{"id":1983,"date":"2021-05-24T13:59:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T06:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.co.th\/blog\/?p=1983"},"modified":"2021-05-24T14:09:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T07:09:32","slug":"covid-19-vaccine-tourism-emerges-in-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.co.th\/blog\/covid-19-vaccine-tourism-emerges-in-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 vaccine tourism emerges in Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"

COVID-19 vaccine tourism is a subset of medical tourism. Put simply, it is when people travel abroad to another country to get immunized against the novel coronavirus. Given that vaccination rollouts in Thailand have been extremely slow, coupled with the country\u2019s third wave of the outbreak, some people are beginning to look elsewhere for a jab.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s delve further into the topic in this Pacific Prime Thailand<\/a> article, as we discover what the situation in the country is and why COVID-19 vaccine tourism has emerged, as well as the things to know about traveling back into the country. After all, pandemic-related entry requirements<\/a> are still in place, even for travelers who have been vaccinated.<\/p>\n

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Situation in Thailand: A deadly third-wave and slow vaccine rollout<\/h2>\n

Thailand is no longer the COVID-19-free oasis it used to be. In April 2021, the country saw a surge in cases from Bangkok nightclubs<\/a>, which marked the start of its deadly third wave. Since then, there have been over 2,000 cases and dozens of deaths per day<\/a>. New clusters are also announced every day, and the Indian variant has already been discovered in the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parts of Thailand went into\/are in a semi-lockdown, including restrictions on dining-in<\/a>. In this climate, the country is also struggling to kickstart its mass COVID-19 vaccination program<\/a>. In fact, there have been various reports of government inefficiency and mismanagement<\/a> in its handling of vaccines.<\/p>\n

Can expats in Thailand get a COVID-19 vaccine?<\/h3>\n

To top it off, there have also been confusing messages regarding the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. One example is the question of whether expats in Thailand are eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Some reports say that expats are eligible<\/a>, while others deny this and say that Thais are prioritized<\/a>.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 vaccine tourism: An attractive option for some people in Thailand<\/h2>\n

As places like the US seem willing to administer COVID-19 vaccines to tourists, it\u2019s unsurprising that COVID-19 vaccine tourism has emerged. Some Thai tour companies such as Unithai trip are offering this as a vaccination tour package<\/a>, with prices starting from USD $2,300 per person for a group of 8 travelers. These include:<\/p>\n