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

[Excel]

Excellent news  if true, and perhaps Bangkok hospitals  will  expand that to all their hospitals, not just Pattaya. Expect that there are a few  Klingons on this forum relieved.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Excel

[Guderian]

Nothing on the BHP website at present, maybe they want to keep it a secret in case the Covid Czar finds out and confiscates all the vaccines so he can sell them himself at an even higher price, lol. 

 

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/

 

[Jingthing]

It was specifically about BPH. This thread was started intentionally to cover details about vaccine access in Pattaya. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Jingthing

[Andrew Dwyer]

Here you go @Jingthing.

 

He flatly denied reports of expats living in Thailand being allowed to register for free vaccines. But did offer a glimmer of hope…

“In the future, the country will provide more alternatives for vaccines so they could have a chance of getting it.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/vaccines-reserved-to-thais-not-expats-public-health-ministry

 

I would read from this that :

 

Foreigners allowed to register via the app was a mistake.

Foreigners will be allowed to obtain a vaccine at a later date. IMO this means at a private hospital for a price yet to be decided.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Here you go @Jingthing.

 

He flatly denied reports of expats living in Thailand being allowed to register for free vaccines. But did offer a glimmer of hope…

“In the future, the country will provide more alternatives for vaccines so they could have a chance of getting it.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/vaccines-reserved-to-thais-not-expats-public-health-ministry

 

I would read from this that :

 

Foreigners allowed to register via the app was a mistake.

Foreigners will be allowed to obtain a vaccine at a later date. IMO this means at a private hospital for a price yet to be decided.

 

I forgot to add.

 

In addition from the above linked article:

 

“The Government confirmed that foreigners who had registered via the Mor Prom app or the LINE app would not be offered vaccination in the June or July roll out.”

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Here you go @Jingthing.

 

He flatly denied reports of expats living in Thailand being allowed to register for free vaccines. But did offer a glimmer of hope…

“In the future, the country will provide more alternatives for vaccines so they could have a chance of getting it.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/vaccines-reserved-to-thais-not-expats-public-health-ministry

 

I would read from this that :

 

Foreigners allowed to register via the app was a mistake.

Foreigners will be allowed to obtain a vaccine at a later date. IMO this means at a private hospital for a price yet to be decided.

 

Yes.

I was completely expecting access for paying expats at private hospitals eventually but the evidence was previously pointing to starting in August. 

So hearing more late like late June is a big deal at least at some places.

But it hasn't happened yet of course.

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I forgot to add.

 

In addition from the above linked article:

 

“The Government confirmed that foreigners who had registered via the Mor Prom app or the LINE app would not be offered vaccination in the June or July roll out.”

I'm sorry to hear that if it turns out to be true for the expats that worked hard to get those bookings 

But frankly I'm not so sorry for the expats that were gloating about that and suggesting that they are superior expats because they have a Thai ID number. 

[Excel]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

I'm sorry to hear that if it turns out to be true for the expats that worked hard to get those bookings 

But frankly I'm not so sorry for the expats that were gloating about that and suggesting that they are superior expats because they have a Thai ID number. 

Well they may have thought that they were superior but it turns out it indicates all they achieved was showing their naivety as posts for months have indicated that most foreigners would need to wait some time for their vaccinations, and if they had been here a long time then clearly they have learned little about how foreigners are treated by the government. I say government in order to distinguish the buffoons and liars that they are ( central government) from the helpful staff in the government hospitals in the provinces who from my experience treat you as well as anybody else.

[Jingthing]

16 minutes ago, Excel said:

Well they may have thought that they were superior but it turns out it indicates all they achieved was showing their naivety as posts for months have indicated that most foreigners would need to wait some time for their vaccinations, and if they had been here a long time then clearly they have learned little about how foreigners are treated by the government. I say government in order to distinguish the buffoons and liars that they are ( central government) from the helpful staff in the government hospitals in the provinces who from my experience treat you as well as anybody else.

Yeah well I must admit in the cold light of day that FIREWORKS were a premature reaction to the good news from BPH. It's not real until the injections get pushed into our arms. Things can always change on a dime EITHER way. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Jingthing

[Excel]

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah well I must admit in the cold light of day that FIREWORKS were a premature reaction to the good news from BPH. It's not real until the injections get pushed into our arms. Things can always change on a dime EITHER way. 

