Alberta health services vaccinations for travel

GENEVA: The United Nations (UN) is using the digital government technology behind vaccine passports to help developing countries provide essential services to their vulnerable populations. After a year of Zoom meetings and with vaccinations slowly rolling out, international travel is making a comeback. The demand is there even as the virus lingers. Many, especially from developing countries, need to get to work and send remittances home. Families need to catch up. Countries are getting ready to welcome back tourists. And business deals need to be struck. For this reason, governments are taking a close look at the digital vaccine passport, the post-pandemic equivalent of the yellow fever certificate that could offer the possibility of sidestepping costly reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and quarantine requirements. The World Health Organization has cautioned against moving too quickly, noting “there are still critical unknowns regarding the ... » Learn More about Vaccine passports are controversial but their technology will bring big benefits to developing countries

A government spokesperson said on Thursday foreigners, including migrant workers will have access to safe Covid-19 vaccines. The assurance was given during the daily Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration briefing at Government House. Assistant spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangson said everyone in the country, including foreigners, would have access to vaccines, she said. “Vaccinations will include expatriates and migrant workers. The government intends to offer equal protection,” she said. According to Dr Apisamai, the government has three objectives for Covid-19 vaccination. To reduce Covid-19 illness and deaths, vaccination will be for people older than 60 years and those with chronic diseases. To protect the national health system, recipients will be medical personnel as well as workers and officials tasked with disease control or are in contact with patients. To protect the national economy and society, recipients will be the general public and workers in the service, ... » Learn More about Foreigners Guaranteed Access to Covid-19 Vaccinations in Thailand

Thailand’s Prime Minister has told a press briefing that he has commissioned a study to look into vaccine passports as the country seeks to revive the tourism industry battered by his governments coronavirus pandemic response. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his government has been mulling the idea of so-called “vaccine passports”, but no target date has been set and tourism operators have complained about lost revenue. He also said his government will proceed with caution , waiting to see how effective vaccines are first in preventing the spread of Covid-19. “I have already ordered the study into vaccine passports so we can be prepared, however it’s also important that we proceed in line with other countries,” Gen Prayut said. Our government is looking into giving people who are vaccinated in Thailand vaccine passports. The passports could  be then used for international travel , he said. Authorities will meet next week to discuss procedures into obtaining ... » Learn More about Thai Government Studies Vaccine Passports to End Quarantine

Thailand’s hotel and Tour operators are pressing the government to scrap quarantine requirements for foreign tourists who have had the covid-19 vaccination in an effort to kickstart the Kingdom’s paralyzed tourism industry. Two leading hotel groups told the Financial Times they supported ending the mandatory 14-day quarantine for non-Thai visitors who could prove they had been vaccinated against Covid-19. “We should be very quickly allowing people who are safely vaccinated to travel without quarantine,” said William Heinecke, chairman of Minor International, Thailand’s largest listed hotel and hospitality group. “There are tremendous numbers of people who won’t come to Thailand, or won’t come to any country that has a quarantine, because it takes too much time.” Tourism is Thailand’s second-largest industry, accounting for about a fifth of gross domestic product. The country sealed its borders to most foreign visitors last March and imposed strict testing and quarantine ... » Learn More about The Scrapping of Quarantine Rules for Covid-19 Vaccinated Tourists

Thailand- The following is a quick fact check we have written in hopes that many of our eager readers take a look and understand the current situation regarding tourists visiting Thailand. The Pattaya News gets many, many, many messages a day from people interested in visiting Thailand, with the vast majority from India, Europe, and Russia. Most are “short-term” tourists and therefore could not go through the current process which requires a two-week quarantine at your expense, multiple Covid-19 tests, embassy approval, mandatory insurance, a fit-to-fly certificate, and other “hoops” to jump through. So, we have made an update to our popular previous articles around visiting Thailand. This information is all correct as of February 27th, 2021. Q: Can I come to Thailand now without a quarantine? A. No. Q. I’ve been vaccinated. Can I come to Thailand now without a quarantine? A. No. Q. I’ve been vaccinated. Can I come to Thailand with a “reduced” quarantine, no ... » Learn More about Fact Check: Can tourists come to Thailand now with no quarantine if they are vaccinated?

