Thailand’s DPM and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul told his counterpart at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs DPM Don Pramudwinai yesterday that the vaccination of foreigners residing in Thailand had now been expanded to the provinces.
Many people on ASEAN NOW’s forums and threads have been complaining that only people in Bangkok have been adequately catered for under the plans to include foreigners in the Thai vaccination rollout.
People in the provinces – especially retirees in Pattaya have been saying “What about us?”
Increasinging in the last couple of days people have been saying that they have been able to access vaccine outside of Bangkok, sometimes faster than Thai nationals and sometimes with Pfizer as well as Astra Zeneca jabs.
Anutin’s comments seemed to corroborate these anecdotal reports, notes ASEAN NOW.
The Standard reported on yesterday’s meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which Anutin said that he had been following through on PM Prayuth Chan-ocha’s policy of treating Thais and foreigners the same in the vaccine rollout.
He said that he had been liaising with various embassies and gathering data and lists of names.
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This appeared to indicate that the MoPH was being proactive in identifying and targeting foreigners who had registered as living in Thailand with the embassies, we suggest.
Anutin said that vaccinations had been carried out at MedPark, Vimut and Bang Rak hospitals as well as Bang Sue Central Station – all locations in Bangkok.
Now this was being expanded to the provinces. Further liaison was taking place with the Department of Consular Affairs on lists of names so that provincial authorities could arrange appointments for foreigners residing in the country.
This raises the possibility that foreigners who have had difficulties in registering and been knocked back may not have registered their presence in Thailand with their respective embassies. ASEAN NOW stresses that we have no confirmation of this.
The meeting also discussed vaccines that have arrived from foreign countries so far – Japan has sent Astra Zeneca, China Sinovac and the US Pfizer.
The latest is a deal with Bhutan, previously reported here.
Vaccines allowed for Phuket Sandbox tourists to visit on double doses are AZ, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, The Standard continued in their report.
Sputnik V is as yet not recognised in Thailand but moves are afoot to hurry this up.
This ASEAN NOW reported earlier could pave the way for up to half a million Russians to visit Thailand.
This post has been republished with permission from ASEAN NOW formerly Thaivisa.com
