Reports in the media have prompted questions from expats about the prospects of foreigners receiving their Covid-19 jabs sometime soon.
Assurances have been made by official sources that ex-pats haven’t been forgotten, although the prospect of this being free hasn’t been confirmed to date.
An early reported statement from Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was that foreigners in Thailand would receive the vaccine, saying the government has the “capacity to provide free vaccinations”.
The statement did not go on to give an assurance that this will be cost-free for foreigners. There have also been reports of some foreigners already receiving free jabs; typically with the assistance of an employer.
Anutin said “The 63 million doses of the vaccination are enough to cover the public, and it’s within our capacity to provide free vaccinations,”
“Our policy is to not leave anyone behind and we must inoculate anyone at risk of spreading the virus, not only Thais. So the vaccines will cover everyone that resides in Thailand.”
More recently the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Natapanu Nopakun, has also said all expats living in Thailand are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
He said Thailand plans to roll out a “massive vaccination plan” to vaccinate all people who are living in Thailand, including foreign residents. All people residing in Thailand, regardless of nationality, are eligible to receive the vaccine under the plan.
He added that more information on the vaccination plan for foreigners residing in Thailand will be released at a later date. The question of cost was not mentioned in the spokesperson’s comments.
The only real answer to the question about the cost of vaccinations at this time is – we hope so but wait and see!
