US embassy sheds light on vaccine situation for American expats in Thailand

To My Fellow Americans in Thailand,

In the past few weeks, many of you have asked about the availability of vaccines in Thailand. I want you to know that I hear you and understand your concerns. I am providing you with an update on the actions our government is taking to ensure you have access to vaccines.

The Biden-Harris Administration has embarked on a global effort to address this pandemic by sharing 80 million vaccine doses worldwide by the end of June and 500 million more in the coming year. The first 25 million of these doses will soon be released, with 7 million going to countries in Asia, including Thailand. We continue to advocate with the Royal Thai Government for fair access to vaccines by our citizens. We are heartened by Thai government commitments to vaccinate Americans and other foreign nationals who reside here, just as Thai and other nationals are receiving vaccinations with ease in the United States.

The US diplomatic mission has not been spared by Covid-19, as several families in our community have endured tragedies from this terrible pandemic. Across the world, many countries are grappling with surges in Covid-19 cases and emerging variants among largely unvaccinated populations, requiring this crisis to be resolved on a global basis. Our government is therefore taking a methodical, equitable, and science-based approach to direct vaccine doses to the most seriously afflicted countries.

The US Department of State is unable to provide vaccines to the millions of Americans who reside outside of the United States. For those who wish to return to the United States to be vaccinated, information on vaccine availability at the state level is available at www.vaccines.gov. Meanwhile, as Thailand pursues its vaccination programme, I will continue to advocate for your equitable access, keeping in mind that many Thai citizens are also waiting for their own vaccines. I welcome your personal experiences with vaccination conditions in your area and have set up a new email account ([email protected]) to receive your submissions. We continue to provide updated information on Covid-19 on our embassy webpage at https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19- information/. We will work with the Thai government to ensure you are served in line with their goal to vaccinate all residents without regard to nationality.

The United States has made significant progress in fighting this pandemic, but I agree with you that the work is far from done. I am optimistic that vaccine availability in Thailand will increase as the fruits of American technology are made available to the world. Our own health agencies here in Thailand continue to work side-by-side with Thai colleagues to develop vaccines and therapeutics to defeat this pandemic over the long term.

I will remain in touch with you in the days and weeks ahead as the situation develops.