Vaccine for foreigners

colinoscapee wrote:

Here is the English translation of the story.

Vaccine

Good news I guess but still wonder just how effective it is with those already vaccinated testing positive later.

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Jlgarbutt wrote:

Good news I guess but still wonder just how effective it is with those already vaccinated testing positive later.

***

The efficacy of AstraZeneca is reduced from 67% against the Alpha variant to 60% against Delta for those fully vaccinated, according to an analysis by the Gupta Lab at Cambridge University.  Since no vaccine is 100% effective,  one would expect that some who are vaccinated will be infected, more or less according to the vaccine's rated efficacy.  What makes AstraZeneca worth it is that it is over 90% effective in reducing hospitalizations and serious disease.

From the information I can find at least 85% of the development funding for the Astra Zenica Covid vaccine came from the British Government (UK tax payers) on condition that it be made available at cost. That cost seems to be between 2.15 usd & 4 usd per doze with South Africa paying most so far at 5.25usd per dose.
So this is the bit that might sound controversial, again from what I hear & see daily on Mobi the government are struggling to come up with the cash  to buy any vaccine be it Astra, Moderna, Pfizer or J & J so as a help, why don’t they openly make the Astra available to anyone including ex pats at a cost of say 50 usd per dose & that way for every one person that pays 50 usd they get the money to buy at least 12 doses do distribute free to the citizens that cant afford it.

goodolboy wrote:

From the information I can find at least 85% of the development funding for the Astra Zenica Covid vaccine came from the British Government (UK tax payers) on condition that it be made available at cost. That cost seems to be between 2.15 usd & 4 usd per doze with South Africa paying most so far at 5.25usd per dose.
So this is the bit that might sound controversial, again from what I hear & see daily on Mobi the government are struggling to come up with the cash  to buy any vaccine be it Astra, Moderna, Pfizer or J & J so as a help, why don’t they openly make the Astra available to anyone including ex pats at a cost of say 50 usd per dose & that way for every one person that pays 50 usd they get the money to buy at least 12 doses do distribute free to the citizens that cant afford it.

AstraZenica vaccine: In India the manufacturer sells the vaccine at USD 2 per dose to the Government who in turn distributes the same free of cost through Government hospitals. They sell at USD 8 per dose to private hospitals who in turn charge USD 10. 263 Million have got the first dose and 55 Million fully vaccinated, 80 percent with AstraZenica vaccine and 20 percent with home grown Covaxin. Covaxin is in greater demand (though constrained on capacity) due to its higher efficacy against variants.

goodolboy wrote:

From the information I can find at least 85% of the development funding for the Astra Zenica Covid vaccine came from the British Government (UK tax payers) on condition that it be made available at cost. That cost seems to be between 2.15 usd & 4 usd per doze with South Africa paying most so far at 5.25usd per dose.
So this is the bit that might sound controversial, again from what I hear & see daily on Mobi the government are struggling to come up with the cash  to buy any vaccine be it Astra, Moderna, Pfizer or J & J so as a help, why don’t they openly make the Astra available to anyone including ex pats at a cost of say 50 usd per dose & that way for every one person that pays 50 usd they get the money to buy at least 12 doses do distribute free to the citizens that cant afford it.

At the moment the problem is mostly supply.  Yes, the government needs more money to buy the vaccines, but they already have requests in from the national level to province level to individual companies that have not yet been fulfilled.  Maybe in a month the world will be flooded with product, but right now the demand is greater than supply in many third-world countries.  Vietnam is just short of 4 million vaccines right now, almost entirely AstraZeneca, from Covax, from Japan and from their own contract with the manufacturer, plus 1,000 Sputnik V from Russia. 

They are expecting 1 million more AstraZeneca doses from Japan, have agreed to a shipment of Sinovac from China, but I don't know how big, expect more vaccines from  Covax, expect more AstraZeneca from their own contract with the manufacturer and I believe the US has promised vaccines to Vietnam outside of Covax.  There are probably more shipments in the works, but they will take time.

colinoscapee wrote:

Here is the English translation of the story.

