TallGuyJohninBKK

Apparently, it's still just a given nickname, not an official name for the variant.... "Now, Honey used the name “Arcturus.” But, remember, that name ain’t official, just like “Kraken” and “Orthus” names of earlier emerging subvariants weren’t official either. It’s just that the continued use of letter and number combos that sound more like Star Wars droids has made it more difficult for the general public to keep track of these different Omicron subvariants. That’s prompted folks on social media to create and use their own unofficial nicknames, to grin and bear it in a way. “Arcturus” is actually a Latinized version of the ancient Greek name Arktouros, which means “Guardian of the Bear,” https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/04/16/xbb116-arcturus-is-new-covid-19-variant-under-monitoring-by-the-who/?sh=4291f5d74224 If you look thru the WHO's documents, you'll still see just XBB.1.15 and XBB.1.16, etc.

Actual death figures are likely to be higher than confirmed deaths "What we know is the number of confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 to date. Limited testing and challenges in the attribution of the cause of death means that the number of confirmed deaths may not be an accurate count of the actual number of deaths from COVID-19. In an ongoing outbreak the final outcomes – death or recovery – for all cases is not yet known. The time from symptom onset to death ranges from 2 to 8 weeks for COVID-19.5This means that some people who are currently infected with COVID-19 will die at a later date. " https://ourworldindata.org/covid-deaths#deaths-from-covid-19-background The official death numbers are acknowledged by pretty much all the experts involved as an UNDERCOUNT -- not an overcount.

Here's what XBB.1.16 COVID has done for India since the start of 2023: The latest daily new cases number was 12,000+. The chart below stops at April 18. The latest daily deaths number for India is 42. The chart below stops at April 18. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/india

7 million dead "officially" from COVID, and the projected actual numbers more in the 15-20 million range... And that's what you have to say???

India is reporting plenty of all of the above, and XBB1.16 is the primary variant there... So it's reasonable to assume it's a large part of their illness and deaths tallies. "Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Director Dr SK Sarin, while speaking to NDTV, said that traces of the XBB.1.16 variant have been found in at least 98 per cent of the samples taken from COVID-19 patients in New Delhi." https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-covid-variant-xbb116-leads-to-spike-in-cases-know-its-symptoms-and-precautions-580026 FWIW, I don't really care whether it's XBB.1.16 or some other variant of COVID that's killing people and making them sick. It's still COVID, anyway you cut it. And THAT'S what should be of concern. not nitpicking which of dozens of variants is involved in any given case. If people are dead from COVID, they're dead from COVID, period. No bonus point for this or that variant being involved.

You can play visual games with charts all you want. But the news report above clearly says that India reported 42 new COVID deaths just in the latest day... And although India certainly is a large country, 42 deaths a day and 12,000+ new daily COVID cases would be enough to concern most right-thinking people.

India has been at the forefront of the XBB.1.16 outbreak.... Covid Live News Updates: India records 12,193 new cases and 42 deaths "Covid Live News Updates: India has recorded 12,193 fresh Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, with the number of active cases of the infection going up to 67,556, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 5,31,300 with 42 more fatalities, including 10 reconciled by Kerala." Context: India asks states to ramp up testing as COVID-19 cases climb MUMBAI, April 7 (Reuters) - India's federal government asked states to identify emergency hotspots and ramp up-testing for COVID-19, after the country recorded its highest daily case count since September, a Reuters tally showed on Friday. There were 6,050 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the federal health ministry said on Friday, continuing a sharp upward trend since a lull last year." https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-asks-states-ramp-up-testing-covid-19-cases-climb-2023-04-07/ India: Covid variant XBB1.16 leads to spike in cases. Updated: Apr 07, 2023 "India is recording a steep increase in COVID-19 cases every day with 6,050 fresh cases reported on Friday, marking a 13 per cent increase from 5,335 cases that were recorded on Thursday. The abrupt increase in India's Covid graph is due to the spread of Omicron variant XBB.1.16, according to the experts. Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 is being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO)." ... Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Director Dr SK Sarin, while speaking to NDTV, said that traces of the XBB.1.16 variant have been found in at least 98 per cent of the samples taken from COVID-19 patients in New Delhi. https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-covid-variant-xbb116-leads-to-spike-in-cases-know-its-symptoms-and-precautions-580026

