Expats over 60 urged to register for vaccine on Thai govt site

[WaveHunter]

5 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

This continues to be the sign up website for foreigners over 60 - but as you note it has not had any vaccine available (not open for reservations) for several weeks - just a notice to keep trying - with luck you may hit it at the right time and get registered before the year 2525 (Gregorian calendar).

https://www.thailandintervac.com/

What it really boils down to IMO is they just have their hands full right now dealing with geographic locations prone to outbreaks, mostly in the Bangkok area, and also assuring that their sandbox pilot program strategy stays on track.

 

It's a pretty sorry thing that the CCSA could just not be a little transparent about that, instead of being silent on why expats are having such a hard time simply getting registered for their place in line. 

 

It makes no sense that they are not more forthcoming, and instead make up excuses about IT glitches with the InterVac registration website and other nonsense.

 

All that sort of disingenuous stuff does is to alienate expats, making them feel that they are being ignored, or even worse, discriminated against, as should be pretty obvious by the sentiments being expressed here on this forum.

Edited June 28, 2021 by WaveHunter

[fcbkk]

4 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

What it really boils down to IMO is they just have their hands full right now dealing with geographic locations prone to outbreaks, mostly in the Bangkok area, and also assuring that their sandbox pilot program strategy stays on track.

 

It's a pretty sorry thing that the CCSA could just not be a little transparent about that, instead of being silent on why expats are having such a hard time simply getting registered for their place in line. 

 

It makes no sense that they are not more forthcoming, and instead make up excuses about IT glitches with the InterVac registration website and other nonsense.

 

All that sort of disingenuous stuff does is to alienate expats, making them feel that they are being ignored, or even worse, discriminated against, as should be pretty obvious by the sentiments being expressed here on this forum.

 

Sometimes things need to be spoken out clearly.

 

Your post is good and of course you are right on the lack of transparency and organisation etc, but i would go further. Expats are not "feeling" discriminated against, they are being discriminated against, fact not emotion. Thailand is enacting a discriminatory policy in words and actions. To discriminate based on nationality is called racist. That is what at least some of the people in power are. 

 

Calling it out does perhaps help through the back door. For example I have repeatedly written to my embassy about this very point and they have changed from an initial ignorant lazy reply to one that directly admonished the authorities. All embassies will be applying pressure and so they should. Perhaps it is due to their pressure that there is at least a declared will now rather than the "Thai-first" policy that was announced by some officials weeks ago. And the embassies should apply more pressure, because with what right are taxes from western countries used to support trade and development issues in Thailand if the people in power treat foreigners in this way, whilst Thai nationals residing abroad are included in fully inclusive vaccination programs that only and only use common sense to prioritise i.e. age and health conditions, not nationality. There is no room for such behaviour in this world and sometimes you have to call people out for what they are. It really hurts to see this kind of behaviour in the country i love, Thailand deserves better.

 

*And i and most of us here are the lucky privileged ones, who may have better options for health care or vaccination abroad even if we should not have to. i wonder what any of the immigrant workers or stateless people might be able to tell about discrimination if they were here in this forum?

 

[WaveHunter]

1 hour ago, fcbkk said:

 

Sometimes things need to be spoken out clearly.

 

Your post is good and of course you are right on the lack of transparency and organisation etc, but i would go further. Expats are not "feeling" discriminated against, they are being discriminated against, fact not emotion. Thailand is enacting a discriminatory policy in words and actions. To discriminate based on nationality is called racist. That is what at least some of the people in power are. 

 

Calling it out does perhaps help through the back door. For example I have repeatedly written to my embassy about this very point and they have changed from an initial ignorant lazy reply to one that directly admonished the authorities. All embassies will be applying pressure and so they should. Perhaps it is due to their pressure that there is at least a declared will now rather than the "Thai-first" policy that was announced by some officials weeks ago. And the embassies should apply more pressure, because with what right are taxes from western countries used to support trade and development issues in Thailand if the people in power treat foreigners in this way, whilst Thai nationals residing abroad are included in fully inclusive vaccination programs that only and only use common sense to prioritise i.e. age and health conditions, not nationality. There is no room for such behaviour in this world and sometimes you have to call people out for what they are. It really hurts to see this kind of behaviour in the country i love, Thailand deserves better.

