Japan now also providing free vaccine for their citizens.

[Thailand]

Just saw on Thai media

 

Vive La France

Vive La Nippon

Vive any other countries looking after their citizens.

 

British government,hold your head in shame!

 

[GammaGlobulin]

The Japanese society is different in terms of their views concerning self-reliance at all costs.

 

There may be deep-seated sociological reasons why governments such as the US feel no need to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad.

Sometimes it is better to suffer independently rather than become overly reliant on government handouts.

If the US gov wanted to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad, it would not be beyond the means of such a wealthy country.

 

However, would this not overly encourage dependency  for things such as basic medical care?

It is better to just let nature take its course, rather than trying to intervene and allow all citizens to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

 

Most Americans love to be self-reliant.

And, you would not wish to have Americans denied this valuable experience.

I am sure that this is the basic reason why American expats have not been provided with COVID vaccines, so far, by the US gov.

[canthai55]

If most Americans love to be self reliant, none would get a vaccine, unless they cooked it up in their bathtub

They LIKE to believe they are, but really ...

Being self reliant went out the window many many years ago

[watthong]

Self-reliance doesn't come at the expense of anti-science. Self-reliance is in our blood (us Yanks) but science comes from education. Unfortunately, as this forum might attest (and Trump's love for the uneducated is the greatest proof of all) not all in the land of the free got the free education that they deserve, nor the free health care that they need.

 

However, that doesn't mean we don't respect our government, and love our country. And for those of us lucky enough to get some education, we have learned at school not to put other countries/people down, just because we can.

[GammaGlobulin]

5 hours ago, canthai55 said:

If most Americans love to be self reliant, none would get a vaccine, unless they cooked it up in their bathtub

They LIKE to believe they are, but really ...

Being self reliant went out the window many many years ago

I had been thinking the same thought.

Why should Americans collaborate, anyway.  Making one's own vaccine is part of the fun of being a self-reliant American.

As I recall, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote some sort of essay about self-reliance.

And self-reliance is the myth that has become a religion in America.

The reality is complete interdependency, but the US government tries to fool Americans into worshiping self-reliance in order to keep medical costs down, and feelings of desperation up.

 

Anyway, medical care is about the same both inside and outside of America.

Medical care is excellent if you can pay for it.

And, it is a rare case that expats abroad get a helping hand for much of anything.

 

No Americans left behind when it comes to providing vaccines by the US gov for Americans abroad?

Doubt it....

Because, doing this would just be......UN-AMERICAN!

[MrJ2U]

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

The Japanese society is different in terms of their views concerning self-reliance at all costs.

 

There may be deep-seated sociological reasons why governments such as the US feel no need to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad.

Sometimes it is better to suffer independently rather than become overly reliant on government handouts.

If the US gov wanted to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad, it would not be beyond the means of such a wealthy country.

 

However, would this not overly encourage dependency  for things such as basic medical care?

It is better to just let nature take its course, rather than trying to intervene and allow all citizens to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

 

Most Americans love to be self-reliant.

And, you would not wish to have Americans denied this valuable experience.

I am sure that this is the basic reason why American expats have not been provided with COVID vaccines, so far, by the US gov.

The US had originally stipulated on giving 20% of the 1.51 million Pfeizer donations to foreigners in Thailand.

 

I wonder what happened?

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

You know..... Although Mark Twain often criticized the US gov in his essays, sometimes in a very biting way, this does not mean that he was not a great American. He is beloved by Americans, and many around the world, as well.

 

I am quite sure that all of us deeply love our respective home countries, at least I do.

 

There is always room for improvement, and President Lincoln did utter the advice: "Always improve".

 

It is a valid point that the US gov should have made provisions for vaccinating Americans abroad at the earliest possible opportunity. And, even though I do not know what the causes and reasons, still, it seems that the US gov has failed at making the necessary plans, and then taking action to get this important job done.

 

This should have been done, just as some other countries seem to have been able to fairly easily accomplish this.

 

Maybe someone dropped the ball, or was preoccupied with other more important things.

 

Or, as i mentioned, this just might be due to cultural differences between Japan and the US, and a different philosophical point of view.

[flare]

8 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

The US had originally stipulated on giving 20% of the 1.51 million Pfeizer donations to foreigners in Thailand.

 

I wonder what happened?

 

 

It looks like they pulled the old switcheroo and are giving us Sinovac instead, which will still allow the Thai government to say we've been vaccinated.

[Thailand]

6 minutes ago, flare said:

It looks like they pulled the old switcheroo and are giving us Sinovac instead, which will still allow the Thai government to say we've been vaccinated.

Then I would think that many who get appointments will be cancelling or not attending.

[flare]

16 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Then I would think that many who get appointments will be cancelling or not attending.

Yeah, I'm really on the fence about it- right now I'm a 'no', though I'll be giving it a lot of thought over the next few days before my scheduled appointment.  My wife (who's Thai) wants me to wait as she doesn't trust the SV vaccine.

