TallGuyJohninBKK

After five weeks of dramatic increases, the latest weekly government report on COVID in Thailand showed some moderation, as new COVID hospitalizations declined slightly for the first time since late March, COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition rose sharply, and new COVID deaths remained flat at 10. The update by the Ministry of Public Health for the week April 30 to May 6 showed new COVID hospitalizations falling 6 percent to 1,699 (an average of 242 per day), compared to 1,811 the prior week. Although, the latest weekly tally is still the second highest number for 2023, and still shows a 10-fold increase over the 168 new weekly COVID hospitalizations count at the beginning of April. New deaths attributed to COVID remained flat at 10 for the latest week, matching the same toll of official COVID deaths from the prior week. But the latest new weekly COVID deaths tally remains 5-fold higher than the weekly tally of 2 new COVID deaths reported at the beginning of April, and is at the highest weekly level since mid-February. The worst news in the latest report came involving the count of total COVID patients currently hospitalized in serious condition (shown in dark purple on the chart above). That rose 39% to 219 COVID patients (the highest weekly total since mid-January), compared to 157 two weeks ago. The comparable number was 19 at the beginning of April. Likewise, the number of COVID patients hospitalized and needing intubation to breathe (shown in light purple on the chart above) rose 43% to 113, compared to 79 for the prior week. The comparable number was 14 at the beginning of April. The last time, prior to this past week, that the number of new COVID hospitalization in Thailand declined in the government's weekly reports was March 19-25, when new COVID hospitalizations declined to 150 compared to 178 the week before. For this past week, the latest COVID report says Thailand now has had a total of 298 COVID deaths and 10,081 COVID hospitalizations since the start of 2023. Thailand stopped publicly reporting routine COVID cases and positive tests last fall, so the only COVID "case" numbers the government reports since then have been COVID hospitalizations. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/ https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/pfbid08vvSqeMKTPrxdXjsGiJ2BobH8uN2yxtNbwHeXRPysHasetMVYNdDnxwnPHk43NVbl

One other note about their offerings, is that they're somewhat speculative: I placed my order tonight, and it was almost immediately confirmed by the seller and my delivery on the way shortly thereafter.... But the selling vendors may run out or otherwise not have something seen within the Yindii app... so they advise when you order: "When you pay on Yindii, you place a ""reservation"" for a potential surplus, that may or may not be available. If it's not available, you will be informed at least 1 hour before the pickup/delivery time and be refunded. If it's available, then, it's for you !" Also, they advise: Yindii Quality Commitment : Satisfied or refunded All the products that you can find a Yindii box are perfectly good, hygenic and safe for consumption. If you are not satisfied with the product and think it is unsafe or expired, you can refuse the box at pickup or delivery, you will get a full refund. Conditions are details here"

Well, an update here... thanks to GameMaster for starting this thread, and reminding me about Yindii... So today, because of this thread, I figured I'd take another look at their Android app, since it had been at least several weeks or longer since my original, totally unsuccessful effort at being able to save and use any credit card in their system for payment. And now to my surprise, they seem to have fixed that prior problem. Today, I was able to use and save one of my U.S. debit cards as a payment method and make a successful order and purchase thru Yindii. So it appears they finally got around to straightening out their prior payments mess. Now, you have a choice of: --using and/or also saving a VISA or MC debit/credit card via the 2C2P payments portal. --using an AMEX or UnionPay international card --using the Thai PromptPay system --doing a direct bank transfer to their Thai bank account: "Direct transfer to our SCB BANK account : WATAWASTE CO. LTD - 4160725138 PLEASE send us your bank slip via LINE" --or using several 3rd party payment methods like Wechat Pay, Line Pay, True Money or AliPay. All of those become available only after you've chosen an item to order and then proceed to finalize the purchase. So, will be seeing just how this new service/app pans out.

The latest U.S. CDC vaccines policy for this year is allowing another (second) bivalent COVID booster for those age 65 and above. CDC simplifies COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, allows older adults and immunocompromised adults to get second dose of the updated vaccine April 19, 2023 CDC’s new recommendations allow an additional updated (bivalent) vaccine dose for adults ages 65 years and older and additional doses for people who are immunocompromised. Monovalent (original) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for use in the United States. CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 years and older receive an updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they previously completed their (monovalent) primary series." https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/s0419-covid-vaccines.html

As far as I know, they're still doing the two categories system of charging and not charging... When I went to IOD a couple months back, they initially talked about charging me a fee. But when I showed them my Thai MoPH vaccination history and retirement extension, they quickly dropped that entreaty, and my shot was free, as all of the MoPH ones I've received here in the past two years have been. But this is Thailand, so there's always the prospect that someone somewhere is going to misinterpret what the government's policy actually is.

