Bkk Brian

The UK health security agency has just published a weekly update on the BA.2 variant. Confirming what we already know really. That it is more transmissible but no evidence of it being more virulent, not enough data to assess that anyway yet. They say its likely to become the dominant strain next month although unclear on how this will manifest on number of cases as the immunity level is very high in the UK. The ICU position is interesting given the very small number of delta cases still around, a third of ICU admissions are still delta. ICU beds on the 27th Jan were just 549 so a third of them will have been delta and the remaining Omicron. The twitter thread on the more important bullet points is here by one of the @UKHSA Epidemiologist's it contains the links to the relevant reports.

Yes but I was in a discussion about infections with the poster. I have no idea how many are mild or or even no symptoms and how many are serious and lead to death but with Omicron its far less than in previous variants, thats why WHO and other experts always recommend looking at excess deaths: "COVID-19 deaths are a key indicator to track the evolution of the pandemic. However, many countries still lack functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems with the capacity to provide accurate, complete and timely data on births, deaths and causes of death. A recent assessment of health information systems capacity in 133 countries found that the percentage of registered deaths ranged from 98% in the European region to only 10% in the African region. Countries also use different processes to test and report COVID-19 deaths, making comparisons difficult. To overcome these challenges, many countries have turned to excess mortality as a more accurate measure of the true impact of the pandemic." https://www.who.int/data/stories/the-true-death-toll-of-covid-19-estimating-global-excess-mortality

The opinion of the professionals however; IHME estimate 125 million Omicron infections a day worldwide

Apparently in Tonga they've only ever had one case. But I don't know anyone who lives in Tonga ???? But I do personally know of infected people and deaths in the UK and plenty of infected here.

Its not about not trusting the numbers its just pure common sense that not all cases are counted especially in underdeveloped countries.

However you don't really believe those official numbers of worldwide infections do you? Or the official deaths? x3 in the lower bound and far more in upper bounds of estimates, from WHO and other sources. Thats just so far, there is still a very long way to go yet, Omicron is far from done infecting people in the world yet. IHME estimate 125 million Omicron infections a day worldwide

PCR test positive cases, total of 8,618 official new infections. 19 official covid deaths recorded. Rapid tests positive cases, 2,478 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 11,096 https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/ Rolling 7 day average chart from 27th Jan https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

Onsite school, group activities, learning together, eating together, taking part in sports together, playing together......................... Thailand has the front to say they plan on making Covid endemic yet at the slightest increase in numbers from children who are relatively resilient to the virus they go straight for the trigger and either shut schools or limit group activities.

The first evaluation period before declaring Covid-19 as endemic will be in February, Health Minister Anutin said on Friday. (1/3) Currently, children under the age of 12 have not been vaccinated, and only 20% of the population have received three doses so it’s still too early to declare the disease as endemic at the moment. (2/3) The minister added that Thailand hopes to become a "Covid Free Country" with zero Covid deaths from having high vaccine rates and enough medical supplies. (3/3) https://twitter.com/ThaiEnquirer/status/1486980684786765827

Not sure it needed a study to know this.................. Thai study makes strong case for use of mRNA vaccine as booster dose The study found that those given the Sinopharm vaccine had 22 times lower immunity against the Delta and Omicron strains of both imitated and real virus samples than those given the mRNA vaccine. Those who were given the viral vector vaccine as a booster dose also enjoyed higher immunity than those given an inactivated vaccine, Yong added. “In conclusion, using AZ and mRNA vaccines [Pfizer or Moderna] as a booster dose provides better protection against the Delta and Omicron strains and this is a method being practised in Thailand,” Yong said. He will also send the result to other international medical journals for publication. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011634

Interesting, seem to be taking the same approach as the UK is currently with only vaccinating 5 - 11 year olds that are at risk That reuters article is behind a paywall for me but its also here: STOCKHOLM (REUTERS) - Sweden has decided against recommending Covid-19 vaccines for kids aged 5-11, the Health Agency said on Thursday (Jan 27), arguing that the benefits did not outweigh the risks. "With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don't see any clear benefit with vaccinating them," Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference. She added that the decision could be revisited if the research changed or if a new variant changed the pandemic. Kids in high-risk groups can already get the vaccine. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/sweden-decides-against-recommending-covid-19-vaccines-for-kids-aged-5-12

My guess is mid Feb as they are doing those at risk first: #COVID19 vaccination for young children aged 5-11 years will start on 31 January. Children with underlying health conditions will be prioritized in this vaccination drive. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for young children by Thai FDA. https://twitter.com/prdthailand/status/1486881715117342722

