TallGuyJohninBKK

FWIW, got my new affidavit of freedom to marry from the US Embassy/Consulate in BKK today -- $50 USD for the affidavit, and another $50 to certify a copy of my US passport, which is being required by the khet (amphur office) we're dealing with in Bangkok. No witnesses required at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, as reported above, just me. Entire process once inside took about a half hour, no problems. A couple added points: 1. In the past, they used to have one type of affidavit form if you were marrying for the first time, and then a second, added form if you previously had been divorced somewhere/anywhere. Nowadays, they've combined those previously two forms into a single affidavit that covers both first-timers and repeat marryers. Also, the Embassy/Consulate doesn't ask to see any legal documentation of any prior divorce, although the amphur/khet office might ask when you go to register the new marriage. 2. The BKK Embassy/Consulate these days seems to have a somewhat peculiar scheduling system for notarial services.... I first started looking online just before mid-Jan., and wasn't able to book ANY appointment for ANY date for almost two week until a couple days ago, when I was finally able to get one for Jan. 31/today. So in essence, they seem (and confirmed this over the phone) to only be making a new set of appointments available at the very end of each month for the following month... And once those are booked up (which this past month occurred before mid-January), they apparently won't make any more available until the next month's cycle. Thus, from mid January to almost the end of the month, it was impossible to book ANY notarial services appointment for ANY data via their online system -- even though during the same period there were numerous passport-related appointments still open and available. But they don't seem willing to repurpose those, when the notarial appointment slots run out.... Just fyi.... so if you know you'll need a notarial services appointment upcoming, start looking especially toward the end of the month for appointments listed for the ensuing month. Their notarial appointments system right now doesn't go any further out that one month at a time.

Yes.... "foreign residents such as businesspeople, workers, and diplomats, as well as their family members, can still receive free vaccination." https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/posts/pfbid0oDDbWRVWdcdytcjNMhStWoQj3xnS3iuhjjQRUF3TKqCMDgRXsReGkaPgmsNAgihHl

This is one of the last public, national COVID vaccination rate chart issued by the Thai MoPH for Sept 29 2022 before they ceased routinely reporting that data. As I said, less than 80% being two-dose "fully vaccinated" -- meaning there's still a lot of non-"fully vaccinated" Thais wandering around. And less than half of the population got to the point of being 3-dose boosted, at least as of the date of this report.

You're entitled to your opinion, but frankly, neither you nor I have any idea on the point, because the government no longer releases the current data... Though, IIRC, one of the government's final detailed vaccination reports only showed the national two-dose vaccination rate at less than 80%, meaning more than 20% of the population never even got to the two-dose point, which would suggest your claim above is likely wrong. And these days.... the term "fully vaccinated" itself is pretty meaningless... because it's typically used to mean the person got just TWO original vaccine doses, which may have been given in many cases more than a year ago.... And for Thais, a lot of those two original vaccinations may have been the early-on Thai issued Chinese Sinovac or Sinopharm non-mRNA varieties, which have been shown to be less protective than their mRNA counterparts.

Most of it is false and unsubstantiated rubbish misinformation. You have far more to worry about from getting sick/ill from COVID than you do from getting a COVID vaccine that largely prevents serious COVID illness.

Meanwhile, the latest weekly update from the Thai MoPH on new COVID deaths and new COVID cases (which in the government's current scheme, means new COVID hospitalizations, since they no longer publicly track just COVID infections): Officially, 196 new COVID deaths since the start of the calendar year, and 3,065 COVID hospitalizations. The government no longer publicly reports either the ages of the cases/deaths or their vaccination status. https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/posts/pfbid0hbSk36ku9WGi4zJpHL4PXsd9Cp9UWaA99q9Zx5hmAuHUeEGXatn5qFZYG5CzRT5Gl

fyi.... update today from the Thai government's PR folks on the various tourist vaccine locations: PS - the Pfizer doses mentioned here are the original version, not the newer bivalent version that's not available in Thailand at present. COVID-19 vaccination available for foreign tourists nationwide COVID-19 vaccination centers for foreign tourists are currently open in various areas in Bangkok, including Bang Rak Medical Center in Bang Rak district, the Institute for Urban Disease Control and Prevention in Bang Khen district, the Institute of Dermatology, Rajavithi Hospital, Lerdsin Hospital, and Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital. Centers are open in other popular tourism provinces such as Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Phuket, and Songkhla. The prices of vaccines are 800 baht for a vaccination of AstraZeneca, and 1,000 baht for a vaccination of Pfizer. Another 380-baht medical service fee is on top of the jab cost, while foreign residents such as businesspeople, workers, and diplomats, as well as their family members, can still receive free vaccination. https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/posts/pfbid0oDDbWRVWdcdytcjNMhStWoQj3xnS3iuhjjQRUF3TKqCMDgRXsReGkaPgmsNAgihHl

