SURVEY: Would you leave to get vaccinated?

[Scott]

With a lot of back and forth information about vaccines and when they will be available and who will be eligible, would you consider leaving Thailand and going to your home country or another country where you could get vaccinated?

 

Choose the option that best describes your position on the matter and feel free to leave a comment.  

[Danderman123]

I went home for 5 weeks expressly to get vaccinated. That required 10 days in quarantine upon my return to Thailand.

[scammed]

im the other way around altogether, im leaving to avoid risk of getting forced vaccinated

[RotBenz8888]

I left 9v for work and got Moderna. Did 7d quaranten upon return. If it wasn't for my job, I wouldn't have left though.... 

[4MyEgo]

I'm waiting for either Covid or the vaccination, which ever comes first, the latter preferred of course.

[alyx]

If I had no plans to travel this summer I would definitely not get vaccinated.

If Maldives had opened earlier with their vaccine vacation , I would have gone there and coordinated my  summer trip according to the dates.

This being said, if I go out of the country as I intend to, I will get vaccinated as soon as possible where possible but I will try delay my trip back to Thailand until they scrap their quarantine for vaccinated travellers, hoping this will happen before November. I will not hold my breath too long on this one

 

[Crossy]

No reason to leave just to get a vaccine. Roll-out will happen here, eventually, and even the disliked Sinovac is proving reasonably safe and somewhat effective. One can always top up with something better later when it becomes available.

 

I am WFH although I attend the office one or two days a week "to show my face" and escape from the house. Strict masking and social distancing is in place there.

 

Madam only leaves our property to go to the veggie truck, our local store is now "order at the door" and the barber is shut (I'm starting to look like a Dulux Dog). I do a mega run to makro every 3 weeks or so, early in the morning so not busy (I've noticed others have the same idea now). I'm even allowed to go to the farm shop alone for fish and chook food.

 

There's really minimal outside contact, thank heaven for Line etc. Madam spends a LOT of time gassing online with family and friends.

 

On the whole IMHO the chances of catching the nasty is negligable to nil.

 

I will say we have a large space (1.5 Rai), I couldn't imagine being stuck in a moo-baan house with a small garden or a condo!

 

[BritManToo]

31 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I'm waiting for either Covid or the vaccination, which ever comes first, the latter preferred of course.

Had COVID along with all my family, it wasn't that bad for any of us.

If I hadn't had it, I might have made some effort to get the vaccine, but now I just don't see what the fuss is about.

If you're already sick and 'at risk', you'll probably have greater risk of infection during the journey than if you isolated yourself in your home.

 

@Crossy Mooban house with small garden is fine, I can walk around the roads and Moobaan park and hardly ever encounter another person.

Edited May 30, 2021 by BritManToo

[Enzian]

I have been very seriously considering it, but if I leave I conclude that I have to leave completely, no continuing to pay for my studio in Sukhumvit with the expectation of return toward the end of the year. Total liquidation or haul it with me. Maybe come back in a year or two. California would be nice, everything is getting better.

[simon43]

The poll doesn't apply to me, (so I didn't vote).  I live in Laos and foreigners are treated the same as Lao citizens.  I had my free AZ jab last month and will get the follow-up jab in about 5 weeks from now.

[4MyEgo]

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Had COVID along with all my family, it wasn't that bad for any of us.

 

Did you get tested when you had it ?

 

How old are you ?

 

Any pre-existing conditions ?

 

I am sure we all want to know first hand knowledge from a TVF member who's had it.

[bobandyson]

I'm not travelling anywhere abroad until I get some sort of protection from whatever vaccine. Travelling with complete strangers who could be infected to obtain a vaccine to protect me from infected strangers?

 

No thanks.

???? 

[Danderman123]

37 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Had COVID along with all my family, it wasn't that bad for any of us.

If I hadn't had it, I might have made some effort to get the vaccine, but now I just don't see what the fuss is about.

If you're already sick and 'at risk', you'll probably have greater risk of infection during the journey than if you isolated yourself in your home.

 

 

You mean that you and your family had some unspecified illness and you assume it was Covid, along with many other Farangs. Get an antibody test, and you will be shocked to learn you have no Covid antibodies.

[jerolamo]

there is no option to answer: no, i'm not old enough to run risk to be vaccinated; i'm in full health condition, no smoking, no drinking and not old, and if i will be an exception (no luck), i will assume it as for any other virus. By the time, i'm not anti-vax and i was vaccinated against leptospirosis (due to my job), yellow fever and Poliomelit. I also survive from Malaria (who is deeper more intensive than COVID).

