AgentSmith

It's a little late for that discussion don't you think? All the current situation does is drive Ukrain further to the west. The battle isn't over. I don't see how Putin is gonna get out of this any bit stronger. He's sending Russia into bankruptcy if he keeps this up. He's also alienating his closest allies. China had no idea about his plans and they've already stated several times that they recognize Ukraine's sovereignty. Putin is an anachronism in this 21st century world with a mindset of a long passed era. He will quickly learn he has no partners in this, Russian or abroad. This is very clearly Putin's war not Russia's. The man is clearly out of wack and the only way out of this is if someone or something removes him from the world stage. One way or the other...

You claimed omicron was never identified in Thailand. That is simply untrue. 50% percent of new cases were omicron early January. This is over a month ago. It is very likely this percentage is close to 100 now seeing how fast it spread in other countries. I haven't been following publications these past few weeks because of other things and because I'm slowly just getting really tired and bored about this whole pandemic. Therefor I can't give any realtime numbers but it's safe to say omicron has now penetrated all corners of the world. Then again who knows what other variant has already begun to take over. This beast mutates too fast to keep up.

I wonder how long this hospitel madness keeps going. I've been advising friends and family to not come to Thailand for some time now. My otherwise very good European insurance covers me for unlimited medical costs worldwide but of course they don't see asymptomatic hospitalization as medical costs and thus I'm at risk here of getting a rather large bill and there's not much I can do about it. I won't ever get tested somewhere, that's for sure, unless I feel really sick and need medical aid. Since I won't be applying for some foggy Thai policy I guess I'm out of options here. I hope they change their policy but I worry that before the next pandemic hits they won't change a thing here. I really do wonder where the current Thai policy comes from though. What makes people here believe it contributes to a healthier population when very few other countries do the same? What are you talking about? Omicron reached 50% of all new covid cases in Thailand early January. What makes you think Thailand is impervious to the currently most contagious variant?

Barely any smell? I hate all those sweet shisha-like odors I'm often surrounded with in restaurants these days. I never smoked but I prefer a regular cigarette smoker nearby over a vaper anytime.

I'm surprised this is still such a hot topic. Omicron has changed this pandemic by a large degree. The virus became much more contagious. Vaccination has a smaller effect now on the transmission of the virus. At the same time omicron is far less of a threat to our physical health and it's becoming quite clear now it's mostly the elderly and the sick who still benefit from vaccination. I am vaccinated and probably also will get my booster shot when it's my turn in April here in LOS. However depending on how the virus keeps mutating that could very well be my last shot. I think we should all stop demonizing the unvaccinated. Popular debate has been behind actual developments since the start of the pandemic for the simple reason that research and development goes really fast these days. It's just really hard to keep up from the sidelines. Now we're approaching an endemic rather than a pandemic situation. I think it's best if we all shifted our attention to more prominent issues.

Dutch traffic police have been doing combined alcohol and drug tests from since I can remember. It's fairly easy to incorporate into the system. I suspect though that drunk driving is a much bigger issue in Thailand than stoned driving.

Lithium batteries are all recycled, or they get a second life as part of power storage for homes or businesses. When charged and maintained properly they have an expected life span of up to 30 years. Yes they are toxic but so are lead acid batteries and those also definitely don't end up as waste for the same reason being their parts are simply too valuable to just throw away. Hybrid cars are not a scam. In fact I would love to be able to buy a small plugin hybrid in Thailand for shorter distances. It would mean I could drive 95% of all trips entirely on electricity. Because hybrid EVs have a relatively small battery they're much cheaper than pure EVs which most western people still can't afford let alone Thai. The fact they can also run in fossil fuel is a huge advantage in a country that's facing major challenges in upgrading its power grid. EVs over their lifespan produce a fraction of the CO2 of a similar vehicle with a combustion engine. The idea that EVs pollute just as much has been debunked so many times now. Science is pretty clear that EVs are the way forward. Best if you just keep up with developments.

