Thai vaccine certs accepted in Europe as Omicron offers glimmers of hope for a virus fatigued world

[webfact]

Mr Giuseppe Busini, the Deputy Chief of the European Union Mission in Thailand, has confirmed that Thai vaccines and COVID-19 certification on the Mor Prom app will be valid and accepted across the European Union from January 2022. It follows agencies in the 27 member bloc adopting equivalency proposals this week for Thailand and several other states. The new regime will span up to 60 countries linked under a mutually recognised scheme or network.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

Public health officials are currently scrambling to control an emerging cluster in Kalasin caused by a returned couple from Belgium who travelled extensively in Kalasin and Khon Kaen provinces before being diagnosed on December 16th last at Kalasin Hospital. Meanwhile, hopes are being raised that Omicron may offer some respite to a virus fatigued world as national leaders and scientists wait for hospitalisation rates to come in from a global virus wave, already confirmed in over 100 countries, that is expected to infect no less than 3 billion people over the coming three months according to US scientists in Washington.

 

Vaccines administered in Thailand will be accepted throughout the European Union from January after EU scientists and officials approved the move in recent days. It comes as the kingdom prepares itself for the ignition of a possible Omicron wave as it fights to control a cluster in Kalasin province in northeastern Thailand and while the latest news from western countries appears to be offering a glimmer of hope about this new more infectious but clinically less dangerous form of the disease which is expected to become endemic across the world in the coming months.

 

Vaccinations administered in Thailand and certification will now be recognised across the European Union. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the 27 member bloc in Thailand, Mr Giuseppe Busini, confirmed that it had approved the equivalency of certificates issued by 5 countries including Thailand, Montenegro, Taiwan, Tunisia and Uruguay.

 

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Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/12/26/thai-vaccine-certificates-accepted-across-europe/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2021-12-27

 

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[RichardColeman]

Wonder the reaction of Thais being told your vaccine pass is fine, but you're still going to have to pay for 10 days quarantine on arrival in Europe !

[gargamon]

Covid is going to be around until it mutates into a virus that has little to no effect. That's what happened in the 1918 flu epidemic, where each wave corresponded to a new variant. Until that happens with covid, all we can do is try to mitigate the damage,

[Fairynuff]

My Thai vaccine certificate was accepted in Italy in October and my Mor Phrom app was widely accepted as a Green Pass.

[ukrules]

So far there's been no outbreak of Omicron mentioned in Bangkok ????????

[smedly]

3 minutes ago, ukrules said:

So far there's been no outbreak of Omicron mentioned in Bangkok ????????

how would they know

[10baht]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Vaccines administered in Thailand will be accepted throughout the European Union from January

Any idea if the States is ok with them?

[dinsdale]

Pity that all Thais I talk to about Omicron have absolutely no idea that it is far less dangerous than Delta. 

[sirineou]

It is good to know, Planning a trip to Europe in April. Just have to figure out how to get my first two Pfizer shots from the US and my Moderna booster from Thailand in the same app. We tried the app once with no success, Perhaps later today we will give it another shot. 

[vandeventer]

48 minutes ago, smedly said:

how would they know

So how could this be without the testing? Also why would the European Union accept the Thai Pass when so many people here have been jabbed with Sinovac vaccine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHW5K0GPvCY

 

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

So far there's been no outbreak of Omicron mentioned in Bangkok ????????

Perhaps they have sent all the testing kits to Kalasin?

[tandor]

3 hours ago, gargamon said:

Covid is going to be around until it mutates into a virus that has little to no effect. That's what happened in the 1918 flu epidemic, where each wave corresponded to a new variant. Until that happens with covid, all we can do is try to mitigate the damage,

...agreed; but the more folk who get vaccinated the weaker the virus becomes...1+1=2

 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Public health officials are currently scrambling to control an emerging cluster in Kalasin caused by a returned couple from Belgium who travelled extensively in Kalasin and Khon Kaen provinces before being diagnosed on December 16th last at Kalasin Hospital.

Scrambling... sums it up nicely.

[starky]

9 minutes ago, tandor said:

...agreed; but the more folk who get vaccinated the weaker the virus becomes...1+1=2

 

Yes and the way to do that would to vaccinate everybody. Long before discussing whether certain vaccine hoarding nations need a 3rd a 4th or more shots per person. 

[gargamon]

12 minutes ago, tandor said:

...agreed; but the more folk who get vaccinated the weaker the virus becomes...1+1=2

 

Yes, I agree. But realize the virus naturally weakens with mutation. After all, it's main mission is to reproduce and it can't reproduce if the infected host dies. Think of it as evolution in action.

[Carriesatousa]

1 hour ago, 10baht said:

Any idea if the States is ok with them?

I believe the US is ok with these vaccines, many of which are used here.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

It is good to know, Planning a trip to Europe in April. Just have to figure out how to get my first two Pfizer shots from the US and my Moderna booster from Thailand in the same app. We tried the app once with no success, Perhaps later today we will give it another shot. 

