Worried about my marriage extension.

[PeterSmith1971]

Hi guys.

 

I created this account just to ask a question because I am worried. Today my Thai wife (we live in Thailand) told me that I must get the vaccine or my next marriage extension will be rejected, I don't know who told her that or if she's making it up, but the only jab available to me is Sinopharm, which I don't really trust but that's not the crux of the issue.

 

I have suffered with Crohn's disease since I was a schoolboy, and have a low white cell count and therefore a not very good immune system. I really don't want to get this vaccine because I strongly suspect that it will make me ill. I had a flu vaccine at an in-store pharmacy at a Sainsburys supermarket about 6 years ago and it wiped me out for about a week, I could barely even get from my bed to the bathroom.

 

Can anyone tell me if they are asking for proof of vaccination status when processing marriage extensions? It's so hard to find any reliable information online. If they demand that I get vaccinated I will most likely have to leave the country.

 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[DrJack54]

 Not required.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

Today my Thai wife (we live in Thailand) told me that I must get the vaccine or my next marriage extension will be rejected

Got my extension last Friday.

Nobody at CM immigration asked about vaccines.

I'm good until November 2022.

Edited October 13, 2021 by BritManToo

[Lite Beer]

Your Wife is talking nonsense.

Not required.

[transam]

Time to stop worrying...????

[Rinrada]

Agree.....No....not required....picking up my marriage extension next week at CM...so with a multi re entry could be good until beginning of 2023...

[PeterSmith1971]

My concern is that if, in the next few weeks, they start demanding proof of vaccination status for marriage extensions, I will either have to have the vaccine or leave the country. My first port of call would be Cambodia, yet they want test results and proof of vaccination status in order to enter the country, so I would be in a catch-22 situation. 

 

I'm glad to hear that they're not asking for proof of vaccination status right now, but can't help but think that they'll start doing it soon. Maybe I am overthinking the situation, but I would like to thank everyone who has responded, much appreciated.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, Rinrada said:

Agree.....No....not required....picking up my marriage extension next week at CM...so with a multi re entry could be good until beginning of 2023...

When does your current permission of stay end.

When you obtain your 12 month extension your permission of stay will be for another 12 months from that date.

Reentry permit does not add any time. 

[skatewash]

Vaccination is not a requirement for extensions of stay.

You should consult with your doctor about whether he or she recommends a covid vaccination for you considering your Crohn's disease and its effect on your immune system.  A friend of mine who is taking immunosuppressant drugs for an underlying autoimmune system disorder was recommended to take the covid vaccine (AstraZeneca) by his doctors.  In his case the threat to his health was higher from covid than from the vaccination.  The immunosuppressant drugs might mute the immune system response to the vaccination but it was thought that this was preferable to not taking a vaccination at all.

[timendres]

13 minutes ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

My concern is that if, in the next few weeks, they start demanding proof of vaccination status for marriage extensions, I will either have to have the vaccine or leave the country. My first port of call would be Cambodia, yet they want test results and proof of vaccination status in order to enter the country, so I would be in a catch-22 situation. 

 

I'm glad to hear that they're not asking for proof of vaccination status right now, but can't help but think that they'll start doing it soon. Maybe I am overthinking the situation, but I would like to thank everyone who has responded, much appreciated.

Seriously doubt that this requirement will happen in the next few weeks. However, if it does, you simply need to find a well-connected agent that can explain your special circumstance, and find some means of dealing with it. No need to worry for this year's extension, in my opinion.

[PeterSmith1971]

5 minutes ago, timendres said:

Seriously doubt that this requirement will happen in the next few weeks. However, if it does, you simply need to find a well-connected agent that can explain your special circumstance, and find some means of dealing with it. No need to worry for this year's extension, in my opinion.

 

I have taken a few different medications, used to have azathioprine, which didn't really do anything, had a trial of methotrexate which made me very ill, now on mesalazine which, although not perfect, allows me to live an almost normal life. 

 

Surely, there should be a provision for people such as myself to produce a doctor's letter exempting me from needing this jab?

[wml22]

2 hours ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

 

I have taken a few different medications, used to have azathioprine, which didn't really do anything, had a trial of methotrexate which made me very ill, now on mesalazine which, although not perfect, allows me to live an almost normal life. 

 

Surely, there should be a provision for people such as myself to produce a doctor's letter exempting me from needing this jab?

I'm worried about the same situation. I have Crohn's disease and don't want to be forced to get annual booster shots if the politicians don't want to stop milking a cash cow of Chinese bribes in exchange for annual Sinovac boosters or something similar forced onto the population. My fiancee thinks if this happens though it wouldn't be too hard to bribe a nurse to fake the administration of the shot (i.e. one could explain the special circumstances and offer a bribe, such that you're paying for the shot and showing up to the appointment, but the nurse throws it away instead of administering it and then gives the certificate to you as if she'd administered it). It scares me to think that if I tried that and got caught, I might get thrown into a Thai jail or kicked out though. In another thread, someone told me that they believe it's possible to get a medical exemption from a doctor even if there's a general vaccine mandate, but I don't know if that's likely to end up being true.

