UK citizens seeking COVID vaccine in Thailand

[Sheryl]

 

Over the past weeks the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) has been contacted by many British passport holders residing in Thailand for updates and advice on the current vaccination situation in Thailand. At the same time, we have become aware that some, particularly those at greatest risk from Covid-19, have not yet been vaccinated and have been unable to register to be vaccinated.

The BCCT - www.bccthai.com - is reaching out to this community because of the current uncertainty. Please contact us through our website if you are part of this community and would like the BCCT to try and help. Details below.

Our goal is to coordinate and work with the Department of Disease Control at the Thai Ministry of Public Health to identify a solution. We will also examine potential solutions with other bodies that support British passport holders in Thailand.

Persons aged over 60 years or those with chronic diseases are among target groups for vaccination. Chronic diseases are listed as:-

• Severe Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs)
• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) (5th stage)
• Stroke
• Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy
• Diabetes
• Obesity (weight > 100 kg or BMI > 35 kg/m²)

BCCT uses a secure membership database in its day-to-day work supporting businesses in Thailand. We have created a new database group in order to capture basic data of at-risk (ie those over 60 years of age or with at least one of the chronic diseases listed above) unvaccinated British passport holders at the following secure link:-

https://members.bccthai.com/connect

BCCT would also like to invite those who join this database group to access our many virtual meetings and webinars on a wide range of topics. Alternatively, if you would simply like to talk about anything please email me at - [email protected] – to confirm a day and time. 

Data will be kept securely and will not be used for any purpose external to BCCT. Entries may be deleted at any time (eg should you be vaccinated). If an opportunity arises to use the database in order to make appointments to receive vaccines, all those on the database will be able to opt-out should they wish to. Couples should enter data individually. 

Current British government policy is that the National Health Service does not operate outside the UK. Therefore, vaccines for British passport holders in Thailand will not be supplied from the NHS unless there is a change in UK government policy.  

If you are receiving this notice and are not at risk but you know someone who is, please pass on details.

Best regards
Greg Watkins
Executive Director

 

 

https://members.bccthai.com/BCCT/asp/news.asp?NewsID=1052

 

 

[jayboy]

I'm quite moved by the empathy and imagination shown in this BCCT initiative.Congratulations to Greg Watkins and all the Chamber directors.I was fortunate to have been vaccinated some time ago but I will bring this initiative to the attention of two elderly Brits I know.

 

No promises are made here , just an undertaking to investigate what can be done.It's exactly what I wanted to see.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Yes good news, don't forget us under 60s, we could still kick the bucket if unlucky

[Iforbach]

Thank you for info 

[MAJORUS]

on the form it only allows 10 digits for your Thai

Social security number and will not accept any more.

My number has 13 digits not counting - spacers.

Just for info

[Bim Smith]

So the UK government are targeting vulnerable groups overseas but want to mass vaccinate its own population including children with an emergency use vaccine still under clinical trials. 

[Boomer6969]

For God's sake, Bangkok hospital would only be too happy to re-deploy the nicely effective process to implemented for the french expats. And there are so many leverage points that could be used to get approval from this lame duck  Government that it would be ridiculous to claim bureaucratic hurdles as an excuse. The rest is just shipping 100000 vaccines via diplomatic channels. Shame.

[Scott]

Baiting post and replies reported and removed.  

 

[Kenegg]

50 minutes ago, MAJORUS said:

on the form it only allows 10 digits for your Thai

Social security number and will not accept any more.

My number has 13 digits not counting - spacers.

Just for info

I don't have a Thai social security number and registered with my passport number

 

[Kenegg]

15 hours ago, jayboy said:

I'm quite moved by the empathy and imagination shown in this BCCT initiative.Congratulations to Greg Watkins and all the Chamber directors.I was fortunate to have been vaccinated some time ago but I will bring this initiative to the attention of two elderly Brits I know.

 

No promises are made here , just an undertaking to investigate what can be done.It's exactly what I wanted to see.

 

 

Shame the BCCT make it so expensive for the retired Brit to join their group or I would most certainly join.

[Surasak]

54 minutes ago, MAJORUS said:

on the form it only allows 10 digits for your Thai

Social security number and will not accept any more.

My number has 13 digits not counting - spacers.