PCR test positive cases, total of 8,450 official new infections. 28 official covid deaths recorded. Rapid tests positive cases, 2,439 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 10,889 https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/ Rolling 7 day average chart from 26th Jan https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

CU medical expert warns Omicron yet to peak in Thailand An epidemiologist and medical lecturer at Chulalongkorn University on Thursday has warned Thais to strictly protect themselves as the spread of the Omicron variant in the country has not peaked yet. Thira said Omicron started spreading in Asia after other continents and it was on the uptrend and but yet to hit highs like in other continents. He noted that Thailand’s decision to open the country to foreign tourists could lead to various Covid-19 strains entering the country. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011590

The National Communicable Disease Committee approved the preparation to declare Covid-19 as an endemic disease, deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Thursday. https://twitter.com/ThaiEnquirer/status/1486605227969024001

Yes they would raise awareness but would fall into the "non maintained" and "not working" category soon after.

Yet Saudi has 72% of its population covid vaccinated, perhaps they now want to live a little longer

Taking the covid vaccine dramatically improves your life span expectancy Effects of covid-19 pandemic on life expectancy and premature mortality in 2020: time series analysis in 37 countries https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj-2021-066768

Trigger happy school heads. In my daughters school there have been a few cases lately and I've actually just got an email just now that one further case has been detected in my daughters actual class, there are about 23 students in her class. She along with the other students are currently classed as low risk and no need to isolate although they do have to self monitor for the next 7 days and take an extra ATK test. Students here who are found to be positive no longer need to go to a hospital either, that is no longer a requirement, they can isolate at home instead and do not need to do a PCR test. So currently this school is handling it well and hopefully will continue this way.

Covid Vaccines cut the risk of MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) by >91% (which affects 1 in 3,000 children after a Covid infection) "Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 91 percent effective in preventing MIS-C and 100 percent effective in preventing cases that required life support." Kids will continue to suffer and die from COVID unless we prioritize vaccinations. A trio of scientific papers on the effects of COVID-19 in children emphasizes its risks and the strong benefits of vaccination. Learn how unvaccinated kids are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 Unvaccinated kids bear brunt of COVID-19, studies show Published on Monday, January 24, 2022 The articles come from Overcoming COVID-19, a national study on COVID-19 in children and adolescents. Children’s of Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is one of 70 pediatric hospitals working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct the wide-ranging research. https://www.umc.edu/news/News_Articles/2022/01/Pediatric-COVID-Research.html

Covid Vaccines cut the risk of MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) by >91% (which affects 1 in 3,000 children after a Covid infection) "Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 91 percent effective in preventing MIS-C and 100 percent effective in preventing cases that required life support." Kids will continue to suffer and die from COVID unless we prioritize vaccinations. A trio of scientific papers on the effects of COVID-19 in children emphasizes its risks and the strong benefits of vaccination. Learn how unvaccinated kids are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 Unvaccinated kids bear brunt of COVID-19, studies show Published on Monday, January 24, 2022 The articles come from Overcoming COVID-19, a national study on COVID-19 in children and adolescents. Children’s of Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is one of 70 pediatric hospitals working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct the wide-ranging research. https://www.umc.edu/news/News_Articles/2022/01/Pediatric-COVID-Research.html

Ourworldindata, latest data point for Thailand is the 25th Jan with 12,904 new cases. Deaths also showing an uptick, still baffled as to where they are getting their data from and why it differs so much from the official numbers announced within Thailand. PCR test positive cases, total of 8,078 official new infections. 22 official covid deaths recorded. Rapid tests positive cases, 2,822 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 10,900 https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/ Rolling 7 day average chart from 25th Jan https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

Its good for a child to learn to swim, it teaches them to be safe in the water. However as a parent of a young child you also have a duty to protect them from significant harm. If an accident happens in a swimming pool it is investigated and if fault is found then there can be severe consequences legally taken by social services or child protection police if warranted. If a young toddler is left to cross a busy road by himself with no supervision and ends up dead as a result, the person responsible for the care of that child could well be prosecuted. A more clear cut example being seat belts, as a parent carry a child in a car, if they are not sitting in an appropriate age specific child seat with belt, you will be prosecuted, at least in the UK. No country in the world has forced covid vaccinations for children, only recommended them and for the UK that is only for vulnerable children currently. So I'm not sure what you're arguing about as it is up to the parent. Its also up to the parent to face the consequences of that with travel requirements for the child and other situations that non vaxxed people have to adhere to which may also include children.

Scientific studies and the evidence from them say otherwise unless of course they have a very serious underlying issue.

You are arguing against saving children’s lives by a simple vaccine, pathetic. It’s been explained countless times in this thread already, I’m not going to rehash it all again.