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TallGuyJohninBKK

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Everything posted by TallGuyJohninBKK

  1. Here's an idea for those reading here... When I was getting serious about my then future Thai wife, I made sure we sat down together to discuss our future. I made a proposal to her, and she accepted it, and we've almost never had an argument or dispute about money things in the 10+ years we've been together now. I told her, I'd financially support her and our married life together fully, and whatever money she made from her job was hers to keep and she could spend her earnings on her family/parents as she wished. And in exchange for that, she (the wife) would never ask or expect me to provide any money for her parents, relatives, acquaintances, etc. It's an agreement and solution that's worked out well for both of us thru the years. And it's been a good incentive for my wife to do what she's done, and that's been to advance to a pretty successful, well-paying business career of her own (with some consulting help from me along the way).
  2. They're people whom, by definition, their attending MD determined that COVID was either the primary cause of their death or a contributing cause of their death, and stated so on their death certificate. I'm sure they're generally older as a group.... but I don't know that the CDC has provided any more detailed breakdown of their particulars for the most recent deaths...since the US emergency declaration ended. Bottom line is they died because of COVID, either predominantly as the cause, or at least partially as the cause.
  3. The following looks like the best, most up-to-date COVID stats I could find for England -- 157 COVID deaths for the most recent week in what has been a recently declining trend: https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ So the above chart basically is showing 800 COVID-cited deaths in England over the past four weeks, with the recent weekly numbers declining each week, but still above the lows of mid-2023. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths In general, like in a lot of other places including the U.S. and Thailand, other COVID indicators for England have generally been getting better/improving since the recent peaks of around January, likely part of the emerging seasonal peaks and declines of COVID. At the beginning/first week of 2024, the UK health agency reported about 5 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 population in England. By the recent data for Week 11 thru March 17, that weekly per capita rate was down to 1.85 per 100,000 population. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-published https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fc087265ca2f00117da72f/Weekly-flu-and-COVID-19-surveillance-report_wk12.pdf That translates into almost 1,700 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID in England as of March 17, per the second chart below. The comparable number was more than 4,200 at the start of 2024: https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#healthcare The question of course in England and elsewhere on this is what comes next -- do the current downward trends persist, or are they just a lull before the next COVID peak.
  4. The federal government's statistics say about 43,000 people died in the U.S. in motor vehicle deaths for the most recent full year -- less than the above cited approx. 6 months worth of COVID deaths totaling nearly 47,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year As for heart disease, it is one of only several causes of death that still exceeded COVID in the U.S. in recent years, up through 2022 (the most recent year for which official U.S. national rankings are available): Top 10 Causes of Death in America These are the conditions and catalysts that killed the most Americans in 2022. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/slideshows/top-10-causes-of-death-in-america?slide=11
  5. https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1772081376600240639 Info from the U.S. CDC showing the 1,000+ weekly COVID deaths current streak began the week of August 26 and has continued through March 2: Source link: As for the two gray-colored columns at the far end of the chart, those are as yet incomplete, only partial counts, and thus colored differently: "Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when a death occurs and when a death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS, and processed for reporting. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction. The most recent 3 weeks of mortality counts are shaded grey and mortality rates shown as dotted lines because NVSS reporting is <95% during this period." The deaths counted above are those where the death certificates listed COVID as either the primary or contributing cause of death. Let's hope this streak will come to an end soon ... and not be repeated.
  6. At least in the U.K. (apparently unlike Thailand), the government there is continuing to provide the newest COVID XBB vaccines for free to those deemed most at risk, in addition to now a new pay-for-service option for the Pfizer vaccine for everyone else. Part of a growing trend involving the direct private (non-government) sale of COVID vaccines, as is now occurring in Thailand per the OP in this thread: Boots to offer Covid vaccines in England for nearly £100 a jab Pharmacy to offer Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those not eligible for NHS booster shot from next week Boots is to offer Covid vaccinations for almost £100 a shot, making it the latest provider to sell the jabs to those not eligible for a booster through the NHS. ... The announcement by Boots comes as vaccination services gear up for the spring booster campaign, in which people aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and people aged six months and over with a weakened immune system will be offered another Covid jab free on the NHS. However, with eligibility for this and previous campaigns limited, most healthy people have not had a booster jab since late 2021, and experts warn their protection will have waned over time. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/26/boots-to-offer-covid-vaccines-in-england-for-nearly-100-pounds-a-jab And more background on the same: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/pharmacies-in-england-and-scotland-to-offer-private-covid-jabs-for-45 Worth noting - three of the four Thailand venues cited in the OP here offering the newer COVID Pfizer XBB vaccine are doing so at lower prices than the Boots England offering above.