XBB.1.16 is still a small but growing share of the different COVID variants circulating in Thailand. But Omicron overall is definitely making people sick and putting them in hospitals, as has previously been much reported here... reports you seem to choose to ignore. "Department director-general Tharet Krutnairawiwong said 435 patients were admitted to hospital for treatment of Covid-19 between April 9 and 15, about 62 cases per day. Of the number, 30 had lung inflammation and 19 were put on ventilators, up 58% and 36% respectively, from the previous week." The same weekly report cited 2 additional COVID deaths for Thailand, but didn't specify what variant was involved... not that it matters greatly.... Dead from COVID is still dead from COVID. https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40026704

Or it could more likely be that Thailand's number of COVID hospitalizations more than doubled to an average of 62 PER DAY earlier this month, compared to the week before... And probably will go higher still when last week's latest numbers are soon released.

It doesn't take a very large "minority" to end up with a lot of COVID sick people and hospitalizations. It's not the "majority" I'm most concerned about. Gone away, no longer an issue??? "A COVID-19 outbreak in staff and patients at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rose Medical Center in California has prompted new masking rules, hospital officials announced this week, according to the local newspaper. The policy applies to visitors, doctors, and staff." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/who-elevates-xbb116-variant-interest-levels-rise-us-and-other-countries "More than a dozen hospital workers at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center, along with “some patients,” have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting new masking rules at the facility, hospital officials said." https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/covid-19-outbreak-reported-at-kaiser-santa-rosa-hospital-local-health-offi/

WHO elevates XBB.1.16 to variant of interest as levels rise in US and other countries The World Health Organization (WHO) this week boosted the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant to a variant of interest (VOI) from a variant under monitoring (VUM), based on the latest assessments from its technical advisory group on virus evolution. The subvariant is fueling India's biggest surge in about 7 months, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported another jump in the proportion of XBB.1.16 viruses. ... Its growth advantage and immune escape properties suggest that XBB.1.16 may spread globally and trigger increases and cases, but so far, there is no evidence that it causes more severe disease. The WHO said an initial risk assessment is under way and will be published in the coming days." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/who-elevates-xbb116-variant-interest-levels-rise-us-and-other-countries

The general COVID situation in many places is a lot better now than what it was in past years, both in case counts and in terms of severity of illness. There's no denying that, and I never have. But that's a far cry difference from people coming on here and claiming COVID is gone and no longer is a health risk to people at large, which is simply false and ignorant. It may not be a high risk to otherwise healthy, younger people. But it's still a potential risk, if you end up being one of the unlucky ones. And frankly, whether in the U.S. or here in Thailand, the majority of the overall population certainly has various of the chronic medical conditions that put them at higher risk from COVID -- things like being overweight (U.S.), diabetes/high blood sugar (Thailand), liver disease (Thailand), etc etc.

Don't have the time for that, though I applaud your effort and talent!

If you dig into the details of those kinds of reports from ThaiPAN, there's also a big variation in the found pesticide levels here based on the type of vegetable. Some of the Thai local items like Thai red bird chilis were very bad, whereas other types like, if I recall cucumbers, were much less problematic. BTW, one of the issues I also have with Foodland, and some others like Makro, is that some of their fresh produce is grown in and imported from China, which is a no-go issue for me.

For starters, they're totally lacking in any selection of decent salsas, whereas Villa carries a wide range of locally produced good brands like El Sapo and El Charro.

This is very good news for U.S. expats who might at some points want or need to be returning to the U.S. and using those trips as an opportunity to catch up on COVID vaccinations or other COVID medical treatments, which tend to be more widely available and accessible in the U.S. vs Thailand. Some, like retired U.S. military folks, may have government/U.S. health insurance that would cover such things back in the U.S. even if the federal government hadn't launched the abovementioned program. But I'm guessing many other U.S. expats here may not have regular U.S. health insurance coverage, even if they might have have domestic coverage for Thailand. $1.1B program will keep COVID-19 vaccines, treatments free for uninsured in US "HHS announced a $1.1 billion program to keep COVID-19 vaccines and treatments free for uninsured people once the public health and national emergencies end next month in the United States. The HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments is a public-private partnership to maintain access to COVID-19 care at pharmacies, local health centers and through other public health infrastructure for people without insurance. ... CDC plans to establish contracts with pharmacies providing a per-dose payment to facilitate vaccinations and treatments, including Paxlovid and Lagevrio, at no cost for uninsured people. (more) https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230419/11b-program-will-keep-covid19-vaccines-treatments-free-for-uninsured-in-us

Not knowing the workings of his particular Immigration office, but if needed, he could also consider humbly offering to pay a "fine" of some modest amount to make up for the financial boo-boo. You never know...

