Online posts falsely claim Thai tourists can get free Covid-19 vaccines in neighbouring Laos

From AFP Thailand

Multiple online posts have shared a claim that Thai citizens can get inoculated against Covid-19 with their vaccine of choice when they visit as tourists in neighbouring Laos. This claim is false: as of May 18, 2021 foreign tourists were not permitted to enter Laos; the country only administers the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to those eligible for jabs.

The Thai-language claim was shared in this Facebook post on May 3, 2021.

It reads in part: “Whoever wishes to get a Pfizer jab abroad but has insufficient funds to travel far, you can try to go to Laos.

“They see how Thai nationals don’t want to take Sinovac, but the Thai government refuses to import Pfizer, so they announced that tourists are able to receive free vaccinations in Laos, with a choice of Pfizer, Astra [Zeneca] Sputnik and Sinopharm.”

The misleading post links to a registration page for Covid-19 vaccination run by the Laos Ministry of Health.

https://factcheck.afp.com/online-posts-falsely-claim-thai-tourists-get-free-covid-19-vaccines-neighbouring-laos