Far-flung U.S. citizens clamour for vaccines from embassies

[vinny41]

2 hours ago, placnx said:

So you also mean the Embassy staff are sent abroad for medical care should the need arise?

US based embassy staff  would have a medical evacuation process built into their contract of employment

[Liverpool Lou]

20 minutes ago, iamariva1957 said:

57 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That argument collapses immediately when you bear in mind that the US  providing medical benefits to it's expat citizens has never been part of the tax-paying deal.   Why should it be thrown in now?

Rubbish!

American expats in Thailand get free medical treatment here as part of being an American, do they?  I don't think so.

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts, troll posts and the replies have been removed.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

39 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Says who?  Apart from you, obviously.

Says facts.

No, not "factual", just a poll and everyone knows how notoriously unreliable they are, they sure aren't facts.

[Jingthing]

33 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I give up with this topic, but as a parting comment.

 

I'm assuming that those of you arguing for this, you will also be lobbying your representatives to extend Medicare benefits to everyone living overseas, as you have all eloquently said, you pay your taxes, you should receive the same benefits.

 

So I'd be hitting that keyboard pretty hard right now!

Not the same issue.

This is a once in a century pandemic.

But as you mentioned yes expanding Medicare to expats has been on the agenda of lobbying efforts for American citizens abroad for decades but nobody really thinks it will happen.

Vaccines for a pandemic is a one off.

Its realistically doable. Not saying that they will but they could if they wanted to.

[Liverpool Lou]

47 minutes ago, John Drake said:

53 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

But it's never been there to provide free medical treatment for it's expat citizens.

 

Yes, it has.  

 

No, it hasn't.  That's not the Embassy providing expats with free medical treatment, it was a one-off inoculation 40 years ago and hasn't happened since then.

[mikebike]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Seems funny if true

EVERY passport is scanned on arrival in LOS. Easy enough to count the American ones, or Canadian, or whoever.

How cute. You think passports tell if someone here is a tourist or an expat... ????????????

[Phulublub]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

 

No, it hasn't.  That's not the Embassy providing expats with free medical treatment, it was a one-off inoculation 40 years ago and hasn't happened since then.

And the current situation is, perhaps, similar?

 

PH

[placnx]

57 minutes ago, mikebike said:

How cute. You think passports tell if someone here is a tourist or an expat... ????????????

Well, they do note for how long you are admitted, and that implies whether you are here on some kind of extended stay. Do they note your visa class?

[impulse]

10 hours ago, Misty said:

Hmm, if there were a famine in Thailand and the Thai gov't was issuing plans to feed its citizens but telling all others to get to the back of the line, what could possibly go wrong?

 

There, fixed it.

 

Even India was vaccinating older at risk foreigners along with their own citizens...

 

Yeah, but the topic is embassies jabbing their overseas citizens, isn't it?

[iamariva1957]

5 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Thaivisa members have no say in what the US government can, or can't, do here.   A different attitude wouldn't get them vaccinated.

Ahhh well.... this is social media  so we all have a voice and a soap box to stand on. Oh and I mentioned the Home Office simply because your handle is Liverpool Lou.

[Mike k]

13 hours ago, Kleepanna said:

It can be done easily first the staff has already been trained they vaccinated themselves. 2 online registration will allow advance proof of citizenship by uploaded valid passport.3 citizens show up by approved transport a car to embassy open parking lot. 4 staff verification of passport against the online registration. Citizens sign waiver understand side affects. Dose given and citizens wait 15 minutes to ensure they feel ok. Done and if the embassy uses the Johnson and Johnson vaccines 1 visit is all that's required.

They could make arrangements to go to areas in the country where the majority of citizens live and arrange for appointments 

[Mike k]

2 hours ago, placnx said:

Well, they do note for how long you are admitted, and that implies whether you are here on some kind of extended stay. Do they note your visa class?