  7. fyi.... I don't think the older bivalent Pfizer vaccines for adults are available anymore from the BMA health clinics. But these below now are available.
  8. Not from the history of the past 20th Century or the current century thus far, as shown below: "A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic diseases with a stable number of infected individuals such as recurrences of seasonal influenza are generally excluded..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics_and_pandemics Plus another one, with a lower estimated number of deaths: 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic In 2009, the H1N1 flu virus, known as "swine flu," spread quickly worldwide. Researchers had not previously identified the novel H1N1 flu virus in either animals or humans.6 Between April 12, 2009, and April 10, 2010, swine flu caused 60.8 million cases, 274,304 hospitalizations, and about 12,469 deaths in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 575,400 people died worldwide.7 ... The pandemic officially ended on August 10, 2010. Still, the H1N1 flu virus circulates seasonally.7 https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/worst-pandemics-in-history
  9. It's coming... just a matter of how soon, and how bad... World health leaders warn of pandemic 20 times worse than COVID Without preparedness, the WHO warned, a pandemic from Disease X could cause much more damage than COVID, which has killed more than 7 million worldwide. Jan. 24, 2024 (NewsNation) — At the recent World Economic Forum, the World Health Organization issued a warning to world leaders, saying the world could face a pandemic 20 times worse than COVID-19 in the future. Scientists call it Disease X, a term that recognizes the next global pandemic could come as the result of an unknown pathogen rather than the spread of a currently recognized disease. ... While Disease X was the focus of the session, it’s not the only illness that concerns epidemiologists. Other viruses that could potentially cause a pandemic include Ebola, Marburg, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, SARS, MERS, Nipah virus, Rift Valley Fever, Zika virus and new evolutions of COVID-19. https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/4424600-world-health-leaders-warn-of-pandemic-20-times-worse-than-covid/
  10. User report: Filed my online 90-day report to BKK Immigration on Monday morning about 8 a.m. Got the approval and confirmation back today/Tuesday by about 10 a.m. That's probably the fastest turnaround time I've ever experienced with 90-day online reporting to BKK.
  11. Did Sweden beat the pandemic by refusing to lock down? No, its record is disastrous "One fact that tends to be glossed over by anti-lockdown advocates is that Sweden did eventually tighten its social distancing regulations and advisories, though only after the failure of its initial policies became clear." ... in December 2020, King Carl XVI Gustaf shocked the country by taking a public stand against the government’s approach: “I think we have failed,” he said. “We have a large number who have died and that is terrible.” He was correct. If Sweden had Norway’s death rate, it would have suffered only 4,429 deaths from COVID during the pandemic, instead of more than 18,500." https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-03-31/sweden-covid-policy-was-a-disaster
  12. If anyone becomes aware of any other locations that are offering the new COVID XBB vaccines here locally, please share that information here with others on the forum. Also, if you have any experiences in obtaining the vaccine from any of the above providers. The purpose of this thread is to share practical information on the local availability of the COVID XBB vaccine -- not to debate the merits of COVID vaccinations.