Vaccine

Here are the instructions for Foreigners and Vietnamese citizens regarding how to register for the vaccination:

vietnamnews.vn/society/992011/how-to-register-for-your-covid-19-vaccine-for-vietnamese-and-foreigners

In another thread, Ciambella mentioned that people over a certain age would need to be vaccinated at a hospital and monitored there for any untoward reaction.

I read today that the EU is refusing entry to persons who are vaccinated with the Indian produced Astra-Zenica product, despite the shot having its research origins in Europe.   The problem may be mostly bureaucratic.  Apparently the company has not turned in some of the needed paperwork on the Indian factory.  If someone is taking the A-Z product with the intention of returning to the EU from Vietnam, they might want to check up on this. 

edit:  I found this link that should not be behind a firewall:  EU refuses A-Z

Sounds about right.. having said that would you trust a medical procedure if it turned out some document was missing?

I'm skeptical about the whole vaccine time line anyway, they didn't produce a vaccine for Sars but could with a rushed time scale do so with Covid.

Usually any Drug goes through years of testing. And trials..

At the end of the day none of the vaccine options provide 100% protection so you are probably right some pencil pusher locked away in a bunker had made a decision

Hi-jacking the thread slightly, HMS Queen Elizabeth and her escorts have reveleaed over 100 positive cases... is there no end in sight for Covid?

[Post under review]

@exstam:  Comments and judgement of the political climate in another country are political posts, which are not allowed on the Vietnam forum.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

...I'm skeptical about the whole vaccine time line anyway, they didn't produce a vaccine for Sars but could with a rushed time scale do so with Covid.

Usually any Drug goes through years of testing. And trials...

A SARS vaccine wasn't produced because the virus died out too quickly.  There were reports of "an unusual pneumonia" in China in Nov. of 2002, but they weren't reported to WHO.  The first reported SARS infections were in Hanoi in Feb. of 2003 and the virus was gone by July of that year, with a total of just over 8,000 cases and around 700 deaths. 

The reason a COVID-19 vaccine could be produced quickly is because researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades, including flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus.  As soon as they knew the details of the COVID-19 spike proteins, they could design the mRNA instructions for our own cells to build and display these spike proteins, which causes your immune system to develop defenses against them.  The COVID-19 vaccines went through the full sequence of testing for vaccines.

We all think the current spike here is bad, but just read the news in the UK.

New cases approaching the numbers of infection at the peak and still they are removing all restrictions believing the high vaccine rate will stop it. Those numbers are much higher than VN so clearly something on both places is either right or wrong

I walked to Mega market today and was surprised what shops and business were open

Couple of street food sellers
Swimming pool shop
Car wash

I should have worn the GoPro to capture it. But it's the same everyday, I see some just walk around as if nothing is happening.

I'm not suggesting it's the same everywhere but come on.. people have access to the news so why risk it?

A friend in the UK has recently reopened the pub she manages and already they have a four new infections traced there... People are getting fed up with lockdown, but without the chances of getting to zero cases is near impossible

Good Info OB. 1-16 priorities I read in a recent local published article was slightly different and as follows. 
Item number 10 priority I believe; 'People with chronic illnesses, (comma) people over 65', in the same category. Somewhat confusing, either or both? Almost a moot point considering the vaccine's availability for me and my wife will at best be the end of 2021 / early 2022. Until then, continue with the local government's mandates and perhaps ask Buddha to chip in.

River Frogs wrote:

Item number 10 priority I believe; 'People with chronic illnesses, (comma) people over 65', in the same category. Somewhat confusing, either or both?

It's either/or.

River Frogs wrote:

Good Info OB. 1-16 priorities I read in a recent local published article was slightly different and as follows. 
Item number 10 priority I believe; 'People with chronic illnesses, (comma) people over 65', in the same category. Somewhat confusing, either or both? Almost a moot point considering the vaccine's availability for me and my wife will at best be the end of 2021 / early 2022. Until then, continue with the local government's mandates and perhaps ask Buddha to chip in.

I think it mostly depends on where you live, then on the order of treatment.  HCMC has higher priority than most of the rest of the country because of its economic importance, as do factories.  If you work at a factory that was or will be mass-vaccinated, you are lucky. 

