TallGuyJohninBKK

Funny you should mention that...

From the above recap on this week's COVID update: "Among the 16 new COVID deaths reported for the past week, the MoPH said 8 were male and 8 female. By age, 8 were 70 and above, 5 were 60-69, 1 was 50-59, and 2 were 20-49."

Like to see some actual, credible source for your non-credible claims above: The facts say 7 million+ official COVID deaths, and due to undercounting, a likely global total in the 20 millions. Source:

As posted above: Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for May 12 - 18, 2024: --1,882 new COVID hospitalizations, averaging 269 per day, up 2 from the prior week --16 new COVID deaths, up 5 / 45% from the prior week --679 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), up 91 / 15% from the prior week --281 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 44 / 19% from the prior week The latest weekly COVID deaths tally is Thailand highest since 25 were reported for a week in early July 2023. The tallies of COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition and those needing ventilation are the highest since at least the start of 2023. And for some broader context beyond that: "By comparison, at the start of 2024, the number of serious condition COVID hospitalized patients was 144, meaning the current number is more than four times higher. And the number of hospitalized COVID patients requiring ventilation to start 2024 was 89, meaning the current number is more than three times higher. COVID deaths for that week were four." The weekly COVID new hospitalization counts reported by the MoPH during the past ten weeks have been as follows, with the spring surge beginning well before this year's mid-April Song Kran holidays, but then climbing rapidly until the slowdown for this latest week: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 May 4 -- 1,792 May 11 -- 1,880 May 18 -- 1,882 https://aseannow.com/topic/1326140-hospitalizations-climb-in-thailands-spring-2024-covid-surge/?do=findComment&comment=18927200 But the current weekly new COVID hospitalizations number remain below the peaks of mid-2023, when they topped out at over 3,000 per week before declining again.

COVID is expected to rank 10th among causes of death in the U.S. for 2023 when the final counts are released later this year -- well ahead of the flu and pneumonia. "Based on preliminary data, COVID-19 still ranks as the 10th most common cause of death in the U.S. for 2023, a drop from 3rd in 2020 and 2021 and 4th in 2022." https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/changing-threat-covid-19.html AND Study: COVID Still Deadlier Than the Flu -- But the Gap Is Narrowing "After adjusting for variables, the risk of death in people hospitalized for COVID-19 was 35% higher (adjusted HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10-1.66), the authors detailed in a research letter in JAMA. ... "...there were nearly twice as many hospitalizations for COVID-19 compared with the flu for the 2023-2024, according to CDC surveillance data." https://aseannow.com/topic/1327600-study-covid-still-deadlier-than-the-flu-but-the-gap-is-narrowing/

Yes, there are several locations in BKK where the newer COVID XBB vaccine from Pfizer have just recently become available for a fee, including Mahihol University's travel clinic [see the link below]. But none of those very limited offerings are being run by the Ministry of Public Health, and none of them are free of charge as the government sponsored mass COVID vaccine programs were in 2021 and 2022. Nor has the MoPH actually promoted any of them. So the overall uptake by the general public thus far is virtually nill. Mahidol only began offering the Pfizer XBB COVID vaccine just in the past few months, and with a very limited supply/availability per week. When I spoke with them about it for the linked report below, they said they typically were ordering about 10 doses per week. They definitely recommended anyone interested make an advance booking thru their website, with full details in the link below: https://aseannow.com/topic/1323285-new-pfizer-covid-xbb-vaccines-finally-become-available-in-thailand-–-for-a-price/

It's a dubious claim that Sweden did well during the pandemic: Scathing evaluation of Sweden's COVID response reveals 'failures' to control the virus "As a result, Sweden had a higher COVID death rate than the surrounding Nordic nations. "The Swedish response to this pandemic was unique and characterised by a morally, ethically, and scientifically questionable laissez-faire approach, a consequence of structural problems in the society," the team wrote. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/scathing-evaluation-swedens-covid-response-reveals-failures-control/story?id=83644832 Claim: "No-lockdown Sweden fared better than the UK" Verdict: It's true that Sweden has had a lower Covid death rate than the UK, but it has fared significantly worse than its neighbours, all of which had tighter initial lockdown restrictions. Many people opposed to Covid restrictions point to the example of Sweden, a country which at the beginning of the pandemic avoided introducing a compulsory lockdown, and instead issued voluntary distancing advice. ... When compared to other Scandinavian countries with similar population profiles, Sweden has fared much worse and recorded a significantly higher number of deaths than its neighbours, all of which have had tougher restrictions during much of the pandemic." https://www.bbc.com/news/55949640

Also worth noting to put those numbers in greater context: COVID thus far has killed more than 232,000 people in the UK. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/ And, COVID vaccines are estimated to have saved about 400,000 lives just in England. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/04/16/whos-eligible-for-the-2024-covid-19-vaccine-or-spring-booster/

You might try asking your regional MoPH office there... or calling the MoPH COVID hotline at 1422... Last time I checked with them a month ago, the MoPH folks in BKK didn't know of any specific availability outside of BKK.... But, private hospitals now DO have the ability to obtain the new COVID vaccines and provide them for a fee -- if they want to... Even if the Thai government isn't doing so. Bumrungrad and Praram 9 hospitals are doing so in BKK.

