dinsdale

800k for single 400k if married or 15k to the local agent/immigration officer.????

Might have a few ( thousands) draft dodging Russians a bit worried. Russia needs more cannon fodder.

Ah! It's just politicians. Well they are all bent. Pure and simple. As for corruption involving ALL levels of society it's probably in the billions of of baht.....per day.

They imply that an ATK test was found in his room. Ok no reason to doubt this. Was it his? Who knows but let's say it was. Positive? Yes. Positive with which strain? They are assuming that because he had red eyes it's XBB.1.16 but this to me is not good enough. Conjunctivitis is being shown to be one of the many usual Omicron symptoms but having red eyes does not mean you have conjunctivitis. So it's pure conjecture and although the article doesn't expilictly mention a causal link between testing postive and his death it is stongly implied.

Enter the new variant which will become dominant, stick around for a while and then be replaced and the cycle will continue. Highly unlikey to be caused by Omicron which does not affect the lungs. It's found on mucosal surfaces e.g throat. More likely air quality related. Unless you are at risk why get vaccinated from a virus which on the whole is not severe i.e. mild? Basically saying mask wearing is not necessary apart from specific circumstances. From linked Thai PBS article: "Meanwhile, Dr. Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, said that the dominant Omicron infections in Thailand are still the XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.9.1 sub-variants, but more XBB.1.16 sub-variant cases are being found, which is in line with the worldwide trend, especially in India where the sub-variant is spreading very fast and will soon become the dominant sub-variant in India and the rest of the world. He noted, however, that the XBB.1.16 sub-variant has not, to date, been found to be more serious or more capable in evading vaccines than other sub-variants." Basically business as usual and absolutely no reason to blow this out of any reasonable and rational proportion with fear mongering.

Not sure don't live there but it sure seems that going to the ATM to withdraw some of that retirement money is a danger to your health. Chiang Mai beautiful setting which can now be seen for 6 months of the year. Don't forget to pack one of these.

Myanmar Man Found Dead, Likely Infected With New Omicron Strain This is quite a simply a rubbish and irresponsible headline. So the test shows he was positive but to intimate this is the likely cause of death is pure speculation at it's very worst. All science is pointing to the XBB.1.16 is no more severe than the current dominant strains. From the linked article: 1st is Omicron is not linked with pneumonia. It does not affect the lungs as Delta did. 2nd is XBB.1.16 is no more severe than the current dominant strain which means it's basically for the majority of people a non-fatal virul infection yet these MORONS intimate by conflation that this person is likely to have had XBB.1.16 and as such this is the likely cause of death without any foundation. DISGRACEFUL. "Last week, April 9-15, 435 new patients were admitted to the hospital, an average of 62 a day, with 30 suffering from pneumonia, 19 needing intubation and two deaths with both having been vaccinated over three months ago." ".... it [XBB.1.16] has not been found to be more virulent than other Omicron subvariants nor has it currently been found to be capable of evading vaccine immunity better than the other subvariants,”

Just reading that some states in India are reintroducing masks mandates for the new XBB.1.16. Oh dear. It's just another Omicron variant. Interesting thing is that if mask mandates are being reintroduced it means that there was no mask mandate before. In Thailand there is of course no mask mandate but people continue to wear them. Also, reading in BP that the Health Permanent Secratary is advising boosters and advising people to wear masks in crowded places. This of course is advice and not a mandate. The article continues with the director general of the Dept of Medical Sciences saying in relation to XBB1.16 there is no evidence to show that this strain is more severe than the current variant. No need to panic and no need for TV presenters to start wearing masks again.

Very interesting. I bet you this is because of ARCTURUS Omicron XBB.1.16. strain of Omicron. Been around for a while. Looks to be a bit more contagious but no more severe. Just more uneducated kneejerk fear mongering reaction. From the Washington Post: “It will probably become the dominant variant for a while in the U.S. and Europe and most countries around the world, but I don’t see it driving up severe infections more than we’ve seen in recent waves,” Arcturus has already replaced other variants in India, according to the WHO’s March report. However, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on covid-19, said in late March that “we haven’t seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations,” although the group would “remain vigilant.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/04/14/covid-variant-arcturus-india-explained/

You're right. Back then it was only for pm2.5 and it was in the news but it certainly was only a minority wearing them. It's been pretty much 100% with covid but every now and again I'll ask someone why they are wearing a mask. The answer is always Covid even though they are wearing the disposable surgical masks that a fly could quite easily fly into the gaps. Just haven't been educated to what the reality is with omicron. Any how as I have posted several times it seems more and more are taking them off. They won't drop dead from omicron so their friends will start taking off their masks and they won't drop dead either etc, etc. Eventually the govt will come out and tell people they can take their masks off.

I live just outside of BKK and people were starting to wear masks before covid due to air pollution. Surgical masks mainly which are useless for pm2.5 protection. Even N95 must be fitted 100% correctly but didn't see too many of them probably due to cost. Indeed at my school they were telling students to wear masks. They handed out the useless surgical masks. Absolutely no idea. So that was burning season 2019. I think that was the worst I had seen it but nothing compared to this season. I've hardly seen the sun in months just a brown sky.

And the ones who died today or will die tomorrow or the day after etc. from their injuries are not included. Not even catagorised as a road fatatality.

