Thailand’s Historic Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Program

[webfact]

 

By Subhabhong Rarueysong

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has declared that it was a historic day when Thailand began to strike back at COVID-19, as it achieved its target of administering at least 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines on the first day of the nation’s mass vaccination drive on Monday.

 

He said the battle against COVID-19 is ongoing, after it began a year and a half ago. However, this time, the country has vaccines, which are its best hope in turning the situation around. Vaccines will be the key to reopening the country to tourism, to rehabilitating the economy and to returning to normality. Vaccines will be the force to drive the country forward securely and sustainably.

 

The prime minister reassured the general public, during his visit to the Central Vaccination Centre at the Bang Sue Grand Station, that there will be enough vaccine for everyone, no matter the channel of registration. Vaccines will continue to arrive in Thailand in batches, as the global vaccine demand is still high.

 

He added that the government has signed a contract for 20 million doses of Johnson & Johnson and 5 million Pfizer vaccine doses and has ordered 8 million more doses of Sinovac, in line with the plan to secure 100 million doses for Thailand.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-06-08

 

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[petermik]

Sorry but I,m not holding my breath....maybe 2022 we will see some progress.

[chalawaan]

Online personality Jakkrit Yompayorm, aka Kru Tom Kam Thai (Teacher Tom Teaching Thai), has shared photos on social media, thanking the US government after receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

 

“All done! Welcome back to your normal life. Thank you, American government.”

Jakkrit was able to be vaccinated at a Walmart store in the US after giving just his name and answering a few health questions. This is in stark contrast to the bureaucratic process surrounding Thailand’s vaccine rollout, whereby people must first be considered eligible, then try to register on a platform that doesn’t always work, then wait for an appointment and hope it isn’t cancelled, then show up with their official identification and wait in line, often for hours.

For Thai nationals who’ve given up on their government and who can afford to travel for vaccination, a number of travel agencies are offering vaccine packages, whereby sightseeing tours are combined with inoculation. They’re not cheap, ranging from 67,000 – 245,000 baht, and in some cases, the cost of 14 day quarantine on return to Thailand is higher than the cost of the trip abroad.

In Jakkrit’s case, he paid just over 20,000 baht for his round trip to the US, but over 30,000 baht for his quarantine stay on his return – despite the fact that he’d received 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Suwincha “Chacha” Singsuwan, also travelled to the US for vaccination after realising she wouldn’t be vaccinated in Thailand anytime soon. She is young, without any underlying health conditions, but runs several bars and restaurants in Bangkok and felt responsible for protecting over 60 employees who work for her.

With bars in Thailand currently closed indefinitely, she decided to visit her sister in the US and get vaccinated at the same time. She says despite the fact that she is not a US citizen and had no health insurance, she was able to get the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine with no difficulty.

 

Sucha Nuntaworanuch, who has family in the US, watched from Thailand as her parents and siblings were all vaccinated and realised her only hope of vaccination was to join them.

She too got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, administered at a Costco store. She says she was in and out in half an hour, which only served to increase her frustration with the Thai government.

“The United States got plenty of vaccines, but why didn’t Thailand import them? I felt a lot of empathy for the Thai people who were unable to register for vaccines.”

SOURCE: Coconuts 

[BangkokReady]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

this time, the country has vaccines, which are its best hope in turning the situation around. Vaccines will be the key to reopening the country to tourism, to rehabilitating the economy and to returning to normality.

 

Just a case of waiting and seeing if the vaccines they have are up to the task...

[ThailandRyan]

Just hysterical to see that Thais are traveling to the US to be vaccinated way before they could ve vaccinated here.

[chalawaan]

11 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Just a case of waiting and seeing if the vaccines they have are up to the task...

Latest news is that science is trying to figure out if Covid will respond to just the initial shots, or if it will become an annual necessity.

 

The big problem with Covid is not even dying (the flu often kills hundreds of thousands a year) its how each individual responds or recovers from it. So skipping any and all vaccines is playing fast and loose in the health casino. I'd rather be dead -than "recover" and be plagued with chronic ill health for my remaining years.

 

So  if we need annual boosters, this place, on its current hopeless beaureaucratic old-school way of doing everything with quill and inkpot, will be screwed for at least 5 years, or more.

[Fex Bluse]

Leave it to the Thais to talk and talk and talk about it rather than focusing on doing it. Meanwhile, other countries are simply getting it done, mostly with fanfare. 

[chalawaan]

And another thing.

 

How the farang do they justify B30K for two weeks of "Scandinavian Prison" AKA pointless qarantine of vaccinated people, when a US vaccine tour costs B20K including everything but your taxis, tips, food, and drink?

