US expats plead for vaccine help in viral Thailand

[off road pat]

8 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Why only in Thailand or SE Asia?  If the US Government vaccinates Americans in Thailand then what about every country in the world that Americans are in?  This list would be long and possibly there are more Americans in other countries than Thailand?  A lot of Americans are in the PI as well.  It is not what "the Government owes us or has a duty to do", most of us came to Thailand voluntarily.  I have never met any American who was forced to come to Thailand or is on asylum status.  We can leave Thailand anytime.  

 

Additionally would countries like India or possibly Brazil be higher on any potential list to vaccinate Americans?  If the pandemic poses an imminent threat to Americans then the State Department would deploy it's ultimate overseas tool:  the NEO program, Noncombatant Evacuation Operations.  If the pandemics gets really bad the US Embassy in Bangkok would offer all Americans a chance to evacuate(of course it would not be free).  In essence Americans who want to be evacuated would pack one carry on bag and meet at a designated meeting point and fly out to the US or the nearest safe country. 

 

This is issue is "DOA".  

Hm,...I remember seen the images of the American Mass evacuation in Vietnam !!! it didn't went as smooth as you describe !!!

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

you are not free to return to Thailand without a quarantine.  thai government must get brown envelope and kickback from quarantine hotel to compensate for loss of face that rich farang. get vaccine in home country while rollout bungled in Thailand

If this is really a problem for you then you are in the wrong country. 

[bkkcanuck8]

4 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

One last point about the WJS article is this:  Most US Embassies are not large.  Some are gigantic like in London or even in Baghdad during the last decade.  Vaccinating Embassy Staff and even local workers might require hundreds of doses.  But vaccinating overseas citizens will require more than 100's of doses. Also, doubt if any embassy has the capability of storing significant amount of vaccine doses for an extended period.  

 

Some Americans could claim they cannot travel to the Embassy due medical or other reasons.  Then will the Embassy sent out personnel to the American who cannot travel for the vaccine?  "The Devil Is In the Details".  Any kind of program like this always takes time to plan and execute.  By than most of us might have already been vaccinated?  

'Some' of the large embassies are because they provide 'translation services' etc.  (i.e. intelligence / CIA etc.)

[placnx]

4 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

5,000 Baht 

 

I would pay this amount for 2 doses of Pfizer.  Chiang Mai Ram Hospital is launching an online survey tomorrow to gauge interest in "Alternative Covid-19 Vaccines".  The choices are Sinopharm or Moderna.  

I would also pay 5000 for two doses of Moderna as well.  That is if I can get vaccinated within the next 90 day.  I certainly would not wait until 2022 and pay.  

If this survey is available to Thais as well, I hope that they make the results public. When extrapolated to the number of people registered at private hospitals, will the proposed 5 million doses of Moderna be anywhere near enough?

[placnx]

4 hours ago, Mansell said:

Just bring the top two vaccines to the US Embassy in Bangkok. Then all the American citizens here come there with their passports and pick up their vaccine, then it is upon them to go to a clinic or hospital to have it injected. Pretty simple and relatively inexpensive. That would be the American way to step forward. I’d even be happy to pay 3000 baht for the vaccine. 

Of course, the US Embassy would have to negotiate the arrangements. Too much trouble for them. There is an issue here though, that vials contain around 5 doses.

[bkkcanuck8]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

And how could they be part of a clinical trial if the drug was not still in trial phase? 

 

The original post was simplistic.  I believe phase 3 has been completed, they will continue to be in a follow-up and monitoring period for a while upon completion (the bureaucratic process that is usually followed has been sped up through emergency authorization that has other requirements for continued monitoring and followup).  

 

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained

 

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

you are not free to return to Thailand without a quarantine.  thai government must get brown envelope and kickback from quarantine hotel to compensate for loss of face that rich farang. get vaccine in home country while rollout bungled in Thailand

If you are not happy with Thailand and the Thai government you can phone your embassy and request regime change. After all they are experts in election rigging, subversion and regime changes, not in vaccinations. Let them do what they do best ????