Here's a bit more context on what to make of the Ministry of Public Health's latest weekly COVID report -- new COVID hospitalizations were almost flat compared to the prior week with only a tiny increase, but COVID deaths, serious condition hospitalizations and ventilations all rose substantially from the week before -- now 10 straight weeks of increased COVID hospitalizations. Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for May 12 - 18, 2024: --1,882 new COVID hospitalizations, averaging 269 per day, up 2 from the prior week --16 new COVID deaths, up 5 / 45% from the prior week --679 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), up 91 / 15% from the prior week --281 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 44 / 19% from the prior week The latest weekly COVID deaths tally is Thailand highest since 25 were reported for a week in early July 2023. The tallies of COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition and those needing ventilation are the highest since at least the start of 2023. https://aseannow.com/topic/1311049-weekly-thai-ministry-of-public-health-covid-reports/?do=findComment&comment=18927054

Note that one month ago, one prominent Thai doctor estimated that just COVID infections in Thailand (not hospitalizations) likely were approaching 10,000 per day (doing a projection based on the reported hospitalization numbers.) The officially reported COVID new weekly hospitalization numbers are just the tip of a bigger, broader COVID iceberg that's currently running through its seasonal spike here in Thailand.

Thailand hasn't had any nationwide COVID vaccinations campaign since 2022. The Thai population in general is long out-of-date for COVID vaccinations, and virtually none of them have received the latest XBB-focused vaccine rolled out in the West last fall, since the Thai government as yet hasn't offered those here to the general public. As for your first comment above, note this excerpt from the OP report above: "with both public and private hospitals feeling the strain as outpatient and inpatient admissions rise." AND "Private hospital data indicates higher COVID admission rates than official reports"

Thailand's spring 2024 COVID surge continued for a tenth consecutive week last week, with only a slight increase in new COVID hospitalizations to 1,882, but much larger increases in new COVID deaths and COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition. The 16 newly reported COVID deaths last week, up 45% from 11 the prior week, is Thailand's highest weekly COVID deaths total since 25 were reported in early July 2023. The latest numbers of serious condition COVID patients (679, up 15% from the prior week) and COVID patients requiring ventilation (281, up 19%) both were the highest weekly totals since at least the start of 2023. By comparison, at the start of 2024, the number of serious condition COVID hospitalized patients was 144, meaning the current number is more than four times higher. And the number of hospitalized COVID patients requiring ventilation to start 2024 was 89, meaning the current number is more than three times higher. COVID deaths for that week were four. The only good news in the latest weekly COVID report from the Thai Ministry of Public Health was the rate of rising new COVID hospitalizations slowed markedly last week compared to earlier in the spring, with the latest 1,882 new COVID hospitalizations showing a tiny increase of only two from the prior week. Still that total was Thailand's highest new hospitalizations tally since mid-June 2023. The Thai government does not publicly report the total numbers of all current COVID hospitalizations, but instead only breaks out the subtotals for those in serious condition and requiring intubation, and then the new COVID hospitalizations each week. With the latest update for the period May 12 to 18, Thailand's weekly new COVID hospitalizations at 1,882, averaging 269 per day, have more than tripled from the 501 weekly count recorded in mid-March when the latest COVID surge began. Thailand had a similar COVID surge in spring 2023, when weekly COVID new hospitalizations rose from a few hundred to a peak of more than 3,000 by early June 2023 before eventually subsiding. So thus far at least, the spring 2024 new hospitalizations have remained below the spring 2023 peak. Among the 16 new COVID deaths reported for the past week, the MoPH said 8 were male and 8 female. By age, 8 were 70 and above, 5 were 60-69, 1 was 50-59, and 2 were 20-49. The MoPH only recently resumed publicly disclosing the broad age ranges for Thailand's reported COVID deaths, something they had ceased many months prior with the end of COVID's declared emergency status in Thailand. With the latest weekly report, Thailand since the start of 2024 has now seen 16,819 COVID hospitalizations and 120 official COVID deaths, according to the MoPH. The weekly COVID new hospitalization counts reported by the MoPH during the past ten weeks have been as follows, with the spring surge beginning well before this year's mid-April Song Kran holidays, but then climbing rapidly until the slowdown for this latest week: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 May 4 -- 1,792 May 11 -- 1,880 May 18 -- 1,882 The MoPH's weekly COVID reports for Thailand are available at the following MoPH website: https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main They also have been posted each week in the following AseanNow forum thread: https://aseannow.com/topic/1311049-weekly-thai-ministry-of-public-health-covid-reports/

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for May 12 - 18, 2024: --1,882 new COVID hospitalizations, averaging 269 per day, up 2 from the prior week --16 new COVID deaths, up 5 / 45% from the prior week --679 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), up 91 / 15% from the prior week (dark purple) --281 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 44 / 19% from the prior week (light purple) Cumulative figures since the start of the current year are COVID new hospitalizations (16,819) & COVID deaths (120). Of the 16 new official COVID deaths, the MoPH below is reporting that 8 were male and 8 female. By age, 8 were 70 and above, 5 were 60-69, 1 was 50-59, and 2 were 20-49. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main Reported weekly COVID new hospitalizations have now risen for the past 10 consecutive weeks since mid-March, despite the very small latest increase in the past week, and have more than tripled over that period, as follows for the weeks ending: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 May 4 -- 1,792 May 11 -- 1,880 May 18 - 1,882 The latest weekly new COVID hospitalizations total is Thailand's highest since mid-June 2023, when the total hit 2,158. Thailand's weekly new COVID hospitalizations peaked last spring at 3,085 in early June amid a similar run-up that began in mid-April.

