US Embassy - where are you when I need you?

[GinBoy2]

3 hours ago, placnx said:

You seem to assume that other Americans are moneybags or jetsetters.

That's not the point

 

When you chose to live overseas, you obviously could afford to buy an airline ticket to get there, and hopefully weren't too irresponsible to not have an emergency reserve pot of cash.

 

To use a previous poster's analogy. When I stay in a hotel I don't expect room service to be free.

 

If you are living in podunk backofbeyond North Dakota, or worse still Alaska, those folks I guarantee you aren't expecting some Government vaccination truck to be rolling up at their door, to deliver the 'room service' shot

 

They are getting in their truck to drive the 100 miles or so to the nearest vaccination center.

 

So why so many of you think you fall into some special case baffles me, because these are the choices you made.

Edited June 17, 2021 by GinBoy2

[jerrymahoney]

8 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

When you chose to live overseas, you obviously could afford to buy an airline ticket to get there,

No problem buying an airline ticket. I scoped this out. The big problem is where to stay for about a month between Pfizer or Moderna shots and the one-shot J&J seems in much shorter supply. Car rentals for now are in short supply. Let alone the cost and inconvenience of returning to Thailand .

 

Any US vaccine involvement here in Thailand seems remote at best -- I will just get a shot as soon as I can with what is available and then wait until later in the year for the High quality stuff.

Edited June 17, 2021 by jerrymahoney

[chalawaan]

Passport holders of Americas NATO and ANZUS allies should get second dibs.

[placnx]

25 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

If you are living in podunk backofbeyond North Dakota, or worse still Alaska, those folks I guarantee you aren't expecting some Government vaccination truck to be rolling up at their door, to deliver the 'room service' shot

Actually the US is using mobile vaccination vans to serve Indian reservations and people lacking mobility.

[GinBoy2]

17 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

No problem buying an airline ticket. I scoped this out. The big problem is where to stay for about a month between Pfizer or Moderna shots and the one-shot J&J seems in much shorter supply. Car rentals for now are in short supply. Let alone the cost and inconvenience of returning to Thailand .

 

Any US vaccine involvement here in Thailand seems remote at best -- I will just get a shot as soon as I can with what is available and then wait until later in the year for the High quality stuff.

Yeah the whole situation sucks.

 

But if you can bunk down with a relative between shots, I think almost all States are now just giving them on demand for free

 

If you are going to hunker down in Thailand to get it down. Well don't expect, given the track record of the Thai Government to do anything on this scale, to not f***&K it up.

 

Expect to pay something at a private hospital at some point down the road

[GinBoy2]

7 minutes ago, placnx said:

Actually the US is using mobile vaccination vans to serve Indian reservations and people lacking mobility.

We live like 30 miles from the Pine Ridge reservation, and the reality is that they are all driving into Rapid City for the shot.

 

I work with a bunch of native Americans at the airport, and this is the reality on the streets

Edited June 17, 2021 by GinBoy2

[jerrymahoney]

1 minute ago, GinBoy2 said:

Yeah the whole situation sucks.

 

But if you can bunk down with a relative between shots, I think almost all States are now just giving them on demand for free

...

Expect to pay something at a private hospital at some point down the road

What relative? How to stay for a few days with friends without a car?

 

I should get the Sinovac soon enough and already registered for the Moderna come October. Meanwhile it seems Sturgis Rally 2021 may be the biggest conglomeration of non vaccinated persons yet seen in the US of A.

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Is there something new in that?

We seem to be at the tail end of covid.

The administration tells us inflation is good.

Mass shootings are not the fault of the shooters, but of the guns. The administration will eliminate these and all will be good.

Political anger and distrust only hurts those that are angry and distrustful, I am not.

Who is not accountable?

The "insurrection" ended the same day.

The only pension funds left are public sector, and they can't go broke. 

No one cares about major league sports anymore.

 

Read the news sometime.

 

 

 

 

oooops... too bad - the bait just fell off the hook... 

[Jingthing]

8 hours ago, BTB1977 said:

Where's my free shot? Where's my free shot? Never said by any real American.  Now that's some funny $hit right there. 

What are you talking about? Americans in the USA have been getting free shots without even asking. We're Americans too.

