Expats over 60 and with underlying conditions can register for free Covid vaccinations in June & July

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

The same people who laugh at some of us for "going native" are now wanting to integrate into society as they think their lives are at risk. 

haha, no chance.  Registering for a Chinese or Russian vaccine is something I would never want or  do.  I expect nothing from the Thai government, bar being left alone.  I will pay for my own western vaccine privately when it becomes available.  As to the general idea of 'integrating' to reduce perceived risk;  never, at least not for me.  

[Mavideol]

am just curious about their  vaccination (lack/non existing) organization, assuming (wishful thinking, I know 555) they manage to inject 1 million people a day, Thailand has approximately 60 millions citizens (not including expats) thus needing at least 60 days to vaccinate everybody, currently early May thus if the 1 million a day could happen they could have it done by end of July..... it appears their daily average vaccination it's a couple thousands, how the heck can they pull it off and keep posting estimate opening day for tourists on or around Oct 1st....

[mikosan]

5 hours ago, nickmondo said:

for the life of me, I cannot understand why any ex pat would moan if there is a fee of some sort.

we chose to live here

there is no recipricol healthcare agreement as in Europe

So of course we should have to pay for it.

If we do get it free, and have to pay a small dr fee......so what?

People should stop complaining about nothing.

I don't have a problem paying a small fee or even a large one.  However, whether or not there is a reciprocal healthcare agreement of not, in Australia and the UK, the two countries I am familiar with, ANYONE who is there will be given a FREE vaccination, regardless of residence status etc.

[herfiehandbag]

4 hours ago, joebrown said:

I am British and contacted the British Trade Mission (aka Embassy) in Bangkok on the subject of Covid vaccinations last year. Their help was to advise me to contact the Thai authorities myself.

I suggest you don't wait for them to do anything to help you, because you might die before they lift a finger to assist.

Why the negativity - they answered you didn't they? You must understand that we are of no interest whatsoever to them. It must be hard enough coping with the interruptions to their smooth running machine caused by this pandemic without having people bothering them by asking for basic assistance or advice.

 

It is good to know that they, and their locally employed staff have been vaccinated (and actually I do mean that!), now buzz off Jack or Jaqueline (I'm sure that they would use gender neutral pronouns as is now appropriate), as "we are alright"!

 

Anyway, if you do die waiting for any assistance they will be able to write down your demise as "closing the file".

 

Ashtrays and motorbikes come to mind as ever!

 

 

[Guderian]

5 hours ago, brianthainess said:

You are very lucky, the Hospital on KOH CHANG with its captive monopoly of falangs charge 300 baht, however if you can travel to Trat on the mainland its a respectable 100 baht.

 

Pattaya City Hospital have a flat fee of 500 Baht for a farang to see a doctor.

To be honest, I'd be perfectly happy to pay 5,000 Baht if the doctor would also stick a dose of AZ in my arm, lol.

[Ron CM]

Hello people, it appears that this news article is fake news, can anyone prove otherwise to me?

Also it seems WebFact had placed this article on ThaiVisa, what or who is Webfact?

 

I look forward to your comments...

[Ginner]

8 hours ago, Brierley said:

I hope that's the answer although two of the three hospitals we visited yesterday called the District Hospital for clarification. It's hard to imagine the District Hospitals don't know....BTW the article is dated 2 May.

Does this cancel the article which stated " only foreigners with pink ID cards and or tax number can register"?

  

[mikosan]

4 hours ago, Derek B said:

Even if a non-resident UK citizen by birth? Would be nice to know.

YES.  EVERYONE, means EVERYONE. And the same in Australia.

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Ron CM said:

Hello people, it appears that this news article is fake news, can anyone prove otherwise to me?

Also it seems WebFact had placed this article on ThaiVisa, what or who is Webfact?

 

I look forward to your comments...

I don’t like the term fake news but I will say that it's obvious that what they are claiming is not the case for a huge number probably the majority of expats.

Is it too much to expect that the press covers the ACTUAL reality?

[potless]

2 hours ago, petedk said:

More and more reports say that the virus is airborne and that sanitising surfaces and hands is pointless.

On a regular daily basis Sky News puts up the following messages. The virus is mainly spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes. The virus can live on stainless steel and plastic for up to 72 hours. Just saying. 