Edited June 8, 2021 by chalawaan
sp and detail added.

[herfiehandbag]

27 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

Online personality Jakkrit Yompayorm, aka Kru Tom Kam Thai (Teacher Tom Teaching Thai)

Lucky old Kru Tom Kam Thai, well done the USA government: offline miserable personality (some may well say) Kru John Kam Angkrit, who has been teaching Thai children here for 7 years, (and despite the lousy money did so because he thought and had been assured he was making a positive contribution to Thai society), was told to <deleted> off because he was a foreigner!

Edited June 8, 2021 by herfiehandbag

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has declared that it was a historic day when Thailand began to strike back at COVID-19, as it achieved its target of administering at least 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines on the first day of the nation’s mass vaccination drive on Monday.

He should hang his head in shame at the complete fiasco, of registrations, bookings, dates, cancellations. Not spout about how great he is. 

[Gold Star]

Knowing Thai bureaucracy, perhaps some bizarre loophole exists like a visa run, where one can purchase a vax flight by departing BKK into international airspace where one would get a Pfizer or Moderna jab during flight, circle around then land back at BKK without the hassle of a quarantine. Might even save Thai airways from bankruptcy at the same time.

[ikke1959]

Historic day.. more historic days to come when run out of vaccines, delay on delivery, more cases than before, more deaths, failing sandboxes, and so on and so on... But Happiness to the people  and wrong information.. In this article 20 million J&J and 5 mill Pfizer another article 20 mill pfizer and 5 million J&J

[Jimbo2014]

Historic in its slowness and ineptitude.

[overt2016]

4 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Just a case of waiting and seeing if the vaccines they have are up to the task...

I'm one of those "wait and sees" I have no faith in what the PM and his lackey's are sprouting"

[Golden Triangle]

So Mr idiot ( unelected ) Prayuth, what happens later this week when the vaccines run out, how long does everybody wait or has that dipstick health minster supposedly got his finger on a very weak national pulse ??

 

When I was in the army we had a phrase to adequately describe people like yourselves, acting, unpaid & unwanted - unfortunately you lot are paying yourselves, God knows why, you don't deserve it.

[timendres]

Thailand’s PREHistoric Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Program

[Golden Triangle]

1 hour ago, timendres said:

Thailand’s PREHistoric Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Nice one mate????????

[sesdave]

So in phuket I go to jungcelyon where the are doing vaccinations en mass. I say I an a retired expat where can I register please. Oh sorry not this month. I say maybe next - maybe or month after. Then she say you know vaccine supply running  short  so we not really know when. Great job PM . Love the BS propaganda of the vaccine rollout. In reality this country is probably no further ahead of Japan in inoculation of the population and residents and that's a very low percentage.   But hey ho lets open up to tourism starting July Sandbox.  . But hey Japan too are  ignoring reality and having the Olympics.  But you can't hide from a viral  pandemic  - when it wants to spread it will -  unless the real preventive measures are in place. Like a true 70% herd immunity based on 70% of population in Phuket having had 2 jabs plus the 2 week activation period post the last one.  We will see soon - I know I won't be mingling with anyone as I can't get the first one but us over 60s seem to be classed as disposable as the workforce here  have been prioritised.  They seem to have forgotten that the expat community contribute a lot to the businesses here in low season.  Hope I am lucky and not a victim of propaganda and am remain healthy enough to get a jab  or purchase one privately.  To be able to do that   before the presumed few tourist arrive 1/7  would be a good start bu that'seems very unlikely to happen unless I get very lucky.

Edited June 8, 2021 by sesdave

[Soikhaonoiken]

Historic day my Ass, are you looking for praise and a fanfare, ... 

It's the PMs job to take care of the population of the Country you govern,, so just get on with the job your being paid for without all the BS. 

[Poet]

9 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Historic in its slowness and ineptitude.

In an actual democracy, this shameful map could be the opposition's entire election campaign.

[Zikomat]

Vaccination Hub

[bobandyson]

13 hours ago, chalawaan said:

How the farang do they justify B30K for two weeks of "Scandinavian Prison" AKA pointless qarantine of vaccinated people,

 

As I understand it, any person vaccinated can still be a carrier of the virus and yet won't show any symptoms. Hence why vaccinated people have to be quarantined when entering countries.

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has declared that it was a historic day when Thailand began to strike back at COVID-19,

Historic day... Lol

monumental *%$#-up, how many people had cancellations before they even turned up. 

How many venues had less vaccines than promised?

Any normal PM would have been rode out of office by now, but he parades around Bang Su station like a god.

[mtls2005]

Monday was brilliant. 

 

Any figures for Tuesday?