 

*And i and most of us here are the lucky privileged ones, who may have better options for health care or vaccination abroad even if we should not have to. i wonder what any of the immigrant workers or stateless people might be able to tell about discrimination if they were here in this forum?

 

I think you might be a little heavy-handed in your assessment.  I agree that there have been instances where certain Thai public officials have stupidly and irresponsibly expressed personal views about expats that were clearly racist in nature, but I don't really believe that the official government policy is in any way discriminatory towards expats.

 

What's going on right now is really just a matter of supply and demand.  It's not just expats who are having issues in becoming vaccinated.  Many Thai nationals are facing the same problem. 

 

Thailand faces a huge problem that was really caused by their delay in securing vaccines early on when many other countries were diligent in that effort.

 

Here in Thailand there was a lot of self-serving political wrangling going on back in December and January before the 3rd wave hit and things got a lot more scary.  All of that self-serving political nonsense significantly jeopardized a timely rollout, and now everybody pays the price for that.

 

It seems logical enough that for right now, when there is not enough supply to meet demand that vaccines are going towards two main goals where they will do the most good.

 

If you look at the rollout strategy here in Thailand at present, it's really focusing on these two main things:

• Firstly, the vaccines are going to deal with outbreak clusters that are getting out of control like around the Bangkok province.  I mean if there is a house on fire, you put that fire out first before being concerned with the houses on each side of it.

• Secondly, they are going to those areas where the sandbox initiatives are based; initiatives for which the economic future of Thailand depends.

Once these goals are properly being addressed, and once the supply chain becomes more robust from pending orders and donations from other countries, then we should see vaccines being distributed more widely to all, including us expats throughout the entire Kingdom.

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by WaveHunter

[WaveHunter]

1 hour ago, fcbkk said:

 

Sometimes things need to be spoken out clearly.

 

Your post is good and of course you are right on the lack of transparency and organisation etc, but i would go further. Expats are not "feeling" discriminated against, they are being discriminated against, fact not emotion. Thailand is enacting a discriminatory policy in words and actions. To discriminate based on nationality is called racist. That is what at least some of the people in power are. 

 

Calling it out does perhaps help through the back door. For example I have repeatedly written to my embassy about this very point and they have changed from an initial ignorant lazy reply to one that directly admonished the authorities. All embassies will be applying pressure and so they should. Perhaps it is due to their pressure that there is at least a declared will now rather than the "Thai-first" policy that was announced by some officials weeks ago. And the embassies should apply more pressure, because with what right are taxes from western countries used to support trade and development issues in Thailand if the people in power treat foreigners in this way, whilst Thai nationals residing abroad are included in fully inclusive vaccination programs that only and only use common sense to prioritise i.e. age and health conditions, not nationality. There is no room for such behaviour in this world and sometimes you have to call people out for what they are. It really hurts to see this kind of behaviour in the country i love, Thailand deserves better.

 

*And i and most of us here are the lucky privileged ones, who may have better options for health care or vaccination abroad even if we should not have to. i wonder what any of the immigrant workers or stateless people might be able to tell about discrimination if they were here in this forum?

 

I think you're being a little heavy-handed in your assessment.  I agree that there have been instances where certain Thai public officials, on their own and not in an official capacity, have stupidly and irresponsibly expressed personal views about expats that were clearly racist in nature, but I don't really believe that the official government policy is in any way discriminatory towards expats.

 

What's going on right now is really just a matter of supply and demand.  It's not just expats who are having issues in becoming vaccinated.  Many Thai nationals are facing the same problem. 

 

Thailand faces a huge problem that was caused mainly by their delay in securing vaccines early on like back in December and January when many other countries were diligently moving forward with that goal.

 

That could have been avoided if self-serving political interests had not played an overwhelming role in the delay early on.  Now, everybody pays the price for that.

 

It seems logical enough that for right now, when there is not enough supply to meet demand, vaccines must be administered where they do the most good, and that's where outbreak clusters are getting out of control like around Bangkok. 