 

Why there is no freedom option to answer i don't want because i'm thinking this to be not-necessary to me ?

Now i consider your survey to not be a survey at all (or a not serious one).

[BritManToo]

28 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Did you get tested when you had it ?

There were no tests in Jan 2020, and most of the world (including me) knew nothing of COVID.

I mixed with many Chinese tourists on flights to/from Chiang Mai and Saigon airports, and 4 days later had a mysterious illness that blocked my left ear and gave me a hacking cough for 6 weeks. After I returned home my family soon had a high fever for 3-10 days, along with the same hacking cough.

If it was the flu, it was a very strange variation of the flu, something I've never encountered before.

 

I didn't get tested when I had mumps, measles or chickenpox as a child either, maybe I've never had them.

Edited May 30, 2021 by BritManToo

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, alyx said:

If I had no plans to travel this summer I would definitely not get vaccinated.

If Maldives had opened earlier with their vaccine vacation , I would have gone there and coordinated my  summer trip according to the dates.

This being said, if I go out of the country as I intend to, I will get vaccinated as soon as possible where possible but I will try delay my trip back to Thailand until they scrap their quarantine for vaccinated travellers, hoping this will happen before November. I will not hold my breath too long on this one

 

Also hoping that by November quarantine has completely stopped or reduced back to the previous 7 days, or reduced to 3 days as was proposed but never implemented. 

 

Also hoping that having 2 shots of the vaccine Pfizer or AZ, plus a booster of same as original or the other vaccine will help to gain zero or much reduced quarantine on arrival in LOS. 

 

[bkk6060]

Before anyone does this, get an antibody test here.

I know someone in Bangkok who was planning on going back to the US specifically for the vaccine but prior, got the antibody test which showed positive.

He decided to stay here.

[4MyEgo]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There were no tests in Jan 2020, and most of the world (including me) knew nothing of COVID.

I mixed with many Chinese, and 4 days later had a mysterious illness that blocked my left ear and gave me a hacking cough for 6 weeks. After I returned home my family soon had a high fever for 3-10 days, along with the same hacking cough.

If it was the flu, it was a very strange variation of the flu, something I've never encountered before.

 

I didn't get tested when I had mumps, measles or chickenpox as a child either, maybe I've never had them either.

 

Then you don't know if you had Covid.

 

If you would like to know if you have had Covid, you can do a simple blood test which will confirm it, but to suggest you had it, is not confirmation, respectfully.

 

I also came down with a shocker of a respiratory infection that knocked me off of my feet, and could suggest that I had Covid if I didn't go to get it checked out, but no, I went to a private hospital and found out that it was a severe chest infection was prescribed a course of antbiotics and inhaler and was better within no time.

[bkk6060]

59 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Had COVID along with all my family, it wasn't that bad for any of us.

If I hadn't had it, I might have made some effort to get the vaccine, but now I just don't see what the fuss is about.

 

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There were no tests in Jan 2020, and most of the world (including me) knew nothing of COVID.

 

 

In reality you have no idea and seem to be kidding yourself and giving yourself and family false assurance.

 

Also, if Jan. 2020 was your claim then your antibody timeline is expired as studies show 8 months is about as long as immunity lasts after Covid.

Edited May 30, 2021 by bkk6060

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

If you would like to know if you have had Covid, you can do a simple blood test which will confirm it, but to suggest you had it, is not confirmation, respectfully.

Doesn't really worry me.

I have no fear of COVID or of death, I've had my time and am satisfied with it.

I wouldn't want a lingering and painful end, but there are plenty of hotels with balconies to choose from.

 

My Thai misses is a far worse COVID anti-vaxxer than me, she says no way they are going to inject her, and most of her Thai LINE pals feel the same way. I seriously doubt Thailand is going to force even 25% of it's population to be vaccinated.

 

ThaiVISA claims a large elderly membership, I'm surprised more members haven't had serious COVID or long-COVID, and posted about their treatment, let alone members like me claiming non-serious COVID. If so few of us have had it, or claimed to have had it, maybe it isn't that serious?

Edited May 30, 2021 by BritManToo

[ballpoint]

After 30+ years of overseas travel at least once a month for work, I'm enjoying staying in Thailand fulltime.  Life is pretty much as normal up country, and it's not too hard to travel to other provinces if you really want to.  I'm in no hurry to get vaccinated, but will take one if offered, including the Chinese one.  I can't see myself wanting to travel overseas for a while, and when I do I'll look at the vaccination requirements at that time and take the appropriate action then.  Not much point in trying to run around complying with todays requirements when tomorrows could be different.