 

As an aside, my Crohn's was fistulizing and nearly killed me in early 2020. So I am not a mild case by any means. I switched from IV infusion treatments to using LDN (low-dose naltrexone) though and LDN has been working very well for me. Unfortunately, as far as I can determine, there are no compounding pharmacies that offer LDN in the entire country. So I'm going to be facing a large amount of hassle and/or risk trying to import it from India when my current 1-year supply bottle runs out. 

 

If you know of a way to get LDN here then please let me know. If you're at some point needing to try a new treatment, on the other hand, and have opportunity to try LDN, I would recommend giving it a shot if you haven't tried it before. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by wml22

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

 

I have taken a few different medications, used to have azathioprine, which didn't really do anything, had a trial of methotrexate which made me very ill, now on mesalazine which, although not perfect, allows me to live an almost normal life. 

 

Surely, there should be a provision for people such as myself to produce a doctor's letter exempting me from needing this jab?

What will covid do to you when you get it? 

[timendres]

3 hours ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

 

I have taken a few different medications, used to have azathioprine, which didn't really do anything, had a trial of methotrexate which made me very ill, now on mesalazine which, although not perfect, allows me to live an almost normal life. 

 

Surely, there should be a provision for people such as myself to produce a doctor's letter exempting me from needing this jab?

My son in the US suffers with Crohn's. I truly sympathize. Sadly, immigration here is not very adaptive or sympathetic, which is why the agent is so important sometimes.

[PeterSmith1971]

The problem I find with living here is that there's rarely any "wiggle-room", i.e. taking a person's specific situation into account and showing some compassion or sympathy. Either you meet their requirements or you don't, they're like robots. Crohn's is a bit of a nightmare. Several years ago I paid to board a minibus to Koh Samet, yet after I had placed my bag on the minibus I needed to use the toilet, and for quite a long time. It took 3 days to get my bag back, thank goodness I was smart enough to not have anything valuable in it.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

Either you meet their requirements or you don't, they're like robots.

Not quite true ........ you either meet their requirements OR pay an agent 20kbht.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

The problem I find with living here is that there's rarely any "wiggle-room", i.e. taking a person's specific situation into account and showing some compassion or sympathy. Either you meet their requirements or you don't, they're like robots. Crohn's is a bit of a nightmare. Several years ago I paid to board a minibus to Koh Samet, yet after I had placed my bag on the minibus I needed to use the toilet, and for quite a long time. It took 3 days to get my bag back, thank goodness I was smart enough to not have anything valuable in it.

The do not want proof of vaccination now other than for entry to the country and between some provinces.

There is a already a written rule that exempts those with a reduced immune system. Getting a certificate from a doctor about your condition stating you should not get vaccinated would waive any requirement for them,

[MrJ2U]

Where are you located?

 

Pfeizer is available for foreigners.

 

I had mine in Khon Kaen.  I just called the hospital.

 

Being laid up for a week is better than being in a hospital with COVID-19.

 

Besides that you'll need to be vaccinated to travel domestically and most likely internationally.

 

I'd hurry up before they give away the foreigners quota of Pfeizer.

 

Good luck!

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

2 hours ago, wml22 said:

...<snip> Unfortunately, as far as I can determine, there are no compounding pharmacies that offer LDN in the entire country. So I'm going to be facing a large amount of hassle and/or risk trying to import it from India when my current 1-year supply bottle runs out. 

 

If you know of a way to get LDN here then please let me know. If you're at some point needing to try a new treatment, on the other hand, and have opportunity to try LDN, I would recommend giving it a shot if you haven't tried it before. 

I was told by a doctor at Better Being Hospital that there now is a compounding pharmacy in BKK. I did a quick search, and I saw this: https://www.celtac.com/about  There could be others, do some research.

 

I don't know if they do LDN, but BBH and Celtac might be leads to try, and they might help you find it if they themselves don't do LDN.

 

Good luck!

[PeterSmith1971]

My main concern is that if I have this vaccine, it might make me very ill or even do me in. If it gets to the point where they are forcing me to have it, I would rather leave the country. I absolutely am not an anti-vaxxer, but someone with a genuine medical condition that makes the vaccine a lot more terrifying.

[skatewash]

9 minutes ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

My main concern is that if I have this vaccine, it might make me very ill or even do me in. If it gets to the point where they are forcing me to have it, I would rather leave the country. I absolutely am not an anti-vaxxer, but someone with a genuine medical condition that makes the vaccine a lot more terrifying.

Have you discussed your particular situation with your doctor who is familiar with your condition.  Does he recommend you get the vaccine?  Or does he recommend you not get the vaccine?  Immunocompromised people have taken the covid vaccine.  By the way, if your doctor doesn't recommend your getting the vaccination that would be a good opportunity to pursue your doctor's help in getting a waiver for future use.