No, it's not.... not as far as the WHO is concerned, not as far as the U.S. CDC is concerned. Not yet. WHO says Covid-19 remains a global health emergency, but pandemic is at a ‘transition point’ https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/health/who-covid-public-health-emergency/index.html AND Biden intends to end Covid-19 and public health emergencies on May 11 https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/may-11-end-of-covid-and-public-health-emergencies/index.html So if any U.S. folks here are thinking about trips back to the U.S. that would include getting the free bivalent vaccines being offered there by the federal government that aren't available in Thailand for now, better plan on doing so prior to May 11... Because after that, unless something changes in the meantime, recipients will either need U.S. health insurance coverage or have to pay out of pocket.

It's indeed true that SOME of the very early studies (based mostly on blood serum levels only) done on the newer bivalent vaccines raised questions about whether they were more effective, and-or meaningfully more effective than the original mRNA vaccines in protecting against the currently circulating COVID virus strains. However, as the bivalent vaccines have rolled out and come into broader use around the world, there have been numerous studies reported more recently that consistently show the bivalent vaccine CLEARLY and substantially outperforms the original vaccine against currently circulating versions of the virus. Some of those studies are also blood serum studies, but others more recently are instead real-world follow-up comparisons (old vs new vaccines) looking at what actually happened with vaccinated people post vaccination. Here's a sampling of those, as reported earlier this week: COVID bivalent booster appears to offer added benefits against Omicron January 28, 2023 A trio of new studies concludes that the COVID-19 bivalent (two-strain) vaccine booster offers added protection against infection with the Omicron and its major subvariants and against severe illness. ... [In one study] Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe infection resulting in hospitalization 15 to 99 days after receipt of one monovalent booster dose was 25.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.2% to 44.2%), and the corresponding VE for a bivalent booster dose was 58.7% (95% CI, 43.7% to 69.8%). ... In a UNC at Chapel Hill press release, senior author Zack Moore, MD, MPH, state epidemiologist at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said that the increased VE in the study shows why it's important for people to get the bivalent booster, even if they originally received one monovalent dose. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-bivalent-booster-appears-offer-added-benefits-against-omicron The full article above lays out all the details and vaccine comparisons in the three cited studies. I'd offer more details here about those, but am limited of how much I can quote by the forum's fair use quoting policies.

People should remember, Thailand also was slow and behind the curve in administering the original mRNA vaccines against COVID... at a time when they were already being used for the publics in the U.S., UK and elsewhere. Thailand originally put its vaccine eggs in the Chinese produced Sinovac and Sinopharm vaxes (marginal), as well as later the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine....for well-known and obvious reasons... And what's become of all those three vaccines these days? Left behind in the dust. Right now, Thailand is repeating the ill-advised vaccine policy decisions that characterized their original go-round with this... But last time, they ended up getting bailed out in part by the original mRNA vaccines donated to Thailand by the U.S. and others. This time, there's no indication I've seen anywhere thus far that 2nd gen mRNA vax donations are coming Thailand's way... And there's currently no public indication that Thailand on its own is planning to acquire the newer vaccines. Thailand's leaders are great at spending government funds on things that end up benefiting them or those around them. But not so much when they're not directly benefiting and it's just the common Thai citizen who stands to benefit, as history here has shown.

Your above comment is not factually correct, although vaccinations in the U.S. are heading in that general direction (that is, the newer bivalent vaccines replacing the original versions of the COVID vaccines). A U.S. FDA advisory panel just this past week RECOMMENDED phasing out the original COVID vaccine versions in favor of using the newer bivalent vaccine formulations for ALL future vaccinations, not just as boosters after the original version vaccines were used as the first and second doses, which is the current U.S. policy. However, for right now, that's just a RECOMMENDATION in the U.S., and the original versions of the vaccines are still available and being used right now.... although that may not be lasting for much longer into the future. CNBC had a good article on the FDA panel's recommendation, which still has to be acted on by the FDA agency and then by the U.S. CDC before the change can come into effect: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/26/fda-advisors-recommend-using-covid-omicron-shots-for-all-doses.html

The effectiveness of the COVID vaccine doses wane (lessen) after several months post-injection, especially against merely being infected, although the protection against severe disease and death is more long lasting. There's really no such thing as "fully vaccinated" any more... although that was a term used in the early going. Not to mention, you were "fully vaccinated" with the original version of the COVID vaccines that weren't designed to fully counter the currently circulating, newly emerged COVID virus variants like BA5 and XBB, because those didn't exist back then at the outset of the pandemic.

