TallGuyJohninBKK

As for the U.S. military to which you alluded above, the broad COVID vaccination requirement was rescinded, over the objections of the Pentagon, at the beginning of 2023 because of a law passed by Congress: January 11, 2023 Pentagon officially rescinds Covid-19 vaccine requirement for troops "Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has officially rescinded the military’s Covid-19 vaccination mandate for troops after President Joe Biden signed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring its dismissal. “Section 525 of the NDAA for FY 2023 requires me to rescind the mandate that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against Covid-19, issued in my August 24, 2021 memorandum … I hereby rescind that memorandum,” Austin said in a memo on Tuesday night. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/politics/military-covid-vaccine-rescinded/index.html

You're citing an article from back in 2022.... The facts are: --the original Pfizer vaccine, commercially marketed as Comirnaty, did ultimately receive full FDA approval and was used as such. --the subsequent second generation bivalent Pfizer vaccine currently being used is under FDA emergency use authorization. --the new 3rd generation vaccines are expected to receive some kind of FDA and CDC approval in the coming month. As for the past history of Comirnaty (first gen Pfizer vaccine) from a credible source unlike yours above: Pfizer vaccine approved in US, marketed as Comirnaty September 2, 2021 CLAIM: There is currently no FDA-approved vial of COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Pfizer vaccine, which is now marketed as Comirnaty, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use by those 16 and over and is available in the U.S. ... The formulation used in the FDA-approved Comirnaty vaccine is identical to the shot that previously received emergency use authorization." https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-120794035019

At this point, it's somewhat confusing as to Pfizer's COVID vaccine naming conventions in the U.S. Comirnaty certainly was the marketing name they used in the U.S. for their original monovalent COVID vaccine, which first received EUA approval and later full approval from the FDA... As best as I can tell, they may not have continued the marketing term Comirnaty for Pfizer's 2nd generation bivalent vaccine in the U.S., the only version currently authorized and being used in the U.S. now. (As explained above, the FDA withdrew its original authorization for the original monovalent vaccines when they were replaced by the newer, currently in use 2nd generation bivalent vaccines.) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Changes to Simplify Use of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines April 18, 2023 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines to simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals. This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-changes-simplify-use-bivalent-mrna-covid-19-vaccines https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines#authorized-vaccines

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/comirnaty

Now the U.S. approval for the latest third generation COVID vaccine -- not yet in use in the U.S. -- is expected in the coming weeks from the FDA and CDC: FDA May Approve New Covid Boosters By Friday As Deaths Spike, Report Says The Food and Drug Administration could approve new Covid-19 vaccine boosters as soon as Friday, NBC reported Wednesday, offering more protection against the coronavirus’ dominant XBB sublineage, which is causing a spike in deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. ... A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee will meet next week, and it’s expected to vote on the shots and make recommendations on who should get the updated boosters. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/09/06/fda-may-approve-new-covid-boosters-by-friday-as-deaths-spike-report-says/

Comirnaty is just a marketing name for the Pfizer vaccine. It's the same vaccine. See the FDA action cited above: "Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. " Earlier this year in the spring, the FDA withdrew approval of the original monovalent version of the COVID vaccines, and from that point forward only authorized the use of the 2nd generation bivalent vaccines in the U.S., Pfizer included.

The original COVID vaccines originally used in the U.S. for adults had full FDA and CDC approval, and have had for a long time. FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine August 23, 2021 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. " ... Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine Subsequent full approvals were given for the vaccines for the several younger age groups. The Pfizer document you linked to above involves the NEW, Omicron version of the Pfizer vaccine (the third version) that has just been approved in Europe, and is expected to be approved in the U.S. within the coming month.

I'm pretty sure Thai 7/11 has some formal policy somewhere on the return of purchased items (but I'm not presuming what it says one way or the other). Now, whether the OP and others can find a version of that policy in English language is a different matter. But as an example, when we purchase items for home delivery via Tops Online, the paperwork indicates we have up to 7 days to return the purchased items if not satisfied for any reason.