Well yes indeed, a bit like premature ejaculation by them, it all come to nothing ????????

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, Excel said:

Well yes indeed, a bit like premature ejaculation by them, it all come to nothing ????????

Yeah we'll know when we know. It's all talk until we see those sweet, sweet syringes.

[WaveHunter]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Here you go @Jingthing.

 

He flatly denied reports of expats living in Thailand being allowed to register for free vaccines. But did offer a glimmer of hope…

“In the future, the country will provide more alternatives for vaccines so they could have a chance of getting it.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/vaccines-reserved-to-thais-not-expats-public-health-ministry

 

I would read from this that :

 

Foreigners allowed to register via the app was a mistake.

Foreigners will be allowed to obtain a vaccine at a later date. IMO this means at a private hospital for a price yet to be decided.

 

That's an excellent article so kudos to you for posting the link!  I think the essential takeaway is this quote from the article:

 

• "The Government confirmed that foreigners who had registered via the Mor Prom app or the LINE app would not be offered vaccination in the June or July roll out."

Why did this happen?  I mean, why has there been all this confusion from the government related to the rollout? 

 

I think the reason is actually very simple to understand, and the reason foreigners were led to believe that they could register on MorProm was intended to placate foreigners into a false sense of security and deflect blame for the rollout fiasco.

 

Consider this:  At the end of last year when most other countries' food & drug authorities were focused on RAPID approval of vaccine brands for safety and efficacy, and had approved and began ordering vaccines as early as December of last year, Thailand is STILL debating approval on many brands five months later.

 

The Moderna vaccine, for example, was approved in the US and Canada back in December of 2020. Here in Thailand, five months later, it has STILL not been approved! 

 

There is no reason I can see for this protracted approval process in Thailand.  Many countries around the world have now vaccinated a considerable percent of their populations, yet here in Thailand they have barely scratched the surface.

 

Last week, Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, finally made it clear that the ministry will assign the GPO (government Procurement Office) to import the vaccines for private companies (i.e.: private hospitals).

 

Private hospitals can already order other vaccines (through the GPO), which have already been approved by the FDA, namely AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson. There are 3 brands, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V, STILL waiting FDA approval, even though most other countries around the world have approved them.  Let's just see how long it takes for that to happen herer in Thailand.  I mean, there IS progress, so I'm kind of optimistic.

 

Anyway...let's just see if this is actually true, or just more political rhetoric to placate us foreigners. 

 

If it's true and there's some REAL inertia behind the effort, I think we all might be able to get the vaccine of our choice through private hospitals by August from a purely logistical standpoint.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by WaveHunter

[Brierley]

"Why did this happen?  I mean, why has there been all this confusion from the government related to the rollout"? 

 

Why should the rollout of vaccines be any different from anything else the government tries to do.

[jacko45k]

13 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Why did this happen?  I mean, why has there been all this confusion from the government related to the rollout? 

Jeez mate, there is always confusion, rumour, Chinese whispers etc etc about any new processes here. I am kinda learning to let it blow on by and see what we have when the dust settles.

Edited May 5, 2021 by jacko45k

[Andrew Dwyer]

18 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Why did this happen?  I mean, why has there been all this confusion from the government related to the rollout? 

 

I think the reason is actually very simple to understand, and the reason foreigners were led to believe that they could register on MorProm was intended to placate foreigners into a false sense of security and deflect blame for the rollout fiasco.

I tend to think that the answer is a lot simpler than that and the people creating the app gave no thought to foreigners getting the vaccine !

Their main concern was to create an app so Thai people could register and create an appointment for a vaccine, the fact that foreigners could also register and book a jab probably came as much a shock to them as it did to us !!

[Jingthing]

48 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I tend to think that the answer is a lot simpler than that and the people creating the app gave no thought to foreigners getting the vaccine !

Their main concern was to create an app so Thai people could register and create an appointment for a vaccine, the fact that foreigners could also register and book a jab probably came as much a shock to them as it did to us !!