  13. The new Pfizer COVID XBB vaccine is confirmed to be available at the following Bangkok locations: Thai Travel Clinic, Mahidol University Located in the Victory Monument area, the Thai Travel Clinic on the third floor of Mahidol University’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases may be the most transparent of the currently confirmed locations in Bangkok offering the new COVID vaccine, along with being one of the more affordable. The clinic that specializes in vaccinations has an English language website – thaitravelclinic.com -- with comprehensive information about its hours of operation and other details, an online link for making the recommended advance appointment for receiving the vaccine, and clinic staff who can communicate well in English. For foreigners age 12 and above whether tourist or expat, the current total price for the new COVID vaccine is about 2,100 baht for a first-time patient (1,762 baht of that for the vaccine itself), and about 100 baht less for Thais, due to the government university hospital pricing the included doctor consultation at a slightly lower rate. Like the other vaccination locations listed here, expats and foreign tourists are asked to bring their passport as a form of identification, and also encouraged to bring whatever documentation they may have of their prior COVID vaccinations. Upon arrival, patients are asked to complete a detailed questionnaire on their health status and any issues such as allergies, which the doctor then reviews during the consultation prior to the vaccination. Although the clinic allows walk-ins for COVID vaccinations, advance appointments are strongly encouraged, to help ensure the availability of the vaccine. Regular hours are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the latest time for walk-ins being 3 p.m. The clinic also operates extended hours Monday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cutoff time for walk-ins is one hour before closing. But the vaccine and service charges are higher during those extended hours periods. As of this writing, available appointments during the clinic’s regular hours are available about two weeks into the future. Payments are accepted by cash, bank card or funds transfer. The clinic will be closed for the Song Kran holidays from April 12-16. Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute Located near the Samyan MRT station and adjoining Chamchuri Square along Rama IV Road in the Pathum Wan area, the institute is offering the new COVID vaccine for about 1,800 baht total for expats, foreign tourists and Thai citizens ages 18 and older. Service there is on a walk-in basis only. Expats and foreign tourists also are asked to bring their passport and prior COVID vaccination history. Institute staff said their vaccination hours are Monday to Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to noon. in their Rajuthit Building. The institute’s website -- www.saovabha.org/home -- doesn’t appear to offer any English language info about their COVID vaccination program. But their Facebook page did do a Thai language post with details on the new COVID vaccine in the past week. In its announcement, the institute said the new vaccine is especially recommended for those who previously haven’t received any COVID vaccine, people age 60 and above, those with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women and medical personnel, but also will be available upon request to others. The institute, which is offering the COVID vaccine via its ongoing Immunization and Travel Clinic, is affiliated with the nonprofit Thai Red Cross Society. The institute can be contacted by telephone at 02-252-0161. Praram 9 Hospital Located on Rama IX Road in the Huai Khwang area, Praram 9 Hospital is offering the new COVID vaccine daily between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for an all-inclusive package price of 2,700 baht, according to their customer service staff. Vaccinations can be done on a walk-in basis or via scheduled appointment at the hospital’s Vaccination and Travel Medicine Center on the 12th floor of Building B. The new COVID vaccine at Praram 9 is available to expats, foreign tourists and Thai citizens ages 12 and above, and as usual, non-Thais are asked to bring their passports and any prior COVID vaccination history. Payment is accepted by cash or bank card. The hospital’s pharmacy initially said their list price for the new vaccine alone is 3,761 baht, but then upon checking, confirmed the hospital does have the 2,700 baht all-inclusive price as a “promotion.” A hospital staffer said the COVID vaccinations also will be available there even during the upcoming Song Kran holidays period. The hospital’s Call Center can be reached by calling 1270. As of this writing, there doesn’t appear to be any English language info regarding the new COVID vaccine on the hospital’s website at www.praram9.com/en/ or its Facebook page. Bumrungrad International Hospital Located on Sukhumvit Soi 3 in the Nana area, Bumrungrad, the most prominent private hospital in Thailand, confirmed it has begun offering the new COVID vaccine on a private payment basis. Hospital reps said they could not provide an all-inclusive price, but gave varying estimates for the vaccine itself in the 4,600 to 4,900 baht range, not including an added doctor consult fee of typically 1,000 baht or more and other hospital charges. Hospital representatives said the new vaccine, approved for people ages 12 and above, is available there to expats, foreign tourists and Thais. They suggested contacting the hospital’s Contact Center at 02-066-8888, or direct to the hospital’s Medical Clinic department that is handling the vaccine, located on the 15th floor of Building A, phone 02-011-3594. A hospital rep recommended arriving to that department between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, and said the department will remain open for vaccines during the upcoming Song Kran holidays. The hospital rep said the COVID vaccine should be available there on a walk-in basis, but like elsewhere, encouraged patients to schedule an advance appointment if possible.