Lest we forget what was going on in the world prior to the arrival of the COVID vaccines: ‘Not a wave, a tsunami.’ Italy hospitals at virus limit Health Mar 13, 2020 4:45 PM EDT "The coronavirus outbreak tearing through Italy has turned a nation that usually donates medical expertise and equipment abroad into a country in need. Some hospitals in hard-hit Lombardy are at saturation point, unable to admit new patients. Every day is a scramble to find more intensive care beds than the critically ill who need them." https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/not-a-wave-a-tsunami-italy-hospitals-at-virus-limit Global coronavirus deaths surpass 1 million - Reuters tally September 29, 2020 * Global deaths have doubled in three months * United States, Brazil and India leading fatalities * One person dying from COVID-19 every 16 seconds * High death rate puts burial strain on many countries https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-global-deaths-idUSL4N2GF2RR U.S. COVID deaths smash daily record amid pleas to trim back Christmas December 8, 2020 WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -The daily U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 3,000 for the first time, prompting pleas for Americans to scale back Christmas plans even with vaccines on the cusp of winning regulatory approval. COVID-19 deaths reached 3,253 on Wednesday, pushing up the U.S. total since the start of the pandemic to 289,740. A record 106,219 people were hospitalized with the highly infectious respiratory disease. Healthcare professionals and support staff, exhausted by demands of the pandemic, have been watching patients die alone as millions of Americans refuse to follow medical advice to wear masks and avoid crowds to contain the spread. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-idUKKBN28I1WD

Nothing much different here re South Africa... Other countries at various points kept their vaccine contracts private, so as to not disclose their pricing and/or terms, often because that was a requirement of their contracts with the vaccine makers. Other countries, including the U.S., had liability waivers for the vaccine manufacturers, and took on the liability themselves, because... That's what it took to produce and launch in record time a COVID vaccine that saved millions of lives, helped blunt the impact of the COVID pandemic when hospitals and morgues were being overrun, and as has been documented above, had only very rare serious side effects. 13+ BILLION doses and counting.... Newly updated vaccines to better deal with the latest COVID variants being rolled out in the coming weeks in the U.S., UK and elsewhere.

With people like Thaksin, enough is never enough. He must have felt like he was owed or entitled to the fruits of his various corruptions, and getting away with those was, for him, winning.

So is this another re-run of the aftermath of the Red Bull case.... police with personal / financial or political interests covering up / excusing the killing of a fellow officer by trying to get the connected alleged killer (and/or his boss in this case) off the hook? As for the alleged shooter: "Early this morning the man suspected to have shot dead Pol. Maj. Siwakorn Saibua at this party was himself killed by a police team in Kanchanaburi province." Which just goes to reinforce the old adage -- dead men tell no tales.

In case you hadn't noticed, Biden (80), Trump (77), Pelosi (83) and McConnell (81) are all in the same general age range. So if you want to call out age as an issue among senior U.S. politicians, they'd all belong in the same boat. But only one of them is an attempted insurrectionist who's been indicted for alleged federal crimes multiple times over, not to mention ranking pretty high on your "selfish and egotistical" scale.

There's a big difference between merely preventing COVID infections, which often can be asymptomatic with the current Omicron variants, vs. preventing actual disease/illness, like the kinds that put people in the hospital. All the recent studies continue to show the COVID vaccines are pretty effective, especially if people stay up to date with recommended booster shots, at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID, even in the older age folks at higher risk.

I'd support that, provided it actually meant ALL...including the Supreme Court.

How about a package deal -- both she and McConnell, both elderly and in poor health, both step aside... But nah...unfortunately, ain't gonna happen. "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared again that he plans to finish his term as leader despite freezing up twice at news conferences over the summer, brushing off questions about his health as he sought to reassure colleagues he’s still up ..." https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/mcconnell-reassure-colleagues-health-vows-serve-term-senate-102979360

I always thought Anutin was an "influential figure." And he certainly long seems to have thought so!

Fact check: The mRNA coronavirus vaccine is a vaccine, and it is designed to prevent illness https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-covid-vaccine/fact-check-the-mrna-coronavirus-vaccine-is-a-vaccine-and-it-is-designed-to-prevent-illness-idUSKBN2AM0SS

Indeed they did... Thailand welcomes crooks all the time... so why should other similarly valued countries be much different.