 

I mean, it's like if there is a house on fire, the water gets poured on it first, before being concerned about the house's on each side of the burning home.

 

Once the supply chain for vaccines gets more robust as pending vaccine orders begin arrive, as well as donations from other countries, distribution throughout the Kingdom as a whole, including to expats will probably ramp up pretty quickly.

 

I mean, the biggest goal should be to get everyone vaccinated, simply because the virus doesn't differentiate by nationality, and every person that becomes infected is a risk to the population as a whole

Edited June 28, 2021 by WaveHunter

[fcbkk]

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

I think you're being a little heavy-handed in your assessment.  I agree that there have been instances where certain Thai public officials, on their own and not in an official capacity, have stupidly and irresponsibly expressed personal views about expats that were clearly racist in nature, but I don't really believe that the official government policy is in any way discriminatory towards expats.

 

What's going on right now is really just a matter of supply and demand.  It's not just expats who are having issues in becoming vaccinated.  Many Thai nationals are facing the same problem. 

 

Thailand faces a huge problem that was caused mainly by their delay in securing vaccines early on like back in December and January when many other countries were diligently moving forward with that goal.

 

That could have been avoided if self-serving political interests had not played an overwhelming role in the delay early on.  Now, everybody pays the price for that.

 

It seems logical enough that for right now, when there is not enough supply to meet demand, vaccines must be administered where they do the most good, and that's where outbreak clusters are getting out of control like around Bangkok. 

 

I mean, it's like if there is a house on fire, the water gets poured on it first, before being concerned about the house's on each side of the burning home.

 

Once the supply chain for vaccines gets more robust as pending vaccine orders begin arrive, as well as donations from other countries, distribution throughout the Kingdom as a whole, including to expats will probably ramp up pretty quickly.

 

I mean, the biggest goal should be to get everyone vaccinated, simply because the virus doesn't differentiate by nationality, and every person that becomes infected is a risk to the population as a whole

 

 

We can agree to disagree.

 

Sure there is a supply and demand management problem now, but my point was this needs managing inclusively. People should be treated based on sensible priorities (age & health condition and locality to deal with clusters etc). But clearly they should not be managed based on nationality. But they are. Isn't the government responsible for the policies they enact? 

 

No-one knows if i have a chronic condition, I cannot tell anyone nor input anywhere. I am covered under Thai social security, have paid taxes here, do have a pink ID card, so why can i (and others) not register under the officially designated Mor Prom registration channel? Tell me one good reason please. (The emphasis is on the word 'good').

 

That alone would not suffice to cover all foreigners, but heyhoo the government did not even think let alone prepare a system for foreigners until pressure was applied. Which goes to underline the point i was making.

 

Many Thai people too need vaccinating, but at least they can register if they wish. So no, they are not facing the same problem, they face a different problem. The problem Thai people face is not that their nationality makes it impossible to register, they may face organisational issues, due to negligence, incompetence or poor organisation however you would want to call it, but it is not the same problem. 

 

To stick with your analogy, if the house is on fire you evacuate all people in the house, not one nationality first, then the others through a separate door that is only opened sporadically. 

 

But to avoid any misunderstanding, I do see the problem many Thai people face too and i am no less upset about it. The behaviour from the government was more than self-serving IMO, but there too i would use much stronger language if there was free speech in this country. Let's just say the gambling with public health has backfired and if i was Thai i know what i would demand from my government and what i would tell them in the face of their handling. But many Thais will be too busy with making ends meet. As a foreigner all i can do is write to my embassy and try help people in daily life as good as possible. E.g. buy food locally directly from the restaurant where possible, donate time or funds to a deserving cause if possible, etc. 

 

Let's hope the vaccination schedule can be escalated and made to be inclusive. 

 

Stay well and healthy!

 

 

[Farang99]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:59 AM, lopburi3 said:

This continues to be the sign up website for foreigners over 60 - but as you note it has not had any vaccine available (not open for reservations) for several weeks - just a notice to keep trying - with luck you may hit it at the right time and get registered before the year 2525 (Gregorian calendar).

https://www.thailandintervac.com/

All the sites available for vaccinations (whether they have vaccine is another matter) are in Bangkok, so not a lot of use to the rest of us.

