risk expats in Bangkok and indeed the rest of Thailand willing and able to travel there (two times). 

[VaccineHunter]

2 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

That is part of the issue...... it is becoming of less and less use. 

Thanks to "contributors" like you who don't provide practial advice and tips about how to get vaccinated but shoot down other posters and accuse them of "overusing" the system.. Lets share positive and constructive news about the 2 Hospitals that have just announced registrations for foreigners - thats a positive development and we should share all information we can here to make this thread more meaningful...

 

[VaccineHunter]

15 minutes ago, Guderian said:

 

I've no idea how they'll do it in practice, but there's not much point in opening for registration if nobody has the link to the form to be filled in is there? This is Thailand, though, so who knows, lol?

the link will be there on the 12th from 9 am onwards according to the PhyaThai 2 site..

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, VaccineHunter said:

Thanks to "contributors" like you who don't provide practial advice and tips about how to get vaccinated

Don't blame me for the confusion, it is caused by a profusion of waffling posts.  Isn't the thread for Pattaya and the 2 hospitals mentioned are both in Bangkok? So is off topic... where can I register for a jab in Pattaya?

[Guderian]

And again there's no guarantee that you'll be able to get it in Pattaya, or even be able to get it at all, but we've also got the prospect of 300,000 doses donated by the US being reserved for foreigners living in Thailand. Of course, there's 101 things that can mess that plan up before a single expat receives a dose, and arriving 'before the end of the year' is a bit vague given the circumstances. Still, there's hope, and things may yet improve further.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Guderian

[WaveHunter]

20 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

And that is my point. With Immigration policy changes everybody jumps around waving their arms about, rumours and false interpretations are everywhere and people start packing their bags. This is similar.  I think to wait for the dust to settle and things to become clear and often modified. I likely will be caught with my pants down this time, but it won't be for a jab. I am particularly struggling to glean anything useful lately..... 

In some circumstances you may be right but in this case foreigner registration for vaccination, nothing that has come from official sources or the news media has been correct, and much of what is made public is done in obscure ways.

 

Consider BHP opening up registration at midnight and only informing the public of it a few hours before with nothing at all on their website, and then shutting it down hours later before most people even awoke.

 

Consider for instance that I was registered for Moderna with Pattaya Memorial back at the end of May.  I thought I was all set.  Then they sent me a text message in mid June saying I had to re-register and prepay in-person, and gave me a five day window to do so.  Before I could even go to the hospital the next morning to do so, I received another text message that said that registration was now closed.

 

None of this should be this way but it is.  Traditional news media. official public announcements, and hospital website are not providing solutions.  The only chance most of us have in becoming registered to by word-of-mouth leads such as you find on TVF.

 

We are all adults here and can judge for ourselves whether information we see here on this forum seems legitimate and actionable.  I'd rather follow a dozen dead-end leads to find an actionable one than just be totally in the dark.

[VaccineHunter]

2 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Don't blame me for the confusion, it is caused by a profusion of waffling posts.  Isn't the thread for Pattaya and the 2 hospitals mentioned are both in Bangkok? So is off topic... where can I register for a jab in Pattaya?

You can't right now - if you wanna get vaccinated you have to register at these Bangkok Hospitals and thats the only avenue right now and that's why its being discussed in this forum.

[WaveHunter]

14 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I wonder exactly how many Astra Zenica vaccines we're all competing for, that is all the high risk expats in Bangkok and indeed the rest of Thailand willing and able to travel there (two times). 

We'll probably find out within 3 hours of registration opening (when they shut it down and state that registration is full).  If you don't register in that 3 hour window on that first day, you'll probably be out of luck is my guess.

Edited July 6, 2021 by WaveHunter

[WaveHunter]

10 minutes ago, VaccineHunter said:

the link will be there on the 12th from 9 am onwards according to the PhyaThai 2 site..

Well, we can hope it is at least LOL!

[VaccineHunter]

5 minutes ago, Guderian said:

And again there's no guarantee that you'll be able to get it in Pattaya, or even be able to get it at all, but we've also got the prospect of 300,000 doses donated by the US being reserved for foreigners living in Thailand. Of course, there's 101 things that can mess that plan up before a single expat receives a dose, and arriving 'before the end of the year' is a bit vague given the circumstances. Still, there's hope, and things may yet improve further.

 

 

I think you cannot take these annoucements at face value whatsoever - they are purely aspirational.. whereas the "Interva" registration in Bangkok will start at the 12th and has been proven to yield vaccination outcomes for foreigners... 

[WaveHunter]

56 minutes ago, Guderian said:

 

Thanks for the heads up! It sounds pretty straightforward, they'll publish a link to the form to be completed on the 12th. Once your registration is successful, they'll send an SMS to your mobile confirming the appointment, which cannot be changed. The vaccine is AZ only and will be given between 19th and 30th July.

 

I'm sure it won't turn out to be that simple in reality. The website will probably be totally overloaded and crash by 9:01 on the opening day. The form might suffer from the same problems as the original Intervac one did, forgetting what you entered or with drop-down menus that don't work. And if it does all work then they might run out of vaccine slots and shut down anyway by 9:15 on the opening day. Still and all, it's a definite possibility, though as this topic was about how to get a vaccine in Pattaya it doesn't actually help with that. Definitely better than nothing, though.

I hate to be negative but a website crash does seem likely on that first day, if the past registration schemes are any indication of what to expect.l

 

But then again, maybe their use of a google form also means that Google's server (not the hospital's server) will be handling the load, and might just stand up to the surge.

 

That might just be the saving grace that makes it work, where all the other registrations schemes of the past month have failed miserably.

 

 I guess we'll find on on July 12.

Edited July 6, 2021 by WaveHunter