The Burmese might well not be considered by the Thais as long-term residents, since they don't hold things like annual retirement or marriage visas/extensions.... Instead, more like short-term, temporary workers. Also, I'm pretty sure there have been recent posts by members here of using places like the BMA vaccination center at CentralWorld, and no mention of being charged.

I went to a MoPH sponsored site in BKK a couple months back (Institute of Dermatology) and there, they were distinguishing between long-term expats (who got the vaccine for free) and tourists/visitors (who had to pay). I haven't used a BMA specific site for COVID vaccines thus far, but I'm wondering if perhaps they might be following the same policy as MoPH and distinguishing between long-term expat residents vs tourists?

Because wearing a good quality mask reduces the likelihood that the wearer, if infected with COVID whether they know it or not, will spread the virus to those around them. And, wearing a good quality mask likewise reduces the risk that the wearer themselves will become infected with COVID. It's the socially responsible and considerate thing to do. Not to mention, wearing a good quality N95 mask also prevents you from breathing in the PM2.5 air pollution that these days kills more people in Thailand than COVID. So it's a double benefit.

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 5 May 2023 "This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it’s still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths. The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about." https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---5-may-2023

Reuters Fact Check: "Confusion and misinformation surrounding the efficacy of face masks appears to be widespread, with some social media users claiming face coverings don’t work or actually cause harm. Mask wearing does limit COVID-19 transmission and infection in two ways, according to real-world data, studies and several public health experts who spoke to Reuters. Reuters recently debunked claims about masks and lockdowns, finding they effectively slow the spread of COVID-19. Several studies show mask-wearing helps reduce transmission of the virus." https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-coronavirus-masks-idUSL1N2ST0OO

Tell that to the staff of the U.S. CDC: "The US CDC is investigating several dozen COVID-19 cases linked to its own annual conference held near the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, last week. About 35 people have tested positive as of May 2, according to a CDC spokesperson. The 3-day 2023 Epidemic Intelligence Service conference was the first time in 4 years that EIS officers and alumni gathered in-person. Around 2,000 people attended the conference, and while attendees said many people at the conference did not wear masks or socially distance, most were likely fully vaccinated.... The outbreak serves as a reminder that while COVID-19 may not pose the serious risks it did at the beginning of the pandemic, the virus continues to circulate, maybe especially easily at large indoor gatherings." https://myemail.constantcontact.com/--COVID-19-Updates---May-4--2023.html Dunno about those guys, but if it was me, I would have been wearing my mask AND socially distancing...amid a conference involving 2,000 people. That most participants at the CDC conference were not is a bad look for them, IMHO.

My wife and I took several domestic flights on Nok Air from and to BKK in the past couple months, and they were asking passengers to wear masks, and most were wearing them. Just as the BTS Skytrain system in BKK continues to ask passengers to wear face masks while onboard, and most do, especially the non-tourist folks.

But pro health!

We rent in a family's building. So I don't think I've ever received one of those maintenance notices in 15+ years living here... The owners may get them in the mail since they're the ones who pay the electric bills directly. But to the extent any notices arrive, they don't seem to get passed along to us. PS - looked thru the MEA's recent scheduled outages notice (thanks to your suggestion). Nothing pertained to our home area for the past couple days. https://www.mea.or.th/en/content/detail/80/7725 https://www.mea.or.th/en

Ya, we used to in past years have a lot of periodic outages, and transformers blowing out, during the rainy seasons, when the water apparently caused problems with the lines and/or connections. But in more recent years, that seems to have become much more rare around these parts.

I tried it last week... Signed up and all, and then got to the part about adding a bank card payment method in the app, where all the fields were grayed out. Contacted their support, and was told their app currently doesn't have the functionality for bank card payments...even though the app has a place for them, and doesn't tell you it's dead. Great idea on the app originator's part.... But lousy execution thus far. I wish they would do better.

We live in a central, well-developed area of BKK where we rarely have electrical outages in recent years... HOWEVER, two nights ago, the power went out at about 1 am and didn't come back until about 5 am.... which I assumed because of the hour might have been due to some kind of area traffic mishap. But then again this afternoon, the power went out again for about an hour.... as temperatures were soaring to about 100F..... So, anyone else experiencing the same lately? Maybe ours were just some kind of localized outages... Or, maybe not?