[Farang99]

As long as Bangkok is the only location offering vaccination all the expats living elsewhere will feel discriminated against - and will be correct.

[lopburi3]

3 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

All the sites available for vaccinations (whether they have vaccine is another matter) are in Bangkok, so not a lot of use to the rest of us.

Actually there have been locations province specific but most seem more miss than hit.  And as said without vaccine even those listed are not of much use.  There is a new batch coming this week per news reports so best to keep close watch on web site and reserve early if you are in Bangkok and want shot.

[Enzian]

Mario Draghi, unelected technocratic PM of Italy's dysfunctional political system, said four days ago that Sinovac is not adequate; I'm still looking for what effect this has on policy in Italy, though it is not an issue for me personally. But aside from the matter that this determination will affect the EU's approach to Thailand, there is that fact that he is probably correct, and that will have consequences on the ground in Thailand.

[WaveHunter]

15 hours ago, fcbkk said:

 

 

We can agree to disagree.

 

Sure there is a supply and demand management problem now, but my point was this needs managing inclusively. People should be treated based on sensible priorities (age & health condition and locality to deal with clusters etc). But clearly they should not be managed based on nationality. But they are. Isn't the government responsible for the policies they enact? 

 

No-one knows if i have a chronic condition, I cannot tell anyone nor input anywhere. I am covered under Thai social security, have paid taxes here, do have a pink ID card, so why can i (and others) not register under the officially designated Mor Prom registration channel? Tell me one good reason please. (The emphasis is on the word 'good').

 

That alone would not suffice to cover all foreigners, but heyhoo the government did not even think let alone prepare a system for foreigners until pressure was applied. Which goes to underline the point i was making.

 

Many Thai people too need vaccinating, but at least they can register if they wish. So no, they are not facing the same problem, they face a different problem. The problem Thai people face is not that their nationality makes it impossible to register, they may face organisational issues, due to negligence, incompetence or poor organisation however you would want to call it, but it is not the same problem. 

 

To stick with your analogy, if the house is on fire you evacuate all people in the house, not one nationality first, then the others through a separate door that is only opened sporadically. 

 

But to avoid any misunderstanding, I do see the problem many Thai people face too and i am no less upset about it. The behaviour from the government was more than self-serving IMO, but there too i would use much stronger language if there was free speech in this country. Let's just say the gambling with public health has backfired and if i was Thai i know what i would demand from my government and what i would tell them in the face of their handling. But many Thais will be too busy with making ends meet. As a foreigner all i can do is write to my embassy and try help people in daily life as good as possible. E.g. buy food locally directly from the restaurant where possible, donate time or funds to a deserving cause if possible, etc. 

 

Let's hope the vaccination schedule can be escalated and made to be inclusive. 

 

Stay well and healthy!

 

 

I agree that there is a lot of mystery involved in how the rollout is proceeding.   I also share your frustration and anger for the dealy, but there is so much confusion and contradictions from the government, and so many people stating opinions as though they are facts, that nobody really understand the situation.

 

When that happens, it's only natural to take it personal and assume that outsiders (i.e.: expats) are being forgotten about, but I don't think that's true

 

Many Thai nationals are having the same issues.  Many Thai people I've talked to are just as frustrated as we expats are.  I just took a ride with a Grab driver yesterday who is having as much difficulty getting vaccinated as we expats, and he is obviously in a VERY high risk situation, driving strangers around all day.

 

I certainly agree that Thai authorities have brought this perilous situation on us by playing self-serving political games early on instead of diligently securing vaccines as many other countries did, but that is in the past, and we are dealing with the present now.

 

Based on the current (though temporary) shortage of supply, difficult decisions needed to be made about where the vaccines would go, and as I said before, it seems logical that dealing with the high risk geographic regions is necessary as a first step to prevent further cluster from forming.  It's a matter of putting out a burning fire before thinking about preventative measures.  It's really that simple I think.

