edwardandtubs

I think you may have misunderstood the article. All the research shows that the bivalent booster is superior but maybe not by much. See this Time article: https://archive.ph/D5w2Q The key thing is your age and whether you're in a clinical risk group. If you're under the age of 50 and not in a clinical risk group then you should definitely not get any more boosters. In fact, the UK is withdrawing vaccine availability for such people and if you look at data that informed that decision, it's easy to see why: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-2023-jcvi-interim-advice-8-november-2022/appendix-1-estimation-of-number-needed-to-vaccinate-to-prevent-a-covid-19-hospitalisation-for-primary-vaccination-booster-vaccination-3rd-dose-au Rates of hospitalisation for someone aged 40-49 not in a clininal risk group are 4.3 in a million for those with one or two doses and 3.1 in a million for those with 3+ doses. These risks are miniscule and lower than other risks we take every day like driving our cars. If you're older or in a clinical risk group, on the other hand, I'd say take the bivalent booster when it becomes available to you. I wouldn't take the monovalent because your recent infection protects you for at least six months and your memory B cells will continue to mature in a way that will protect you from future omicron variants. Getting injected with the Wuhan strain may in fact harm the maturation process.

The important thing is to avoid female immigration officers.

I doubt it. They've been brainwashed about the supposed dangers of these western vaccines. Plus, it's not recommended to get a vaccine within two months of an infection and as almost all Chinese have been infected recently or will be very soon, there's no benefit for them. In fact, giving them the old vaccine could harm the hybrid immunity they got from the omicron infection. Probably only a tiny handful of tourists are going to get vaccinated here. I note they haven't published any numbers yet.

I'm not sure using an agent would be a good idea given the current bad publicity about such services after the idiotic Chinese tourist chose to video it and share it on social media. Why not apply for a SETV in your home country? You can be pretty much guaranteed a smooth entry if you do.

Up to you but personally I wouldn't live my life that way. If there's a 1 in 100 chance of a certain health outcome, then after a 20% increase it becomes 1.2 in 100. Hardly worth worrying about, especially if the evidence is weak. Personally, I do follow a plant-based diet with moderate meat consumption because I like it and it makes me feel good. That's the best way to live life, not full of anxiety about all the things in the world that might kill you.

This very recent study suggests the evidence that red meat is unhealthy is weak: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01968-z

I gave up reading the Thai Enquirer a long time ago when it became clear it's just the inane rantings of a farang-hating Thai nobody.

Original and profound thinking by this master philosopher.

So what do they put on death certificates where you're from? Cause of death - dunno and don't care cos died in sleep without a struggle?

Obviously the 2000 baht was not the deposit as such but an advance payment to secure the booking. Agents sometimes ask for this and may use some of the money to clean the place (later refunded by the owner). However, if you tell them you don't want to pay any advance fees but will pay the whole lot on the day you move in, they will usually be happy with this if you've met them in person and they're confident you really are going to move in. Obviously, transfering money to someone on transferwise without being certain who they are is a really stupid thing to do and the best thing to do is learn your lesson and move on.

The capital of dirty farangs? Do as I say, not what I do.

Get checked for a nasal polyp.

No mask, Anutin?

It's always been just as common here, probably more so. It's just in the past society and the media would turn a blind eye whereas now it's getting reported.

Good luck finding a taxi prepared to turn on the meter.

I got a grab car to the airport for 139 baht after the 15% promo code was applied. I don't know if this would be possible going in the other direction. Also, it's possible the 80 baht van service is available.

The last couple of times I did it there was no queue for the visa on arrival, just a couple of other people so the whole process took only ten minutes.

True, but having starry-eyed delusions about the country you're living in makes it more likely you'll be the victim of one.

In the end the grab cost 139 baht after a 15% discount code and arrived in a couple of minutes.

I took a tuk tuk last time and it was a bumpy ride to say the least. Never again!

They look a bit like the "limo" vehicles you can get in Thai airports and they occupy the spaces outside Central that used to be taken by metered taxis. Nobody else seen them? I once got a metered taxi from the bus station to the airport and it was actually a fair price (under 100 baht).

Last time I was in Udon there were unmarked cars waiting outside Central. What's the deal with them? They used to look like metered taxis. I only saw one metered taxi all day. I'll be travelling from Udon city centre to the airport soon. Is a 160 baht grab car the least worst option?

What are these "some posts" you refer to of problems at Nong Khai? I've seen Facebook posts that relate specifically to the borders near CM but not about the Nong Khai crossing.

The good thing about the swab is that it certainly did put people off going and also put people off unprotected sex!

Well that was a highly selective response. You totally ignored the first two studies. What's your response to them? And then you used non-scientific sources to "trash" the third source, without any reference to the actual evidence. Is that what you mean by following "the science"?