As usual, I think DrJack has given good suggestions for options above... I'll just add, my impression from past cases reported here is that Immigration in general seems to have been pretty unforgiving when it has come to even brief lapses in meeting the financial requirement for retirement extensions... The OP certainly isn't the first soul to have fallen afoul of this thru various kinds of mishaps. Not saying he and the wife shouldn't try to persuade their local Immigration chief or at least give it a try.... But in the past, the odds of such things succeeding don't seem to have been very good.

Strange how the Thaiger article above fully names the now-deceased gun nut suspect, and states the obvious that he likely shot and killed his ex-GF before shooting himself. The ThaiPBS article, on the other hand, strangely says the guy has only been identified by his first name, which is ridiculously false, since he's been fully named since the very beginning. And makes no mention at all of who likely shot who -- afraid to step on the Army's toes, I wonder? Meanwhile, the plot thickens even further with the disclosure that the handgun used in the shooting supposedly belongs to the shooter's father, a former high ranking Army major general. Anyone want to lay odds on the likelihood that the Thai police will end up finding the father won't be held legally responsible for allowing the son access to the gun?

Perhaps I've never gotten COVID (AFAIK) because I've always taken sensible precautions and followed the prevailing public health guidance on things like: --wearing an N95 mask when close around any others --trying to follow social distancing when out and around other people --getting fully vaccinated and boosted, including with the latest bivalent vaccine --using hand gels and soaps at home to regularly clean hands after being outside etc etc etc. I also haven't had the flu or a cold since the duration of the pandemic. So I fail to see what's so difficult for some people to take sensible precautions to protect their own health and the health of those around them. And, if I HAD had COVID before, I'd probably double down on all of the above, because even if I got it once, I'd certainly prefer not to get it multiple times and thus multiply my risks. AND, FWIW, COVID hasn't been just, to use your words, "any other disease," considering that in places like the U.S. it's been within the top 3 causes of death of any kind at many points since the start of the pandemic.... far more fatalities than the flu, colds, and most other maladies.

The problem with your comment is, while the odds of having bad health outcomes with Omicron COVID certainly DO weigh toward those who are older and/or have other chronic health problems, that doesn't meant other healthy people are entirely immune. For example: "infections remain a threat to vulnerable populations — and occasionally to otherwise healthy people. “There are still people who are getting wicked sick,” said Libby Hohmann, an infectious-disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. She cited two covid patients she’d recently seen in the intensive care unit — “both vaccinated and near death,” with one immunocompromised patient in their 60s dealing with infection from another pathogen, too, and a second patient in their 30s who was previously healthy but suddenly fighting heart failure." https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/04/16/covid-deaths-per-day/ I'd prefer to NOT spin the COVID roulette wheel with my health.

This is the EN translation of the Thai message on the former IOD webpage for making COVID vaccine appointments: "Closing the vaccination queue booking system You can get a walk-in vaccination service at Floor 12A, Institute of Dermatology Date 8,10,11,12 April 2023 (Last day of service 12 April) Time 9.00-15.00" https://covid19.iod.go.th/vaccine/

Had you filed any recent (or any prior) TM30 for your current home... before making the recent hotel stay that triggered this problem with Immigration? The supposed policy at BKK CW for TM30 for people on annual extensions like retirement or marriage is that they are NOT required to file new TM30s for their existing residence, even if they make domestic or international travel trips -- as long as they're coming back to their previously TM30-reported same residence. So, had you done a prior TM30 for your current home? As quoted by @Maestro above: "2.2 After a householder, owner or possessor of dwelling place or hotel manager already made a notification according to 2.1, then the alien goes to occasionally stay somewhere else and return to stay at the original place within the notified period of stay that has not yet ended, such householder, owner or possessor of dwelling place or hotel manager is not required to make a notification again."

Or they're just not looking for / testing for them... Cambodia was never particularly strong on actually testing for cases in its domestic population, although they did for a time with incoming international travelers. The public health system there is miles behind someplace like Thailand in terms of funding and capability. And the PM there was an early COVID denier. But all of that is off-topic for this thread about Thailand. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-the-notorious-nine-these-world-leaders-responded-to-the-coronavirus/

Pretty funny you, of all people, quoting the China Daily as your source... And relying on advice from the Chinese government on how COVID-related things should be!!!