 

It's too easy to forget that the real goal of vaccination is not about personal protection, but protecting the population as a whole, and if you;ve got clusters that are rapidly getting out of control, that can quickly spread in an exponential way, affecting everyone in a very short time.

 

Remember the current shortage is a temporary situation.  Vaccines already ordered as well as donated ones from foreign countries will soon arrive, and feel pretty confident that things will rapidly start to change when that starts to happen.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Any updates from folks who had registered vaccine appointments at Phyathai II Hospital in BKK for the June 28-30 period, based on using the Intervac website before it was taken down?

 

[Vietem]

I received an SMS today confirming my appointment at Phyathai 2 for tomorrow. The booking was made on 10th June.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Vietem said:

I received an SMS today confirming my appointment at Phyathai 2 for tomorrow. The booking was made on 10th June.

 

Bast***s!!!  They just can't seem to make anything simple and straightforward, no matter what they do.

 

I have a PII booking made the same day as you, June 10, for the same vaccine date, tomorrow, June 30.

 

Supposedly, the MoPH were sending out emails the day before confirming such appointments. So all today, I'd been frantically scanning my email looking for something from either PII or the MoPH re my appointment for tomorrow... And as of now at 5:30 pm, I have nothing in email from either of them.

 

However, because of reading your post above, I just now checked my SMS inbox on my mobile phone (which I hadn't been focusing on at all), and found an 11:22 am SMS today from PII confirming my vaccine appt for tomorrow...

 

So message to all those who hope they have Phyathai II appointments this week -- check your email AND SMS inboxes the day or two before looking for a confirmation message.

 

PS - So, thanks VERY MUCH re the heads up for looking at the SMS message route. I wasn't expecting to get anything there re my vaccine appointment. Don't even recall other people talking about having received SMS messages confirming their appointments!

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[lopburi3]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Don't even recall other people talking about having received SMS messages confirming their appointments!

Several of us mentioned getting SMS last week - but probably did not stand out as general reporting of procedures and where to go.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, lopburi3 said:

Several of us mentioned getting SMS last week - but probably did not stand out as general reporting of procedures and where to go.

 

I must have been on vaccine monitoring sabbatical then!  ????

 

One thing about the SMS I received from PII... Unlike the email versions I'd seen going out before, it's a simple one sentence message saying the appointment is confirmed. No details, no instructions, nothing about what to bring or not, nothing useful whatsoever....  But at least, it's a confirmation.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So I guess I should add.... based on @Vietem and myself both having made our vaccine appointments in the early days of the Intervac website before it was taken down shortly thereafter due to technical incompetence and a lack of vaccines allocated for foreigners, AT LEAST, it's a bit reassuring that the MoPH's system hasn't seemed to have lost those early Intervac appointments set for the last week in June, and is still honoring them this week.

 

Of course, chalk up that small positive against the dismal fact that the same Intervac website has now been down continuously for the past two weeks, and no one who didn't manage to fight their way in those first few days, has been able to make any new appointments via the site ever since. And AFAIK, no one has any clue if or when the site will become available / usable again...

Edited June 29, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In checking further, I see in Sheryl's thread on reporting vaccine experiences that there also was a positive report today out of Phyathai II hospital re an Intervac appointment being honored and AZ vaccines being given...

 

"Province: Bangkok

Date:  June 29

Location (name of hospital or other) phyathai2

Are you over 60/chronically ill? (Yes/No) yes

How did you register?  Thailand intervac

Vaccination received (yes/no) yes

If yes,  Type of vaccine : AZ

If no, Reason not vaccinated: 

 

Confirmation was sent by text message late afternoon the day before. Very well organized--they started early with registration and vaccine.  I was out by 2pm.  Glad I struggled with the app to register."

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1218852-vaccination-experiences-please-post-here/?do=findComment&comment=16608018

 

 

 

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

In checking further, I see in Sheryl's thread on reporting vaccine experiences that there also was a positive report today out of Phyathai II hospital re an Intervac appointment being honored and AZ vaccines being given...