[rickudon]

I am planning on returning to UK in one months time - partially to get vaccinated (the utter chaos and flip-flopping in the Thai vaccination program gives me little confidence that i will get vaccinated this year), but also because i have a new grandchild due in 3 months, a son who may emigrate from the UK in the autumn, and some other less urgent financial/personal matters that i can only do in the UK.

 

The headache is that the travel situation is still volatile - limited flight options (the airline i was going to use has cut flight options), no travel through red zone countries (otherwise hotel quarantine), multiple Covid tests (at my expense) and unsure what the rules will be when returning - hence cannot plan ahead, it will be a decision at a few days notice.

[WaveHunter]

I seriously considered returning to the US for vaccination but decided not to.  My reasons:

• Thailand is probably one of the safest countries to be in right now as an unvaccinated person if you consider the relatively low number of Covid cases here compared with most other countries of the world.  Travelling to the US would expose me to high risk of infection, mainly from lengthy layovers in airports.  I feel that it is safer to stay here while practicing sensible social distancing and wait for vaccination here in the Kingdom.

• While plans for the public rollout of vaccinations here in Thailand for expats seems confusing, contradictory, and chaotic right now, I am confident that over the coming weeks, that is going to change in a big way, and expats will be able to become vaccinated a lot sooner than many of us currently believe.

• Even though I would much prefer a Western vaccine such as Pfizer or J&J over SInoVac, SinoVac probably provides decent efficacy, and I could always supplement it with a Western vaccine at a later date.

•  My big concern with SinoVac (right now) is that no Phase 3 study data on the vaccine has yet been published in peer-reviewed journals, and as such, many countries around the world are "on the fence" right now about whether or not travelers vaccinated with SInoVac will be granted entry.  I want to be able to travel freely ASAP, with no concerns about being barred entry.

Edited May 30, 2021 by WaveHunter

[RobMuir]

7 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I also came down with a shocker of a respiratory infection

I am pretty sure I had it back last March also. Hard of breath, no taste, high fever.

 

I just took a vitamin C tablet and mentally overcame it in a couple of hours.

 

I am not confident it would be as easy to overcome now though with this British B117 variant which is causing all the current infections here in Thailand. So I will need to be vaccinated.

 

Unfortunately it is not an option for Aussies to return home for the vaccine. The Thais have vaccinated more people than in Australia. Melbourne is under a fourth severe lockdown and our happy clapping PM has effectively shut most of us out in a marketing move to win the next election.

 

I am much better off here.

[meechai]

There are MANY good reasons to leave Thailand

Vaccination is not one of them

[connda]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

I will say we have a large space (1.5 Rai), I couldn't imagine being stuck in a moo-baan house with a small garden or a condo!

Yeah, I'm with ya there.  Don't have as much space as you, but 1/2 rai with plenty of fresh air and sunshine between the house and the outside fences keeps plenty of space between the outside world and me and Mrs. Connda.  Neither of us worry at all.  Never have.  We'll hunker down and wait it out with the occasional trips to open air markets and Big C which is almost never crowded. And at the moment our province has no recorded cases.  And given that virtually the whole Tambon suffered from upper respiratory infections last year during the First Wave, my guess is that most in this area probably have natural herd immunity anyway.  It's an freaking inconvenience but not the end of the world.

[RobMuir]

41 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There were no tests in Jan 2020, and most of the world (including me) knew nothing of COVID.

 

No tests in Britain in Jan 2020 and with a government in complete denial.

 

Luckily the crack Thai medics had already started preparing and were testing and found their first case on January 13 and the country jumped into action. 

 

Of course we now know by then it had already spread to Europe and elsewhere, but with no tests they had no cases. They paid the price for it though, especially Italy, France, Spain and the UK.

Thailand with their decisive actions, mask wearing, temperature checks, curfews and lockdowns etc largely escaped disaster.

 

Unfortunately they now have been caught off guard with this BritishB117 highly contagious mutant strain.

 

 

[Ian223]

Left in March to get vaccinated as I was becoming increasingly unsettled by the low but steady cases being reported in and around Bangkok. A few days after leaving, the Thong Lor debacle hit the news. The peace of mind knowing you’re protected against severe disease was well worth the cost to me. 

[orchis]

It is more a risk for me to go overseas than to stay put in my very small community here
and wait for my vaccine.
 

[patman30]

39 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

most of her Thai LINE pals feel the same way.

same i hear from the missus, most dont want it.
the MILs village, only 1 person put their name down
the MIL asked the people coming around for registrants if they will be taking it?.... "no, scared"