Trip Hop

7 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The local temple was backed up so they burned one body in a field. No different to burning a dead animal. Disgusting.

I take it that you’ve never been to Varanasi or similar in India then? The size of the pile of wood they have to burn the body depends on how much money the family has? For the poorer ones, they burn the middle first before folding the ends in. All dignified though!

2 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

These antigen tests are not very accurate when used at home.  Lateral flow tests, as in the UK, are the way to go.

These antigen tests are LFTs. The current ones being used in the UK are Chinese Innova brand repackaged by the government, are a pile of <deleted> and have recently received a damning report by the FDA in the US. They rely on a swab from the upper nasal cavity and back of throat similar to a PCR. Due to this fact, it is very hard to collect a correct sample without a professional help due to the discomfort and therefore are not really any good for self testing as people simply will not put themselves through the discomfort on a regular, possible daily basis. I know as I’ve had to do enough of them for work and your upper nose cavity stings for a day or two after. 
 

Mologic and Avacta in the UK have both produced highly accurate LFTs which use a swab from the lower nasal cavity and hence are a lot easier and more comfortable to use. For some reason though, the UK government don’t seem to think that the UK public deserve the extra cost though? Avacta did announce that they were in talks regarding the manufacture of the tests under license somewhere in the Far East, so you may just get lucky?

5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Approximate...

Numbers seen: 300 to 500 Baht? (7.80 to 13 Euro).

Prices in German drugstores 0.70 to 1 Euro.

Unless the German government are subsidising the cost to the public, for 1€ you won’t be getting a very good test? 
 

Avacta in the UK have recently released a LFT which is 99% accurate when detecting people in the infectious period of the virus. It is approved in both the UK and EU but currently costs £5 each wholesale to businesses through their distributor as long as buy at least 200 at a time. Therefore about 300B would be about right for a test of this standard?

On 7/12/2021 at 6:21 PM, smedly said:

I do not know if already having had the virus is as good as being vaccinated, I do know that in the UK there are several criteria for so called "vaccine passports" here is what it says 

 

 it will be advised for any “high-risk” venue.

That means nightclubs, gigs, sports and even some crowded city centre pubs will be “encouraged” to ask all punters to show they’ve had either the vaccine, a negative rapid test or a past Covid infection to get in.

 

 

 

The NHS app (which is different to the NHS Covid-19 app) will allow people to show one of three things to enter a venue:

Their double-jabbed at least two weeks ago status;

Evidence of a negative lateral flow test in the last 48 hours; or

Evidence they have antibodies because they tested positive for Covid by PCR less than six months ago.

Well my niece who is a nurse in the UK has tested positive by PCR 3 times since the start of the outbreak and is currently isolating this week due to being in contact with someone who has recently had a positive result.  The government doesn't like telling these facts though?

10 hours ago, internationalism said:

yesterday those tests were estimated to sell 300-400b.Now below 100b.

But in europe supermarkets they are 30-40b.

Who and how much is making on them?

You won’t get an accurate LFT for less than about £5/6€ each, even if you buy in bulk. The brain tickling free ones in the UK are re-packaged Innova tests, which were recently banned by the FDA in the US. 

21 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Does anyone know where these test kits are made. China perhaps? 

Several manufacturers in various countries produce them but not sure on what ones have been approved by the Thai authorities? Does anyone know of where this information can be found?

Innova are Chinese made brain ticklers which recently received a damning report from the FDA in the US. Accuracy is dependent on manufacturer but I know  there are a few good ones that have recently been approved in the UK & EU. 

34 minutes ago, smedly said:

what does this achieve exactly ?

 

so you buy one of these kits and test positive but have no symptoms 

 

1. The positive test is not recorded so therefore virus spread is still unknown

2. The person who tests positive will never present to a hospital unless they are sick.

 

This achieves nothing in the fight against the pandemic - if anything they are handing over government resposibilities to individuals 

 

I would rather have access to test kits that tell me if I have already had the virus

In simple terms it tells whether someone is positive, possibly infectious and whether they should take the necessary responsible steps to make sure that they don’t infect others, i.e. it helps slow down the transmission and growth of the virus. 
 

What does an antibody test do? Just tells you that you’ve had the virus and could still get it again!

On 7/10/2021 at 8:31 AM, mfd101 said:

The transition from a rapid test result to a PCR test also depends on the error bias of the rapid test system.