 

To add, expats here are more than happy to pay, indeed to overpay, for shots here, in any way we can get them. Free is NOT our issue. Reasonably fair and timely ACCESS is the issue.  Most of us can't get them. High risk expats are not being included with Thais in priority groups. Online registration systems are a farce. We have heard multiple reports expats being LAUGHED AT and told you'll get shots after ALL Thais get shots when approaching hospitals. If we were being treated at all fairly by the Thai system, we wouldn't be asking our embassies for help. 

 

To add, yes, it matters where you live. Expat centers like Chiang Mai have had successful outreach programs for expats, for but one example. But in high risk expat haven Pattaya -- NOTHING. 

 

Talking about exceptions such as those that slipped in with pink cards on the Mor Phram app is not the point. The overall picture for vaccine  access for expats here is poor. 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Jingthing

[darksidedog]

A troll post along with several replies and replies of replies have been removed.

[Acharn]

Ronald Reagan, whom you may remember vaguely, decreed that all government agencies providing services to the public must charge fees that cover their operating costs. That's why it used to cost $55 for the income affidavit at Citizen Services. Last week I had to mail a letter, and the most convenient Post Office branch is in a Big C shopping center. While I was there my niece wandered around and discovered that on the second floor they were giving vaccinations. She said it was a large crowd so didn't bother telling me until we were on our way home, but the cost was a tad over ฿2,000. My doctor told me a couple months ago that he expected the vaccine would be available about August. I'm not concerned, and, frankly, I'm hoping to get the Sinovac vaccine. The government initially ordered several million Astra-Zeneca doses, which at least are less problematic than the Pfizer ones, but apparently they're now getting (sporadically) all the other brands, too.

[Kenneth White]

On 6/14/2021 at 2:28 AM, mtls2005 said:

 

You answered your own question...

 

 

 

The Department of State does not provide direct medical care, including vaccinations, to private U.S. citizens abroad. We are committed to providing all possible consular assistance to U.S. citizens in need overseas, including by providing information on local medical resources when appropriate. Please follow host country developments and guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination.

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/

 

 

 

I think our only hope is that the U.S. government donates cash or vaccines to the Thai government, with a proviso that some portion of the vacines are administered to U.S. citizens.

 

Expecting the Embassy to set up a vaccination center is, well, fairy-tale land. More likely to get a pony than a vaccination.

 

 

There are some groups lobbying on our behalf. Democrats Abroad Thailand is one.

 

I have to hope that discussions continue after Deputy Sec. of State Sherman's visit with pm prayut here in Bangkok a few weeks ago.

 

 

The two sides agreed on the importance of continuing to work together to combat COVID-19.

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/statement-on-the-visit-of-deputy-secretary-wendy-r-sherman-to-thailand/

 

 

 

 

 

I understand that $30,000,000 USD was promised to Thailand, and access to vaccines. I agree this should have been done months ago. I am 73, retired and living in Thailand, and would like to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, Kenneth White said:

I understand that $30,000,000 was promised to Thailand, and access to vaccines

Not $30 million in cash but --

 

The U.S. Government has donated $30 million in total COVID-related assistance to Thailand. This includes $17.5 million in ventilators, respirators, surgical masks, goggles, and other protective equipment to Thai doctors and nurses, plus assistance to support refugees in border camps.

 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided an additional $13 million in assistance while working side-by-side with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-support-for-thailand-to-beat-covid-19/

 

The "access to vaccines" is part of a broad donation program to South and southeast Asia countries:

 

Biden to share 80m vaccine shots with world to match China
Nearly 30% of first 25m doses are earmarked for Asian recipients, including India

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/COVID-vaccines/Biden-to-share-80m-vaccine-shots-with-world-to-match-China

Edited June 18, 2021 by jerrymahoney

[Yellowtail]

17 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

oooops... too bad - the bait just fell off the hook... 

 

That's what I thought, thanks!

[1FinickyOne]

23 hours ago, placnx said:

On 6/16/2021 at 12:35 PM, Thomas J said:

Expand  

You seem to assume that other Americans are moneybags or jetsetters.

moneybags? 1940s?

jetsetters? 1960s?

 

Thankfully the Spanish flu is gone... when you get to the 90s you are going to hate Heavy Metal and Rap music... 

[Thomas J]

20 hours ago, placnx said:

Actually the US is using mobile vaccination vans to serve Indian reservations and people lacking mobility.