That was the same with me two years ago... I had brought my retirement extension deposits bankbook with me and the linked ATM card, just in case, even though I had no reason at that time to expect I'd need them for doing a passport stamps transfer.... Had I not followed my eternal approach to dealing with BKK CW documentation -- better to be safe than sorry -- I would have ended up with a wasted trip that day and then would have had to return the next day with my bank stuff in hand. Thanks for confirming the ongoing presence of that unfortunate policy of theirs.

Jack, when you had BKK CW transfer your stamps into the new passport recently, did they require you at the time to provide documentary evidence of your Thai bank account deposit having remained above the 800K requirement or of monthly foreign transfers? BKK CW was doing that, much to my surprise, when I went there to handle the transition my new passport about two years ago. At that time, an IO and her supervisor informed me that was going to be their new policy from then on.... But don't know that I've seen much on the topic since then.

The Thai police needed a "team" of a bunch of Lt. Col's. and Lt.'s just to arrest one female 23-year-old Only Fans model with a penchant for posting sexy photos? Did they have their SWAT team standing by in reserve???

It might be helpful to further clarify... Of all the documents you submitted that were reviewed first by the document checker and later by the processing IO, did either of them return any of your documents back to you as "unneeded"? Or they all were accepted and kept?

I ran into the exact same issue last time I tried to use the nearby Laksi station of the Red Line... before the Pink Line opened closer to BKK CW... No motorcycle taxis or car taxis to be found when existing from the station. Hopefully that will improve over time.

All-cause mortality among patients with heart failure. The study topic was aimed solely at that limited population -- those with heart failure. Thus was most of interest to doctors who treat those patients, e.g., the European Society of Cardiology, where the research was just presented. But the research has already been reported in multiple other sources, such as: https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/heart-patients-improve-with-covid-jabs/ https://www.miragenews.com/covid-19-vaccine-boosts-lifespan-in-heart-1232898/ https://jang.com.pk/en/11567-covid-19-vaccine-boosts-survival-rate-in-heart-patients-study-news etc etc. Meanwhile, it's interesting that a similar study and findings were reported out of the UK earlier this spring: COVID Vaccines Reduce Risk of Heart Failure, Clots March 18, 2024 – By now, most of us have heard the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, like the reduced risk of serious illness should you get a COVID infection and a significantly lowered chance of hospitalization or death should you get sick. Now, there may be another benefit to add: Getting a COVID shot may also help reduce the risk of heart failure. That's according to researchers from the University of Oxford in England, who found that people who got COVID-19 vaccines had a reduced risk of heart failure, compared to people who didn’t get vaccinated. The protection lasted up to a year and also lowered the chance of experiencing heart inflammation and some types of blood clots. The findings were published this month by the journal Heart. (more) https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20240318/covid-vaccines-reduce-risk-heart-failure-clots

The announcement of the study findings indicated they picked their unvaccinated and vaccinated study participants in a way that controlled for confounding factors: "The study included 651,127 patients aged 18 years or older with heart failure. The average age was 69.5 years and 50% were women. Of the total study population, 538,434 (83%) were defined as vaccinated and 112,693 (17%) as unvaccinated. To control for factors that could influence the relationship between vaccination status and outcomes, the researchers performed 1:1 matching of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients according to age, sex, other health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.), income, and region of residence. This resulted in 73,559 vaccinated patients and 73,559 unvaccinated patients for the comparative analyses. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1043942 But I understand from your comments earlier in the thread and your above-quoted remark, you seem to be looking for any reason to think that the study didn't really find what it really found. To wit, during the months the heart failure patients were tracked: "Vaccination was associated with an 82% lower risk of all-cause mortality,7 47% lower risk of hospitalisation for heart failure,8 and 13% reduced risk of COVID-19 infection9 compared with no vaccination. Regarding cardiovascular complications, vaccination was associated with significantly lower risks of stroke, heart attack, myocarditis/pericarditis, and venous thromboembolism compared to no vaccination."

Virtually all the studies done on the effectiveness of COVID vaccines from Omicron onward have shown that they're far more effective in keeping people out of the hospital and helping prevent them from dying from COVID.... and less effective in merely preventing infections... That makes the findings of the current study entirely consistent with those that have preceded it. You're sniffing up the wrong tree. The OP article, btw, also mentions that the findings of this latest study also are in line with those that have preceded it. From the OP: "Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccination is safe in patients with cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and that COVID-19 outcomes tend to be more severe in patients with the condition."