Golly, Surprise, Surprise!

 

 

So the latest word who knows if it's true  is that they now intend to cancel those bookings.

 

If so this could be a golden opportunity for youtubers to create some VIRAL videos.

 

Imagine the video dramas of f-rangs showing up for jabs and being kicked out just for not being Thai. The reactions of the Thais in the rooms would be priceless too. 

 

I'm not really sure how most Thais would react but who wouldn't want to see that scene?

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Jingthing

[WaveHunter]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I tend to think that the answer is a lot simpler than that and the people creating the app gave no thought to foreigners getting the vaccine !

Their main concern was to create an app so Thai people could register and create an appointment for a vaccine, the fact that foreigners could also register and book a jab probably came as much a shock to them as it did to us !!

Looking at it all from a calmer perspective, I have to admit that you and others such as @Sherylare probably correct. 

 

Foreigners seizing on the app was probably an unexpected consequence of its' release since it was not even promoted to foreigners by authorities, not available in English, and information about it was only made available to foreigners by word of mouth (primarily through forum posts).

 

The Government has confirmed that foreigners who managed to actually register via the Mor Prom app or the LINE app would not be offered vaccination in the June or July roll out."

 

I over-reacted to the situation and apologize for the conspiratorial tone of my posts. ????

Edited May 5, 2021 by WaveHunter

[CRUNCHER]

The Government needs to get its collective head around the most important reason for vaccination.

 

Yes, I get the vaccine to protect me. I.e. to stop me getting the virus. On that basis perhaps the Government is right to give priority to its own people.

 

The main reason, however, is to prevent the spread of the virus in the community. I.e. to stop me getting the virus and passing it on to a thousand Thais. On that basis any prioritizing on the basis of race, religion or ethnic origins is wrong and just plain stupid.  Yes, even kingons should get it.

 

Perhaps the Government will eventually get it, but don't hold your breath. That is why this thread is important so we can monitor the situation!!!

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by CRUNCHER

[Guderian]

It's not surprising that they aren't giving expats any priority in the vaccine programme, regardless of age or pre-existing conditions, but I still find it a bit disappointing. My GF has been completely dependent on me for money since last April, and as she supports her aged uncle I've in effect been paying his bills too. My builder was out of work last June as most of his customers were stuck outside Thailand or had gone back to Bangkok, so I gave him two big jobs that kept him busy until mid-December and by then he'd drummed up enough business among Thai and farangs that he didn't need my help any more. So in some ways, I kept him, his wife and their two kids solvent last year. And then, of course, we keep many local businesses going, from gardening and pest control services, to shops like Siamburi's and Friendship. What little money the bars and Gogo's have made in the last year has mainly come from expats, as well as western-oriented restaurants. In places like Pattaya, it's pretty clear to me that the situation would have been much worse for many of the locals if we hadn't been here spending our money. And what thanks do we get? I know, it's naive to expect any, but at the very least they could have saved us a lot of anguish by helping and supporting the private hospitals so that expats could be vaccinated in some predictable and orderly manner, instead of leaving us all hanging.

[Fairynuff]

On 5/1/2021 at 3:38 PM, Johnny Mac said:

Couldn't care less about it. Will probably have it done at some point, but in no hurry at all and will wait for the dust to settle and everything to become more clear.

 

Why the rush anyway, if all you are doing is going to Lotus/Big C?

Presumably you’re, very young and have no underlying conditions that make you vulnerable. Presumably you also don’t give a toss about the likely majority of expats on this forum who are both old and vulnerable.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

It's not surprising that they aren't giving expats any priority in the vaccine programme, regardless of age or pre-existing conditions, but I still find it a bit disappointing. My GF has been completely dependent on me for money since last April, and as she supports her aged uncle I've in effect been paying his bills too. My builder was out of work last June as most of his customers were stuck outside Thailand or had gone back to Bangkok, so I gave him two big jobs that kept him busy until mid-December and by then he'd drummed up enough business among Thai and farangs that he didn't need my help any more. So in some ways, I kept him, his wife and their two kids solvent last year. And then, of course, we keep many local businesses going, from gardening and pest control services, to shops like Siamburi's and Friendship. What little money the bars and Gogo's have made in the last year has mainly come from expats, as well as western-oriented restaurants. In places like Pattaya, it's pretty clear to me that the situation would have been much worse for many of the locals if we hadn't been here spending our money. And what thanks do we get? I know, it's naive to expect any, but at the very least they could have saved us a lot of anguish by helping and supporting the private hospitals so that expats could be vaccinated in some predictable and orderly manner, instead of leaving us all hanging.