Yep, and are those indicant reservations located within the confines of the borders of the USA.  More importantly, do those vaccines in the vans have to travel somewhat less than 8,600 miles which is the distance they have to travel to get to Thailand. 

The USA has control within its borders of both personnel to vaccinate, vans to transport and refrigeration equipment to house the vaccines.  When those doses of vaccine show up at the BKK airport now just exactly what are they suppose to do?  

The only thing the USA could and possibly should do is to make the vaccines available to the governments around the globe.  However even if they did that there is no guarantee that those vaccines will ever make it to the expatriates.  Example, the USA sent disaster relief supplies to one of its own territories, Puerto Rico following the hurricane.  Oh what a surprise when those supplies were not distributed to the needy but rather confiscated and sold by government officials. 

[placnx]

8 hours ago, Thomas J said:

Yep, and are those indicant reservations located within the confines of the borders of the USA.  More importantly, do those vaccines in the vans have to travel somewhat less than 8,600 miles which is the distance they have to travel to get to Thailand. 

The USA has control within its borders of both personnel to vaccinate, vans to transport and refrigeration equipment to house the vaccines.  When those doses of vaccine show up at the BKK airport now just exactly what are they suppose to do?  

The only thing the USA could and possibly should do is to make the vaccines available to the governments around the globe.  However even if they did that there is no guarantee that those vaccines will ever make it to the expatriates.  Example, the USA sent disaster relief supplies to one of its own territories, Puerto Rico following the hurricane.  Oh what a surprise when those supplies were not distributed to the needy but rather confiscated and sold by government officials. 

I was not talking about bring mobile vans to Thailand. The poster was talking about the US, and I responded to that.

 

The US providing vaccines, at cost, small profit, or as donation, would achieve something if it were at a significant scale, enough to fill the gap left by pharma production planned for this year and next. To do that, it would be necessary to build more production facilities for vaccines and ingredients. US government would build, but pharmas would operate these facilities. While it would have been sensible for Biden to start doing this on day 2, it still could be worthwhile and give results much faster that providing waivers and aid to construct same in developing countries, most of which aren't really capable of producing mRNA vaccines. 

 

It's really sad that the Western governments are not coordinating on this, and setting up a system, vaccine databases & vaccine passport, which would also control the distribution of vaccines to prevent the potential diversion that concerns you.

 

 

[Thomas J]

4 minutes ago, placnx said:

t's really sad that the Western governments are not coordinating on this, and setting up a system, vaccine databases & vaccine passport, which would also control the distribution of vaccines to prevent the potential diversion that concerns you.

You have expatriates in every corner of the world and in every nook and cranny of those.  Using Thailand as an example it has taken months just to get the vaccines that the rest of the world has long since approved, vetted by Thailand and approved.  It is months just to get the Thailand government to order the vaccines and even do what should have been a no brainer at the snap of ones fingers to allow the private hospitals to procure vaccines.  And you really believe the USA government could build vaccine production facilities and the pharma companies have additional staff to operate those facilities? 

The reality is that expatriates once they leave the confines of their home countries are at the mercy of the vagaries in the location they chose.  To expect the USA or for that matter any country to move heaven and earth to accommodate the vaccine requirements of those not living within its borders is just wishful thinking.  

If money was provided to most foreign governments to procure vaccines for expatriates it would be stolen.  If vaccines were sent, they would be stolen and sold. 

There really are only two courses of action.  Get a flight to either Guam or back to the USA mainland or alternatively wait here in Thailand until the private hospitals eventually get the vaccine.  I am choosing the latter. 

 

[BobinBKK]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:57 AM, JohnOFphon said:

I don't think there are any Americans working in Citizen Services any more.

Last communication I had from them was definitely not a native speaker.

Poor English.

 

Same here... I get much more timely and intelligent information from the Brits embassy!!!

[BobinBKK]

On 6/17/2021 at 4:05 PM, GinBoy2 said:

That's not the point

 

When you chose to live overseas, you obviously could afford to buy an airline ticket to get there, and hopefully weren't too irresponsible to not have an emergency reserve pot of cash.

 

To use a previous poster's analogy. When I stay in a hotel I don't expect room service to be free.

 

If you are living in podunk backofbeyond North Dakota, or worse still Alaska, those folks I guarantee you aren't expecting some Government vaccination truck to be rolling up at their door, to deliver the 'room service' shot

 

They are getting in their truck to drive the 100 miles or so to the nearest vaccination center.