  14. Some six months after they made their debut in the West, the newest version of COVID vaccines has begun surfacing in Thailand among at least a handful of locations in the Bangkok area, amid almost no publicity on their arrival. Unlike the Thai government’s widely publicized mass and freely provided COVID vaccines campaign of 2021 and 2022, the newly arrived Pfizer monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine thus far appears limited to a group of private hospitals and nonprofit or university clinics. Unlike their no-fee predecessors, the venues offering the new Pfizer vaccines identified here are only available thus far by payment, starting at about 2,000 baht and up. Contacts at Thailand’s Department of Disease Control within the Ministry of Public Health and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Health Department both confirmed the arrival in recent weeks of the Pfizer XBB vaccine. But neither could identify more than a handful of locations offering it, and none were outside the Bangkok region. The four locations thus far confirmed to be offering the Pfizer XBB vaccine are: --Mahidol University’s Thai Travel Clinic, --the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute affiliated with the Thai Red Cross Society, --and at least two private hospitals, Bumrungrad International and Praram 9 Hospital. [see below for further details on these sites] There may be other locations, but public contact officials at the two Thai government agencies couldn’t confirm any others, and two other private hospitals they did identify turned out not to be offering the new vaccine, which seems to suggest the government is not taking the lead in this latest chapter in COVID vaccinations. In fact, staff members at two of the venues offering the new Pfizer vaccine said they’re obtaining the vaccine directly from Pfizer, not from the Thai government. And when the two private hospitals that turned out to not have the new vaccine were asked why they didn’t have it, staff members there said they were waiting for some directive or policy on the new vaccine from the Thai government. The Pfizer XBB vaccine is the third generation of the COVID vaccines, following on the original versions and then the bivalent versions from 2022. The new XBB vaccines were widely approved last fall to fight the then predominant XBB.1.5 variant of the COVID virus, though health officials say the new vaccines also are effective in helping prevent illness and death from the currently predominant JN.1 version of the virus. The United States and the United Kingdom both approved new XBB COVID vaccines last fall, and mounted campaigns leading to many tens of millions of XBB vaccinations. The U.S. recommends the new vaccines for everyone six months and older, while the U.K. is only targeting the elderly and others considered at risk. The new single-dose vaccine is recommended both for those with prior COVID vaccinations and those without. Thailand until recently still had been using the older bivalent version of COVID vaccines, no longer approved in the U.S., but those had been becoming harder to find here locally moving into this year, leaving somewhat of a local vacuum of available COVID vaccines until now. Of note, the Thai government agencies and the venues offering the new vaccine said they only have the Pfizer XBB version for ages 12 and above, not the Moderna version or any others. And at least thus far, none of the four confirmed locations here are offering the two other Pfizer XBB vaccine versions available for children ages 6 months to 11 years. Although COVID in Thailand now is much less severe than in 2021 and 2022, in part due to the past vaccination campaigns, Thailand is still reporting more than 600 new COVID hospitalizations per week as of last week. Reported COVID deaths thus far this year have been running in the single digits per week, although the last major spike last May and June saw those weekly COVID deaths climb into the 60s. COVID deaths and hospitalizations tend to occur with seasonal peaks, with the last major peak in Thailand occurring last May and June when weekly COVID hospitalizations briefly exceeded 3,000, before declining in the fall, and then having a smaller peak into the 700s in late January and early February. The World Health Organization reported a recent peak of global COVID deaths of nearly 10,000 last December among the some 50 countries still regularly reporting those numbers, with most among the elderly and people with various chronic health conditions, and about half of those deaths reported from the U.S.