 

The suggestions above that you only transition from rapid test to PCR if the rapid test result is positive assumes that the rapid test is biased to finding people positive who really aren't.

 

But what if the bias is towards finding people negative who are really positive? In that case the suggestions above would give people a false view of their state of health, with no follow-up.

 

Which - depending on just how inaccurate the rapid tests are - suggests to me that they may not be much use at all.

There is a growing consensus that a viral load as measured by PCR of Ct<27 should be considered as infectious. There is a lot of controversy regarding the accuracy of some LFTs, especially the Chinese made Innova brand. Avacta in the UK however have recently CE marked a 20 minute anterior nasal LFT with clinical studies that demonstrate at this level it has 100% sensitivity and 99% specificity i.e. correctly identified all positive cases considered to be infectious with only 1% false positives. It is believed to be at present the most accurate LFT in the world and home use certification is currently being sought. 

To be honest I'd be more worried about the type and manufacturer of the test and the possibly subsequent pricey treatment than a measly 500 baht?  If it's a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) which it sounds like, at present there aren't any real accurate ones in the market so you could end up being declared falsely positive and end up suffering god knows how much in unnecessary hospital costs?  For example, the Innova (re-badged Chinese) ones which are currently being distributed in the UK are a pile of <deleted> and the Roche ones in the US were responsible for the White House outbreak?  There is a new LFT that is highly accurate at detecting infectious people being launched in the UK by Avacta next month but god knows if it would ever reach the LOS?

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I believe that quote you were responding to was just dripping with sarcasm.  I may be wrong but that is how I read his comment, just loaded with sarcasm.

If it wasn’t for the comment about nobody needing to be forcibly vaccinated, then I might agree with you? However, this gave the distinct impression that the poster wasn’t happy with the possibility of being forced to get vaccinated if they wanted to renew their visa and remain in Thailand? Furthermore that they were happy for everyone else to suffer as long as they could continue their life in their own little bubble?  I could be wrong though?

7 hours ago, BigStar said:

Well, there goes the neighborhood. Is the increase in crime really worth it? And wouldn't it be much wiser instead to invite  in more tourists from English-speaking countries with whom other nationalities might communicate? Bigger spenders, too; everybody knows how the GBPeso has tanked.  

Actually for the last year it’s generally been on the rise against the USD, EUR & THB, amongst others? 

7 hours ago, EricTh said:

Only 62 local infection? Wow, that's terrific.

 

Once it falls below 50 cases per day, then nobody in Thailand need to be forced into vaccination if they don't want to.

 

Thailand is safe as long as it closes its borders.

 

I’m sorry but that reply stinks of the, “I’m alright Jack, <deleted> everyone else” attitude and will help no one but the selfish! Just because you may be ok and financially secure, it doesn’t mean everyone else is? 

7 hours ago, donnacha said:

It is always the case that more people consider traveling somewhere than actually end up going. It should not be surprising that 10% of the population might, in the middle of a lockdown, and after a miserable year, fancy the idea of an exotic holiday. No one, not even TAT, is suggesting they everyone considering it will actually come, they do use the word "may" in their headline.
 

The surprising thing about many of the responses here, and in similar threads, is that so few people seem to be able to see what is already happening and to, based on that, extrapolate ahead a few months. Many of you seem convinced that the current restrictions will continue for the entire year.

By the end of February, the most vulnerable third of the UK population will have received at least their first shot, many of those will have also received their second shot. Levels of infection are already dropping. The UK in April will be a very different story. It isn't just talk, Britain is making astonishing progress, while neighboring countries flounder in Third World levels of bureaucracy and incompetence, you should be proud of that remarkable achievement.

TAT have no credibility but, in this case, when they say "within 2021" they are clearly talking about the second half of the year.

Boris has now said that a vaccine passport will be introduced, at the very least for international travel. Prayut, too, has started making the necessary noises to prepare the public for the re-opening of Thailand to mass vaccinated tourism, probably starting with Israel, who have already vaccinated 90% of their population, in April.

Many of you here seem oblivious to just how much demand has built up in the UK for getting back out into the world. People who usually have four or five breaks per year now want to go all out, they want to embrace the world with something bigger and more memorable than Marbella or Provence.