Also you have a stamp from Thai immigration in your passport that gives your visa class 

[scorecard]

On 5/13/2021 at 3:23 PM, spidermike007 said:

This would sure be a great service, if they were to offer it. From a practical point of view, there are many clinics they could likely contract with, who could do the actual work. And most of us would be happy to pay for a real vaccine, like Pfizer or Moderna, instead of being offered the Sinojunk, which I would not take if it were the last vaccine on earth. 

 

But, will it happen? It is a long shot, at best. And waiting for Prayuth or Anutin to show us some leadership and competency is a frustrating exercise. 

 

My bet it that for both of them their next statements will take the whole matter in another direction, new (later) dates, new registrations etc., etc.

[mikebike]

18 hours ago, Mike k said:

Also you have a stamp from Thai immigration in your passport that gives your visa class 

The original assertion was that it would be simple to count expats by looking at arrivals. This is patently absurd as many come on tourist visas and convert. Others (rig workers etc) who do live here often do it using shorter term visas because of the nature of their gigs. It may be possible but it would take a much deeper anaysis than was originally stated.

[DerbyDan]

i'm a us citizen and i don't think there's an obligation to vaccinate overseas citizens, unless the border is closed.

 

you can still get it if you fly in, borders are not closed to citizens.

[Damrongsak]

22 minutes ago, DerbyDan said:

i'm a us citizen and i don't think there's an obligation to vaccinate overseas citizens, unless the border is closed.

 

you can still get it if you fly in, borders are not closed to citizens.

Yeah, no obligation.  It would be nice if they worked deals with the host countries to vaccinate our folks and we'd do the same for theirs.  But that is another paperwork complication on top of the general roll-out of vaccines. Perhaps the U.S. could give various nations a few million doses and the recipients could give a few jabs to our folks. 

[canthai55]

On 5/14/2021 at 6:26 PM, mikebike said:

How cute. You think passports tell if someone here is a tourist or an expat... ????????????

Yes - as the scan of the passport will have details of which visa the person is on.

 

[canthai55]

13 hours ago, mikebike said:

. This is patently absurd as many come on tourist visas and convert.

And what document to they use as a means of ID - a passport, where details of their status will be recorded.

[HaoleBoy]

14 hours ago, mikebike said:

The original assertion was that it would be simple to count expats by looking at arrivals. This is patently absurd as many come on tourist visas and convert. Others (rig workers etc) who do live here often do it using shorter term visas because of the nature of their gigs. It may be possible but it would take a much deeper anaysis than was originally stated.

You make the "analysis" sound so hard ... This is the age of data analysis and data mining.  It wouldn't take that long on a larger system since the number of US citizens here is not that large.  We all know the US has large systems here in Thailand for all their "China spying" going on.  Your arguments don't hold water since marketing firms do much more analysis all the time.  Or maybe you don't understand what data mining is these days.

[mackayae]

On 5/13/2021 at 7:31 AM, Dustdevil said:

Same here. They went out of their way for me at the Abu Dhabi embassy.

They go by the book. I have never experienced "out of their way" service. That applies to all embassies and consulates.

[placnx]

21 hours ago, mikebike said:

The original assertion was that it would be simple to count expats by looking at arrivals. This is patently absurd as many come on tourist visas and convert. Others (rig workers etc) who do live here often do it using shorter term visas because of the nature of their gigs. It may be possible but it would take a much deeper anaysis than was originally stated.

OK, so info would have to be gathered from immigration points and immigration offices.

[Ex Pool Doctor]

On 5/12/2021 at 9:23 PM, asiacurious said:

 

Logistically very feasible.  How many expats from the US do you think there are in Thailand?  No need to enter very far onto the grounds.  Set up a big tent outside of the buildings.  Safer for unvaccinated people to not congregate inside of buildings anyway.  Appointment system?  Are you kidding?  This is so easy to do.  Easy to automate confirmation emails.  Military medics can be brought in to administer vaccines if needed, but local nurses could also be hired.

