Vaccine tourism is becoming more common

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It started in December 2020 with reports that Indian tour operators went on excursions to London or New York to transport guests to parts of the world where they could get a Covid-19 vaccination. For the equivalent of $ 1,777 per person, travelers would stay isolated for as long as needed and then visit a health center for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination, the cost of which would be included in the package itself. Guests would take a little tour of the city before returning to India. Tour operators also wanted to go to Russia to get the Sputnik vaccine.

Then reports came from a rich man Canadian couple dressing up as hospital workers to get a Covid-19 vaccination After chartered a private jet to Beaver Creek, 100 residents, mostly native members of the White River First Nation. The New York Times reported then about wealthy stockbrokers and executives calling doctors and asking if they could pay $ 20,000 to get to the top of the queue for Covid-19 puffs.

Around the same time, Florida’s governor signed an ordinance prioritizing vaccinations for people over 65 without actually having to live in the state. As a result, many wealthy Americans, including Time Warner boss Richard Parsons, flew to Florida from other states to jump to the top of the line. NBC 6 South Florida reported that the state also received vaccine tourists from Brazil and Argentina.

A Florida-based travel agency is currently operating trips to Israel (for Israeli nationals, the only people currently admitted) for those under 65. Roy Gal, the owner of the Memories Forever Travel Group Fox told 35 News that people in their thirties and forties enter the mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival in Israel and reach vaccination centers at the end of the day. Gal said the tourists ‘wait until the last hour and they have a lot of vaccines that they didn’t give people and they don’t want them to be wasted so they literally go outside and scream, you know,’ Vaccines if someone wants it! ‘And they just go in and get vaccinated. ”Gal customers pay $ 850 for round-trip tickets and then about $ 2,000 a month to get a house for about two months to rent from quarantine to the second shot before taking the flight home.

Early February The Guardian reported on how Knightsbridge Circle, a “travel and lifestyle service” that charges members an annual fee of £ 25,000, promoted Covid-19 vaccination rates in the Emirates for members over 65 years of age. The alleged deal offers members the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine and founder Stuart McNeill told the New York Times that the club has received 2,000 membership applications since the contract was announced.

Cuba and the United Arab Emirates have launched vaccine tourism campaigns

Dubai recently launched an appeal to digital nomads to work in Dubai for a year to “live and work near the sea” with the added bonus of all UAE residents receiving a Covid-19 vaccination.

Les Echos reported that Cuba has also taken the light-hearted path for its advertising campaign, offering “the beach, the Caribbean Sea, mojitos and a vaccine” to people willing to go to Cuba; The country hopes to produce 100 million doses of Soberana 2 in the first half of the year to vaccinate people.

Medical tourism is still widespread

But now The New York Times reported that despite the pandemic, many Americans are still trying to travel overseas for medical tourism to undergo treatment for any illness or disease they cannot afford in the US

The Worldwide Guide to Medical Tourism Patients Beyond Borders reported that Mexico and Costa Rica are top destinations for dental care, cosmetic surgery, and prescription medication, while Thailand, India, and South Korea are taking the lead on more complicated procedures such as orthopedics, cardiovascular, cancer, and fertility treatment .

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