superal

Why the Ha Ha Dr Jack? daveAustin response is one to be considered because it mitigates the risk of a huge hospital bill .Also I have 2 pals who will opt for the same . The bonus being that it is a travel insurance which covers other eventualities . However if you are on a tight budget , I can understand opting for the local Thai insurance . £250 could be well be worth outlay and gives you peace of mind . I will contact the SAGA ins; tomorrow to make certain that the asymptomatic covid hospitalisation is covered and get it in writing/email

The insurance company was SAGA UK and the quote was for 1 months travel insurance that included covid , asymptomatic covid testing in Bangkok resulting in hospitalisation , plus pre-existing conditions that were declared by me . The premium was £157 . I did phone them for clarity on the positive testing in Thailand and after a 10 minute conversation with the rep , he convinced me that the policy would cover for asymptomatic cases . I am not 100% convinced and I will contact again and request confirmation in an email cos you know the reputation of some insurance companies . If you are interested I suggest you ask them for a quote and follow up with the same enquiry . Of course the cheaper AXA insurance which came in at about 1750 baht is tempting but when I left Thailand recently , I was talking to an English guy in Suvarnibhumi airport who told me his pal visited him from the UK and tested positive on arrival in Bangkok , was hospitalised for 2 weeks at a cost of nearly £5000 . If I was a tourist I would not be taking a chance on visiting Thailand at the moment because of the testing doubts but I am a long term dweller in Thailand with family .

Are you UK based ?

A real concern . Maybe say nothing and wait for the test results and if positive show your recovery cert ? Also take rapid flow tests prior to your departure and if negative take pics . The Thai insurance does not cover asymptomatic cases , I believe , however I was quoted insurance that does include the cover for a premium of £260 for 30 days but is also a travel insurance that has many areas of cover . So either say 2k baht for a compliant Thai ins; or 10,000 baht ish for a western / UK ins; but you would avoid big hospital bills . The dilemma or mystery is , how long after recovering from covid is the virus detectable from a pcr test and will the Thai meds accept a recovery letter if you test positive ?

All in all it seems to be open to interpretation and the tourist indeed needs to be aware . Most tourists and returnees opt for the cheaper insurance which I believe does not cover asymptomatic cases . However , as I will be returning to Thailand soon I will select a policy that does cover hospitalisation in the first 14 days after arrival but it is more expensive initially but could save big time if you are deemed positive and can produce a doctors report .

To be honest , because of the Thai laws on testing positive and going to a hospitel the majority of Thai folks are either not testing or avoiding positive reporting which in itself is adding to the infection rate as they cannot afford to be laid up for any length of time without social security . The mode seems to be similar to the Chinese way . I read that you recovered recently saying it was like the worse flu ( if I recall correctly ) . It would appear that it is the survival of the fittest as it is those with weak immune systems who seem to pass . I have also spoken to others who said that it was like a heavy cold that lasted about 10 days . So it hits people in different ways with the younger suffering the least . Just today the UK has reported soaring infections but all restrictions are off and it could be that herd immunity is the plan . BTW you mention the Thai government keeping the public in the dark , well I agree because every day I keep my lady up to date with the Ukraine war as there is little coverage on Thai TV , or so she tells me (includes talking about the truth and the BS Putin is broadcasting to his nation )

Sorry guys but I do not get this cos if you test positive , it means that the virus has been detected in your body . If you still have the virus you can still infect others . It has to be black or white . Why would you declare a previous covid infection before a Thai pcr test has been taken and has consideration been given to the airline covid rules/testing ? Knowing the Thai stance on asymptomatic cases , where hospitalisation is often made and big bills to follow , I would be seeking clarity from your insurance company in writing especially when a farang is the subject . I do accept the info provided by Polar Bear but knowing some Thai interpretations on laws in Thailand , hmm . Would be good if other members who have been through the same thing could give their experience . Because of the rapid spreading globally of covid , I think this topic will have many viewings in the months to come .

Flatulence is a common problem on long haul flights , I have been told

These anti viral medicines are available to severely affected and hospitalised Thai nationals and for free but not to farangs who must pay or not get .

Agree and the Thai government must be aware of the plight of millions of Thai folks who were either directly or indirectly reliant on tourism . It appears that there has been little if any consideration or support for these poor people . I'm alright Jack comes to mind along with massive neglect to the needy .

How did things work out with the Thai covid test ? Also did you use the lateral flow test at any time in the UK , plus what was the duration of the infection / feeling unwell .

Also the cost of varifocal lenses is a lot more and for some people they do not work out as they are not easy to adapt to , plus short distance eyesight/vision can worsen over time . Better off with your selection .

Yes , I agree with your view and some people must be making good money from the tests , hotels and insurance , thus the reluctance to scrap the Thai Pass sooner . The facts are , covid is probably here to stay globally , will spike at various times in different countries . We have to learn to live with the virus and return to normality ASAP . So July 1st is the plan to open up without restrictions . What will happen to the plan if there is a major hike in infection rates ? The current virus , although infectious , is not as potent as delta and is not causing massive hospitalisation in many countries . There are and will be fatalities , much the same as influenza causes. What is needed is for personal immunity to be built up by way of eating the right foods and a reasonable degree of fitness . As far as the 1st July opening , that needs to be reconsidered quickly . Knowing that the Thailand government make so many changes to incoming tourist rules , I would not be confident in making an advanced holiday booking . I say scrap the Thai Pass NOW , not in 3 months . Also rip off Thailand needs to change its ways of robbing tourists along with racial discrimination that is condoned by the Thai government .

