We got vaccinated in Koh Samui by the French Embassy in Thailand

Many of you have been asking us if we’re vaccinated against Covid. When we went through France in May 2021, the vaccine was still only reserved for the elderly and at-risk people. Being young and healthy, we unfortunately weren’t among those eligible.

As I explained on Instagram (see my stories), in Asia, vaccines aren’t as widely distributed and as readily available as in Europe. It’s a scarce commodity and only the lucky few have access to the vaccine right now. And even when the vaccine arrives, there aren’t enough nurses and doctors to vaccinate everyone—since there aren’t enough places to store the vaccine properly.

For now, in Vietnam and Thailand alike, very few locals have been vaccinated. And very few expats either. My parents, though retired, only got their first Moderna dose in Hanoi this morning.

In this context, it was with relief that we learned about the vaccination campaign by the French Embassy, right in Koh Samui, for French people aged 18+.

Conditions

• You need to be over 18
• Have a French passport
• Not have been vaccinated against Covid before

Honestly, when I read these super simple conditions, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought we had to be registered as expats, or be residents in Thailand. Nope! The fact that the vaccine is available to us—regardless of our status (even as tourists like us), right in Koh Samui, and for free, it’s an incredible stroke of luck.

Benefits

Other embassies can’t do what the French Embassy does. It’s the only country that has overcome all the administrative and logistical hurdles to bring vaccines to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia… vaccines from the French national stock.

Which means that:

• our vaccine will be recognized everywhere in the world
• soon we’ll also have a European health pass, recognized worldwide
• we’ll also have a Thai health pass
• and a certificate written in English/French/Thai issued by the French authorities

Administratively, it must be a colossal job to have all these papers for those vaccinated. Respect!

How does it work?

To sign up, it’s very simple. Just follow the Facebook page of the French Embassy in Thailand. All vaccination announcements are made via Facebook and the official website. There are several vaccination sites (9 in Thailand):

1. Bangkok
2. Chiang Mai
3. Chiang Rai
4. Hua Hin
5. Pattaya
6. Phuket
7. Khon Kaen
8. Koh Samui
9. Udon Thani

Personally, we deliberately came to Koh Samui from Koh Phangan and stayed several days in Koh Samui just to get vaccinated.

• In general, they announce a few days in advance the date of opening for registrations.
• When registrations open (in our case, it was July 19 at 8 a.m., I woke up early), you just fill out a small form and book an appointment.
• you’ll receive the confirmation by email & a form to print out and fill in. If you don’t have a printer, you can fill in the form on site.

The vaccine currently offered is Janssen. This vaccine, usually reserved for over-55s in France, is allowed for under-55s abroad when there are no other alternatives.

I checked with my two doctors and they confirm that in my case (36 years old, no medical history), I don’t need to be picky about my vaccine. Sure, it’s best to avoid vaccines not recognized in Europe like Sinovac, but apart from that, GO GO GO.

I’m thrilled because the Janssen vaccine is just one dose, so we only have to do the round trip to Koh Samui once. That limits travel and risks. It’s a traditional vaccine, meaning the body has to fight a small piece of the virus, which is why I’ve planned some rest time right after the shot – to give my antibodies the best working conditions.

Soon, the French Embassy will be offering Pfizer and Moderna to French people over 12 – but there are many administrative and logistical hurdles, so be patient!

Why get vaccinated?

The more people get vaccinated, the less the virus circulates and the fewer variants there will be. For healthy people like us, getting vaccinated is mainly about avoiding infecting others: someone’s grandfather, someone’s sister… and of course our own family.

The Big Day

We’re 10 minutes away by scooter, so we arrive a bit earlier than planned. The appointment is at 8am, we get there at 7:55am. The vaccination room is ready from 8:15am. Hospital staff are aware of the embassy’s vaccination campaign and show us where to go. There are signs everywhere pointing the way.

They let in 10 people at a time. Medical masks are mandatory. If you don’t have one, they provide them on site. Personally, we came with our KN95s, just in case.

Several zones/steps:

1. We hand in the pre-filled form + French passport. Nurses check that we’re on the list.
2. They take our temperature and blood pressure. People with high blood pressure (stress or whatever) have to calm down and wait in a corner, then get re-checked.
3. We get vaccinated in the arm of our choice.
4. We stay in the room for 30 minutes. Right after the shot, a nurse re-checks blood pressure and gives us instructions and info about side effects. After 30 minutes, if all is well, we receive the Thai vaccination certificate + the certificate in TH/EN/FR.

Today there’s a nationwide IT issue, so we don’t get the certificates right away and have to come back in the afternoon.

Update: When we came back at 2pm, we received both documents: Thai vaccination certificate (key to our future travels in Thailand) + a hospital confirmation in English/French/Thai (key to our future international travel).

At every step, we’re accompanied and advised by staff from the French consulate in Koh Samui (even the honorary consul himself). The organization is efficient, professional, and reassuring..

Honestly, We are extremely touched and grateful that the vaccines come to us on our little island at the end of the world, in this pandemic context. Even American, Russian, or British expats follow our vaccination campaign with envy – because they’re being vaccinated, drip by drip, through the Thai system. And mainly with Chinese vaccines not necessarily recognized everywhere in the world.

A huge thank you to the French Embassy in Thailand and the French Consulate in Koh Samui for this vaccination campaign!

Update: While JB has barely any fatigue on day one, I have a slight fever (like a cold) and need to take a Doliprane. But after a good night’s sleep, we’re in great shape. So we did well to stay in Koh Samui a few days after the shot, because with my slight fever, the Thais might have thought I had Covid – and they might not have let me into Koh Phangan.

Update 2: Overnight, Koh Samui has two Covid clusters and our compatriots are snapping up the last available doses. But there are no slots left. Too bad! Honestly, for the next vaccination campaign, don’t hesitate! Doses are scarce, and when you really need one, it’s often too late.

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For fun

And just for laughs, I’ve compiled reactions from our dear compatriots following the announcement of French Embassy vaccination campaigns around the world, so you can see how ungrateful our compatriots are – people who moved to the other side of the world because “everything’s going down the drain in France”. But when there’s a pandemic, everyone leans on the embassy, or it’s no fun.

Ohhhh what a great idea! I should have complained too! Ohlala, who is someone going to pay for my round trip Koh Phangan – Koh Samui – Koh Phangan (15€) and my 5-star hotel nights to get vaccinated, huh? huh? 😀 It’s unacceptable that there’s no vaccination center in Koh Phangan when there’s a Bangkok Hospital right there. Ohlala ohlala

It’s not a vaccine, it hasn’t been approved by the FDA 20,000 km away from me, but people more concerned with the FDA than me (the Yanks) were still vaccinated with the same EUA, huh.

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