Wealthy Thais number between 4,200 and 8,300 dollars for a vaccine against covid-19, writes Plovdiv journalist Pancho Blagoev, who has lived in the Asian country for several years.
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In mid-April, my wife was vaccinated with the Chinese Sinovac. As a civil servant, she was lucky to be among the first in Thailand to have the coveted injection of 70 million, albeit with the less effective Chinese vaccine. Why good luck? Three months later. later only 3% of the population here is fully vaccinated, and 10% have one prick each.
If you register today, you will receive an injection in a month at the earliest. The locals do not have the opportunity to choose – they put “Sinovak” or “Sinopharm” according to availability. The explanation is simple: no vaccines! And because “money never sleeps”, big local tour operators have organized “vaccination tours” to countries like the United States, Russia and Serbia, where rich Thais number between $ 4,200 and $ 8,300 to receive stings! This is given that according to the WHO, the Thai health system is in the Top 10 of the best in the world!
Even more complicated is the situation of the more than 2 million foreigners living in the kingdom, including my grace. In order to receive a vaccine in one of the private hospitals, they will have to spend 3,400 baht, or about 170 leva for two doses of “Modern”. If there are any, of course, because for the time being the deliveries are planned for the bright future, which according to the local authorities is coming from October onwards …
Unless they work in a large international company or a prestigious private school, which usually bears the logistics and costs, at this stage the vaccination of the residents here is mission impossible. Some countries, such as France, have taken matters into their own hands and started vaccinating their citizens. For now, the United States and Britain, which have the largest communities here, are refusing to do this for their people. Not to mention the Bulgarians in Thailand. Ten years ago, our dear homeland closed our embassy in Bangkok, and since then, for basic consular service or protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kindly advised you to catch a plane for one of our missions in Hanoi or Jakarta. But that’s another story …
Why did you get here after m.g. WHO pointed to the “land of smiles” as a benchmark for dealing with covid infection?
For almost a year, Thailand maintained almost zero levels of the virus. Currently, between 4-6000 are registered daily infected, mainly with the delta variant of kovid-19. 50-60 lose the battle with the disease. Hospitals are overcrowded and asymptomatic patients are isolated in field facilities. The delayed reaction of the health authorities led to an acute shortage of vaccines. Behind all this, according to many commentators, are lobbying interests, Bangkok’s close ties and dependencies on Beijing, and corruption, which is the norm rather than the exception in Thailand. / Bai du Wei Batze & co is an innocent lamb compared to the local profits /.
Mass production of the Astra Zeneka is expected to begin soon at a local pharmaceutical plant, which is said to be one of the most powerful people in Thailand, and Phizer’s first vaccines will be imported in the last quarter. Last November, the Thai government began talks with Pfizer and Astra Zeneca to produce vaccines here. It is unclear why the Astra Zeneca company was chosen, which was already clear that it was struggling with global supplies.
Faced with growing public discontent, the government of Gen. Prayut Cha-ochan, who was prime minister after the military coup in May 2014, is looking for an opportunity to compensate for the delay in the vaccination campaign. The first 4 million doses of Moderna are expected to be delivered from October 1 to the end of the year. They have been agreed by the private hospitals for the paid vaccination / 3,400 baht = 170 BGN / After January 1, another 1 million doses should arrive.
This is happening in the local latitudes, where society, despite fears, uncertainty and conspiracy theories, is taking a very responsible approach to the need for mass vaccination as a way to regain our former lives. As it turned out, we will not have vaccines in our country because there was a world conspiracy, they would chip us, they would like to dilute humanity. Like the vaccines in our country, the simple things are obviously free, and unfortunately smart people are tied to them. Don’t blame them – personal choice.
But I admit that I have difficulty explaining to my wife and our mutual friends here why this is so in Bulgaria. Which, apart from Stoichkov, Berbatov and the yoghurt that the Japanese sell here under the Bulgaria brand, will gain a new glory – a country of immortals, where the virus does not catch them. Probably because of the brandy, the Shopska salad and the yoghurt. Don’t miss the tripe soup, with lots of garlic of course.
But as someone had said, chickens are counted in the fall. God forbid ”
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