 

So why so many of you think you fall into some special case baffles me, because these are the choices you made.

The point is is that not only do we pay taxes to America, we also pay into the Medicare system. If the American government can send vaccines and financial aid (funded by American citizens) to the rest of the world, then why not us? Why aren't you and everyone else slamming the governments of China, France and Belgium for taking care of their citizens? This is between American citizens and our government, not anyone else!!!

 

Case in point: What makes the South Korean troops a special case?

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-will-provide-covid-19-vaccines-to-550-000-south-korean-troops-engaged-with-u-s-forces-11621637522

 

America sent vaccines to every American embassy in the world for their staff and their families. Why are they a special case?

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-americans-who-cant-get-vaccines-11622156230

[herfiehandbag]

I don't think the argument should be that the US government (or my own , Her Brittanic Majesties Government - that should get a few going!) should be giving out vaccines in car parks or elsewhere.

 

I think the argument should be that Thais are being vaccinated (free) on the same basis as everyone else in our home countries. Prayut has assured that foreigners will be treated the same as everyone else in the programme here. That is absolutely not the case -" no vaccine for foreigners" as I was told by the MoPH official at the registration centre in Chiang Rai. The embassies, and the relevant government departments in all countries should be energetically and publicly holding the Thai government to their promises.

We should be pressing our embassies, and our governments to do that.

 

In the case of the Astra Zeneca vaccine, the argument is strengthened by the fact that Thailand was granted generous licencing terms to manufacture the stuff, whose development, trials and initial production was largely funded by the UK taxpayer!

Edited June 20, 2021 by herfiehandbag

[mackayae]

Meanwhile, back at the beach, free vaccines.

Miami Beach vaccination.webp

[mackayae]

Also, no appointment vacanies at the Embassy for June, July and August. Did not look any further.

Edited June 20, 2021 by mackayae

[Yellowtail]

4 hours ago, mackayae said:

Meanwhile, back at the beach, free vaccines.

Miami Beach vaccination.webp 39.14 kB · 6 downloads

 

They are only "free" for tax recipients. 

[jerrymahoney]

20 hours ago, mackayae said:

Meanwhile, back at the beach, free vaccines.

Miami Beach vaccination.webp 39.14 kB · 6 downloads

Nice -- but can also look like this:

 

[placnx]

On 6/18/2021 at 9:54 PM, Thomas J said:

You have expatriates in every corner of the world and in every nook and cranny of those.  Using Thailand as an example it has taken months just to get the vaccines that the rest of the world has long since approved, vetted by Thailand and approved.  It is months just to get the Thailand government to order the vaccines and even do what should have been a no brainer at the snap of ones fingers to allow the private hospitals to procure vaccines.  And you really believe the USA government could build vaccine production facilities and the pharma companies have additional staff to operate those facilities? 

The reality is that expatriates once they leave the confines of their home countries are at the mercy of the vagaries in the location they chose.  To expect the USA or for that matter any country to move heaven and earth to accommodate the vaccine requirements of those not living within its borders is just wishful thinking.  

If money was provided to most foreign governments to procure vaccines for expatriates it would be stolen.  If vaccines were sent, they would be stolen and sold. 

There really are only two courses of action.  Get a flight to either Guam or back to the USA mainland or alternatively wait here in Thailand until the private hospitals eventually get the vaccine.  I am choosing the latter. 

 

The US government is capable of building production facilities, with technical assistance from pharma. The lead time would be at least six months, and staff training could occur simultaneously.

 

This is not simply for rescuing a few expats who have cast their lot with the Thai people. This is about saving the West from ever more dangerous variants that will come back to bite.

 

As for your concerns about diversion of cash or vaccines, on the vaccine side there should be a blockchain inventory system that would show how the doses were distributed to clinics, which would then be matched against the vaccinations administered and recorded by clinic and personnel administering the jabs.

 

We are a long way from that, but it's not too late to educate the bozos in the Biden administration. At the moment they are having difficulty understanding the efficacy of the vaccine passport concept for public health.

[Thomas J]

8 minutes ago, placnx said:

The US government is capable of building production facilities, with technical assistance from pharma. The lead time would be at least six months, and staff training could occur simultaneously.