[GammaGlobulin]

7 hours ago, flare said:

Yeah, I'm really on the fence about it- right now I'm a 'no', though I'll be giving it a lot of thought over the next few days before my scheduled appointment.  My wife (who's Thai) wants me to wait as she doesn't trust the SV vaccine.

Do you not think that it is better to trust Science, rather than to trust one's Spouse, if the findings of science disagree with the beliefs of the spouse?

 

Therefore, what does the best science say about Sinovac?

For example, is it low risk?

For example, does it provide some benefit?

And, for example, does a Vaccine Cocktail show promise of providing quite good protection?

==========

However, this is NOT to distract from the implied question posed by the OP.

Which is, why we farang are not getting shots/jabs from our respective countries of citizenship?

 

It seems to me that, if one is an American, then it would behoove the US government to vaccinate all American expats living abroad, as much as possible, before having them return to potentially spread overseas variants of the virus...BACK to the Homeland, or as CSNY once sang:  Back to the Garden.....

 

If Americans were vaccinated while abroad, then there would be less potential for them to carry the virus back to Woodstock and Yasgur's Farm.

 

Vaccination of American expats, while abroad, is a very important policy for containment of the virus.

Get the Expats vaccinated....BEFORE...they fly back to American soil.

 

Or, in other words:

 

We are stardust, we are golden,
We are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden,

AFTER vacc....sin......A....tion.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

By the way, since we know that vaccines in countries such as Thailand, Australia, and Taiwan are in such short supply....

 

It does not seem reasonable that foreigners should be vaccinated ahead of citizens of countries in which they live.

 

The local citizenry should be vaccinated first, and this seems so obvious.

 

Therefore, as implied above, perhaps, the UK gov should make provisions to vaccinate its citizens abroad, where feasible, and the US government should do likewise.

 

Doing this would help protect the home countries when expats return to their beloved countries, as they surely will, from time to time.

 

This is only logical, and an approach which abides by the Scientific Method.  

[flare]

19 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Do you not think that it is better to trust Science, rather than to trust one's Spouse, if the findings of science disagree with the beliefs of the spouse?

 

Therefore, what does the best science say about Sinovac?

For example, is it low risk?

For example, does it provide some benefit?

And, for example, does a Vaccine Cocktail show promise of providing quite good protection?

Thanks for the advice, but I've actually looked into it (and the part about my wife was just basically 'throwing it out there', as there are probably others who've heard the same thing from their own spouses)- while Sinovac is likely better than nothing (though it's effectiveness against the Delta variant is suspect at best), I'm leaning toward not getting it now to avoid potentially being denied a more effective vaccine later should one become available due to my status as having already been vaccinated.

 

Yeah, it would be great if the US were doing something more for its citizens (I'm American), but that's not happening, so I'm looking at it from a practical angle.

[GammaGlobulin]

10 minutes ago, flare said:

Thanks for the advice, but I've actually looked into it (and the part about my wife was just basically 'throwing it out there', as there are probably others who've heard the same thing from their own spouses)- while Sinovac is likely better than nothing (though it's effectiveness against the Delta variant is suspect at best), I'm leaning toward not get it now to avoid potentially being denied a more effective vaccine later should one become available due to my status as having already been vaccinated.

 

Yeah, it would be great if the US were doing something more for its citizens (I'm American), but that's not happening, so I'm looking at it from a practical angle.

I understand your logic, which seems valid to me, and I will consider this after just now reading your thinking.

 

Also, what about getting the Sinovac now, and then having the option to PAY FOR a Pfizer vaccine when and if it becomes available in the somewhat near future at a private hospital, maybe towards the end of the year?

 

Additionally, I also consider the hospital setting in CM hospitals when/if we were to visit them for our vaccination.  Would this be a setup where there was very low risk of potentially being exposed to the virus while waiting in long lines, for example?  This seems like one of the important known unknowns that I do not yet know.

 

IF I knew that I could just pay for the Sinovac, and get in and out of the vaccination setting, within about 5 minutes, after an appointment, and without waiting in line, then I would not hesitate...I think.  However, if I am required to go to a vaccination site, and then wait in line for a few hours, I will definitely not take part in such an arrangement.

 

Anyway...thanks for your reply.

 

 

 

 

[FolkGuitar]

My wife is Japanese. She has NOT received any word from the Japanese Embassy or Consulate about Japanese citizens receiving vaccinations. She is on their list when alerts get sent out.

 

That said, the Japanese 'community' HAS banded together to see to it that its members will get vaccinated at Lanna Hospital, at the cost of 3,000 baht, and my wife is registered for that.  At present, that registration is full.

[GammaGlobulin]

50 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

My wife is Japanese. She has NOT received any word from the Japanese Embassy or Consulate about Japanese citizens receiving vaccinations. She is on their list when alerts get sent out.

 

That said, the Japanese 'community' HAS banded together to see to it that its members will get vaccinated at Lanna Hospital, at the cost of 3,000 baht, and my wife is registered for that.  At present, that registration is full.

