Anyone flown back home for a vaccine?

[seesip]

Considering a flight back to the US for a vaccine, mainly due to the slow and unpredictable rollout here. But not sure how safe it is to fly international--anyone who's been flying to the U.S., would appreciate some input on covid safety on these longer flights.

[up-country_sinclair]

Good thread idea. ????

Would also be useful to learn about the process for a COE to return for anyone who's done it.

[macahoom]

4 minutes ago, up-country_sinclair said:

Good thread idea. ????

Would also be useful to learn about the process for a COE to return for anyone who's done it.

 

I Googled to find out the definition of the acronym COE.

 

There are 103 definitions. Which one is it?

[Captain Monday]

Do you go out among the untested unvaccinated Thai population or have you spent the last 13 months isolated at home? Everyone who gets on a flight to the US needs a negative test within 3 days.

It has been shown that because of the way air circulates and is filtered on planes it is unlikely for transmission to occur. Of course masks and common sense. Flying is safe.

 

[blackcab]

15 minutes ago, macahoom said:

COE

 

Certificate Of Entry

[George36]

I flew back to the United States on March 11th and it was very safe In my humble opinion.  Although on the flight to U.S. from Japan, I was given a seat next to two Thai monks but was immediately able to transfer to a middle row of four empty seats.

 

I received both jabs of vaccinations and feel much safer now.
 

FWIW, I left Thailand way earlier than planned as the handwriting was on the wall for the second wave and I wanted to get out of country early.  California is opening quite well now and my decision was sound in hindsight.

 

Please stay safe everyone.   

 

 

[Patong2021]

2 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Do you go out among the untested unvaccinated Thai population or have you spent the last 13 months isolated at home? Everyone who gets on a flight to the US needs a negative test within 3 days.

It has been shown that because of the way air circulates and is filtered on planes it is unlikely for transmission to occur. Of course masks and common sense. Flying is safe.

 

 

If that was true, then flights from India would not have been disgorging high numbers of infected passengers.

A quick Google will show stories like this  "More than a third of the passengers on flight UK6395—52 so far—have tested positive, the most from any plane arriving in the city."  https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-case-cluster-linked-to-one-flight-stirs-debate-among-health-experts-11619262004

 

Yes some flights were safer than others, but that was not the case because airlines like Lufthansa was carrying some of the largest passenger loads from India and these people would transfer in Germany sharing their infection with others.   USA airports also act as  transit hubs from infection zones in South and Central America.  Some countries do not make the data available, but I find this  https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html   and it list all the exposed passengers on  flights that go to Canada from other countries.   we keep being told how safe air travel is, but it is not so safe if you are the passenger sitting next to infected person.

 

Some countries like Japan and Taiwan are very careful. And then there are the countries like UK and Canada followed by EU and USA who did  poor job of screening international travelers.

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Monday]

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

If that was true, then flights from India would not have been disgorging high numbers of infected passengers.

A quick Google will show stories like this  "More than a third of the passengers on flight UK6395—52 so far—have tested positive, the most from any plane arriving in the city."  https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-case-cluster-linked-to-one-flight-stirs-debate-among-health-experts-11619262004

 

Yes some flights were safer than others, but that was not the case because airlines like Lufthansa was carrying some of the largest passenger loads from India and these people would transfer in Germany sharing their infection with others.   USA airports also act as  transit hubs from infection zones in South and Central America.  Some countries do not make the data available, but I find this  https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html   and it list all the exposed passengers on  flights that go to Canada from other countries.   we keep being told how safe air travel is, but it is not so safe if you are the passenger sitting next to infected person.

 

Some countries like Japan and Taiwan are very careful. And then there are the countries like UK and Canada followed by EU and USA who did  poor job of screening international travelers.

 

 

 

 

 

India is rife with fake PCR tests. Same thing with them arriving to Hong Kong. Exactly why vaccine passports are needed. Results sent directly to apps, low chance of forgery. From approved providers. 

[Solinvictus]

5 hours ago, George36 said:

California is opening quite well now

Texas is also. I really appreciate how the open air restaurants are up.

[flare]

It's having to quarantine for 14 days on the return leg (even if you've had the jab- the 7-day quarantine policy for vaccinated people was rolled back) that stops me- it would mean a few weeks in the US between shots (unless you could get the single-shot J&J, but that's in short supply and there's no guarantee of accessing it), plus another 14-days (and the accompanying expense) in hotel jail here, and I can't spend that much time away from my home and family in Thailand (and I'd go nuts being locked in a hotel room for that long).

[clokwise]

I definitely plan to head back to the old country in August if there's no proper vaccines available in Thailand by then. Hopefully the 14-day quarantine will again be 7 days by then. Of course it's WAY too soon to be certain of anything, but it's looking increasingly likely that vaccine rollout here will be a complete cockup. My biggest fear will be the flight over, double or triple masking doesn't seem like overkill to me, even if it's gonna make for an uncomfortable 14 hours.