In HCMC, it seems to depend on how dangerous the government decides your neighborhood is.  If they decide to vaccinate a neighborhood, then age and chronic illnesses become a factor.  Critical jobs like health care workers and police go ahead of that, but they may already be inoculated -- I haven't seen any articles about the vaccine progress among critical safety groups. 

I think, because my neighborhood has not been a problem area as far as I can see, that vaccinations here will come as late as you suggest, but if you live in HCMC, you may be be in a neighborhood that the government chooses to treat earlier.  A big influx of vaccines is expected in the third quarter, so we'll see how far they go.

Thanks, Ciambella. I'll take it you weren't correcting my sloppy grammer, rather clarifying 'one or the other'.  Like all major cities, commerce / tourism appears to be one of the vaccine's priority considerations. Understandably, at this moment HCM warrants this priority. My selfish hope is Danang will soon find its way to the top of the list.

River Frogs wrote:

Thanks, Ciambella. I'll take it you weren't correcting my sloppy grammer, rather clarifying 'one or the other'.

Nah, it's nothing to do with grammar. 

Yes, it's a clarification that whatever the number that category is listed, it applies to people who are 65 or older (the part followed the comma), or people who are under 65 but have chronic illnesses (the part preceded the comma) such as asthma (moderate to severe), COPD (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), damaged or scarred lung tissue, cystic fibrosis, missing a solid organ, and pulmonary hypertension. 

According to the physician whom I asked the question, a person with past heart attack doesn't belong in that category even though he's also required to take meds for life.

It can be a test of patience to *fully* understand Vietnamese official documents.

The understatement of the century:

"It can be a test of patience to *fully* understand Vietnamese official documents."

Thanks Ms. "C" for putting it in prospective.

Rick

Ciambella wrote:

River Frogs wrote:

Thanks, Ciambella. I'll take it you weren't correcting my sloppy grammer, rather clarifying 'one or the other'.

Nah, it's nothing to do with grammar. 

Yes, it's a clarification that whatever the number that category is listed, it applies to people who are 65 or older (the part followed the comma), or people who are under 65 but have chronic illnesses (the part preceded the comma) such as asthma (moderate to severe), COPD (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), damaged or scarred lung tissue, cystic fibrosis, missing a solid organ, and pulmonary hypertension. 

According to the physician whom I asked the question, a person with past heart attack doesn't belong in that category even though he's also required to take meds for life.

It can be a test of patience to *fully* understand Vietnamese official documents.

That makes sense.

Simply having had a previous heart attack/MI and taking supportive/prophylactic medication does not necessarily fall into the same category as the other ailments listed.

However I'd *guess* that a related case of cardiomyopathy/congestive heart failure (CHF) that develops AFTER the insult of a myocardial infarction would be included, although I *suspect* that Vietnamese physicians might lump that in together with pulmonary hypertension, as the two are usually seen together; IOW, when pulmonary hypertension (aka, high blood pressure in the lungs) presents in a patient, it is rarely seen without concurrent heart failure.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847580/

Sounds like an advertisement.

LONE wolf83 wrote:

Your chance of having a fatal accident on a hionda wave is a million times more likely than passing away from the covaids flu. Average age of covaids death is 85 in US. Average life expectancy 82. When people live in a heightened sense of fear emotion stops the logical brain from working.

Please take this garbage some where else, the 4 million dead people around the would totally disagree with your anti-science bull*.

Grow up and go get a vaccine, stop putting others in danger with your dangerous lies.

1984in2021 wrote:

Check the government websites you brainwashed moron. I bet you are one of the people in 2020 who said covid passports will never happen. It is just for conspiracy theorists lol just out of interest, who do you think people are endangering by not taking this experimental gene therapy? I think your response highlights the point about the emotional and logical brain. 99.9% chance of survival and yours quelling like a scared little girl haha

Hi nice to meet you, just some corrections for you.

1.) mRNA vaccines are not gene therapy no matter how many times your facebook group tells you it is.

2.) Emotions have nothing to do with facts, and unfortunately you have no facts.

Here is a snippet from the NYT quoting  Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky of the CDC

"Cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain far below last winter’s peak, and vaccines are effective against Delta, but the C.D.C. director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, urged people to get fully vaccinated to receive robust protection, pleading: “Do it for yourself, your family and for your community. And please do it to protect your young children who right now can’t get vaccinated themselves.”