Social cohesion in time of need is a wonderful thing. I have lived in Japan, off and on, since 1971.  I have seen a bit of Japanese culture in places like Kyoto, and I have seen it evolve over many years.  Yet still, there is this strong bond, as you say.

 

(Give my best to your wife.  Please tell her I loved the tea in Nara, decades ago.  And, I loved being the only farang drinking tea. We drank from cups which were old, rare and expensive.  Never drop your teacup there, because it could costs you tens of thousands to replace.)

 

Please keep this thread informed about what is REALLY happening concerning news from the Japanese embassy, regarding possible vaccinations for Japanese citizens in Thailand, which is of much interest to many here, no doubt.

 

((In times of crisis, Americans head to the nearest gun store.  What does your wife say that Japanese tend to do during times of crisis?))

[FolkGuitar]

Correction:  The Japanese Embassy in Bangkok IS now providing limited doses to Japanese citizens IN BANGKOK, but not yet in Chiang Mai.

[FolkGuitar]

3 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

My wife is Japanese. She has NOT received any word from the Japanese Embassy or Consulate about Japanese citizens receiving vaccinations. She is on their list when alerts get sent out.

 

That said, the Japanese 'community' HAS banded together to see to it that its members will get vaccinated at Lanna Hospital, at the cost of 3,000 baht, and my wife is registered for that.  At present, that registration is full.

See Correction above.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Correction:  The Japanese Embassy in Bangkok IS now providing limited doses to Japanese citizens IN BANGKOK, but not yet in Chiang Mai.

Pretty amazing, I think, that the Japanese Embassy can do what the US Embassy cannot do.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

And, the Japanese government has the will.

 

I guess that we can glean from this that American power and dominance is waning in the Pacific, and the Japanese sun is rising, which I have no opinion about.

 

Except:  One might say that if a country, such as the US, cannot take care of its own citizens in this region, then why would any "foreign" country trust such a Super Duper Power?

 

As Trump said, "It is what it is".

[CALSinCM]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:39 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

The Japanese society is different in terms of their views concerning self-reliance at all costs.

 

There may be deep-seated sociological reasons why governments such as the US feel no need to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad.

Sometimes it is better to suffer independently rather than become overly reliant on government handouts.

If the US gov wanted to provide vaccines to Americans living abroad, it would not be beyond the means of such a wealthy country.

 

However, would this not overly encourage dependency  for things such as basic medical care?

It is better to just let nature take its course, rather than trying to intervene and allow all citizens to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

 

Most Americans love to be self-reliant.

And, you would not wish to have Americans denied this valuable experience.

I am sure that this is the basic reason why American expats have not been provided with COVID vaccines, so far, by the US gov.

Blah blah blah.
I fought for America's Freedoms.

In return as an elderly expat?  I get a ***k you!

Don't rationalize this for the US government.

[GammaGlobulin]

OK, CALSinCM, I will not rationalize this.

 

However, I wonder if anyone here has taken and passed the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), because....you gotta be smart in order to ace it.

 

And so, one can surmise, anyone intelligent enough to pass the FSOT must look upon us less gifted folks as Zeus looked upon mere mortals, or even zoo animals.

 

Joking aside:  It is easy to see, if you have had any interaction with embassies, that taking care of the needs of individual citizens is probably not glamorous enough for these eggheads.  Probably, most of them dream of signing some important treaty with their name on it.

 

Or, why else would they go into the foreign service?

 

Here is a quote from POLITICO Magazine, for example...

 

Recently, a colleague of mine from the Foreign Service told me about a former U.S. ambassador to Sweden who, some years ago, had passed out in the snow, too drunk to get up. He had been partying hard during an outing in the countryside. Fortunately, an embassy officer found him in time to save his life. America’s boozy man in Stockholm was a non-career political appointee—no surprise. The fellow who saved him was a professional diplomat. And the roles the two men played that night is emblematic of a familiar routine.

 

....I have no doubt that many of the professional diplomats are talented men and women.  I do not doubt this.

 

However, are these the smart guys who set policy?

 

Or, is it the guys in the State Department who sometimes are too drunk in the snow, and need to be saved from their own stupidity?

 

Many, I guess, are political appointees, too stupid to pass the FSOT.

 

 

 

 

[Rinrada]

On 8/2/2021 at 5:31 AM, flare said:

Yeah, I'm really on the fence about it- right now I'm a 'no', though I'll be giving it a lot of thought over the next few days before my scheduled appointment.  My wife (who's Thai) wants me to wait as she doesn't trust the SV vaccine.

Same..Khun wife very vocal ...against Sinni.

 

[flare]

26 minutes ago, Rinrada said:

Same..Khun wife very vocal ...against Sinni.

 

I talked to a doctor at Bangkok Hospital yesterday (he's had a shot of the SV and AZ), and I explained my situation- he said it's likely better that I wait until something better is available.