Domestic airlines in Thailand have formed an association to deal with the pandemic and pave the way for vaccine passport cooperation. Bangkok Airways president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth said the Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) has set a long-term goal of elevating the aviation industry in Thailand. However, the short-term priority is the soft loan request the Finance Ministry is considering. “The domestic market seemed to improve after the lockdown relaxation was implemented nationwide, but it’s still a far cry from the numbers seen prior to the latest outbreak,” said Mr Puttipong. “It may take some time to get back to 100%.” The founding members of AAT are Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Smile Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet. The group submitted the soft loan proposal to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in late August last year, but there has still been no response from the government. Vaccine passport agenda Mr ... » Learn More about Thailand’s Domestic Airlines Ponder Vaccine Passport Requirement

Thailand’s southern resort island of Phuket is drawing up plans to fully reopen to vaccinated visitors by October 2021 to revive its wrecked tourism industry. More than a dozen business groups including the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and the Phuket Tourist Association are planning to pool funds to vaccinate 70% of the island’s population above 18 without waiting for a government rollout. They are betting that it’ll be safe to open the region to foreign tourists once the local population achieves herd immunity. The plan, which will need government approval, also seeks to waive a mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement, a major hurdle for many potential travellers. This will allow thousands of vaccinated Europeans who usually spend their winter months in Phuket to visit, according to Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the tourist association. The plan is the latest attempt to revive Thailand’s tourism-reliant economy. An earlier initiative to re-open Phuket to international ... » Learn More about Phuket Plans to Fully Reopen to Vaccinated Visitors by October 2021

Confusion reigns over the effectiveness of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine due to be rolled out in Thailand next month. Thailand has ordered 2 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine. The rollout of this particular vaccine among high-risk groups in Indonesia will start this week. However, questions now hang over the vaccine’s efficacy rate, originally reported as 78% in trials in Brazil but more recently downgraded to just over 50%. In total, 4 different rates of effectiveness have been published. In Indonesia data from a local trial indicates an efficacy rate of 65%. However, with only 1,620 participants, the trial is considered too small for the data to have much value. Last month, Turkey reported an efficacy rate of 91.25% in its trials, but the sample size was again deemed too small. The largest trial of the Chinese vaccine has been in Brazil, with 13,000 participants. There are, however, 2 quite different efficacy rates have been reported. It’s not the first time there ... » Learn More about Thailand News Today | Chinese vaccine, Thailand ‘drug hub’, Covid update | January 13

Covid-19 insurance policies are increasingly joining passports and sunscreen as vacation staples, creating opportunities for insurers as more countries require mandatory coverage in case visitors fall ill from the coronavirus. Airline bookings are on the rise in some regions, driving cautious hopes of a revival in summer traffic, but also raising fears among tourist destinations of getting hit with bills should vacationers become stranded by the virus. More than a dozen countries from Aruba to Thailand require Covid-19 coverage for visitors, with Jordan the latest to consider such protections, organisers of an emergency services plan told Reuters. The market for all types of Covid-19 travel coverage is estimated to be between $30 billion (S$40 billion) to $40 billion a year, according to travel insurance consultant Robyn Ingle, with companies like AXA and AIG underwriting protection. But a surge in demand for Covid-19 coverage also means insurers could be on the hook for big ... » Learn More about Covid-19 travel insurance becoming a vacation staple

The following is a press release from the British Council. Their thoughts and opinions are their own. The UK puts the health of students and staff at the heart of decisions whilst making sure high-quality teaching continues. The UK universities work to ensure their courses help students achieve their academic goals, regardless of the mode of delivery. Six measures have been taken to reassure the confidence of the international students to study in the UK: student support during the coronavirus quarantine, a special financial relief programme, support for mental health and wellbeing, access to public health services, access to COVID testing, and access to vaccines. The top five most popular courses among Thai students in the UK are business management (60%), law (10%), engineering and technology (6%), social studies (5%), and creative arts and design (3%). Bangkok, 17 February 2021 — The British Council and the British Embassy in Bangkok shared the latest statistics on ... » Learn More about Press Release: The UK remains the most popular higher education destination for Thai students