Thailand's mass vaccination program stumbles as Phuket readies for inbound travelers
Thailand's mass vaccination program stumbles as Phuket readies for inbound travelers
Island Wrap #44: Health & Tourism edition for June 5-18, 2021
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A long-awaited mass vaccination program got off to an excellent start in Thailand last week, only to falter mere days later due to a vaccine supply shortage. Meanwhile, the government is finalizing rules for the Phuket Sandbox program to drop quarantine for vaccinated inbound travelers from July 1st. This Island Wrap has the latest on both of these topics and the Covid-19 situation in Thailand.
Phuket Sandbox update
Thailand’s plan to reopen Phuket to fully vaccinated inbound travelers is expected to be finalized, at long last, in a Cabinet meeting this coming week. Phuket Airport staff are rehearsing intake processes for international arrivals, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched a promotional campaign featuring one video by a popular food vlogger and another starring Leicester City F.C. stars.
Summarizing much of what emerged from a Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting yesterday, the TAT released an updated list of rules for the Phuket Sandbox program to go with tentative info on related plans to reopen other destinations to quarantine-free inbound travel. It now appears that the “Samui Plus” program to reopen Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao to vaccinated travelers from abroad could set sail as early as July 15th.
A few unknowns remain, such as what the penalty will be for travelers who attempt to head elsewhere in Thailand before they’re cleared to leave Phuket. I’ll write an article to summarize the details and whatever questions remain once the program receives a final stamp of approval, hopefully by Wednesday. From there, I’ll keep you updated on inbound reopening programs for Ko Samui and other destinations over the coming weeks and months.
In a speech on Wednesday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha addressed the big picture by announcing his aim to “fully reopen our country” in 120 days. “We must look on this virus just as we would on the many other diseases that are in the world and with which we must learn to live,” he said. “We cannot wait for a time when everyone is fully vaccinated with two shots to open the country.”
Many people are against fully reopening to inbound travel in 120 days — and not only doctors. The chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Thailand’s largest opposition political party both voiced disagreement on the grounds that not enough of the Thai public is likely to have been vaccinated by mid October.
Covid-19 situation
(Please note, this will be probably be my last in-depth Covid-19 update unless the situation changes drastically. With the mass vaccination program now underway, I plan to focus more on tourism reopening and good old island fun in the foreseeable future.)
Thailand reported 38,803 cases, or 2,772 per day on average, since my last Covid-19 update two weeks ago. Sadly, 400 deaths related to Covid-19 were reported over that span. On June 15th, the country topped 200,000 cases for the entire pandemic.
Bangkok’s two-week case total fell slightly to 12,752, but cases increased in some of the surrounding provinces to push the entire Bangkok metro area over 23,000 cases over the last fortnight. Nearly 5,900 cases also surfaced in Thailand’s prisons. To name one example, more than two thirds of the roughly 2,700 inmates at Chachoengsao Central Prison east of Bangkok had tested positive as of June 8th.
Case numbers continue to decline in most of the upcountry provinces, with only a few new cases found in the entire Northern region on some recent days. In contrast, case numbers are once again rising in many of the coastal provinces.
While Chonburi’s two-week case count of 894 was similar to previous stretches and Phetchaburi’s case total fell sharply to 990, cases in Songkhla nearly doubled to 806. Steep increases were also recorded in Prachuap Khiri Khan with 469 cases over the last two weeks, as well as Pattani with 445, Nakhon Si Thammarat with 372, Yala with 339, Narathiwat with 279, and Ranong with 276. Though still relatively high at 494, Trang’s case total decreased compared to the previous two weeks.
Trat province’s two-week case number jumped to 86, while cases in Phang Nga reached 51. Rayong also had a slight jump to 148 cases. The only coastal provinces where case totals decreased or held steady compared to the previous two week period are Chanthaburi with 125, Surat Thani with 116, Phatthalung with 53, Krabi with 26, Phuket with 23, and Chumphon with 21. Reporting only four cases over the past two weeks, Satun province continued to set the lowest bar in the South.
Covid-19 also returned to islands other than Phuket. Two cases surfaced on both Ko Samui and Ko Phangan last week, while one new case was found on Ko Chang (Trat). Overall, though, the situation in the islands is looking good.