 

"Province: Bangkok

Date:  June 29

Location (name of hospital or other) phyathai2

Are you over 60/chronically ill? (Yes/No) yes

How did you register?  Thailand intervac

Vaccination received (yes/no) yes

If yes,  Type of vaccine : AZ

If no, Reason not vaccinated: 

 

Confirmation was sent by text message late afternoon the day before. Very well organized--they started early with registration and vaccine.  I was out by 2pm.  Glad I struggled with the app to register."

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1218852-vaccination-experiences-please-post-here/?do=findComment&comment=16608018

 

 

 

As I mentioned in report 25th at Phyathai 2 I got same SMS and only thing they require is your passport.  

[rabas]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

In checking further, I see in Sheryl's thread on reporting vaccine experiences that there also was a positive report today out of Phyathai II hospital re an Intervac appointment being honored and AZ vaccines being given...

 

"Province: Bangkok

Date:  June 29

Location (name of hospital or other) phyathai2

Are you over 60/chronically ill? (Yes/No) yes

How did you register?  Thailand intervac

Vaccination received (yes/no) yes

If yes,  Type of vaccine : AZ

If no, Reason not vaccinated: 

 

Confirmation was sent by text message late afternoon the day before. Very well organized--they started early with registration and vaccine.  I was out by 2pm.  Glad I struggled with the app to register."

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1218852-vaccination-experiences-please-post-here/?do=findComment&comment=16608018

 

 

A friend called from Phyathai 2 today, 1:30pm while being vaccinated. He tried hard to change his original Sinovac reservation to AZ with no luck. It seems they stick to the original selection if they can. I had reserved AZ and got in on June 23.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

As I mentioned in report 25th at Phyathai 2 I got same SMS and only thing they require is your passport.  

 

Any point in pre-filling out and bringing along the consent and follow-up appointment forums that were available in each person's Intervac account before the site went down?

 

It sounds from what I've caught that people are being asked to fill out and sign a consent form at the hospital. Dunno if it's the same form that Intervac had online or not?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just now, rabas said:

 

A friend called from Phyathai 2 today, 1:30pm while being vaccinated. He tried hard to change his original Sinovac reservation to AZ with no luck. It seems they stick to the original selection if they can. I had reserved AZ and got in on June 23.

 

My original appt for was the AZ vaccine. Hopefully that's what I'll be offered tomorrow....

 

If they tried to switch to the Sinovac vaccine on me, I'm not sure what I'd do... Have to think over that prospect tonight.... though hopefully it won't come to pass.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, for those folks who have been getting the AZ vaccine lately from either Phyathai II or Medpark hospitals, how's it been going in terms of after-effects from the vaccine?

 

I haven't seen anyone much here talking about substantial side effects... So I'm presuming that means, most are coming away from the vaccination experience without too much in the way of negative reactions?

 

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

BTW, for those folks who have been getting the AZ vaccine lately from either Phyathai II or Medpark hospitals, how's it been going in terms of after-effects from the vaccine?

 

I haven't seen anyone much here talking about substantial side effects... So I'm presuming that means, most are coming away from the vaccination experience without too much in the way of negative reactions?

 

I got it in Phuket yesterday morning. Fine until the evening when I went to bed, then got shivers, aches and feeling generally ill, not too much sleep as a result, this morning felt a little better and now back to normal. My friend who also had it yesterday had exactly the same thing and had to take the day off work today.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Bkk Brian

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

I got it in Phuket yesterday morning. Fine until the evening when I went to bed, then got shivers, aches and feeling generally ill, not too much sleep as a result, this morning felt a little better and now back to normal. My friend who also had it yesterday had exactly the same thing and had to take the day off work today.

 

Both you and the friend got the local AZ vaccine, right?

 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Both you and the friend got the local AZ vaccine, right?

 

Yea both had AZ. I'm 61 and my friend, he's 33, both exactly the same symptoms.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

13 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Yea both had AZ. I'm 61 and my friend, he's 33, both exactly the same symptoms.

 

In the immortal words of Southside Johnny..... "We're havin' a [vaccine] party...."   ????