[from the home of CC]

maybe during the next round of trying to intimidate the Chinese in the South China Sea, the navy could swing by and pick everyone up to take em' back for a shot..

[placeholder]

35 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

 

It is hard to tell what Social Security is other than a pyramid scheme...  I highly doubt Social Security is paid for completely by the employees (6.2% is not sufficient; I believe Singapore (which tries not to subsidize) is 20% by individual and 15% by the employer (I think it was 20 and 20 when I was thinking about a job in Singapore) into an account that you then have to fund your retirement from (lots of restrictions and requirements on how that is used - they don't want you using it as your own little gambling fund).   In the US you pay into Social Security with an obligation to pay in the future (not properly accounted for - in reality it should be accounted for as a liability which means under proper accounting the US has a much larger debt now than it states (on the order of 50+ trillion I believe).

Not to worry too much. Biden has proposed imposing social security taxes on earned income over $400,000. If that goes through, social security will be solvent as far into the future as can be seen.

[fulhamster]

8 hours ago, fusion58 said:

I have zero expectations as I already know very well that the U.S. Embassy wouldn't bother to urinate on me if I were on fire (see income affidavits.)

Same with the UK

[sqwakvfr]

"the vaccination czar will no doubt take care of all this, once orders come from the top. 5555

 

Seriously, I wish that you would offer serious reasoning instead of straw man argumentation."

 

"Straw Man" argument?  Your opinion.  Really can't argue against an opinion.  

 

Michael G. DeSombre, who coauthored the WSJ article, is currently an ambassador without a posting.  I wonder who might be angling for the possible of the upcoming State Department Position of Overseas American Vaccination Czar? Ok.  I am being sarcastic but stranger things have happened.  Just look at who the current "Climate Czar" is?  Career Diplomats are good at one thing: Lobbying for their next appointment and in some cases creating their next position.  Not saying this is going to happen but "sometimes truth is stranger than fiction".  Worked on several State Department Contracts and was never impressed with any of the DOS career types. 

 

[starky]

3 hours ago, connda said:

We also paid for Medicare all of our working lives which we are unable to receive outside of the US.
Virtually all here in the lower income brackets provided the US with funding during their working lives.

Like the British like the Australians like the kiwis like the add country here there's plenty of them one major difference is the whinging between all those groups and Americans 

Edited May 31, 2021 by starky

[sqwakvfr]

"If this survey is available to Thais as well, I hope that they make the results public. When extrapolated to the number of people registered at private hospitals, will the proposed 5 million doses of Moderna be anywhere near enough?"

 

Probably not.  5 million doses will only vaccinated 2.5 million people.  This estimate does not account for possible spoilage due to improper storage or people just not showing up.  

 

[placeholder]

4 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

"the vaccination czar will no doubt take care of all this, once orders come from the top. 5555

 

Seriously, I wish that you would offer serious reasoning instead of straw man argumentation."

 

"Straw Man" argument?  Your opinion.  Really can't argue against an opinion.  

 

Michael G. DeSombre, who coauthored the WSJ article, is currently an ambassador without a posting.  I wonder who might be angling for the possible of the upcoming State Department Position of Overseas American Vaccination Czar? Ok.  I am being sarcastic but stranger things have happened.  Just look at who the current "Climate Czar" is?  Career Diplomats are good at one thing: Lobbying for their next appointment and in some cases creating their next position.  Not saying this is going to happen but "sometimes truth is stranger than fiction".  Worked on several State Department Contracts and was never impressed with any of the DOS career types. 

 

Desombres is not an ambassador without a posting. He is not a "DOSA career type" He was a political appointee of Donald Trump.  And considering that before his posting I"n 2013, he co-founded Republicans Overseas for Americans abroad.", it's dubious that the Biden administration would be appointing him to any post. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by placeholder

[Mike k]

8 hours ago, Dialemco said:

Are all these Americans paying taxes in the US and Thailand I doubt it. I feel more sorry for the thousands of unregistered Thai's who were employed in the Tourist Industry but now destitute some with Children who really do not understand why they are hungry 

I pay taxes in the US as far as Thailand no I don't expect anything from them but since the US wants to vaccinate the South Korean military with my tax dollars then they can vaccinate Expats 

[starky]

5 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

Same with the UK

Yes but are you jumping up and down demanding your government provide you free vaccine in the country of your choice? Seems to be a mostly American pre occupation. 

