A reader has sent the Royal Coast Review editor a heartfelt plea for assistance with his description of over four months of frustration after paying a regional private hospital for Moderna vaccinations on 1st July. He is still waiting for the news about when that vaccination can happen.
He says ‘’for health reasons, I did not want my (Thai) wife to receive Astra Zeneca vaccine, which, paired with Sinovac, was the only vaccine offered in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. I was therefore watching out for MRNA vaccines becoming available in Thailand.”
After accepting an offer to register (and pay for) Moderna vaccinations in July, his most recent of many enquiries about when this could happen was made on 15th November. The answer was that the hospital had ”no idea’’ when the Moderna vaccination would be available, when it would arrive, or how many doses they would receive.
He goes on to say “people are concerned, they are worried, there are many questions. Is there enough Moderna to go around, how is it being allocated, when will they receive the protection they have paid for?”
We have made a ‘gentle’ enquiry with the hospital concerned for information about the Moderna supply and are waiting for their response. Chances are the hospital will be just as uninformed about this availability as are those who have paid in advance and are still waiting.
In the meantime Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, the public health permanent secretary, says November 27th – December 5th is being proposed as the nationwide vaccination week. Dr Kiatiphum said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will also order provincial governors to keep encouraging people to get vaccinated as soon as they possibly can.
He added that they may also issue new social sanction measures that require people to show proof of vaccination when entering public places.
“The CCSA wants the target group to get their shots and it may come up with measures to give people an incentive to get vaccinated,” Dr Kiatiphum said. “if necessary, the CCSA may impose a rule requiring people to show they have received at least one dose when attending activities in public places,” he added.