[LomSak27]

'General specs’, what is needed to Get a Certificate Of Entry and fly back to Thailand. However, they are NOT exact, likely errors. If posters could update, add specifics, correct what is wrong.  COE -
 
A) document showing you have been vaccinated.
B) Two types of insurance. One specifically for covid. In my case, I am a Non O visa holder I would need to have both and valid until my renewal date. I do not have the name of these policies or coverage specifications ?? If you have Non OA, you might already have one of these insurance coverages, but not positive.
C) a 14 day reservation with an approved quarantine hotel. Current regulations. 
D) A Visa application, or a re-entry visa. 
E) copy of ticket (?)

With the above sent to the Thai Embassy in the US, you could then get a Certificate of Entry.
--------------------------------------
E) And you would then need to have a RT PCR test done before the flight. Again not sure on the exact timing on this. And or who one would submit results to?

 

Hope this helps get you started. If it gets to July and still a rat snarl here, I will go. Right now I could make a call in the morning, get a vaccination in the afternoon, walking distance from where I stay. Of course a number are going to be shutting down in the months ahead. If I do go, will make a vacation out of it. Stay August into September.  Best of luck whatever u decide. Aloha. 

[1FinickyOne]

I would say a far greater risk if you are getting on a plane... 

 

every time I would go back to USA I would arrive w/some sort of illness from the plane...

[flare]

I have little doubt that if you're willing to pay for it (months ago I saw preliminary estimates saying the vaccine will cost ~3500bt at local hospitals,  though who knows how that will match up to reality, especially when it first becomes available) you'll be able to get the jabs by the summer.  The big hospitals have to see this as a 'cash cow' with tens (maybe hundreds)-of-thousands of people willing and able to pay to avoid the government tiered roll-out, and they likely already have their orders in.

[seesip]

6 minutes ago, flare said:

I have little doubt that if you're willing to pay for it (months ago I saw preliminary estimates saying the vaccine will cost ~3500bt at local hospitals,  though who knows how that will match up to reality, especially when it first becomes available) you'll be able to get the jabs by the summer.  The big hospitals have to see this as a 'cash cow' with tens (maybe hundreds)-of-thousands of people willing and able to pay to avoid the government tiered roll-out, and they likely already have their orders in.

I'm assuming the same, but not sure whether that'll be "summer" as in June, or September. Hoping for sooner.

[LomSak27]

Just now, flare said:

I have little doubt that if you're willing to pay for it (months ago I saw preliminary estimates saying the vaccine will cost ~3500bt at local hospitals,  though who knows how that will match up to reality, especially when it first becomes available) you'll be able to get the jabs by the summer

 

I assumed the same. However the level of incompetence & mulish obstinance has surprised even me. 

[flare]

1 hour ago, seesip said:

I'm assuming the same, but not sure whether that'll be "summer" as in June, or September. Hoping for sooner.

I'm just guessing here, but it looks like the government is at least for now concerning itself with only the Sinovac and AZ vaccines, though others (I believe) are on the approved list- private hospitals can take more of a 'whatever is available' approach, and, going by an article I read a couple weeks ago in a paper that can't be linked here,  they were approved to order 10mil doses (so, enough for 5mil people)- no doubt orders have been in for months, and, with production ramping up, they'll likely be delivered soon.  I'd bet it will be closer to June than September- let's split the difference and say mid-July (hopefully).;)

[sqwakvfr]

I have this planned out.  The total cost to go back for 3 weeks and hopefully get the J&J one shot vaccine and come back to LOS would be almost $5000(this includes Round Trip Air Fare, rental car, hotel and of course the cost of the quarantine back in BKK).  At this point I am 60-40 against something like this in SEP or OCT 2021.  Of course it becomes ZERO if I can get vaccinated this year in LOS.  If given the choice between Sinovac or AstraZeneca I would chose something not coming out of China.  No official word as to if any private hospitals will offer the vaccine.

[sqwakvfr]

Richard Barrow posted on his twiiter that a travel company in Bangkok is now offering a USA Vaccine Tour Package  at 175,000 Baht.  This includes the J&J Vaccine.  I guess it was only a matter of time..  175,000 Baht is over $5000 so the price appears to be competitive.  I estimate about that much for me to go back to Los Angeles and get vaccinated(I factored in the cost of ASQ as well).  

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have this planned out.  The total cost to go back for 3 weeks and hopefully get the J&J one shot vaccine and come back to LOS would be almost $5000(this includes Round Trip Air Fare, rental car, hotel and of course the cost of the quarantine back in BKK).  At this point I am 60-40 against something like this in SEP or OCT 2021.  Of course it becomes ZERO if I can get vaccinated this year in LOS.  If given the choice between Sinovac or AstraZeneca I would chose something not coming out of China.  No official word as to if any private hospitals will offer the vaccine.

My current reading (don't bet on it, sorry) is that f-rangs will have access to Astra Zenica if high risk and Sinovac if not via the publc program starting in August, and also starting in August via private hospitals, Astra Zenica and at least one more desirable branded vaccine.  Personally I would stick it out here but ... who knows!?! 