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Ginner said:

Does this cancel the article which stated " only foreigners with pink ID cards and or tax number can register"?

  

Online you need the ID number.

In person with passport reports are the vast majority of people are being rejected and told Thai only now.

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, potless said:

On a regular daily basis Sky News puts up the following messages. The virus is mainly spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes. The virus can live on stainless steel and plastic for up to 72 hours. Just saying. 

It's airborne and can be spread with just talking and breathing. Newer strains spread faster. This is no joke.

[DavisH]

6 hours ago, MasterBaker said:

key word is a "residents" not a visa holders

Resident means "to reside" or "live in". It does not necessarily refer to a "residence permit". You are certainly not a resident of your home country if you live in Thailand full time. 

[herfiehandbag]

54 minutes ago, starky said:

You need to have been an inpatient or have seen a doctor at your local hospital in the same city where your yellow book is registered. 

  As like every hospital the first time you go there they take all your details and you are registered should you ever go back. I am assuming that those over 60 who are vulnerable and have had no problem registering for a jab have visited or even frequented their local hospital and probably have a house book and pink ID card. Thus their success.

   The irony being all the "residents" that never took the less than 1 hour it takes to get a house book and ID card and now want to scream from the mountaintop how unfair it all is. Laughable.

My local district office has failed (well declared it as in the too difficult category) three times in the last seven years to provide me with a yellow house book...

 

The usual trick (twice now) is to take copies of every conceivable document, tell you to come back in ten days, and then deny all knowledge of the application. The third and last time was just a simple "cannot". I suppose that I should toddle along there and make a fourth attempt!

 

The same office wouldn't renew my daughter's ID card when she turned 15 last year, because she was white and had an English name (I eventually had to go to the registry office  where her birth was recorded to get it put into motion).

 

Yet on the 1st of May a young lady from the local health clinic turned up at ny house with a big book and entered my details. I have a routine hospital appointment (diabetic clinic) in early June so I will see what they will say.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by herfiehandbag

[DavisH]

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It's airborne and can be spread with just talking and breathing. Newer strains spread faster. This is no joke.

It's still mostly spread by droplet infection. This isn't measles we are talking about. I think airborne will be important in enclosed spaces where people are shouting or singing. 

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, DavisH said:

It's still mostly spread by droplet infection. This isn't measles we are talking about. I think airborne will be important in enclosed spaces where people are shouting or singing. 

It's airborne dude.

It's spread just by talking and breathing. 

Masks are essential.

 

 

https://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/transmission-covid-19-airborne-know-173250729.html

 

Fact: 'Strong, consistent evidence of airborne transmission being primary mode'

Last month, a team of experts reviewed the available research on the airborne transmission of COVID-19 and published their assessment in The Lancet. The experts noted that there is strong, consistent evidence that the primary transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is airborne.

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Jingthing

[peter48]

Thais need to be vaccinated far, far quicker as this variant of Covid19 is very quick at spreading and infection of people  unlike last year. Thailand needs to learn from UK, Israel or USA or Germany etc. Yes the west made mistakes last year but its quick vaccination programme has seen serious cases plummet. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS are being vaccinated each day every day. Its the only way going from the elderly groups down to the middle aged etc., 

[sambum]

Will there be any chance of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines becoming available in the near future?. I have a history of blood clots and Astra Zeneca in particular has  been proven to cause these  - in  a small number of cases, grant you, but I don't want to take the risk. Also the efficacy of Astra Zeneca against some strains is  suspect? 

[metisdead]

Some posts with links to unapproved social media sites and the replies have been removed. 

[Surelynot]

1 minute ago, sambum said:

Will there be any chance of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines becoming available in the near future?. I have a history of blood clots and Astra Zeneca in particular has  been proven to cause these  - in  a small number of cases, grant you, but I don't want to take the risk. Also the efficacy of Astra Zeneca against some strains is  suspect? 

I would be very surprised.....Moderna costs a 'fortune' as is being gobbled up by the US, Pfizer is a headache in terms of transport and storage...........if it is any consolation the blood clots are extremely rare (contrary to what antI-vaxers would have you believe) and the higher risk group seems to be young women.