  15. Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 17 - Mar. 23, 2024: --630 new COVID hospitalizations, up 129 from the prior week --5 new COVID deaths, up 1 from the prior week --222 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, up 5 from the prior week (dark purple) --74 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 6 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (6,238) & deaths (60) since the start of the current year) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main
  16. The impacts of the COVID pandemic on children have been wide and far-reaching, not the least of which includes the following: Orphanhood and Caregiver Loss Among Children Based on New Global Excess COVID-19 Death Estimates Using WHO excess mortality (more conservative than findings from IHME and The Economist), we estimate that 10 500 000 children lost parents or caregivers (Table), and 7 500 000 children experienced COVID-19–associated orphanhood through May 1, 2022. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2795650 AND https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20230130/covid19-a-leading-cause-of-death-among-american-youths
  17. For example: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is a rare but serious COVID-19 complication in children. MIS-C causes different body parts to become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract. "Of 117 MIS-C cases reported [in the U.S.] in 2023, half involved intensive care unit (ICU) care. Of 112 kids with MIS-C who were eligible for immunization with COVID vaccine, 92 (82%) were unvaccinated. And, of 20 vaccinated children, 60% had waned immunity at the time of their MIS-C illness." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cdc-continues-receive-reports-mis-c-kids-following-covid-infections AND Study of 1 million US kids shows vaccines tied to lower risk of long COVID A study of 1,037,936 US children seen in 17 healthcare systems across the country shows that COVID-19 vaccines are moderately protective against long COVID: 35% to 45%, with higher rates in adolescents. The study was published today in Pediatrics. The researchers estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) against long COVID in children aged 5 to 17 years. Though severe COVID-19 cases are less common in children than in adults, persistent symptoms in children do occur. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study-1-million-us-kids-shows-vaccines-tied-lower-risk-long-covid
  18. Seems like the above was a pretty fair rendering of what occurred, as per this non-"Marxist" local newspaper source there. Watch Kyle Rittenhouse storm out of University of Memphis event amid questions USA TODAY NETWORK Kyle Rittenhouse's speaking event at the University of Memphis took a sharp turn when he left the stage as his views on what he considered was racist was questioned. The event was originally met with backlash that soon turned into hundreds protesting outside the UC Theatre at the University of Memphis. One protester held up a sign that said, “Put Rittenhouse behind bars not a podium,” while another’s display said, “Murderers don’t belong here.” (more) https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2024/03/21/videos-show-kyle-rittenhouse-storming-off-during-memphis-event/73050688007/
  19. Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 10 - Mar. 16, 2024: --501 new COVID hospitalizations, up 55 from the prior week --4 new COVID deaths, up 1 from the prior week --217 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, down 10 from the prior week (dark purple) --68 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, down 10 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (5,608) & deaths (55) since the start of the current year) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main
  20. Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2024: --446 new COVID hospitalizations, down 16 from the prior week --3 new COVID deaths, up 1 from the prior week --227 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, down 36 from the prior week (dark purple) --78 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, down 13 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (5,107) & deaths (51) since the start of the current year) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main
  21. Anyone remember this one??? The clock is ticking: Thai court orders emergency plan to improve air quality Updated Jan 19, 2024 BANGKOK - A Thai court on Jan 19 ordered the government to come up with an urgent plan to curb air pollution within 90 days, as the kingdom braces for its annual peak of noxious haze. ... Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Mai ranked among the world’s most polluted cities on some days in 2023, prompting a group of people to bring a legal case to get the government to act. The Chiang Mai administrative court on Jan 19 ordered the National Environmental Commission to present “preventive methods to solve pollution both short and long term” within 90 days. (more) https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-court-orders-emergency-plan-to-improve-air-quality The current government may well come up with a "plan" at some point. But in all likelihood, whatever plan they come up with will be just as useless and ignored as all the prior empty promises that have come before.
  22. Millions and millions of people, especially in the U.S., never got COVID vaccines in the first place. And of those who did, many many thereafter didn't follow-up and stay up-to-date with recommended subsequent boosters. So it's no great surprise if those people still end up contracting COVID at some point. For those who took the two original COVID vaccine doses and then later stayed up-to-date with subsequent vaccine updates, the odds are much reduced that they'll contract COVID at all... And if they do, very very much reduced chance that they'll become seriously ill from it. Pretty much no vaccine protects 100%, and that's especially true for viruses like COVID or the flu that are spread primarily via the respiratory route. Regarding children as cited in the OP here, the vax rate for children is significantly lower than that for adults, meaning an even larger share of the children's population is unprotected by vaccines even now. Vaccines only actually work to the extent they do if people actually take and use them as recommended. PS - Having a prior COVID infection may also provide some immunity protection for a period after the original infection (along with the attendant health risks from the infection). But like protection from vaccines, infection-derived immunity also wanes over time, especially as new and different COVID variants emerge. etc etc etc.
  23. Ya, so the reason I mentioned it was, a helpful tool while the granting party is alive. But apparently not a useful tool when it comes to estate planning provisions.
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