There is plenty of money around. Some people lost jobs, but the majority kept getting paid. Trapped at home, and unable to go out to their usual restaurants and pubs, most people saved quite a bit. People with online businesses have made more money than ever.

So, this summer, when most of the UK population have been innoculated, and the level of infection is back below 0.1%, Thailand will open their doors to UK tourists, swapping the current quarantine, testing, and special insurance requirements for, instead, a simple vaccine passport requirement.

At that point, the rush to get the Hell out of the UK and to Thailand will break all the records. It certainly won't be six million people but it would not at all surprise me if, in just the second half of this year, they came close to the record of one million UK visitors.

 

You must be smoking some of what TAT have got?  That's all I'll say! 

14 hours ago, enjoybeing said:

Hi is very correct as children rarely even have symptoms.  Nice to see someone using logic in their assessment.  Also, I have recently seen on google searches that there has never been a single "documented" case of an Asymptomatic transmission, meaning if you have no symptoms, you do not spread this virus.  Does anyone know for fact, of documented Asymptomatics spreading Covid?  Even the WHO says it is very rare, if it occurs at all. all..   https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52977940

If what he is saying is true and you confer, please explain as to why the UK is therefore investing at least £912m in the rollout of mass testing for everyone in the coming months?

Also, try speaking to some teachers who will undoubtedly tell you Covid is fairly rife within schools? The fact that I have 3 friends who are teachers and of which 2 have already caught Covid, speaks volumes in itself!

40 minutes ago, Virt said:

 

Not a fan of the political project called EU, but have to defend it a bit here.

EU gave 2 billion euro to various vaccine companies last year so they could start researching and produce vaccines last year and now Astra zeneca as an example say they can't deliver the amount they promised. 

The contract is published and it's clear that EU are not getting what they paid  and signed for. 

 

If you paid for a product you would react too if you didn't get it.

 

But not really a surprise to me.

Said long time ago that the various vaccine companies would have trouble delivering because of unforeseen problems in the production. 

 

 

Peanuts when you consider the UK alone has ploughed in £548m of support for vaccine development. As for AZ not delivering, if the problem is out of their hands, there’s not a lot the EU can do and there will be a clause in the contract and/or insurance to cover it. After all, what would happen if they had to shut the plant due to say a mass outbreak of Covid amongst the key staff? The EU can threaten legal action but if they stop fulfilment of orders to other countries that had placed orders prior to them, the EU is leaving AZ open to legal action from them? There is a legal term (which I cannot remember now) in the English law of tort(?) which covers instances where someone cannot comply with the legal terms of one requirement, purely because it would put them in breach of another. I’m pretty sure that there will be something very similar in international contract law?

On 1/8/2021 at 7:20 AM, RubbaJohnny said:

BBC and your link said England and Scotland just now, I am sure Belfast and Cardiff will follow.

There are currently no international flights operating via Cardiff airport and hence why the Welsh government haven’t made a similar announcement. They have already stated though that the same rules will apply as soon as there is!

4 hours ago, userabcd said:

Probably because Civil and Architectural work is kind of local, basic and the skill transfer is easy.

 

For electro mechanical, industrial work it's more varied and specialised and depends a lot on foreign equipment and innovation and expertise.

Nope, I believe it’s because the design and construction standards here are way below the Eurocodes and similarly accepted codes in the majority of the developed world. Most probably don’t want to risk farang whistleblowers if things go t*ts up? The same applying for construction supervision when corners might possibly be cut?

M&E more specialised? You’re having a laugh! I hold a degree in both and Civils is not only more diverse but way harder too!

15 hours ago, newnative said:

     Ah, yes.  Use that as a reason when all else fails.  That's what all the name brand hotels are doing?  All the publicly-traded Bangkok developers, all the name brand auto dealers, all the chain restaurants, all the water parks, golf courses, etc., all the retail stores with their new stores, all the entertainments, theaters, and the two, huge, branded malls?  Really lame as a reason. 

    My garbage is picked up regularly where I am and the new garbage collection service the city has hired looks professional--we were behind one their trucks the other day.   Flooding is being worked on, a problem not just in Pattaya but in other cities in Thailand, including Bangkok.  Yes, small parts of the beach still wash away in very heavy rains; it's fixed quickly and the important beach asset is back to looking great. 