Would be easy to do.  The U.S. embassy already has a pretty good appointment system in place.  They could easily collaborate with a local hospital also to administer the vaccine.  Great idea, but probably not gonna happen.  Too much responsibility for them.  

[Kleepanna]

On 5/13/2021 at 10:57 PM, vinny41 said:

And built into the waiver that you sign, that you agree if complications occur that require hospitalization you agree to be transported to the nearest US base for treatment, if the  US  Government decide to have their own vaccination process then they must own the entire process not piecemeal

we should all understand the WHO world health organization and international courts have ALREADY GIVEN BLANKET IMMUNITY TO ALL DRUG MANUFACTURES that were and will be given emergency permission to distribute and administer vaccines they can not be sued. You can take it or not. 

[placeholder]

Coronavirus: 150,000 Chinese in Thailand start getting vaccinated; Singapore steps up testing

• Thailand agreed to begin inoculating the estimated 150,000 Chinese nationals living in the country after Beijing donated 500,000 jabs

Coronavirus: 150,000 Chinese in Thailand start getting vaccinated; Singapore steps up testing | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

[placnx]

On 5/17/2021 at 7:27 AM, Ex Pool Doctor said:

Would be easy to do.  The U.S. embassy already has a pretty good appointment system in place.  They could easily collaborate with a local hospital also to administer the vaccine.  Great idea, but probably not gonna happen.  Too much responsibility for them.  

It must be karma. Due to the silo structure of the US Federal bureaucracy, some diplomats abroad can't get vaccinated, either! If only HHS would respond to State!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/state-department-coronavirus-vaccine-diplomats/2021/02/17/ec507e84-70d5-11eb-a4eb-44012a612cf9_story.html

Perhaps Americans abroad who can't get jabs with a decent vaccine should bypass State Dept and send their complaints to HHS.

[scorecard]

On 5/15/2021 at 1:02 AM, Mike k said:

They could make arrangements to go to areas in the country where the majority of citizens live and arrange for appointments 

Maybe not that simple.

 

If Thailand walked in the USA (or any country) and without prior discussions/approvals, they started setting up medical centres/vaccination centres then the US/other countries would react very quickly and strongly to say 'your on US sovereign territory, you can't do things like this'.

[Misty]

On 5/14/2021 at 5:36 PM, Jingthing said:

Not the same issue.

This is a once in a century pandemic.

But as you mentioned yes expanding Medicare to expats has been on the agenda of lobbying efforts for American citizens abroad for decades but nobody really thinks it will happen.

Vaccines for a pandemic is a one off.

Its realistically doable. Not saying that they will but they could if they wanted to.

 

Beyond just Medicare, expats get to pay the net investment income tax of 3.8% to support ACA (aka "Obamacare").  We get to pay, but we cannot actually register for ACA, even for use in the US. This is unlike Medicare which we can register and access in the US. 

 

This was brought up in a meeting with someone from Congress who was visiting Bangkok. Although they were interested in helping, let's face it, we're low priority and nothing came of it.  But it is something that should be brought up -  being forced to pay for something you can't access isn't right.

[Misty]

On 5/21/2021 at 5:42 PM, placeholder said:

Coronavirus: 150,000 Chinese in Thailand start getting vaccinated; Singapore steps up testing

• Thailand agreed to begin inoculating the estimated 150,000 Chinese nationals living in the country after Beijing donated 500,000 jabs

Coronavirus: 150,000 Chinese in Thailand start getting vaccinated; Singapore steps up testing | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

 

And now Uncle Sam announces plans to vaccinate 550,000 South Korean soldiers.  Well done! Now, can some of our taxpayer dollars be used for actual US citizens?  work...https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-us-will-vaccinate-south-korean-soldiers-against-covid-19-2021-05-21/

[audaciousnomad]

The U.S. Embassy did it once when there was a Hep epidemic here in the 80s. It would not be that hard to do it again.