I'm not a doctor so bear that in mind for the rest of this paragraph.  Vaccines expose a person to the lowest level of virus (in some form or fashion depending on the particular manufacturer, sometimes a dead or inactive virus, sometimes parts of the virus) that will reliably produce an immune system response leading to the production of antibodies.  Whereas, if you were to contact covid in the wild so to speak you would most likely be getting a much higher viral load than from a vaccination.  The most common concern when getting vaccinated while immunocompromised is that your body will have a less robust immune response and produce fewer antibodies than a normally healthy person.  So the vaccination might not be as protective for you as for a normally healthy individual.  But at least you get some protection, whereas if you remain unvaccinated and you are exposed to covid you are left fighting the virus without any preexisting antibodies (at whatever reduced level might exist in your body because of your immunocompromised condition).  It's quite possible I simply misunderstand all this, which is why I do encourage you to talk to your doctor about what is best for you in his or her opinion.

Unfortunately, the media and well-meaning friends sometimes seem to relish getting people over-excited about things that haven't happened yet and may in fact never happen.  And hopefully you have a doctor who you can ask questions and get better answers than can be found in the media, or among friends, or dare I say even on Asean Now.

[Moonlover]

 

6 hours ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

I'm glad to hear that they're not asking for proof of vaccination status right now, but can't help but think that they'll start doing it soon. Maybe I am overthinking the situation, but I would like to thank everyone who has responded, much appreciated.

I am quite sure that you are, indeed overthinking this aspect. Don't worry, Covid seems to be having this affect on a lot of people. I can confirm, as have others that I have just completed my next marriage extension without any problem. (I am fully vaxxed but it wasn't mentioned)

 

Vaccination is not, I repeat not compulsory in Thailand, therefor it would be highly unlikely that immigration would impose such a ruling. It's none of their business. And even if they did, I'm quite sure that you would be able to find a doctor willing to write you an exemption certificate.

 

Please stop worrying about it.

 

Take care

 

ML

[The Hammer2021]

6 hours ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

 

I have taken a few different medications, used to have azathioprine, which didn't really do anything, had a trial of methotrexate which made me very ill, now on mesalazine which, although not perfect, allows me to live an almost normal life. 

 

Surely, there should be a provision for people such as myself to produce a doctor's letter exempting me from needing this jab?

Perhaps there is but that might prevent you doing all the things that vaccinated people can do.

[farmerjo]

Just register with Expatvac and take a screenshot.

If like me you will be twiddling your thumbs waiting.

[Lite Beer]

1 hour ago, PeterSmith1971 said:

My main concern is that if I have this vaccine, it might make me very ill or even do me in. If it gets to the point where they are forcing me to have it, I would rather leave the country. I absolutely am not an anti-vaxxer, but someone with a genuine medical condition that makes the vaccine a lot more terrifying.

Don't have it then. Simple as that.

You worry too much.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Lite Beer

[tonray]

2 hours ago, skatewash said:

Have you discussed your particular situation with your doctor who is familiar with your condition.  Does he recommend you get the vaccine?  Or does he recommend you not get the vaccine?  Immunocompromised people have taken the covid vaccine.  By the way, if your doctor doesn't recommend your getting the vaccination that would be a good opportunity to pursue your doctor's help in getting a waiver for future use.

I'm not a doctor so bear that in mind for the rest of this paragraph.  Vaccines expose a person to the lowest level of virus (in some form or fashion depending on the particular manufacturer, sometimes a dead or inactive virus, sometimes parts of the virus) that will reliably produce an immune system response leading to the production of antibodies.  Whereas, if you were to contact covid in the wild so to speak you would most likely be getting a much higher viral load than from a vaccination.  The most common concern when getting vaccinated while immunocompromised is that your body will have a less robust immune response and produce fewer antibodies than a normally healthy person.  So the vaccination might not be as protective for you as for a normally healthy individual.  But at least you get some protection, whereas if you remain unvaccinated and you are exposed to covid you are left fighting the virus without any preexisting antibodies (at whatever reduced level might exist in your body because of your immunocompromised condition).  It's quite possible I simply misunderstand all this, which is why I do encourage you to talk to your doctor about what is best for you in his or her opinion.

Unfortunately, the media and well-meaning friends sometimes seem to relish getting people over-excited about things that haven't happened yet and may in fact never happen.  And hopefully you have a doctor who you can ask questions and get better answers than can be found in the media, or among friends, or dare I say even on Asean Now.

This is correct. We have a friend with Lupus which is an auto immune disease treated by suppressing the immune system. She was able to get double vaccinated and her doctor told her it simply might not be as effective given her lupus protocol meds (steroids) 

Edited October 13, 2021 by tonray

[Jack1988]

Immigration doesn't cares if you are vaccinated or not. They only want money

[bbko]

Perhaps your wife made up that "rule" to try and get you vaccinated.