None of us particularly want or expect shows of gratitude. We choose to do what we do without any expectations beyond a little respect and equality. Unfortunately we’ve come to realise even that is an expectation too far. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Fairynuff

[Johnny Mac]

1 hour ago, Fairynuff said:

Presumably you’re, very young and have no underlying conditions that make you vulnerable. Presumably you also don’t give a toss about the likely majority of expats on this forum who are both old and vulnerable.

 

Oh please, dry your eyes out.

 

As for being very young, yea righto lol. I highly doubt any young people post on here.

[Johnny Mac]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

I My GF has been completely dependent on me for money since last April

 

Last April? My one has been completely dependent on me for 12 years.

[Fairynuff]

The response I just received

 

Dear Mr (my name )

 

I am, as you would expect, raising this as a matter of urgency with the Prime Minister, as well as the Minister of Health, asking for both clarity on the government policy and for equal access to vaccines for all residents of Thailand.

 

Yours

 

 

Brian

 

Brian Davidson CMG I HM Ambassador to Thailand I British Embassy Bangkok I * [email protected] I( tel: +66 (0)2 305 8302 ( fax: +66 (0)2 305 8372 ) ECHO: 419 2302 I:: www.gov.uk/fcdo I www.gov.uk/world/thailand I facebook.com/ukinthailand I twitter.com/ukinthailand Itwitter.com/brijdavidson

[Fairynuff]

41 minutes ago, Johnny Mac said:

 

Last April? My one has been completely dependent on me for 12 years.

She has my sympathy 

[keithsimmonds]

The sooner every single Thai person is vaccinated the better.I dont have any bodily contact with any Farang /expat and I dont sit on a floor and eat somtan with me fingers and risk spreading what ever i might have to everyone else.....just a thought.

So vaccinate every single Thai person 1st then open the bars and Massage parlours etc etc...in the meantime just stay in your own little bubble and wait it out.......or just start yet another Covid thread of he said she said they said.

[Jingthing]

59 minutes ago, keithsimmonds said:

The sooner every single Thai person is vaccinated the better.I dont have any bodily contact with any Farang /expat and I dont sit on a floor and eat somtan with me fingers and risk spreading what ever i might have to everyone else.....just a thought.

So vaccinate every single Thai person 1st then open the bars and Massage parlours etc etc...in the meantime just stay in your own little bubble and wait it out.......or just start yet another Covid thread of he said she said they said.

Bodily contact not needed. It's airborne. 

[Jingthing]

Well nobody claimed this story is over.

I'm not sure how to take this press release

On the one hand it's chilling and ominous and on the other hand there's nothing in it that refutes the previous fireworks post.

 

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/content/not-yet-open-for-booking-of-alternative-vaccine

 

In regard to current news stating that private hospitals in Thailand are allowed to purchase their own COVID-19 vaccines for serving the high demand from their customers, as of 4th May 2021,

Bangkok Hospital Group has NOT yet been approved to order any COVID-19 vaccines from any manufacturers as publicized in the media. Therefore, there is no reservation available for general public. Once we are authorized and permitted to do so, a formal announcement will be made and you will be informed accordingly.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Jingthing

[TaaSaparot]

10 hours ago, CRUNCHER said:

The main reason, however, is to prevent the spread of the virus in the community. I.e. to stop me getting the virus and passing it on to a thousand Thais.

 

Vaccine does not stop you passing the virus onto others, well that is what we kept getting told.

[bkk6060]

My investigation the past few days with calls to hospitals and contact with some government folks are saying July or August for Expats.

Good luck to the white faced foreigners who registered and think they will show up in June, wait in line with Thais and get a jab. Hope you report on here, but I bet they will tell you to leave no shot.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by bkk6060