So very true. It's often just misconception, gossip and hearsay. Same with visas. I stopped counting the times that I've read that people stuck in Thailand supposedly are in trouble now while in reality it's been rather easy to stay for as long as you can afford it. This is thailand. Things are always possible as long as you're willing to look around. I don't get why people want to scare others. I bet they're usually here on a cozy yearly retirement visa not knowing about the whole plethora of alternatives. 99% of times people get in trouble here is because they won't look and thus won't find the solution. In my experience there's always a solution. I'm here, years before I turn 50, not having left the country for almost 2 years with another year starting soon. It's probably the same type you get to see at immigration. You know the ones who always bring the Thai wife and despite all these years still don't have a plucking clue about necessary paperwork. Always holding up the line, often making a fuss. Every visit takes me 5 minutes max without the waiting. It's all too easy really.

The causes to this high death toll are quite clear. People don't get proper education about how to behave in different traffic situations. When you actually go for a driver license all they give you is a 2 hour display of how horribly wrong things can go but they fail to tell people how to do it right. Nobody at the transport department knows probably. Next to the utter lack of education is the horrible road design. Long, wide and straight roads that basically look like landing strips even in the smallest of towns are the norm. This invites speeding. Third is a matter of mentality. This week some guy on a bike with sidecar approached a small intersection which allows for absolutely no line of sight on all directions until you're right at the stop line. Sane people at least slow down to be sure the road is clear but this guy kept driving at max speed and never bothered to look in any direction except straight ahead. Seconds after he crossed the intersection a large truck came from his left. I see locals like him all the time escaping death on a daily basis. You could say it's all education but I've also lived in Indonesia where education is arguably even worse but there people drive much slower and this kind of reckless behavior is nearly absent. People are constantly warning each other about their presence and where speeding seems to be the rule in Thailand over there they drive rather slow. Consequently the death toll in Indonesia is much lower. Too many Thai become absolute maniacs when they drive a motorized vehicle and I don't see this change anytime soon.

There we go again. Yet another tourist who thought proper insurance was too expensive and now burdens others with the consequences of his mistake.

It's pure madness of all countries not only Thailand to block travelers from southern Africa. All South Africa did was to be the first to report about this new strain of the virus. The strain has been found in numerous countries already also outside Africa. It's too late. This mutant is now everywhere already. Any kind of extra measures are useless. It's in Europe. Europeqns are basically free to enter the country and with the way things are organized now there will always be isolated cases bringing in the virus which now includes omicron. And if tourists won't bring it in then illegal immigrants will at some point. This already happened with the delta variant and it will happen with all future variants. A virus doesn't care about borders but I'm afraid politicians are too caught up in their usual business for them to really understand this.

They can but it's a very small chance. So far less than 1 out of every 1000 arrivals at BKK is testing positive. That's low enough to make it an acceptable risk. It's not as if the receiving end needs to keep a pandemic out. It's everywhere already.

Agree. I don't call those people politicians though. The current Thai PM also doesn't deserve that title. Changing uniforms doesn't mean anything. I'll keep referring to him as the general until the day he is elected.

It's purely the lack of a democratic process that's holding it back. Very few Thai are against it, most non-army politicians endorse it. Without a coup it probably would've been approved years ago. If there's one country ready for it it's Thailand. But it will be one of the few countries in the region. You can forget about mainly all southern neighbors to follow. There's so many things wrong in this country but at least it's not dominated by some backward religion telling people what to think.

It's not at all scientific consensus yet we all need to keep taking yearly boosters. Quite a few virologists expect this to be only the case for elderly as they lose their antibodies so fast. There are signs that younger people might maintain a sufficient level of antibodies in their blood for at least 2 years. Add to that the uncertainty of how this virus will progress. For instance there is now also a new strain that is even more contagious than delta but a lot less deadly. In fact that's what happened with many viruses in the past. They usually turn into a much less deadly variant simply because that's in direct advantage to the virus itself. The less people get sick and bed ridden the more it will be carried over. This might very well be the last harsh covid winter. By the time summer arrives in the northern hemisphere most people will have antibodies either from vaccination or covid recovery. As I see it now I bet my money this thing will start to slowly transform into a much less critical virus and become a part of the usual arsenal of viruses that cause the common cold. The few people that might still get sick can then probably take some form of medication to ease the symptoms. Old people will get both a yearly flu shot and a covid shot. I wouldn't be surprised if the world is in the last covid storm.