    And, here's the thing.  All of your gripes are meaningless to a typical tourist.  Garbage collection, beach erosion, and flooding are things a resident cares about, not a tourist.  When I decided to visit Hanoi, I didn't research how good the garbage collection was before booking my trip.  Ditto beach erosion on Bondi Beach with the Australian trip.  A chance of flooding in Venice didn't prevent me from going.  Apparently, same for the 15 million tourists that visited in 2019.

You're obviously not very wise to how the world goes around are you?  Otherwise you would know that anything construction based is open to funny money?  Auto dealerships are franchises as are the majority of chain restaurants, so therefore open to the same whether it be backhanders for land purchase, construction of new buildings or even the fit out of existing ones?  Then once they are up they can be used even more on a daily basis, especially in a place where cash is the main way of paying for things, with same applying to a lot of franchised based stores in the malls you quote.  So apart from maybe the odd big name hotel and say maybe some entertainment venues that are part of a national non-franchised chain, everything that you have listed is a magnet to funny money.  Even a lot of developments such as condos built with legitimate money are purposely built knowing that they will be able to sell them on to foreigners wanting to do a bit of washing or hiding of their own?  After all, how exactly do you think large swathes of New York were built?

Now where you talk of your garbage being picked up regularly, no doubt you pay for that privately and receive a fine service?  However it's not that I refer to, it's the general municipal and trade waste that is left on every corner for days and weeks on end?  The last time that I took a stroll down South Pattaya Road, I was appalled by the same.  If you go to not even a high end beach resort in the Med etc. and you will see the garbage collectors out in the small hours, removing the same and even pressure washing down the streets and footways?  So if Pattaya wants to re-brand itself to what is considered by the majority of the developed world to be a high end beach resort, they should be doing the same?  Benidorm in the Costa Blanca, is a similar size and puts Pattaya to shame with its cleanliness, especially when you consider it's notorious for its party town reputation full of drunken Europeans?  Look at Ibiza, another party central with over 6 million visitors to the island in just 6 months, yet the place is spotless?  Just simply answer me why Pattaya cannot do the same?

Beach erosion at Bondi due to the sea is one thing but beach erosion due to the overflowing sewers on Beach Road is a totally different matter?  Also, if they could have been troubled to pay for tidal flow study & modelling prior to making their decision to just widen the beach, the resultant erosion problems from the sea itself could have been foreseen prior to construction and erosion protection measures taken to eliminate the same?  Hence saving money in the long term?  Also, maybe as you said piles of garbage at every corner might not be high on the list of concerns of your average tourist family but walking through the contents of the foul sewer after a heavy shower will be close to the very top.  You talk of all the work that is going on with regards to the drainage but anyone with a single iota of experience in infrastructure would able to take one look down the holes that they are digging and tell you that it's insufficient for the demand?  You quote your trip to Hanoi, which is a bustling city nowhere near a decent beach so it's like comparing apples to bananas?  You talk of Venice, which is basically comparing one sh*t hole to another?

The whole thing that you are failing to see is that whilst the typical attitude of the people running the place is to do as little as possible, they know best and "that will do", it will never really change?  Yes it may have received 15 million tourists last year but very few will return year on year excepting the die-hard regulars who love it for its chaos and alternative attractions?   Therefore to even think that it could ever change and become a world class beach resort is a joke?  As the saying goes, you cannot polish a turd and therefore there are far better places in the world for high end tourists to spend their money?  The majority of the eastern Caribbean for starters!

On 12/26/2020 at 2:57 AM, newnative said:

But, they never explain why a dying Pattaya is attracting so much new private industry development--even now.  

The same reason that it always has, it’s one big massive laundromat!

Forget new water parks and shows, little things like collecting the garbage regularly and putting the road drains in the low spot of the road would be a better start? By the amount of times that the beach has been washed away by flooding, I would have thought that they would have realised that water flows downhill, not up? ????

On 12/26/2020 at 12:21 PM, ThailandRyan said:

Maybe the Thai ladies who had returned from the Convention Hotel in Talicheck, Myanmar.  Bikers have been known to associate with the Pro's...just saying.

Yep, almost as much as your typical expat or tourist? 

7 hours ago, sungod said:

 

The major hotel chains seem to think differently.

There’s actually 2 Hiltons in Beirut. I don’t think many people would want to stay there on vacation though?