The number of new virus cases is likely to increase in the coming weeks, and those cases are likely to be concentrated in areas with low vaccine coverage, officials said at a White House briefing on the pandemic."

So please be responsible if not for you for the people around you, stay off facebook and get some real facts and above all vaccinate, you never know it could save somebody you love too.

I predict that you will not be on this site for very long. What you have said is being touted by a PHD that is very controversial. Look up the definition of Vaccine and according to Webster's Dictionary this treatment is considered a vaccine. Do some more research of all information before degrading anyone here.

Hang on, after returning to Melbourne Australia I got both my AZ shots and both times I had to sit there for 15 minutes afterwards to monitor any adverse reactions. This applied to everyone. Do they just let Vietnamese walk away immediately over there?

In VN, you have to sit 30 mins after vaccinating

Yeah, paperwork etc. The same applies to the AZ shots produced in Australia that the EU doesn't recognise either. I've had both shots and would love to visit Europe next year when Australia lets me leave. (I think it's the only country in the world that doesn't let its citizens leave -- though let's ignore North Korea.) I trust it'll be sorted by then but I'm not holding my breath with our prime minister who is only focused on his marketing image and blame-shifting rather than intervening for the public good.

robvan wrote:

Yeah, paperwork etc. The same applies to the AZ shots produced in Australia that the EU doesn't recognise either. I've had both shots and would love to visit Europe next year when Australia lets me leave. (I think it's the only country in the world that doesn't let its citizens leave -- though let's ignore North Korea.) I trust it'll be sorted by then but I'm not holding my breath with our prime minister who is only focused on his marketing image and blame-shifting rather than intervening for the public good.

I must say, he is the worst PM ever, absolute clown. The way he treats aussies overseas is appalling. The way he has gone about things in Australia is a joke. Mind you, the Labor premiers are not much better.

Just as ahead up . Anyone reply to swenhartwig relating to buying vaccine in Vietnam it's a scam.

I guessed it would be, offering 5 dose vial of Pfizer for 650,000 vnd shipping by DHL

Company he claims he works for based in Germany..a pharmacy company (who would have guessed) using ".EU" website and "Co. Ltd" on the end of the company name..

Anyway when I questioned him he say has agent here in Vietnam... Blah blah.. but when I asked for more details about his company I got blocked..

If anyone is offering vaccine be sure to check it out.. I'm sure everyone here is aware if scams... But hey some days we all do crazy things

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Just as ahead up . Anyone reply to swenhartwig relating to buying vaccine in Vietnam it's a scam.

I guessed it would be, offering 5 dose vial of Pfizer for 650,000 vnd shipping by DHL

Company he claims he works for based in Germany..a pharmacy company (who would have guessed) using ".EU" website and "Co. Ltd" on the end of the company name..

Anyway when I questioned him he say has agent here in Vietnam... Blah blah.. but when I asked for more details about his company I got blocked..

If anyone is offering vaccine be sure to check it out.. I'm sure everyone here is aware if scams... But hey some days we all do crazy things

Beats me why he was even allowed to make these multiple posts advertising posts on here anyways. Was pretty obvious it was a scam but he got away with it for long enough!

Absolutely a SCAM!!!!....Many "dubious" bla, bla, bla....When we come to health, we can't allow this kind of cheating...The administrator shouldn't allow this kind of thing.
Please be safe and take lot's of care

The sad truth is lockdown isn't working, numbers are going up

Even today I walk to Topps to buy fresh fruit and veggies. See many people accepting deliveries that are non essential ( flowers, small furniture items) and no one takes a blind bit or notice to the new rules.

Yesterday three guys park up.. open boot of car and grab food and drink and sit by the road side

I hate the isolation but the only way it ends is everyone must stay home

Jlgarbutt wrote:

The sad truth is lockdown isn't working, numbers are going up

Even today I walk to Topps to buy fresh fruit and veggies. See many people accepting deliveries that are non essential ( flowers, small furniture items) and no one takes a blind bit or notice to the new rules.

