Thailand's massive vaccine rollout begins in earnest on June 7 - foreigners included

[webfact]

 

REUTERS FILE PHOTO for reference only

 

Thailand's much criticized vaccine rollout against Covid-19 has another landmark day next Monday, June 7th.

 

That is the "D-Day" when hundreds of thousands of extra doses become available nationwide and the rollout finally picks up steam. 

 

Vaccinations began as far back as the end of February but so far it has been stop-start with limited supplies in unpredictable lots.

 

Monday sees that approach end especially as locally produced and approved AstraZeneca shots will be available as well as Sinovac. 

 

Deputy at the Dept of Disease Control Sophon Iamsirithaworn told the Thai media that they want as many Thais and foreigners residing in Thailand to be vaccinated as possible. 

 

When it is in full swing he estimated that at least 500,000 people could be jabbed each day nationwide and up to one million. 

 

The next stage of the rollout is for the over 60s, those with seven underlying conditions and those who have registered for shots. 

 

Four lots will be available in June with priority given to areas where the virus is most prevalent .

 

But the target is that EVERYONE will have got vaccinated by the end of the next 4 to 6 months. 

 

The idea is to create herd immunity nationwide after tackling the most problematical areas first. 

 

In Bangkok special centers such as at Grand Central Station Bang Sue will be utilized as well as dozens of hospitals.

 

In the country outside the capital the shots will be delivered at provincial, district and local hospitals.

 

Two million doses will be available this week. Eight million by the end of June. This will increase as production capacity and distribution is fine tuned. 

 

Sophon assured foreigners living in Thailand that they too will begin receiving their jabs on June 7th reported Thansettakij. 

 

Many in Thailand - both foreigners and Thais -  have doubted the Thais' ability to come through on their promise of vaccine for all this year, notes Thaivisa. 

 

From next week it will start to become apparent if the critics and naysayers are eating regular Thai food, or there is an uptick in the consumption of humble pie. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-06-03

 

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[Litlos]

Be nice if there was a usable way for all foreigners to register nationwide as promised. I will not hold my breath waiting having seen the fustercluck of a rollout so far.

 

Cheers

 

[DLock]

We know. You have told us every day for weeks.

 

Enough jibber jabber, just make it happen.

[Justgrazing]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Vaccinations began as far back as the end of February but so far it has been stop-start with limited supplies in unpredictable lots.

 

Yea and who is that down to .. 

 

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

When it is in full swing he estimated that at least 500,000 people could be jabbed each day nationwide and up to one million. 

 

Any credibility this article may have contained rapidly evaporated once I got to that .. 

What a load of borrucks .. 

[colinneil]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

Many in Thailand - both foreigners and Thais -  have doubted the Thais' ability to come through on their promise of vaccine for all this year, notes Thaivisa. 

Yes and many will continue to doubt it, until there is substantial proof of it happening.

Personally i think it is just the usual hot air, but hey lets wait and see.

[Pilotman]

This report is such a blatant distortion of the truth.  The foreigners concerned, according to the BKK Post,  are diplomats and their families, UN staff and NGOs and those that managed to register on an app that was clear that it was for Thais only. Some foreigners have no doubt managed to wriggle through this chaotic process to get registered and vaccinated, but that not a process, its a free for all  mess. I just hope that the report that we can register to pay for a vaccine at a private hospital  after 7th June is correct, but I won't hold my breath.  If we say that these muppets dont lie, they come as close as possible to doing that. 

[swm59nj]

Last night I called 1422.  Which I was told to call with Covid questions. I was told foreigners without a Thai ID or Pink Card would be given the vaccine sometime in July.  Specific start date was unknown at this time.  I was told when it starts, just go to a government hospital to get the vaccine.  When I asked what brands of vaccine will be given.  I was told you would be asked health questions upon arrival.

 

This is different from any other information I have been reading. 

[internationalism]

they have delivered yesterday 1.6mln of AZ, there should be another 4.6mln to the end of June.

The rest is still sinovac

I think many people will be fooled into believing that they are getting the AZ.

Anutin just ordered 11mln of sinovac, it will be coming already in June, till August.

By the end of August thailand will have 20mln sinovac and 26mln the AZ (if there is no delays or quality problems).

 

Thai were vaccinated from March, foreigners sometimes from July (the is a waiting line for appointments)

[mtls2005]

"In earnest".

 

Oh my, I feel so reassured.

 

All I can say is we better see unicorns in the streets on 7 June.

 

 

26 minutes ago, webfact said:

When it is in full swing he estimated that at least 500,000 people could be jabbed each day nationwide and up to one million. 

 

I'll have what he's having.

 

Does it come with the plastic bag, or is it just the glue?

 

 

[RotBenz8888]

27 minutes ago, webfact said:

But the target is that EVERYONE will have got vaccinated by the end of the next 4 to 6 months. 

Fully vaccinated or only 1 jab/person? 

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, swm59nj said:

Last night I called 1422.  Which I was told to call with Covid questions. I was told foreigners without a Thai ID or Pink Card would be given the vaccine sometime in July.  Specific start date was unknown at this time.  I was told when it starts, just go to a government hospital to get the vaccine.  When I asked what brands of vaccine will be given.  I was told you would be asked health questions upon arrival.

 

This is different from any other information I have been reading. 

Unfortunately , this is not 'information', its wishful thinking. Even if it is reliable, which I doubt,  it will be the Chinses stuff that you get offered, after a 5 hour plus wait. Lady in Pattaya wrote on FB that she waited 7 hours to get vaccinated and still didn't get to the front of the queue. . 

[mtls2005]

Just now, RotBenz8888 said:

Fully vaccinated or only 1 jab/person? 

 

1.

 

Maybe a half if you're an alien.

