OPINION

The numbers game

Re: "Govt rolls out three vaccine channels," (BP, May 21).

Reading the news regarding who gets vaccinated where and when is enough to make one's head spin. Now the PM has prioritised 9.2 million Section 33 workers to receive jabs. To fully vaccinate this many people you will need 18.4 million shots. Which leaves Thailand 13.4 million doses short just to complete this one group.

And then you have the Buri Ram order, the sandboxes, Hua Hin and who knows how many others making promises. So if you are wondering when you will be scheduled, well I guess it's a numbers game!

Unfair jab policy

Re: "Govt rolls out three vaccine channels," (BP, May 21).

Why is China allowed to vaccinate Chinese citizens living here, but Australia, the UK and the USA are not? Wouldn't approval take a lot of pressure off the Thai vaccination system? One can only guess that if approval had been given three weeks ago and all citizens living here from those three countries were vaccinated within two weeks, someone would have plenty of egg on their faces.

Unite to fight virus

Re: "Govt rolls out three vaccine channels," (BP, May 21).

Authorities have made it clear foreign nationals living and working or retired in Thailand regardless of age and health condition are a low priority for vaccination. Thai citizens are the main priority, they said.

Now it seems the Chinese authorities have come to an agreement with the Thai authorities to get up to 150,00 Chinese citizens living and working in Thailand vaccinated. This agreement seems to be based on China donating Chinese-made vaccine which will allow Chinese citizens to be given priority for a jab. It was reported that Chinese citizens started getting vaccinations last Thursday.

Many expats I know, like myself at age 70, are concerned about a long wait to get vaccinated in Thailand. Why can't the US, UK and EU come together and set up the same type deal that China has made with Thailand. If the US, UK and EU come together and donated vaccines to Thailand this would improve the priority of US, UK and EU citizens to get vaccinated quickly. Myself, like all other expats I know, still pay taxes in our home country. We need the US, UK and EU to come together and help get us vaccinated.

Reshuffling priorities

Re: "Foreigners face longer wait for jab,'' (BP, May 14).

Why is it so difficult for authorities to give clear and accurate information on the Covid-19 situation? On May 7, the front page headline declared the Ministry of Public Health was assuring that foreigners would get "equal access" to Covid-19 vaccinations. Only a week later, we are told once again that the Health Ministry plans to vaccinate "Thais first".

Walk-in vaccinations are reported open, but people interested in obtaining vaccinations find there are none available and the walk-in centres will really only open some time in the future -- oops, no longer will we have walk-in centres.

Migrant workers are assured of Covid-19 treatment at no cost, but are found to be sleeping on bridges without care. Infections in prisons are reported to be under control and two days later the outbreaks are termed "worrying" as the reality of more than one-third of all inmates testing positive is revealed.

One would expect a certain amount of confusion and misinformation in a time of crisis. But the steady flow of inconsistent and misleading statements by authorities instills little confidence that the country is capable of addressing the challenges of the pandemic.

Communication breakdown

What is the point in writing perceptive editorials and commentaries addressing solutions to hopeless government action when the "Pooh-Bahs" cannot communicate in the English language? One assumes their underlings who have the language capacity are too terrified to relay the information in "shoot the messenger" terms.