Yesterday three guys park up.. open boot of car and grab food and drink and sit by the road side

I hate the isolation but the only way it ends is everyone must stay home

Well if they have seen what I have seen they would lock up tight I can tell you mate.
Ms My's sister has Covid & is a Covid hospital right now & no one & I mean no one would expose themselves to the possibility of getting Covid if they can help it if they knew what faces them in one of these hospitals & especially ex pats would not know what has hit them!
I have done the rounds in the early days in the offshore oil industry, sleeping in my workshop, hot bedding (meaning one guy gets up for shift & other jumps into his bed) like 6 to a cabin day & night shift & no way I want to end up on a hard bed with 100   other Covid infected people in the same room thats for sure.

Round here at Celadon City from what I see most people seem to be playing on the side of caution this time & I simply judge that by the lack of people out walking in the gardens & the fact that this time no one has ripped down the barrier tape for at least 2 weeks now!

By the way & I am open to contradiction here but from what I see or understand lock down seems to be working cos OK (its far to early to be clear) but the numbers seem to be levelling off & in fact coming down.



https://ncov.moh.gov.vn/dong-thoi-gian

goodolboy wrote:

Beats me why he was even allowed to make these multiple posts advertising posts on here anyways. Was pretty obvious it was a scam but he got away with it for long enough!

No one allowed him to do that; it's just that we're not always quick enough in the removal of bad posts.  We need more than one pair of eyes to catch the trolls, the spams, and the scams on the Vietnam forums.

goodolboy wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

The sad truth is lockdown isn't working, numbers are going up

Even today I walk to Topps to buy fresh fruit and veggies. See many people accepting deliveries that are non essential ( flowers, small furniture items) and no one takes a blind bit or notice to the new rules.

Yesterday three guys park up.. open boot of car and grab food and drink and sit by the road side

I hate the isolation but the only way it ends is everyone must stay home

Well if they have seen what I have seen they would lock up tight I can tell you mate.
Ms My's sister has Covid & is a Covid hospital right now & no one & I mean no one would expose themselves to the possibility of getting Covid if they can help it if they knew what faces them in one of these hospitals & especially ex pats would not know what has hit them!
I have done the rounds in the early days in the offshore oil industry, sleeping in my workshop, hot bedding (meaning one guy gets up for shift & other jumps into his bed) like 6 to a cabin day & night shift & no way I want to end up on a hard bed with 100   other Covid infected people in the same room thats for sure.

Round here at Celadon City from what I see most people seem to be playing on the side of caution this time & I simply judge that by the lack of people out walking in the gardens & the fact that this time no one has ripped down the barrier tape for at least 2 weeks now!

By the way & I am open to contradiction here but from what I see or understand lock down seems to be working cos OK (its far to early to be clear) but the numbers seem to be levelling off & in fact coming down.



https://ncov.moh.gov.vn/dong-thoi-gian

As one of the leading medical team doctors in Ha Noi  said, " Vietnamese became too complacent, now we are paying for it".

just as a matter of interest for those expats that would be willing to pay for vaccine privately. This is a reply I got from an e mail I sent to FV yesterday.




Thank you for your interest in Health Care Service at FV Hospital.



We regret to inform you that as off today, FV Hospital is not licensed to import Covid-19 vaccines and we have no idea when it is launched commercially at our hospital.

I'm guessing hospitals need to register for import.. have to wait and see

I'd pay if required to do so, it's not massively expensive just hard to come by

Not sure about costs on all variants.. pfzer one goes for 20USD a shot

I posed the same question to FMP and received a similar answer. Unfortunately, the procurement channel is limited through the VN government. I fail to understand why the VN health department is unable or unwilling to middle man procurement authorization to private clinics? Clearly it would lessen the vaccine burden commitment, 'all foreigners are eligible to receive the vaccine' if indeed this is reality or a wishful hope. Regardless, I did register for the vaccine. IF my number comes up, I can then decide to receive the offered vaccine or decline. If an offered vaccine efficacy protection is only 50-60%, to me, this would be a coin toss. Certainly, there is one vaccine I would absolutely refuse due to unrevealed trial testing documentation. Just me.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not sure about costs on all variants.. pfzer one goes for 20USD a shot

According to the ofifcial announcement in Vung Tau, Pfizer costs the government $42 at landing so they'll only charge the subscribers that price.  They will pay for all related expenses -- refrigerated storage, transportation, and the shot.