Assuming your British but Fulham tells me you probably are. ????

[TigerandDog]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

 

Actually, this is an issue between American citizens and their embassy. So there isn't anything for you to worry about, if you're not an American. If you're satisfied with your situation and the way your embassy treats you, I am sure you can continue onwards and be happy. But I would like to see my fellow citizens get the service they have already paid for through their taxes. I, too, would prefer any of the three American provided vaccines, J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer. But just a few days ago, the Thai university from which I retired informed me that retired faculty would be eligible for vaccination (as soon as they have finished vaccinating all Thai staff first). So, I'll probably be stuck with AZ, which is better than nothing at all.

your reply just confirms what I asked. What makes you think we are not in the same position with our home countries as tax payers. Why do yanks think they are superior to everyone else and should therefore be given priority treatment. The rest of us are in the same positions re our home country govt's, but the only ones that seem to be complaining the most are yanks & poms. In a perfect world our embassies and consulates would be ensuring that we are vaccinated, but as has been posted in TV on numerous occasions, our govt's don't give a damn about expats. So get off your high horse and like the rest of us, wait your turn.

[placeholder]

Just now, starky said:

Yes but are you jumping up and down demanding your government provide you free vaccine in the country of your choice? Seems to be a mostly American pre occupation. 

Assuming your British but Fulham tells me you probably are. ????

Maybe there's a good reason that Americans have higher expectations for their government than do citizens of some other nations.

[bkkcanuck8]

14 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Not to worry too much. Biden has proposed imposing social security taxes on earned income over $400,000. If that goes through, social security will be solvent as far into the future as can be seen.

ha ha ha, nope, won't do it... you will need a higher overall rate on the middle class to do that.

[TigerandDog]

1 hour ago, dukeandduke said:

 

U.S. citizens want the U.S. government to provide them with access to vaccines? That's crazy talk. No, I don't expect the U.K. government, e.g., to give U.S. citizens the same assistance it gives British citizens -- or any assistance. 

None of our govt's care about us, as expats, so like the majority of us, wait your turn instead of expecting priority treatment.

[bkkcanuck8]

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

Maybe there's a good reason that Americans have higher expectations for their government than do citizens of some other nations.

Yes, many have become untethered from reality... (one way or another)

[placeholder]

Just now, TigerandDog said:

your reply just confirms what I asked. What makes you think we are not in the same position with our home countries as tax payers. Why do yanks think they are superior to everyone else and should therefore be given priority treatment. The rest of us are in the same positions re our home country govt's, but the only ones that seem to be complaining the most are yanks & poms. In a perfect world our embassies and consulates would be ensuring that we are vaccinated, but as has been posted in TV on numerous occasions, our govt's don't give a damn about expats. So get off your high horse and like the rest of us, wait your turn.

Sure. The reason that Americans are demanding a service from their government is because they think they are superior to everyone else? I didn't know it was all about you. So maybe Americans should just start claiming they're better than you and skip asking for vaccinations from their government? Be simpler, right?

Some non-Americans carry heavy chips on their shoulders.

[TigerandDog]

4 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Sure. The reason that Americans are demanding a service from their government is because they think they are superior to everyone else? I didn't know it was all about you. So maybe Americans should just start claiming they're better than you and skip asking for vaccinations from their government? Be simpler, right?

Some non-Americans carry heavy chips on their shoulders.

