Phuket Moderna vaccine rush leaves expats frustrated

Registrations were made online via a web portal set up to receive reservations, and open at 9am.

However, at 10:45 a.m. today, the Bangkok Phuket Hospital issued a notice announcing that stocks were already exhausted.

“Due to strong demand from hospital customers, our current stock is running out and our next reservations will be scheduled once the vaccine becomes available again,” said the advisory.

“Thank you for your continued trust,” he added.

Moderna vaccine to be supplied by Bangkok Phuket Hospital and Bangkok Siriroj Hospital at 1,650 B per dose, Bangkok Phuket Hospital said, announcing it would open to receive online reservations .

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine requires two injections for the recipient to be considered to have received the full vaccination.

The vaccinations are expected to take place from October 2021 to January 2022, the Bangkok Hospital in Phuket explained.

In a separate post on its Facebook page today, Bangkok Hosppital Phuket noted, “Thank you for your interest in our reservation of an alternative vaccine.

“We will check the lists of people eligible for vaccination in order of registration and send the payment link via SMS and email shortly.

“In the event that you have not received an SMS or an email for the payment, please wait for the next reservation which we will keep you informed.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by previous service interruptions. We will keep improving the best services for you.

The volume of expatriates unable to register through the web portal due to what has now been confirmed as service disruptions has seen a wave of online comments harshly criticizing the hospital for its efforts.

An expat wrote: “Bangkok Hospital Phuket since 8:45 am I refreshed the page every minute. How can it be closed now if it is never open so I can register ?! ”

Another said, “It was a waste of waiting in a 4 hour line let alone waiting for phone calls to answer.”

One of them explained at length: “From 9am until 11:53 am, I tried to register with your app every minute. At 09:32, you sent an email: “Unfortunately, we are experiencing a system failure …”

“At 9:51 am you sent another email: ‘We expect the Moderna vaccine registration to be operational again at 10:30 am and…”

“At 11:30 am you sent another email: ‘We regret to inform you that due to high demand our current Moderna stock is exhausted…”

“How is this possible when your registration request did not work at all ????? Remember I tried to record every minute for 2 hours and 53 minutes !!! Please explain – much appreciated!

Comments online speculated on the number of vaccine doses available. One person wrote “1,800 doses she just told me over the phone…” while another wrote, “Received a message for the hospital heart clinic, received 4,000 doses. I don’t see anyone who was able to apply online ”

However, an expat confirmed: “It was difficult to get through. But, my wife managed to do it by continuing to click on the link nonstop for an hour and a half. This is what happens when a lot of people want the same thing. I had the same experience trying to buy concert tickets. I’m sorry if you weren’t one of the lucky ones who made it through.