Just for info

Why would you register with Thai SS number when the information is directed to UK nationals? Do you not have a UK passport?

[Derek B]

Registering was a breeze. Super fast.

 

FYI if needed:

How do I calculate my BMI in kg?

With the metric system, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

BMI=weight in Kg/(Height in m) X (Height in m)

 

[Speedo1968]

1 hour ago, MAJORUS said:

on the form it only allows 10 digits for your Thai

Social security number and will not accept any more.

My number has 13 digits not counting - spacers.

Just for info

I don't have a Thai ID card although I have lived and worked here for 20 years.
I tried at my local govt. drop-in clinic but was told my ID ( UK Passport ) does not have enough digits i.e. 13 ( as on the Govt form ) so they were unable to register me.
I have yet to try the online Govt form.

[Derek B]

17 minutes ago, Surasak said:

Why would you register with Thai SS number when the information is directed to UK nationals? Do you not have a UK passport?

I have a gut feeling Thai officialdom does not trust passport numbers alone so if you have an official Thai ID such as a Thai driving licence on which your passport number is detailed it means Thai Gov has already acknowledged & recognised your passport ID and address in Thailand.

I say this because when I registered as high risk for covid vaccination with a hospital in Chiang Mai I was asked if I had a Thai driving licence which was provided along with my UK passport. (Wait duration for 1st jab was quoted as 6 weeks - due 8th July).

[Derek B]

11 minutes ago, Speedo1968 said:

I don't have a Thai ID card although I have lived and worked here for 20 years.
I tried at my local govt. drop-in clinic but was told my ID ( UK Passport ) does not have enough digits i.e. 13 ( as on the Govt form ) so they were unable to register me.
I have yet to try the online Govt form.

New Gov form for foreigners should be okay.............................what happens with the data to assign appointment dates is not so clear.

[pops1]

Here's silly old me thinking they want to help us stranded with no vax but no. I go to the website and they want money. Typical bottom feeders. Profiteering off of misery. 

[sandyf]

15 minutes ago, Speedo1968 said:

I don't have a Thai ID card although I have lived and worked here for 20 years.
I tried at my local govt. drop-in clinic but was told my ID ( UK Passport ) does not have enough digits i.e. 13 ( as on the Govt form ) so they were unable to register me.
I have yet to try the online Govt form.

I have been here about 13 years and in that time medical facilities that have had government involvement have required the yellow book number. 

Going to a government hospital  with a passport for treatment has never been a problem, but things like the flu vaccine program or mobile health services where there is specific government funding is a different matter. You need to prove you live in their catchment area and unfortunately the system set up is based on tabian baan.

[IamNoone88]

I got my AZ jab earlier this week. Just a week after registering. Took two hours but they checked medication, blood pressure, personal details - very thorough. All friendly and efficient. Got a certificate, next appointment and sticker in my passport and all with a smile and it was free. My daughter got her shot in London yesterday in a tent and they asked for nothing and didn't even take the blood pressure - all very circa 1918. I applied for my NHS number in the UK 3 months ago and it has still not arrived to my UK address. You can't count on the toothless British Embassy in Thailand or the UK Government. I will work on my second jab as either Moderna (registered already) or Pfizer if either will be available and I will pay for it. Otherwise, my fall back position is my booked AZ shot. My advice - get on and do it yourself.

[gamini]

Thanks  Sheryl

I am 90 years old with nearly all the symtoms

 

 

[Clydesdale]

Good initiative from BCCT. Many will be pre-occupied by choice of vaccine, given concerns about potential side-effects.

[TechnikaIII]

Vaccination including AstraZeneca is free in the Philippines. 

It really is an amazing feeling to be in a country where one is treated as an equal. No double pricing, no special privileges, people are people and all treated the same.

(By the way, a Retirement Visa is given for life, allowing one to buy house/land, work and travel in and out of the country as freely as a native-born Filipino. The money in the bank for the retirement visa is 800,000 PHP. .. a little over ฿ 522,000.

After 6 months, that money can be used in the Philippines, on said house/land etc. Setting up a business.)

I hope by the time I've had my 2nd shot of AstraZeneca in September, this Phuket <deleted> is finished. I am not remotely interested in the bovine's 'sand box'.