The Dept. of Medical Sciences (DMS) found that 88% of the cases it recently tested are of the Alpha variant of Covid-19. The DMS had also found 496 cases of the Delta variant as of June 16th, including more than 400 in Bangkok. Health experts worry that this highly transmissible variant will become dominant in Thailand.
For now, it appears that the Beta variant first found in South Africa has been contained within a handful of villages that were placed under hard lockdown in Tak Bai district on the Malaysia border. With the government reportedly providing limited food supplies and many residents unable to work, the situation in the deep Southern subdistrict of Ko Sathon has become desperate for some families.
One of several recent Covid-19 clusters in Bangkok surfaced at Lalai Sap Market in the heart of the Silom area. Another emerged at a major television studio. Much of the focus remains on factories and construction sites, where authorities are limiting freedom of movement for both Thai and migrant laborers.
Other Covid-19 clusters surfaced at a medical equipment factory in Ayutthaya; a noodle factory in Ratchaburi; a fish canning plant in Pattani; a gold leaf factory in Nakhon Si Thammarat; a fish farm in Khuraburi; a seafood processing plant in Ranong; a fishing community in Songkhla; a rubber wood processing factory in Trang; a boarding school in Yala; and the famous Mae Khlong “Train Market” in Samut Songkhram southwest of Bangkok.
Rocky start to mass vaccination
A hopeful feeling was in the air as 888,975 vaccine doses were administered over the first two days of Thailand’s mass vaccination program on June 7th and 8th. For the first time, the country proved itself capable of vaccinating at a rate that would hypothetically make it possible to inoculate at least 70% of the total population before the year’s end. Unfortunately, supply quickly became a problem.
The vaccination total dropped to 336,674 on the third day of the mass rollout, and since then the average has only been 222,245 doses per day. Many appointments needed to be postponed, sparking a wave of criticism against the government and a childish “blame game” between Ministry of Public Health officials and the governor of Bangkok, among others. Authorities have since promised to stop bickering and remedy the shortage by distributing six million more doses by July 2nd. Still, the lack of transparency about vaccine supplies has been frustrating.
More trouble arose earlier this week when thailandintervac.com, a relatively new vaccination registration site for foreigners, leaked personal data. The breach was plugged quickly, however, and I’m one of the many foreigners who were able to receive a first vaccine dose over the past two weeks. On Phuket, retirees and other foreigners without work permits are finally able to register for vaccination.
Local vaccination programs are also making good progress on Ko Samui, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Larn and Ko Samet, where health officials say they’re on track for a 100% inoculation rate among the community. Nationwide, more than 7.2 million vaccine doses have been administered since the first jab on February 28th.
Travel restrictions and containment measures
After more than a month of being sealed off to non-residents, the community on Ko Larn reopened to tourists without requiring Covid-19 testing on June 14th. Elsewhere in Chonburi province, Sattahip’s Nang Ram Beach was reopened as well. Lurching in the other direction, officials in Songkhla banned tourism activities and closed Ko Nu and Ko Maew due to a recent Covid-19 outbreak in the area.
Ko Larn and Ko Samet are two of the only Thai islands that tourists from Bangkok and other dark-red (“highest controlled”) provinces can visit without being tested, vaccinated or quarantined. Phuket’s domestic travel rules were extended to the entire country, regardless of the severity of Covid-19 in a traveler’s province of origin, as officials strive to squash the virus before the July 1st Sandbox launch.
Yesterday the government’s Covid-19 task force loosened national containment measures by allowing gatherings of up to 50 people and dining in at restaurants until 11:00 PM in Bangkok and the other three “dark-red” provinces (the new rules take effect on Monday). After a long wait, Bangkok-area fitness and nature lovers have been able to return to the parks, which reopened last Monday.
Museums, salons, foot massage shops and tattoo parlors have also reopened in Bangkok, Chonburi, Hua Hin, Ko Samui and several other areas. Schools reopened on June 14th, but only for online learning in the dark-red areas. 🌴
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Such great news, that you've been able to get your first vaccine dose!
Great to get all the info in one place.