From the WHO's latest monthly monitoring report, the section dealing with SE Asia: Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 4 May 2023 "The South-East Asia Region reported nearly 257 000 new cases, a 454% increase as compared to the previous 28-day period. Eight (73%) of the 11 countries for which data are available reported increases in new cases of 20% or greater... The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (222 784 new cases; 16.1 new cases per 100 000; +540%), Indonesia (27 358 new cases; 10.0 new cases per 100 000; +168%), and Thailand (3502 new cases; 5.0 new cases per 100 000; +468%). The number of new 28-day deaths in the Region increased by 317% as compared to the previous 28-day period, with 950 new deaths reported. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India (652 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +515%), Indonesia (257 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; +165%), and Thailand (19 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; -5%)." https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20230504_weekly_epi_update_141.pdf?sfvrsn=ec8d9490_4&download=true Keep in mind, Thailand since last fall no longer publicly reports actual COVID cases or positive tests for COVID. Since last fall, the only "cases" Thailand reports for COVID are those that result in hospitalizations, which means Thailand's so-called "case" numbers aren't comparable to those from other countries.

"Globally, COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to drop over the past 4 weeks, but levels are rising in three of the six world regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its latest weekly update. In the Southeast Asia region, hot spots include India, Indonesia, and Thailand. In the Middle East, levels are on the rise in Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. And in the Western Pacific, numbers are up Singapore, Japan, and South Korea." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/quick-takes-cdc-head-resigns-mixed-global-covid-picture-us-rise-newer-subvariants

WHO ends COVID-19 public health emergency, warns of continued health threat "The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) put in place on January 30, 2020, a move that its director-general said is cause for celebration and reflection—but warned it doesn't mean the pandemic is over. ... "However, that does not mean that COVID-19 is over as a global health threat," he added. "Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every 3 minutes, and that's just the deaths we know about. As we speak, thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units, and millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post–COVID-19 condition." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/who-ends-covid-19-public-health-emergency-warns-continued-health-threat

I want to comment on the amazingly long commitment Joe made to this forum and his immeasurable contribution of time on behalf of fellow forum members. I don't know exactly when he started... but..... While some others have been here longer than me, I first became aware of the forum about 20 years ago, and it was thru Joe and his visa/immigration related advice and posts... And here he was 20 years later, still providing such an invaluable service to the forum and its members. His truly was a contribution of epic scale and consequence.

More than two weeks have passed now since this apparent murder-suicide occurred..... and this case seems to have dropped off the face of the earth in terms of follow-up news coverage. Unless I missed it somehow/somewhere, I haven't seen news reports of any follow-up police investigation to substantiate what seems to have been the widely speculated outcome... that the son of a former high ranking Army official shot and killed his GF (or ex GF) before killing himself. Nor does there seem to have been much public follow-up on how the guy involved managed to have access to so many guns, or how he obtained the weapon used in the shooting, which prior news reports claimed was registered to his father. Although, there were several TH news reports in the couple days after the shooting stating what appears to be the obvious. 2023-04-21 18:27:36 On April 21, from the death of Ms. Supitcha or Gigi, 19 years old, after she was shot dead by Miss Phumiphat Chaiwanichaya or Ikkyu. And the perpetrator shot himself to death in a luxury condo in the Asoke area, which was the last of the relatives of both parties. brought the bodies of both of them to perform charity https://www.archyde.com/bodies-of-ms-supitcha-and-ikkyu-brought-to-temple-for-charity-the-truth-behind-the-abhidhamma-prayer-ceremony/ There was some speculation immediately after the shootings that the father might have some legal liability for the handling of the firearm involved... But that issue seems to have died a quick death... Even though the son involved was too young to legally possess a gun in Thailand. "Under Thai law, it is mandatory for all individuals to obtain authorization prior to the possession, manufacturing, using, selling, purchase, ordering, and importation of firearms." ... You are not allowed to bring a gun with you into a city, neighborhood, or public areas without a license for carrying one on you. ... Thai law requires that you must be at least 20 years of age in order to apply for a license." http://thailawforum.com/database1/thailand-gun-law.html The shooter was variously reported to be either 18 or 19 years of age.

WOW.... so sad.... But a good reminder, as Joe did, to make the most of the time you have here in this world, and to be of service to others. RIP Joe.

New COVID hospitalizations in Thailand for last week (1,811) were up 10-fold compared with the start of April. https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos Both Malaysia and the Philippines are now facing rising case counts, and COVID crowded hospitals in Malaysia. Covid-19 rise tests Malaysia hospitals as Philippines reopens wards Updated May 4, 2023 KUALA LUMPUR – Rising Covid-19 cases are threatening to strain Malaysia’s crowded hospitals and the Philippines reopened its coronavirus treatment wards amid a surge in South-east Asia, underscoring the need for governments to adjust to the disease’s ebb and flow in a world now living with the virus. More than 70 per cent of government hospital beds in Malaysia were occupied as at April 29, up more than 20 percentage points from a week earlier, and the authorities have appealed to anyone testing positive to abide by a mandated seven-day quarantine in an effort to stem the pressure on its medical system. " https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/covid-19-rise-tests-malaysia-hospitals-as-philippines-reopens-wards