[connda]

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Our goal is to coordinate and work with the Department of Disease Control at the Thai Ministry of Public Health to identify a solution. We will also examine potential solutions with other bodies that support British passport holders in Thailand.

You would think that Western governments would put pressure on Thailand about their openly xenophobic and racist policies during a declared "pandemic." 
They do nothing (although kudos to France and China).
The US has got the be the epitome of what having utter contempt for their own expat citizens looks like:  Give Thailand vaccines and 30 million in US aide - and then tell Americans to metaphorically ****-off and get to the end of Thai vaccine lines. "We don't care about you and we don't care that Thailand is racist!", pretty much sums it up.  The US's little cousin Britain is about the same.

[Chongalulu]

While being first to commend the excellent Sheryl for bringing to our attention,the cynic in me feels this has about as much chance of achieving anything as attempts to unfreeze uk state pensions. The government has little concern for its citizens abroad,making its position clear,despite France's excellent initiative

[recom273]

2 hours ago, pops1 said:

Here's silly old me thinking they want to help us stranded with no vax but no. I go to the website and they want money. Typical bottom feeders. Profiteering off of misery. 

I don’t doubt it, but where did you see that? 
 

Being in the high risk groups I thought there was nothing to lose completing the form - Only to see that I’m 8 years premature. 
 

I appreciate that we should wait for the older expats, but wouldn’t it be helpful to gather all the info for all ages at risk to understand the scale of the whole cock up and report to the people who truly represent us .. oh, hang on .. no one.
 

I have no faith in anyone representing UK expats here in Thailand and I’m happy to keep my head down and wait my turn for AZ however long. 
 

Thanks for your concern BCCT. 

[Ddbanksy]

My 1st A-Z jab done,2nd due 15 August,Sakon Nahkon Province 

21 minutes ago, recom273 said:

I don’t doubt it, but where did you see that? 
 

Being in the high risk groups I thought there was nothing to lose completing the form - Only to see that I’m 8 years premature. 
 

I appreciate that we should wait for the older expats, but wouldn’t it be helpful to gather all the info for all ages at risk to understand the scale of the whole cock up and report to the people who truly represent us .. oh, hang on .. no one.
 

I have no faith in anyone representing UK expats here in Thailand and I’m happy to keep my head down and wait my turn for AZ however long. 
 

Thanks for your concern BCCT. 

 

[Speedo1968]

2 hours ago, Derek B said:

New Gov form for foreigners should be okay.............................what happens with the data to assign appointment dates is not so clear.

Thanks

 

[pmarlin]

With less than 10% of the thai population vaccinated so far what will this accomplish. Hope they don't thimk they will get to the front of the line or even get treated equal.

[Speedo1968]

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

I have been here about 13 years and in that time medical facilities that have had government involvement have required the yellow book number. 

Going to a government hospital  with a passport for treatment has never been a problem, but things like the flu vaccine program or mobile health services where there is specific government funding is a different matter. You need to prove you live in their catchment area and unfortunately the system set up is based on tabian baan.

I registered with the local govt. hospital and the local clinic when I moved to where I am now years ago but never been for flu jabs etc.only treatment including emergency.

[oslooskar]

1 hour ago, TechnikaIII said:

Vaccination including AstraZeneca is free in the Philippines.

I received my AstraZeneca vaccination three days ago at the Phyathai2 hospital in Bangkok and it was also free. My Thai ex-wife has to wait until the end of this month to get hers. Also, a friend of mine, an American, is getting his AstraZeneca jab today. His Thai wife also has to wait.

[Ginner]

19 hours ago, jayboy said:

I'm quite moved by the empathy and imagination shown in this BCCT initiative.Congratulations to Greg Watkins and all the Chamber directors.I was fortunate to have been vaccinated some time ago but I will bring this initiative to the attention of two elderly Brits I know.

 

No promises are made here , just an undertaking to investigate what can be done.It's exactly what I wanted to see.

 

 

They will investigate and be told the same: there isn't enough vaccine to vaccinate the population. A few foreigners have been vaccinated resulting in HIGH Publicity for the government, but then goes back to the same: register, can't register. Get a date, can't get a date. Contact the registration app, the app is down. My wife tried to register on the Thai App, after 40 mins getting know where she was cut off.