The latest government instruction to Pattaya expats is to register on the updated site thailandintervac.com Preference will apparently be given to those over 60 or with life-threatening diseases. The Pattaya vaccination centre for those registered will be the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital but applicants should not contact the hospital.
The thailandintervac app was designed initially for a select group of diplomats and members of international organizations, known to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but has now been updated for Pattaya-based retirees, those married to Thai spouses, Elite visa holders, investors and permanent residents. Those foreigners with a work permit will already have registered, and maybe received their first shot, through a separate procedure.
Thailandintervac was available for registration on the morning June 7 but was then overwhelmed and was unavailable until 17.00 hours. It now seems to be working well. Those wishing to register must give their passport number, date of birth and local address in Chonburi province. They must also state whether they have any medical insurance. The cost, if any, is unclear but may include a charge for administration and insurance cover for any side effects.
No time and date for an appointment for the first jab is given and those registered will receive an email in due course. No choice of vaccine is offered. Those currently in use are Sinovac and AstraZeneca with, we are told, Johnson and Johnson and Moderna in the pipeline. Personal details given can be shared with other relevant government agencies.
This procedure is only for foreigners (but not guest workers from neighboring countries who fall under a different system) in the Pattaya or Bangkok areas. Those farang in other provinces have to follow different regulations as announced in the local press and on (reliable) social media. It is now apparent that the vaccination rollout for foreigners will be nationally promoted but locally implemented.
Pattaya expats, retirees in particular, will heave a sigh of relief that the thailandintervac innovation will hopefully be the basis of future action, unlike a host of previous short-lived apps and misleading advice to contact specific hospitals in a never-ending merry-go-round of confusion and even chaos.
The big question mark is when actual vaccination for the latest target group will begin in earnest. Because Pattaya has been designated a potential Sandbox, permitting vaccinated international tourists to visit without quarantine from October 1, there will be a requirement to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the local population by then. The figure will include some foreigners. But Thailand has a “Thais first” priority in overall terms and vaccines locally are in short supply. According to local hospital doctors who chose not to be named, the best guesstimate is that at least half of Pattaya farangs will have to wait until October or November. That’s for the first jab of course. The government has promised to inoculate all Thais by the end of the year.
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