LOL, 

Are you saying that the US government could produce a production facility in 6 months and exactly where would that be?   First off if the production facility was in the USA you would face exactly the same situation as you do now.  Vaccines being available but not in some regions of the globe.  Taking Thailand as an example.  If vaccines were produced in the USA and shipped to Thailand, do you really think they would make it to expatriates here?  The vaccines would be confiscated, sold and the proceeds distributed. 

If you are suggesting that the production facility be overseas such as Thailand, do you 1. really believe that you could get the Thai government to approve a foreign built production facility to be approved let alone built in Thailand. 2. That somehow if built here in Thailand that there would be adequate trained staff to produce the vaccine. and 3. Even in the remote possibility that the first two could be accomplished that the vaccine produced would not be diverted, and sold. 

Whether Thailand, India, Cambodia, Tanzania and every other far flung country in the world do you then build production facilities there too?  If not, and your suggestion is to build a new facility in the USA, how does any of that change the situation from what is currently true.  Vaccines are available but there is no logistic support by the Thai government to procure them and distribute them.  If you believe which I don't know if true or not is that the existing companies lack the production capacity to fill demand, a far better and faster solution would be to license the production to existing vaccine production facilities around the globe.  While that may produce more than enough vaccine, it still does not solve how you transport the vaccine to Thailand, have adequate -72 degree Fahrenheit storage facilities and have those drugs transported to hospitals around the country who also have -72 degree Fahrenheit storage capabilities. 

The biggest problem here is Thailand is not the lack of vaccines available, its the lack of procurement on the part of the government.  They are just now getting around to ordering it. 

 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

LOL, 

Are you saying that the US government could produce a production facility in 6 months and exactly where would that be?   First off if the production facility was in the USA you would face exactly the same situation as you do now.  Vaccines being available but not in some regions of the globe.  Taking Thailand as an example.  If vaccines were produced in the USA and shipped to Thailand, do you really think they would make it to expatriates here?  The vaccines would be confiscated, sold and the proceeds distributed. 

If you are suggesting that the production facility be overseas such as Thailand, do you 1. really believe that you could get the Thai government to approve a foreign built production facility to be approved let alone built in Thailand. 2. That somehow if built here in Thailand that there would be adequate trained staff to produce the vaccine. and 3. Even in the remote possibility that the first two could be accomplished that the vaccine produced would not be diverted, and sold. 

Whether Thailand, India, Cambodia, Tanzania and every other far flung country in the world do you then build production facilities there too?  If not, and your suggestion is to build a new facility in the USA, how does any of that change the situation from what is currently true.  Vaccines are available but there is no logistic support by the Thai government to procure them and distribute them.  If you believe which I don't know if true or not is that the existing companies lack the production capacity to fill demand, a far better and faster solution would be to license the production to existing vaccine production facilities around the globe.  While that may produce more than enough vaccine, it still does not solve how you transport the vaccine to Thailand, have adequate -72 degree Fahrenheit storage facilities and have those drugs transported to hospitals around the country who also have -72 degree Fahrenheit storage capabilities. 

The biggest problem here is Thailand is not the lack of vaccines available, its the lack of procurement on the part of the government.  They are just now getting around to ordering it. 

 

 

While I generally agree with you, there is no reason the Thai government would disallow the US government from building a production facility here. They would have to use local grunt-labor, but the US would want to do that anyway.   

[Thomas J]

17 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

While I generally agree with you, there is no reason the Thai government would disallow the US government from building a production facility here. They would have to use local grunt-labor, but the US would want to do that anyway.   

There is no reason to believe they would allow it and given the track record of the Thai government for moving on anything it is more likely that final approval would come when the current residents of Thailand died from old age rather than Covid.  Certainly it would never happen in the 6 month time frame the OP suggested. 

[Yellowtail]

43 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

There is no reason to believe they would allow it and given the track record of the Thai government for moving on anything it is more likely that final approval would come when the current residents of Thailand died from old age rather than Covid.  Certainly it would never happen in the 6 month time frame the OP suggested. 

 

Not sure why you would think a project that would make a lot of people a lot of money would not be approved.

 

Been a while, but I had the installation of a US manufacturing facility approved in a few weeks. 

 

That said, I doubt the US government (particularly under the current administration) could put a plant together to show the Thai government in less than a year.