I believe the 4th booster is for over 75s and those aged over 12 with immunosuppressed must be 6 months after the previous booster but it doe start this spring

Did you mean to write , they do not trust the results of overseas testing ? So from a Thai perspective , cancellation of departure testing will save the tourist around £60 ish which is decent cost saving and makes Thailand more attractive especially to families . Why the cancellation ? is it that there are so many fake test certs around that only on arrival test will be authentic when conducted by Thai clinicians ? Or is it an opportunity to extract a large sum of money for , hospitalisation and treatment , from a gullible unsuspecting tourist ? I met a guy at swampy this week whose UK friend came to Thailand for a 2 week holiday 1 month ago . He tested covid positive apparently and was in hospital for the 2 weeks and paid the bill of 200,000 baht . The latest covid treatment was announced 2 weeks ago and includes the treatment with the latest antiviral medicines and is free for Thais but not for farangs . Says it all really , financial gain is the spur behind the latest pcr departure cancellations . It needs to be exposed , western governments to warn their nationals of the potential danger/scam and then get their Thailand based ambassadors involved . Wake up Thailand , pre-flight pcr test and vaccination certs should suffice . The insurance and hotel stay should be scrapped but that could mean a loss to the hi-so elite .

I often wonder if the Thai authorities and TAT read this Aseannow media . I have a feeling they do but resist taking some first hand opinions / guidance from those who post on here with info on what the farang tourist would like to happen . Entry restrictions need to be reviewed and simplified . There is no stopping covid spreading but we can help protecting ourselves with vaccines and basic hygiene habits . Thailand needs to remember that it is a long haul flight for Europeans as opposed to a short hop to say Spain and if the traffic light scheme came back where countries change from green to red overnight , Thailand is almost impossible to leave at a moments notice and also expensive air flights . The strange thing is that Thailand insists on testing farangs OTT yet barely tests is own population .Indeed Thailand needs to find an inducement to attract tourists instead of repelling and fleecing them . Thai tourism is on a downward slippery slope with no hope of recovery with the current entry regulations . The Thai baht bubble has to burst soon .

May I remind you that the topic concerns omega 3 oil within salmon and not your digression .

Indeed , there are various qualities of salmon , some of which may be a danger to your health as highlighted in the YouTube documentary that you mentioned . Wild caught pacific salmon are said to be the healthiest but they will not be cheap . Google is your friend in finding the best omega yielding salmon that comes free of most toxins . Thanks for pointing out that there were recent threads on this subject , cos I thought at first my thread had been revived .

Given the choice I would fly with an airline that stipulates all passengers have a pre-flight pcr test and are fully vaccinated. Then , at least you have some comfort knowing that all passengers on board have been tested / jabbed and further more I would think that responsible airlines would be looking to protect their flight crew by insisting that all passengers have been tested / jabbed . There can be alternative flights for untested / not jabbed passengers . Given the options , I would choose to fly with people who have spent money on pcr tests as they are more responsible folk .

A BBC report showed that the majority of Russians supported the actions of Putin because the population are being fed propaganda . Most Russians rely on the Russian state TV for information which is full of lies and B/S . Any opposition or dissidence towards the Russian motives against the Ukraine carry a jail sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment . Even the Russian army were lied to pre-invasion . They were told it was a military exercise . This has resulted in many Russian soldiers surrendering because they do not want to murder their neighbours and maybe relatives . Putin is trying to recruit foot soldiers from other countries as his army wains . Yesterday there was a huge rally at a Moscow stadium with an attendance of more than 200,000 inside and outside . Hundreds of flags were given to the crowd to wave as Putin addressed the crowd with more lies . It reminded me of the masses who respond over enthusiastically to North Koreans leader Kim Jong-un . So the Russian people are being fed lies and to those who know the truth , there is real danger if they step out of line or try to tell the truth .

Do you advocate sending in the NATO troops to aid Ukraine ? I do

Yes , you may be right but at the time it appeared to be the right thing to do . Remember when the UK was criticised for acting slowly and not closing its borders and airports ? NZ acted positively . Also Delta was a more potent strain and all this when the world was terrified of the pandemic . Some might say that hindsight is a wonderful thing . Lets just hope we can put this covid event behind us .

Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine you will no doubt be aware of the tensions over the previous 8 years between Russia and the Ukraine . It was because of this that the nearby NATO countries built up armed defences which included the American military that have recently been increased along with the inclusion of the UK military . From my point of view and conjecture there will be a lot of activity going on behind the scenes in preparation for a NATO involvement . Indeed NATO were slow out of the blocks and should have intervened a long time ago . The Ukraine president Selenskyy has begged for help but got only weapons but no aircraft or boots on the ground . He has warned NATO that Putin will not stop in the Ukraine ( he may know from intelligence ) . Some say it is better to throw the first punch .

You should be proud of NZ because of the way Ardern protected the country when the pandemic started . She took the sternest measures that were successful for a time . You must try to keep up with your countries latest news , I copied and pasted below . Australians will be allowed to enter the country without needing to quarantine or isolate from 13 April. Fully vaccinated travellers from about 60 countries on a visa-waiver list will be able to arrive from 2 May. Those nations include the UK and US.

The west getting involved is a whisker away . I watched an interview with Biden and he was asked " do you think Russia will use chemical weapons ? " he replied that it may happen and that would trigger the start of WW3 . Russia is already muttering that the west are guilty of acts against them because of association and supply of weapons to Ukraine . At the same time Biden has warned China not to aid Russia in any shape or form . In recent cease fire talks Russia has demanded that the Ukraine hand over part of their country to Russia , surrender and not attempt to join NATO . None of those demands will be met . The Russian army , although many , are not as schooled as western forces and appear to be suffering from poorly thought out logistics . Biden has been criticised by his countrymen as being too soft and a wimp but he is about to show the opposite . Nearby NATO countries are building up their defences and weaponry . The situation is in a sensitive place with Putin facing defeat with normal warfare but would he press the button ?