[cardinalblue]

Why not plan your vacation in Sept-Oct to the usa...shot will be no problem there and then monitor LOS situation...

 

I have a return ticket for Oct and hoping this BS quarantine for vaccinated passengers is waived by then...

 

if not, then the Thai economy is shot...it becomes a waiting game and much rather wait in usa with great recreational activity choices 

[connda]

What an immense waste of time and money.  And all that travel will expose you to far more virus vectors than just hunkering down at home and waiting a few months.  But then, I guess it just depends on how "safe" you want to feel.  If paying a few thousand dollars USD is worth the warm, cozy "safe" feeling - up to you!
I'm just staying put.  Enjoy your flight and flying in a metal tube packed with a couple hundred people from various countries.  Oh boy!  Mix and match variants!  Do quarantine when you get back! ????

[connda]

On 5/5/2021 at 9:43 AM, cardinalblue said:

I have a return ticket for Oct and hoping this BS quarantine for vaccinated passengers is waived by then...

I hope the BS quarantine is still in effect considering all the possible ways you could pick up various strains and variants of Covid on your travels.  None of these shots make you immune by the manufacturer's own admission.  So you can still catch and spread SARS-Cov-2 as well as the various new mutants as you transit the SARS-Cov-2 Mixing Pools (International Airports) on your way to and from.

[sqwakvfr]

I saw a guy on youtube who did this.  HIs channel is zek egeli(not posting his channel link because I am still not sure if TVF rules allow this?).  Anyway he is in Columbia and flew to Miami.   He had already made an appointment at a CVS pharmacy to get vaccinated.  He used a VPN because CVS will not allow people not in the US to book appointments.  But once this guy got to the pharmacy all he had to do was show his Identification(his foreign passport) and he got jabbed.  He did not say which of the 3 available vaccines he received(CVS offers Pfizer, Moderna or J&J).  I will probably use the pharmacy at my old Costco(at this point I can book an appointment from LOS on the Costco website).  

 

Of course Columbia is much closer to the US than LOS but even a foreigner can get vaccinated at a US Pharmacy and it did not look to be difficult.

 

The only thing preventing me from flying back to Los Angeles now is the difficult and possibly unknown nature of returning to LOS once I get jabbed.  With the Covid 19 numbers continually rising I fear the possibility of severe  entry restrictions or even a complete halt to all arrivals(we all remember March to May 2020). 

[cardinalblue]

Some people need to get out from hiding under their bed...on second thought, since you are not vaccinated, better to stay there 

 

let vaccinated people live their life as they are now doing in the usa...

 

The problem is not vaccinated people but unvaccinated people in Thailand who continue to make poor decisions in minimizing their exposure...the main focus should be vaccinating people to reach herd immunity ASAP and curtail the movements of the unwise unvaccinated folks. 

 

 

[Jingthing]

35 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Some people need to get out from hiding under their bed...on second thought, since you are not vaccinated, better to stay there 

 

let vaccinated people live their life as they are now doing in the usa...

 

The problem is not vaccinated people but unvaccinated people in Thailand who continue to make poor decisions in minimizing their exposure...the main focus should be vaccinating people to reach herd immunity ASAP and curtail the movements of the unwise unvaccinated folks. 

 

 

The percent of people in Thailand that are vaccinated already is perhaps ONE percent. So you're editorial might make sense if it was 50 percent. Despite government promises, I think it's obvious that even 50 percent is a very long way off. 

[Brierley]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

The percent of people in Thailand that are vaccinated already is perhaps ONE percent. So you're editorial might make sense if it was 50 percent. Despite government promises, I think it's obvious that even 50 percent is a very long way off. 

Chiang Mai has just announced a facility to help foreigners register for the vaccine, that 's a huge step compared to a week ago, I suspect we may see the pace increase quite substantially in coming weeks.

[MrBrad]

1 hour ago, Brierley said:

Chiang Mai has just announced a facility to help foreigners register for the vaccine, that 's a huge step compared to a week ago, I suspect we may see the pace increase quite substantially in coming weeks.

So, where is this facility?

[Brierley]

1 minute ago, MrBrad said:

So, where is this facility?

I posted details in the CM forum.

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, Brierley said:

Chiang Mai has just announced a facility to help foreigners register for the vaccine, that 's a huge step compared to a week ago, I suspect we may see the pace increase quite substantially in coming weeks.

That's interesting and encouraging news.

 

However, as always the deviled eggs are in the details.

 

So what we need to know about that are:

 

Are passports accepted or are pink card Thai id numbers still required?

 

Are high risk foreigners over 60 / certain conditions being booked for June jabs the same as Thais or not?

 

What if any proof of residence is required?

 

Is is required for the foreigners  to be already on record at hospitals to be registered?

 

I assume you're talking about for the free Thai public program currently offering only Sinovac and Astra. Correct me if I'm wrong about that.