For the 70+ years I've lived on this planet yanks have ALWAYS considered themselves to be superior to everyone else. My reply has nothing to do with me, I'm just fed up with seeing yanks think they deserve priority treatment. WAIT IN LINE LIKE THE REST OF US HAVE TO. Our govt's are treating us exactly the same way, so you're not special, even though you think you are

Edited May 31, 2021 by TigerandDog

[shortstop2]

8 hours ago, 10baht said:

get the US Gov't off its ass and do what it should do for all Americas.

 

Exactly.

 

First priority for the US government is to get the vaccine out to everyone living in the USA so it doesn't spread within the US.  The US is now at a point where everyone who wants the vaccine can easily get it.  So mission more or less accomplished.

 

So with the surplus of vaccines figure out a way to get them to overseas Americans.  Yes, the logistics ain't easy.  But easier than D-Day.

Edited May 31, 2021 by shortstop2

[placnx]

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Fair point considering the State Department was able to despatch fully vaccines to all their eligible workforce abroad in 220 oversea locations in April. 

In February this sob story about US diplomats unable to get vaccinated appeared in Washington Post:

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

While it's ancient history, the part about US diplomats getting anal swabs in China provides a bit of irony for the rest of us. The complaints about another agency, HHS, controlling the vaccines may have been enough to get the whole lot serviced by April.

[Thomas J]

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

True, and good point.

If you expect that you might need Medicare, dropping it means major increased cost for life if you ever need to reinstate it. So paying for it is a form of cheap insurance. That's the way I look at it.

 I know that Medicare Part B is optional.  I dropped it because one year I took a large 401(k) distribution and it pushed my Medicare Part B premium to almost $600 per month.  

I don't know about what happens if you reinstate it.  I heard they boost the premium.  However now I am strictly on social security income so I don't know how that calculation is figured since the Part B premium is based on your income. 

[placeholder]

7 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

For the 70+ years I've lived on this planet yanks have ALWAYS considered themselves to be superior to everyone else. My reply has nothing to do with me, I'm just fed up with seeing yanks think they deserve priority treatment. WAIT IN LINE LIKE THE REST OF US HAVE TO. Our govt's are treating us exactly the same way, so you're not special, even though you think you are

If there is a line, it would be at the American Embassy and Consulate. So unless you're eligible to be in that queue, what has it got to do with you?

[RocketDog]

3 hours ago, phills2k1 said:

I'm sorry, but do you really think that US citizens are the ONLY expats throughout the world that would prefer that their local embassy provide them with a vaccine if their host country offers no help?

 

I'm an American who can't STAND almost every aspect of my country, but this is such a ridiculous and simple-minded comment

 

Especially considering the fact that in my experiences, most Americans traveling this far abroad are doing so to learn about and appreciate and support the cultures of others, and are extra vigilant in trying to destroy the traditional stereotype that we all face

There are racial bigots and nationalist bigots. All cut from the same cloth.

Sometimes I even play to the American stereotype and laugh inside when a bigot seems smugly satisfied that I've fulfilled his prejudice.

 

In many cases the American abroad being criticized is more cosmopolitan than the provincial rubes jeering him. Ironic.

Most people in most countries, including the USA, live and die within 25 miles of their birth place, and it shows.

 

It takes a healthy dose of resilience, patience, humility, and determination to live and thrive in a culture not your own. Enduring small-minded culturally cloistered individuals is only one of the obstacles they face daily. I just smile and drive past such ignorance.

[shortstop2]

8 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

However now I am strictly on social security income so I don't know how that calculation is figured since the Part B premium is based on your income. 

 

Medicare Part B premiums are based on your income 2 years prior.  So now might be good time to reinstate.  I believe there is a small penalty though.

 

I signed up for Medicare Part B even though I have no plans to go back to the States but it gives peace of mind for about 150 bucks a month, which is not a small sum for me.

 

Worst USA foreign policy move from my personal perspective was giving the Philippines independence.  Would be nice if I could use Medicare in the Philippines.   The Guam option doesn't seem to appealing but I should find out more about living in Guam. 

[starky]

28 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Maybe there's a good reason that Americans have higher expectations for their government than do citizens of some other nations.

Or maybe.. .ahhh what's the point