[Dogmatix]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

At private hospitals, probably at least a hospital fee.  I doubt a doctor visit will be involved.

 

At public hospitals no. And you will not need to see a doctor first. They are planning to innoculate huge numbers each day, will set up a special place for it and will need to move people through swiftly.

 

 

When I booked a slot at Samitivej Sukhumvit they had 7 hours available with 30 slots per hour.  So they were only planning to vaccinate 210 people a day there.   One every two mnutes.  Perhaps they only really need to assign one nurse. Government hospitals probably have to do a lot more.  It is obvious that private hospitals have been dragged kicking and screaming into this scheme and want to do the bare minimum for the paltry service fees the government might offer.  What they really want to be doing is selling their own vaccines for 10,000baht  rather than get paid 20 baht a shot by the governemnt. 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, starky said:

You need to have been an inpatient or have seen a doctor at your local hospital in the same city where your yellow book is registered. 

  As like every hospital the first time you go there they take all your details and you are registered should you ever go back. I am assuming that those over 60 who are vulnerable and have had no problem registering for a jab have visited or even frequented their local hospital and probably have a house book and pink ID card. Thus their success.

   The irony being all the "residents" that never took the less than 1 hour it takes to get a house book and ID card and now want to scream from the mountaintop how unfair it all is. Laughable.

 

You do not need to have ever been a patient at a hospital to register for vaccine there. I did it without having ever been treated or registered at that hospital.

 

Whether you will need it on day of vaccination who knows; to be safe I will pre-register with the hospital for a patient number before that date.

 

I am all for people having a yellow tabian ban and pink card but it is misleading to state it takes only an hour.  Yellow book takes some time to get, often including trip to MFA for certified translation of one's passport and multiple visits to the ampur. Was a month long project for me (amput had never issued one to a foreginer before)..  The pink card of course is very fast & effortless once you have the yellow tabian ban, but the TB can be a serious hassle...worth it, at least for me, but definitely took an investment of time, energy  and patience.

[Sheryl]

3 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

 

 

When I booked a slot at Samitivej Sukhumvit they had 7 hours available with 30 slots per hour.  So they were only planning to vaccinate 210 people a day there.   One every two mnutes.  Perhaps they only really need to assign one nurse. Government hospitals probably have to do a lot more. 

 

Provincial hospital I registered at had about 200 slots an hour planned. 7 days a week, about 12 hours a day, no lunch break.  So over 2,000 a day.

[Banana7]

9 hours ago, Brierley said:

And when I visited three hospitals yesterday, and the local health office they all told me that foreigners cannot register until 1 July. It's a great article but what it says, in practice, is wrong.

Where is DSI fake news police? They are supposed to stop and arrest those for making fake news especially about the COVID-19 Virus. Why is DSI not taking any action against Thai government BS?

[Surelynot]

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

You do not need to have ever been a patient at a hospital to register for vaccine there. I did it without having ever been treated or registered at that hospital.

 

Whether you will need it on day of vaccination who knows; to be safe I will pre-register with the hospital for a patient number before that date.

 

I am all for people having a yellow tabian ban and pink card but it is misleading to state it takes only an hour.  Yellow book takes some time to get, often including trip to MFA for certified translation of one's passport and multiple visits to the ampur. Was a month long project for me (amput had never issued one to a foreginer before)..  The pink card of course is very fast & effortless once you have the yellow tabian ban, but the TB can be a serious hassle...worth it, at least for me, but definitely took an investment of time, energy  and patience.

Can I just ask.....my wife says I can be tagged onto her mother's blue tabian ban to get a pink ID...is she correct?

Edited May 4, 2021 by Surelynot

[tandor]

4 hours ago, fulhamster said:

Wait until Immigration work that one out - no jab, no visa

..completes the circus circle.

[Banana7]

11 minutes ago, sambum said:

Will there be any chance of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines becoming available in the near future?. I have a history of blood clots and Astra Zeneca in particular has  been proven to cause these  - in  a small number of cases, grant you, but I don't want to take the risk. Also the efficacy of Astra Zeneca against some strains is  suspect? 