All it takes is open the border for vaccinated and pre-tested travelers without post travel conditions and requirements. As soon as arrival circumstances return to normal the tourists will come pouring in. Unless the rain really doesn't stop this year because it's back in full force now in Hua Hin. ⛈️

I think you neglect the effects of having a much more contagious variant. That is what the delta variant turned out to be. It's true that the vaccines are still effective but pre-delta Thailand had almost no cases with a vaccination degree of 0. Delta is so bad that almost everyone has to be fully vaccinated for it to be fully stopped. For Thailand that basically means the required percentage went from 0 to near 100 almost overnight. In the end the progress of a pandemic comes down to how easy a virus spreads regardless of the percentage of vaccination. A new dominant strain can be a game changer here. That said, closing borders doesn't really help when you have thousands of kilometers of land borders that are difficult to control.

Foreigners will bring in other strains whether the border is open or closed. We've all seen that in February as the delta virus entered the kingdom and caused a surge. The border was shut tight back then. Closed borders only provide a false sense of security. It's also typical they think only foreigners can bring in other strains. As if Thais abroad are somehow immune.

Even more when you consider I already got my 2 Pfizer shots for free in Bangkok Hospital around the corner. ????

https://aseannow.com/topic/1238858-tourist-faces-huge-bill-separation-from-family-after-testing-positive-on-arrival-in-thailand/ Like I said...

There is a pretty well defined distinction between a sars-cov-2 infection and covid-19. 50% of infected people get no symptoms whatsoever thus they are not ill. Vast majority of the rest gets mild cold-like symptoms. They have covid-19 but not severe enough to occupy a hospital bed. They simply stay at home. Only when you start needing medical care is when they take you in. This is how it goes in every developed country and is also how most insurance policies cover their clients. Infected but no or only mild covid-19 means no hospital.

That's the thing. I wonder how many tourists' insurance policies actually cover hospitalization when they don't need medical treatment. Mine certainly doesn't and I have a very good insurance with high coverage on just about anything. No exclusions. No non-Thai insurer is gonna cough up the costs for a hospital when you can just go into isolation until the infection is gone. I really hope Thailand will review their policy. It's also the very reason why I will never have myself tested here. I am fully vaccinated but in no way covered for aforementioned high costs. I've been in the country since before the crisis started. I told friends and family about this situation and it's keeping them far away from this country for the time being. No one wants to risk being hospitalized for no reason.

The dogma in the world so far is to vaccinate the oldest people first and then work your way down the age groups. That works but is not necessarily the best approach. I'm not saying it's not the best option but there's a good chanche a better approach exists. Some scientists believe it's better to start with people over 70 and then young people next because they are the best carriers of the disease who spread it the most. So the adage of the current age ladder might actually change one day.

I'd say you're good for at least 6 months after the second jab. Considering the 8-12 week interval between 2 AZ jabs probably 9 months. That is of course purely an estimation but 2 times AZ provides very high protection against serious illness. A long interval between 2 jabs also provides more durable protection. I'd wait as long as possible before getting a booster (first or second quarter next year depending on when you got the 2nd jab).

I don't see why not. The only difference is that with AZ your cells receive the gene that codes for the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein having the cell transcribe it to mRNA and then translate that into the spike protein. Whereas an mRNA vaccine skips the gene part and has cells go straight to the translation into the spike protein. In both cases though the end-result is the same. The spike protein has the same sequence and because it's being produced in the same cells probably also the same 3D structure after folding. Thus both these vaccines cause the same immune response. The only difference is that mRNA vaccines do their job more efficiently.