Your last paragraph is indeed an interesting one as big pharma has a role to play. For them obviously they want to draw this out as long as possible. For anyone who understands the risks associated with Omicron and that the pandemic is over then many will have a balanced attitude. The Thai govt. keeps coming out with nonsense that seems to keep people in fear. Guess they or their friends still have huge stocks of masks to sell. To give them credit it's been a long time since I've seen a push to get vaccinated although there was a story the other day suggesting being vaccinated/boosted, part of the reasoning being to help stop spread. Help stop the spread? This is the sort of nonsense that does not help one little bit. It is a scientific fact that vaccinations do not stop transmission. If I remember correctly this was a doctor maybe professor can't remember. CDC still talking about vaccinating 6 month old babies. This is ludicrous and may well go back to what I previously said about big pharma. So do we have a balanced view? Some do and obviously some don't. Not wearing a mask for me is balanced because the consequences of not wearing one are little to nothing. Jabbing a 6 month old baby against a virus which is mild by nature is not balanced. In my opinion it borders on criminal.

I believe you waste your own time for wearing a mask but that is only my opinion. If you think Omicron can kill you (maybe you have serious comorbidities) then I strongly suggest you keep wearing your respirator mask properly fitted and consistently. For the rest of us the pandemic is well and truly over and has been since Omicron booted Delta of the planet. All people of knowledge in this area say this to be so.

Again with the dying bit. Did they die explicitly from Omicron? Were there comorbidities? Did they die from their comorbities but also had omicron? Without a detailed breakdown it's impossible to tell but on the whole Omicron has shown to be a non-fatal variant of Covid-19. Indeed it is not even a severe variant.

Is this people hospitalised from covid related symptoms which for the vast majority are mild to very mild or non-existent or people hospitalised for something else but have covid? I still think a lot is down to people with air pollution related illnesses presenting at hospitals but just happen to have Omicron.

I'm not sure about the infection numbers but my point is it doesn't matter. If the numbers are low or if millions are infected it doesn't matter. If it is still circulating it doesn't matter how many jabs you've had or how many times you have been infected you can still get infected but it doesn't matter. As you say Omicron is "benign and weak" so people might have a runny nose or a blocked nose or sneeze or all manner of common cold symptoms for a couple of days and think nothing of it but so what. It doesn't matter. Nobody is testing any more that's why I think the numbers could be high. We don't test for the common cold so why test for Omicrom? We don't wear masks for the common cold so why wear masks for Omicron?

Sure it's still around. It's still all over the world but it's Omicron. It's not severe. If everyone in Thailand was tested today the number of positives would be absolutely massive. It doesn't matter. As for the official numbers going up here my guess is that there would be a direct correlation between people being admitted into hospital with lung problems due to air quality but just so happens they have covid. The pandemic is over. Simple as that. It is now endemic and it's Omicron. You're right I'm not a doctor but I advise my family. Yes I'm not a doctor but I can read and see what is happening around the world. Yes I'm not a doctor but if masks mandates are being reversed around the world (of course many countries dropped mask madates a long time ago) why would I say to someone you need to wear a mask. If vaccines are no longer being reccomended why would I tell someone to be vaccinated/boosted. It's simply a matter of keeping up with reality. Reality is it's Omicron and Omicron is not severe. This is an undisputable fact that a doctor will tell you. As for masks if the medical community says they are no longer needed then if I'm a doctor or not what does that matter. Doctors are saying masks are no longer needed. It's just not being said here.

As long as it's an Omicron strain which I will assume it is then it's no problem. More than likely less severe and a bit more infectious. No need for jabs or masks.

As I say it's up to you but it won't be long until masks come off here. As for quoting what suits my agenda I think if hospitals are saying it's ok not to wear masks in hospitals (above link) then that's hard to argue against.

Indeed my mistake. That was @TallGuyJohninBKK. As for wearing a mask that's up to you of course. If you haven't been exposed to Omicron good luck to you. You would be one of a small number globally I would think. Again though it is important to remember that Covid can be asymptomatic so you wouldn't know if you've been exposed. If you have been exposed then you will have a level of natural immunity. As for being a doctor read this to see what the health system in the US is doing in regards to mask mandates. "Several health systems across Vermont, New Mexico, Minnesota, Virginia, Oregon, Utah and Michigan are the latest to announce reversal of masking policies, joining dozens of other hospitals and systems nationwide." https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/infection-control/more-hospitals-health-systems-begin-to-walk-back-mask-mandates.html

The WHO recommeded the continuation of international flights.The WHO was very slow to call this a pandemic. The who recommends children being vaccinated against omicroin. The WHO said vaccinations help stop the spread of covid. This is from the WHO as of March 28. "The low priority group includes healthy children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years. Primary and booster doses are safe and effective in children and adolescents." https://www.who.int/news/item/28-03-2023-sage-updates-covid-19-vaccination-guidance Why? Why vaccinate? Omicron a mild virul infection even more so for the young.

Sorry but the WHO has no credibility when it comes to covid.

Friend of mine only new he had Omicron because a friend of his had it. He tested himself. He had ZERO symptoms. So he was asymptomatic which is part of why this virus is just so good at spreading. By the way he was a mask wearing person.

Well yes you are onto something here and it comes down to people being admitted for Omicron or people being admitted with Omicron. Science and real world evidence shows Omicron to be mild unlike Delta but way more infectious. Being that almost everyone has been exposed to Omicron and reinfection happens it is not beyond the bounds of common sense that more people being admitted to hospitals will show positive. I think it's call incidental. As for people being put on respirators this can only be because of underlying disease or as I have previously stated air pollution. Omicron is not a disease of the lungs.