I've used a couple cans of Nivea bought on Lazada lately... Although I generally prefer shaving gels from the U.S., I thought the Nivea foam gave a comfortable shave and was fine, despite being pretty pricey.

The original version of the mRNA COVID vaccines is headed toward being entirely replaced in the U.S. by the newer bivalent versions: A key FDA advisory panel voted to use the same formulation for all COVID-19 vaccinations. "The Food and Drug Administration’s independent vaccine advisory committee voted unanimously on Thursday in favor of having all COVID-19 vaccines in the United States use the same formulation as the two-strain updated [bivalent] boosters. This change would make vaccination less confusing to both patients and healthcare workers, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) said. The committee voted 21-to-0 to direct vaccine makers Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax to update the primary series of their vaccines — the initial doses that people receive — to match the updated bivalent booster doses which target both the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and a newer Omicron strain. (more) https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid-19-vaccine-key-fda-panel-recommends-annual-updated-shots

The "vaccines for tourists" program being implemented by the Thai government, I believe, is one where the tourists would be charged for the original (and now heading toward obsolete) version of the original COVID mRNA vaccine, and NOT the newer bivalent version of the vaccines that Thailand has yet to acquire. And also unlike the original government vaccine rollout that gave donated supplies of the original mRNA vaccines to long-term expats for free.

This study below by the U.S. CDC is one of the two summarized in the above news report and post: January 25, 2023 CDC publishes first estimates of bivalent boosters’ effectiveness against XBB.1.5 The CDC for the first time has estimated how effective the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines have been against the newest dominant omicron subvariant of SARS-CoV-2. The subvariant, XBB.1.5, which has been described as the most transmissible SARS-CoV-2 subvariant yet, was responsible for around 49% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States last week, according to CDC tracking. ... Although prior studies have shown that the bivalent boosters have provided added protection against symptomatic COVID-19 and reduced the risk for severe outcomes from the disease compared with receiving two to four doses of monovalent mRNA vaccines, only around 15% of the eligible U.S. population has received one of the shots, according to CDC tracking. Poster's note: Note that the above protection levels against the XBB variant are based on protection against the very common/routine COVID infection with any symptoms, and not measuring against the more rare and severe COVID with hospitalization or death, where the vaccines usually provide even higher levels of protection. (more) https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230125/cdc-publishes-first-estimates-of-bivalent-boosters-effectiveness-against-xbb15

Two new studies paint encouraging picture of Covid-19 vaccine’s performance Two new studies published Wednesday report good news about the updated Covid-19 vaccine, with one suggesting it is more effective than the previous monovalent vaccine and the other showing that even though it targeted an earlier strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its protection is holding up against current variants. The findings suggest the updated vaccine, which targets both the original SARS-2 virus and the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, is performing better than some critics of the decision to update the vaccine concluded, based on studies that only compared the levels of neutralizing antibodies each induced. ... “It’s clear from this study that the bivalent booster, in that short term following administration, provides additional protection above and beyond that of the monovalent,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy. (more) https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/25/updated-covid-19-booster-still-providing-strong-protection-against-newer-variants-cdc-study-finds/

Tone deaf Thailand -- The U.S. is likely headed toward totally discontinuing use of the original COVID vaccines and making all future vaccinations (for now) the newer bivalent variety: FDA advisors recommend replacing original Covid vaccine with bivalent omicron shots for all doses The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisory committee on Thursday recommended replacing Pfizer and Moderna’s original Covid vaccine used in the U.S. for everyone’s first two immunizations with the new bivalent omicron shots. If the FDA accepts the advisors’ recommendation, the U.S. would likely phase out the companies’ vaccines developed in 2020 against the original Covid-19 strain that emerged in Wuhan, China. Instead, the drugmakers’ bivalent omicron shots that target the omicron BA.5 subvariant as well as the original strain would be used for the entire vaccination series. (more) https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/26/fda-advisors-recommend-using-covid-omicron-shots-for-all-doses.html

The Thai government had talked last year about plans to acquire the newer bivalent vaccines for use by early 2023... But those plans appear to have fallen by the way. And from the various reports here, there have been no public statements or news reports with any promised availability for Thailand...at least thus far.