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[lopburi3]

Did not seem to have any symptoms but normally have to take Tylenol once in evening to get to sleep.  I do not believe there is any switching of vaccine if you actually got properly registered (for many of us that took many tries over days).  Am not sure the consent form is the same or not but they have clipboards with pen so only takes a minute to fill out - just one A4 sheet before they take BP.  Your shots are by queue number so no advantage in doing faster.

[whiteflight]

11 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Fine until the evening when I went to bed, then got shivers, aches and feeling generally ill, not too much sleep as a result

Same here, got AZ at The Golden Jubilee Medical Center in Nakhon Pathom, fine until got into bed, then started to feel very cold, needed a blanket, that went away after a few hours, then got a bad headache and couldn't sleep all night even after some Tylenol, was a bit better the next day, but still had a bit of a headache, felt cold and needed a blanket again the next night, but slept well the whole night, 2nd day everything seems to be ok.

As annoying as it was for one day, a good friend who got Covid told me, that was a lot better than getting Covid...

[fcbkk]

23 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

I agree that there is a lot of mystery involved in how the rollout is proceeding.   I also share your frustration and anger for the dealy, but there is so much confusion and contradictions from the government, and so many people stating opinions as though they are facts, that nobody really understand the situation.

 

When that happens, it's only natural to take it personal and assume that outsiders (i.e.: expats) are being forgotten about, but I don't think that's true

 

Many Thai nationals are having the same issues.  Many Thai people I've talked to are just as frustrated as we expats are.  I just took a ride with a Grab driver yesterday who is having as much difficulty getting vaccinated as we expats, and he is obviously in a VERY high risk situation, driving strangers around all day.

 

I certainly agree that Thai authorities have brought this perilous situation on us by playing self-serving political games early on instead of diligently securing vaccines as many other countries did, but that is in the past, and we are dealing with the present now.

 

Based on the current (though temporary) shortage of supply, difficult decisions needed to be made about where the vaccines would go, and as I said before, it seems logical that dealing with the high risk geographic regions is necessary as a first step to prevent further cluster from forming.  It's a matter of putting out a burning fire before thinking about preventative measures.  It's really that simple I think.

 

It's too easy to forget that the real goal of vaccination is not about personal protection, but protecting the population as a whole, and if you;ve got clusters that are rapidly getting out of control, that can quickly spread in an exponential way, affecting everyone in a very short time.

 

Remember the current shortage is a temporary situation.  Vaccines already ordered as well as donated ones from foreign countries will soon arrive, and feel pretty confident that things will rapidly start to change when that starts to happen.

 

 

 

 

Expats are not being forgotten about indeed. IMO the original intention was to vaccinate Thai's first and make expats pay, as is obvious from quite a few official statements made at the time, as well as actual policies enacted. That original intention had to change in the face of pressure (from the public, international community and Thai scientists and public health officials) against the obviously discriminatory policy, besides being obvious nonsense from a scientific and public health point of view. The result was that official policy gave assurances (words) that vaccination was to be made inclusive for all. Sadly the reality (still) does not match the assurances. 

 

The obvious discrimination does not reflect all or even the majority of officials, but undoubtedly there are some in responsible positions that spoke and acted accordingly and they still influence policies and/or directly allocate resources and so on. That is why i am not confident we have seen the last of the discrimination and whether it is only a question of catching up with the lack of inclusive preparation and shortage of supply.

 

I did acknowledge and comment on the problem many Thais face and said it is equally upsetting, but it is not caused by the same problem. Here and now we all have to deal with the result of discrimination, incompetence, self-serving or bad organisation, or however you wish to call it. Remember, compared to many other countries, Thailand had many more months to prepare for inclusive organisation AND sufficient supply of vaccines, whilst infection numbers were relatively low. The lack of both shows all you need to know and those in power should be held to account for both discriminatory policies and all else, but fat chance of that i know. 

 

We are where we are, right now it's fire fighting and we can only hope for the best and wish us all good health. And pay thanks to the many good Thai people on the ground as volunteers and in health services. 
 

[JetsetBkk]

5 hours ago, whiteflight said:

2nd day everything seems to be ok

 

Well, that's OK then.