While COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are being criticised worldwide, expats in many countries are in turmoil due to inequalities. Besides the lack of trust in certain vaccines available locally and others not internationally recognised, thousands of expats have been set aside from the vaccination campaign in their host country.
In recent months, several countries have included foreign residents in their national COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, which has allowed thousands of expatriates around the globe to get the jab as borders reopen and non-essential travel resumes. Still, many questions remain unanswered for expats.
Thailand, for example, has committed to prioritising its citizens, except in beach resorts like Phuket. Pattaya, Koh Samui, etc. Indeed, the country aims to kickstart the tourism industry to revive the economy that has significantly suffered from the COVID-19 crisis. So these specific regions have to achieve herd immunity. However, the withdrawal of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the market, as in Europe, slowed down the vaccination campaign considerably. Especially due to the lack of trust in the different vaccines produced in Asia, particularly in China and India.
The European Union also made it clear that it does not recognise vaccines like Sinopharm and Covaxin, for example, even if they were urgently approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, thousands of expatriates have been claiming approved vaccines from their respective embassies. France is one of the countries that are catering for the needs of their overseas citizens. Janssen unidose vaccines, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, were shipped to Thailand for French expatriates.
Vaccination centres have been set up n Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani to inoculate French expats who are at least 55 years old and are registered with their consulate. But it seems like French expats have been luckier this time. US expats, who also contacted their embassy, are left wondering whether they will ever get inoculated. In fact, the US Embassy in Thailand rejected requests made by several expatriate groups in recent weeks after the State Department confirmed that it would not provide vaccines for overseas American citizens.
And Thailand is not the only country concerned. Earlier this year, the US government had already made it clear that it had no intention of vaccinating US citizens who are overseas and covered by the health system of their host country. This situation raised a new trend in recent months, a new trend – vaccinal tourism. In early April, US expats said on social networks and in the international media that they were ready to return to the United States to get the jab. Meanwhile, the country has committed to inoculate at least 70% of its adult population by July 4th. This may be one of the reasons why it cannot consider providing vaccines for nearly 9 million overseas American citizens currently.
Still, many US senators are advocating for vaccination for US expats. In recent weeks, several addresses have been made to the US government for American citizens who are not eligible for vaccination in their host country. If they had to return to the US to get inoculated, they would have to be quarantined first. While the US government has recently been distributing some 7 million doses of vaccines in several Asian countries, there's still no guarantee of inoculation for overseas US citizens.
France is not the only country to have shipped vaccines for its citizens living abroad, including Thailand. China has also been shipping vaccines all around the world. It's worth noting that China has donated hundreds of thousands of vaccines to several neighbouring countries and collaborators, including Asia and Africa – which allowed thousands of people, including expats, to get the jab. But things are not as simple as they seem to be.
Many Latin American and Asia-Pacific countries have urgently been ordering "Made in China" vaccines, given the rising number of COVID-19 cases. However, European Medicines Agency still doesn't recognise Chinese vaccines, although they have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). This means that anyone who has been inoculated abroad with a Chinese vaccine and wants to travel within the European Union, including European nationals, must comply with entry restrictions. They are considered unvaccinated and must provide a negative PCR test on arrival but quarantine or self-isolate, according to the current rules in their country of destination.
This made things even more complicated for thousands of European citizens who were awaiting the reopening of borders to be able to return to their home country and reunite with their family after more than a year and a half. In fact, most of them rushed to get their jabs as soon as they were available in their host countries just only to get travel authorisations. But currently, the EU is accepting only four vaccines, namely Pfizer / Biotech, Moderna, Vaxzevria from AstraZeneca and Janssen from Johnson & Johnson's. It's worth noting that the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is not even listed.
However, some European countries are free to accept certain vaccines, such as Greece, where Sputnik V vaccine has been approved. The United Kingdom advised its overseas citizens to get the jab in their host country. However, there are strict conditions for those who wish to return to the UK for vaccination. Only those who have chosen to return to the country permanently are eligible for COVID-19 immunisation, but they must be on the priority list after registering with a local general practitioner.