I asked the Mor Prom team if my jab in the UK could be added and they said just not possible.

[bradiston]

32 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I asked the Mor Prom team if my jab in the UK could be added and they said just not possible.

When you say "the Mor Prom team", who exactly were they? I'm not doubting you, just curious.

 

Maybe just have to carry 2 passports/certificates then? There must be many now who have had jabs in different countries. Is there an "official" line on this?

 

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Wonder the reaction of Thais being told your vaccine pass is fine, but you're still going to have to pay for 10 days quarantine on arrival in Europe !

Sauce for the gander now is it not?

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

So how could this be without the testing? Also why would the European Union accept the Thai Pass when so many people here have been jabbed with Sinovac vaccine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHW5K0GPvCY

 

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-provide-update-omicron-variant

 

Seems all vaccines are going to need a 3rd booster. 

[jacko45k]

Just now, bradiston said:

eems all vaccines are going to need a 3rd booster. 

What about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which was originally a single dose vaccine? Have not heard mention of it for some time.

[bradiston]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

What about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which was originally a single dose vaccine? Have not heard mention of it for some time.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1216-covid-19-vaccines.html

 

The US CDC endorses ACIP's preference for mRNA vaccines over J&J.

[IamNoone88]

What ID 13 digit number do foreigners use as our passport numbers are much less total digits than the 13 digit Thai ID card that the app is currently built for? Until we figure out the ID nymber the Mor Prom app remains pretty much useless. I am sure I am not the only one trying to enter multiple numbers ...

 

 

[bradiston]

2 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

What ID 13 digit number do foreigners use as our passport numbers are much less total digits than the 13 digit Thai ID card that the app is currently built for? Until we figure out the ID nymber the Mor Prom app remains pretty much useless. I am sure I am not the only one trying to enter multiple numbers ...

 

 

Use the one on your Thai Vax certificate

[webfact]

19 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

What ID 13 digit number do foreigners use as our passport numbers are much less total digits than the 13 digit Thai ID card that the app is currently built for?

the 13 digit ID starting with 60000 can be found on the vax certificate

[KCM3]

3 hours ago, 10baht said:

Any idea if the States is ok with them?

My wife got 2 x AZ here and got the Yellow Book as proof.  This worked to enter the USA in early Dec.

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Wonder the reaction of Thais being told your vaccine pass is fine, but you're still going to have to pay for 10 days quarantine on arrival in Europe !

The equivalence Thai vaxx to Green Pass is nice, but nothing changes since it was already recognized in practice.

 

As for quarantine, maybe you are referring to UK rules, I don't know. The article headline says Europe, but it refers in fact to the EU of which UK is not part.

The rules for EU haven't changed, last update Dec 16. They state that on arrival from Thailand (Thais or EU citizens treated the same) we need to do 10 days self-isolation. This is normally at a private residence - Thai genuine tourists would need a hotel but I doubt there would be any such.

As for actual practice, in my case I was free to get out as much as I wanted because there were no checks. So not too bad.

 

Incidentally, it is a shame that Thailand is still on list E, where it was when we had 10x more infections and deaths than now.

[Confuscious]

Europe can not make rules/laws.

While Europe can RECOMMMEND the member states to ackowledge the vaccins from Thailand or the Thai Vaccination card, it is up to each country if they want to follow this RECOMMANDATION.

Translated email from the Belgian Embassy:
 

Mutual Recognition Digital Vaccination Certificates

Since December 22, Thai vaccination, recovery and testing certificates via the 'Mor Prom' app have been equated with the EU Digital Covid Certificate. In practice, this means that Mor Prom can be used in Belgium as a Covid Safe Ticket and that the EU certificate must be accepted everywhere in Thailand. In Belgium, however, only vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency are taken into account (Pfizer, Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Moderna, Janssen and Covishield).

 

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, gargamon said:

Covid is going to be around until it mutates into a virus that has little to no effect. That's what happened in the 1918 flu epidemic, where each wave corresponded to a new variant. Until that happens with covid, all we can do is try to mitigate the damage,

Just wondering if your statement is based on scientific fact, or that you believe in your own mind that as a virus acted that way 103 years ago the same will happen with Covid.

[The Fugitive]

36 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

Europe can not make rules/laws.

While Europe can RECOMMMEND the member states to ackowledge the vaccins from Thailand or the Thai Vaccination card, it is up to each country if they want to follow this RECOMMANDATION.

Translated email from the Belgian Embassy:
 

Mutual Recognition Digital Vaccination Certificates

Since December 22, Thai vaccination, recovery and testing certificates via the 'Mor Prom' app have been equated with the EU Digital Covid Certificate. In practice, this means that Mor Prom can be used in Belgium as a Covid Safe Ticket and that the EU certificate must be accepted everywhere in Thailand. In Belgium, however, only vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency are taken into account (Pfizer, Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Moderna, Janssen and Covishield).

 

Excellent point. It's a reciprocal agreement to recognise Thai vaccine certificates. Not the vaccines. Also, each Country could decide to 'red list' Thailand.