It varies some from year to year... And last year was better in general than the years before, perhaps in part because of lower activity of all sorts during the pandemic. But in general, for Thailand, the worst air season typically starts around November-December and then continues into the first couple months of the new year. Look at where the red and orange high PM2.5 pollution levels fall on the following historical chart for Bangkok, which breaks out the readings by month and year. https://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/

Here's a look at the Thailand wide picture as of today. Lots of red/bad air out there.... though the past couple days, the levels have been worse overnight and in the mornings, and then eased in the afternoons. https://aqicn.org/country/thailand/ The graphic below shows the hourly readings for Bangkok for yesterday and today: https://aqicn.org/snapshot/bangkok/20230124-12/ PS - The AQICN.org charts above use the U.S./international PM2.5 pollution scale and color codings.... not the more lenient Thai government ones.

More bad air today for BKK: https://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/ The other thing to note is that Thailand's above 50 micrograms threshold for PM2.5 pollution reaching the "unhealthy for sensitive people" is artificially high.... In the U.S. and elsewhere, for example, the threshold for unhealthy for sensitive people air pollution is 35.5 micrograms of PM2.5. It's the same as having a higher blood alcohol level before you declare someone guilty of DUI. By having a higher air pollution trigger threshold, Thailand avoids having to declare pollution alerts that would be declared elsewhere.

See below: https://www.crevelingandcreveling.com/blog/american-expats-dont-get-caught-us-tax-rules-foreign-investments American Expats: Don’t Get Caught by U.S. Tax Rules on Foreign Investments What Is a PFIC? This covers virtually all foreign mutual funds, money market funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, pension funds, and other investment products incorporated outside the United States and distributed by foreign financial institutions or sold by independent financial advisors (IFAs) or brokers. ... Unlike U.S.-incorporated mutual funds, where capital gains are deferred until realized and which are subject to preferential long-term capital gains rates, PFICs are subject to a particularly punitive taxation regime by default (unless you actively choose the “mark-to-market” accounting method outlined below). ... As a result, annualized tax rates on PFIC income can exceed 50% or more. ... most Americans who invest in PFICs are unaware of their different treatment and tend to report and pay tax on their foreign investments as they would an investment in a U.S. domestic fund, which could open them up to penalties, back taxes, and interest charges."

If you've been following the news, you'll notice that a couple of cities in Italy recently were COVID testing incoming Chinese arrivals at their airports, and anywhere from 25% to nearly 50% of them were testing positive for COVID upon arrival. Nearly a quarter of travelers flying out of China after ‘zero COVID’ lift were positive for the disease, new report reveals https://fortune.com/well/2023/01/17/nearly-a-quarter-travelers-from-china-covid-postive-lifting-zero-covid-cdc-who-omicron-italy-study-restrictions/ Nearly half of passengers from China to Milan have COVID: Italian officials https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3790837-nearly-half-of-passengers-from-china-to-milan-have-covid-italian-officials/ And then beyond that, lately after prodding and pressure from the WHO and others, the Chinese government recently altered their official cumulative count of Chinese COVID deaths since they dropped restrictions in early December. Their original official number of 37 COVID related deaths now suddenly has been revised upward to nearly 60,000 during a month-plus period of time. China says 60,000 people have died of Covid since early December (CNN) - Close to 60,000 people have died of Covid in China since the country abruptly abandoned its tight “zero-Covid” policy in early December, a medical official from the National Health Commission (NHC) told a press conference in Beijing on Saturday. Jiao Yahui, head of the NHC’s medical affairs department, said China recorded 59,938 Covid-related death between December 8 and January 12. Of those deaths 5,503 came from respiratory failure caused by Covid infections, and 54,435 were people infected with Covid as well as underlying diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. ... In the month after December 8, China reported only 37 deaths from local Covid cases, according to figures released on the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website – even as the outbreak has overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums amid apparent Covid surges in multiple cities. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/14/china/china-covid-deaths-intl/index.html Welcome to Thailand, folks!

More than 13.2 BILLION COVID vaccine doses have been given thus far since the start of the pandemic. And those doses have resulted in more than 5 BILLION people worldwide being "fully vaccinated," based on the particular vaccine/vaccines they were given. Those are pretty good sized pools for knowing just what the current COVID vaccines are about. https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=OWID_WRL