 

 

[Crossy]

49 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Lady in Pattaya wrote on FB that she waited 7 hours to get vaccinated and still didn't get to the front of the queue.

 

It's these long waits with loads of other (potentially infectious) people that puts me off even bothering. The concept of timed appointments just doesn't seem to exist here. My good lady has regular hospital visits but the "appointment" just says 8AM like everyone else's, get there early to avoid the queue ???? 

 

We will continue our routine of bubble isolation, minimal interaction and social distancing until the rush has died down. There might even be some of the more preferred (I won't say "better") vaccines available by then.

[ezzra]

Any step forward is a step in the right direction, now let us all skepticls and yee of us with little faith just sit back and wish them the best...

[smedly]

35 minutes ago, webfact said:

The next stage of the rollout is for the over 60s, those with seven underlying conditions and those who have registered for shots. 

don't forget the tour guides in Bangkok - they are of the highest impotance ????

[DavisH]

23 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

It's these long waits with loads of other (potentially infectious) people that puts me off even bothering. It seems the concept of timed appointments just doesn't seem to exist here. My good lady has regular hospital visits but the "appointment" just says 8AM like everyone else's, get there early to avoid the queue ???? 

 

We will continue our routine of bubble isolation, minimal interaction and social distancing until the rush has died down. There might even be some of the more preferred (I won't say "better") vaccines available by then.

I probably wouldn't bother at this time even trying to register anywhere. It seems the govt has thrown it's hands in the air and leaving it local authorities in each province. If you only go out once a week for supplies and don't interact with other people, there really is no rush to get vaccinated. 

[Excel]

44 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

 

Yea and who is that down to .. 

 

 

Any credibility this article may have contained rapidly evaporated once I got to that .. 

What a load of borrucks .. 

Editorial garbage really as past history of this governments performance is calamitous.

[4MyEgo]

16 minutes ago, Crossy said:

We will continue our routine of bubble isolation, minimal interaction and social distancing until the rush has died down. There might even be some of the more preferred (I won't say "better") vaccines available by then.

 

Ditto that.

[WineOh]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

 

When it is in full swing he estimated that at least 500,000 people could be jabbed each day nationwide and up to one million. 

it's also estimated that I could cut down on my daily Wine intake from 10 glasses down to 5.

 

The likelihood of this happening however is virtually zero. 

 

same same here.

[wensiensheng]

In Phuket foreigners over 60 are specifically blocked from registering for vaccination. Only those employed by a local company can do so.

 

hence, I have been unable to register for a jab here.

[mahtin]

Humble Pie not on my menu this month.

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

When it is in full swing he estimated that at least 500,000 people could be jabbed each day nationwide and up to one million. 

Now juxtapose the above statement with:

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Two million doses will be available this week. Eight million by the end of June.

Even under the best of circumstances (i.e. 1 million jabs per day), those vaccines will last for 8 days (if only 1 jab is administered. And let's not forget: Everyone needs 2 jabs to become immunized.

 

That effectively means that by the end of June a maximum of 8 million people (i.e. just a little over 10% of the population) will have received their first shot.

 

If "the pace will pick up" as the article notes, it will have to pick up a helluva lot if the time line of "4 to 6 months" to fully vaccinate a nation of 70 million people is to be observed.

 

Under the fictional scenario that enough doses are readily available for 70 million people, it will take at least 70 days right from the start (June 7) to administer the first shot, then another 70 days to get the second. That already puts the time line much closer to 6 months than the dreamed-up 4 months. If nothing goes wrong.

 

If there is only 1 single hiccup in securing a continuous supply of vaccines (and there will be!), the entire scheme is going to collapse like a house of cards.  

[Excel]

1 minute ago, Misterwhisper said:

Now juxtapose the above statement with:

Even under the best of circumstances (i.e. 1 million jabs per day), those vaccines will last for 8 days (if only 1 jab is administered. And let's not forget: Everyone needs 2 jabs to become immunized.

 

That effectively means that by the end of June a maximum of 8 million people (i.e. just a little over 10% of the population) will have received their first shot.

 

If "the pace will pick up" as the article notes, it will have to pick up a helluva lot if the time line of "4 to 6 months" to fully vaccinate a nation of 70 million people is to be observed.

 

Under the fictional scenario that enough doses are readily available for 70 million people, it will take at least 70 days right from the start (June 7) to administer the first shot, then another 70 days to get the second. That already puts the time line much closer to 6 months than the dreamed-up 4 months. If nothing goes wrong.

 

If there is only 1 single hiccup in securing a continuous supply of vaccines (and there will be!), the entire scheme is going to collapse like a house of cards.  

But the "house of cards" is more like a pile of 1000 baht notes by the millions.

[4MyEgo]

Anyone believe this hit the like button, if you don't, hit the laugh button. From my take on this, they are suggesting that Sinovac is better than AstraZeneca ?

 

[mahtin]

Always wondered where the under-assistant west coast promotions man ended up/

[metisdead]

A post with a link to a trolling video has been removed. 

[mommysboy]

What vaccine? The one we have.

 

Actually given that Sinovac has now got WHO approval, and the latest revelations about the mRNA vaccine linked with heart problems, and AZ linked with clots, then I think we just have to accept that all vaccines can have rare side effects- and we just take them or not.  No 'good ones/bad ones'.

[Fromas]

35 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

From my take on this, they are suggesting that Sinovac is better than AstraZeneca?

 

Having read the poster, I'd say it's balanced. No conspiracy or massaging of facts.

 

 

[AUinAsia]

What about those who don't want to be part of this experiment?

[Emdog]

"From next week it will start to become apparent if the critics and naysayers are eating regular Thai food..."

Vaccine program like that famous Thai dish, papaya salad aka "some time"