Free Moderna and Pfizer shots are provided starting June 1 upon landing at any airport in Alaska USA, for ALL travelers, no need to be a USA citizen. You can also get the second shot free, if you stay 30 days. Free testing for COVID-19 too, which is optional! Details here: https://covid19.alaska.gov/travelers/

 

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Can I just ask.....my wife says I can be tagged onto her mother's blue tabian ban to get a pink ID...is she correct?

Certainly, if your MIL agrees.

 

But you have to get a yellow tabian ban first, that is what "tags on" to the blue book. The pink  card can be automatically issued once you have the yellow TB.

 

Every yellow TB corresponds to a blue book, even when there is no Thai property owner. In my casae (I own the house, have lease on the land) the blue book is empty.  For most people, either renting oir staying with Thai family,  there is a blue book for the address where they live with a Thai listed as house master.

[Dogmatix]

It will be interesting to find out whether the government allowed foreigners with Thai ID numbers or social security numbers register by mistake, as some have suggested.  Anything is possible in this country but usually things get grandfathered after they change the rules.  So, if this is really what happened I would guess they will honour the appointments already made. 

 

Same thing happened when the gold universal health card was issued.  It was sent out by mail to all who were registered in tabian baans.  I received one myself and assumed it was a mistake, as it had not been announced that foreigners were eligible,  but I asked at the district office and was told that, if I received one, it was valid and I could use it. That was before the Civil Registrations Act 2008 made it compulsory for district offices to issue yellow tabian baans to foreigners resident in their districts. So farangs who had tabian baans were nearly all PRs who had blue books, like myself.  A few years later they changed the universal health scheme rules to exclude foreigners but I was grandfathered in and my details remained in the database as being eligible for it, since I checked, although I have never needed to use it.  

[sathornlover]

3 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

 

That was a not a "gaslighting news item", whatever that may be.  It was just an opinion that the authorities will probably find a way to make vaccines available to unregistered foreign residents, although it might not be free of charge.  Obvioiusly they haven't found a way to make the vaccines available to them yet and it is probably a fairly low priority at the moment.  

 

I specifically said that I doubt they will set up a seperate system to register foreigners.  So how could mean I was suggesting that foreigners could go along to public facilities to register using their passport numbers?  I think it is more likely that when they when have made good headway with vaccation roll out to Thais and registered residents and have enough supply, they will allow unregistered foreigners to book vaccinations at hospitals with enough supply as private patients. That would not require setting up a national database to register unregistered foreigners for a one-off purpose which is not going to happen.

 

If you live long-term in a country that provides a means to foreigners to register with your district office and you choose not to, you have to accept that you have opted out when the government sets up a system to provide emergency help to those registered by district in an unforeseeable once in a lifetime event.  You were allowed the freedom of choice without penalty for not registering but the government cannot provide you the benefits of civil registration, if you are not in their database.

 

The MoPH is doing its best to mop up millions of poor Thais who cannot register with Mor Prom because they have no smart phones.  In villages the local adminstrations and tambon hospitals are compiling lists and registering for them.  But that is easier than registering unregistered foreigners because those Thais have ID numbers, so Mor Prom can retrieve their details.    

I have been registered with the so-called yellow book for many years and cannot register via the app.
 

My wife called three hospitals yesterday. All three said that registration for vaccination is currently not possible for foreigners, regardless of whether they have a yellow book or a pink card. hospitals were very cooperative but cannot do anything for this group of people at the moment, but the third hospital said that even the Theis have not been vaccinated yet...

 

There are similar reports here in this forum from other proud owners of the so-called pink card or yellow book. So it doesn't make sense to go and try to register in a hospital and endanger yourself or others in the current situation.

 

So unfortunately I can't really do much with your long rebukes and especially with the statement MOPH is doing its best.

 

I agree with you on the point that as a relatively privileged and healthy farang, I can sit it out for a while.

 

But you seem to be missing two more points::

 

There are still plenty of migrant workers with and without pink cards in this country and possibly some who are over 60 or at least belong to risk groups. And often have to live under very bad social conditions. From your point of view, should they all go and report to the hospital in person?

 

And this brings us to the last decisive point. It makes no sense whatsoever to distinguish between a Thai and a foreigner - a case remains a case, a serious course of illness remains a serious course of illness and is a burden on the system, regardless of whether it is a Thai or a foreigner.

 

And that is why, in my view, the app and the whole system is broken by design...