Cahill is a well-known and disreputable peddler of vaccine misinformation: Fact check: Severe adverse events are rare following mRNA COVID-19 vaccines https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-adverse-events/fact-check-severe-adverse-events-are-rare-following-mrna-covid-19-vaccines-idUSKBN2AO2TN Irish Professor Makes Unfounded Claims About Long-Term Effects of mRNA Vaccines https://www.factcheck.org/2021/04/scicheck-irish-professor-makes-unfounded-claims-about-long-term-effects-of-mrna-vaccines/ "Explanation: Dr. Cahills assertions have no scientific basis. After extensive research to every credible database for scientific studies and clinical trials we were not able to locate the one she is referencing..." https://www.poynter.org/?ifcn_misinformation=according-to-dr-dolores-cahill-a-significant-percentage-of-the-people-who-received-the-mrna-vaccine-for-covid-19-will-die-within-a-year-her-conclusion-is-based-on-a-research-done-in-animals-which-sh and many more of the same....

He is and was a corrupt crook, and clearly was shown as such in the cases and verdicts against him. He used his tenure as PM to enrich himself, his family and those around him -- until finally fleeing the country to escape the consequences of his crimes.

There are numerous studies from different soures that all conclude the same thing in various ways and various places and times -- COVID vaccines saved vast numbers of lives. April 8, 2022 / 10:13 AM Study finds U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations averted 2.2 million deaths April 8 (UPI) -- A new study published Friday found COVID-19 vaccinations have prevented 2.2 million deaths in the United States. The Commonwealth Fund study said 17 million hospitalizations were averted by the vaccines between December 12, 2020, and March 31, 2022. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/04/08/COVID19-commonwelath-fund-study-vaccines-prevented-millions-of-deaths/1421649425164/ etc etc etc. And those are just counting the COVID deaths that have been averted.... Before we even begin to start talking about the hospitalizations and serious illnesses averted, the costs to governments and the public health systems of those, etc etc.

Of course there's things every individual person can do via the choices they make in their lives... I chose to live in BKK specifically so I could rely on mass transit (BTS/MRT) and not have to drive or need a car. And then there's the folks here on the forum using EVs and installing solar power for their homes, etc etc. And at least for places outside of Thailand, that includes voting for and electing public officials who recognize that global warming and climate change are real risks to the world and its people.

This whole thread is a lot of anti-vax nonsense by the same familiar crowd of anti-vaxers and conspiracy theorists here... The contract conditions listed above are hardly surprising, given that Pfizer at the time, back early in the pandemic, was rolling out an entirely new vaccine on a rapid time schedule demanded by the world, even though it had already been widely tested in clinical trials. But, what ultimately matters in all this is that the COVID vaccines have worked and have saved, and continue to save, cumulatively millions of lives by protecting people from COVID death and illness... And, while there always is the possibility of side effects from any medication or vaccine, the past several years of worldwide COVID vaccine use and more than 13 BILLION doses administered worldwide have shown that serious side effects actually linked to the vaccines are very rare. Source link No Evidence Excess Deaths Linked to Vaccines, Contrary to Claims Online Posted on April 17, 2023 "COVID-19 vaccines substantially reduce the risk of dying from COVID-19, and serious side effects are very rare. Excess deaths among working-age adults in 2021 and 2022 were driven by COVID-19 and other factors, not vaccination. Faulty logic underlies claims that vaccines caused mass disability and economic harm." https://www.factcheck.org/2023/04/scicheck-no-evidence-excess-deaths-linked-to-vaccines-contrary-to-claims-online/ Benefits of Vaccination Outweigh the Risks Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely rare following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines and vaccine safety 28 June 2023 "Like with any vaccine, some people will experience mild to moderate side effects after being vaccinated against COVID-19. This is a normal sign that the body is developing protection.... More serious or long-lasting side effects to COVID-19 vaccines are possible but extremely rare." https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-vaccines

How can he be "released from prison" when in reality, at least thus far, he's hardly darkened the door of any Thai prison since his return to the country. A suite at the Police Hospital in Bangkok is not "prison."