TallGuyJohninBKK

Crime Prevention??? Crime Promotion!!!

Newly reported COVID cases declined slightly but remained above the 28,000 mark for a second straight day on Saturday, as Thailand set new yearly highs for new COVID deaths (96) and active COVID cases (255,795). Thailand's 2022 Omicron wave entered April showing no signs of relenting, as Saturday's update also set new yearly highs for COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation to breathe (735) and cases in various alternate care arrangements other than hospitals (190,852). The 28,029 new official cases tally was a slight drop from Friday's year high 28,379 total, but nonetheless was Thailand's second highest official new cases tally of 2022. The 96 newly reported COVID deaths surpassed the prior yearly high of 92 also set Friday, and became Thailand's second consecutive day of new COVID deaths exceeding the 90 mark. Saturday's new tally of 255,795 active COVID cases under care passed the prior yearly high of 251,936 set last Sunday. The yearly high 190,852 COVID cases in alternate care arrangements broke the prior yearly high of 188,463 from last Monday. In other updates, the 735 COVID patients requiring intubation broke the prior yearly high of 713 set Thursday. Also, total COVID cases hospitalized in serious condition declined by one to 1,827 on Saturday from Friday's yearly high of 1,828. Overall, most of the key statistics reported Saturday marked increases from their comparable numbers from one week ago -- new daily cases, new daily deaths, total active cases, and patients hospitalized in serious condition. Official COVID case counts are at best a low-end approximation in Thailand, where many cases go unreported, and are subject to typical upward swings during the week and declines during weekend periods, although serious hospitalization figures are likely a more reliable indicator of current COVID trends. For added context, during the peak of the Delta wave last fall, Thailand's daily COVID case count topped out at 23,418, but the numbers of serious hospital cases and intubated patients peaked above 5,600 and 1,100 respectively, and daily deaths topped 300 for a brief period. https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/533783971573265 https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

It's a very small share of people who have been triple vaxed who end up dying from COVID. But it's a vastly smaller share than the deaths of people with just two shots (many more) and the unvaccinated (many many more) in terms of share. In Thailand, right now, day to day, more than 90% of the daily COVID deaths are occurring in people who have not received their third shot booster dose, meaning those deaths were people who'd had only two, one or no shots.

Because even if there are many more COVID cases that are never officially reported, their tally of deaths out of reported cases still is a legitimate indicator of the CFR death rate. Even if the real case count were 4 times higher, there's no particular reason to assume that the "death rate" for that larger number of cases would be substantially different than the rate for the cases they do count. Official COVID deaths (like cases in Thailand) also are widely considered to be a significant undercount to what the real toll of COVID deaths have been.

Case fatality rate this year 0.25% Cumulative case fatality rate 0.69% Case fatality rate is share of deaths vs total numbers of official COVID cases https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/533203554964640/?type=3

National vaccine update today: Two doses vaccinated: 72.3% Three doses vaccinated: 34.1% https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/533203864964609/?type=3 Age 60 and above vaccinations Two doses: 79.3% Three doses: 36.2% https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/533203971631265/?type=3 For those who haven't been paying attention, two doses only doesn't provide much protection against Omicron. That third booster dose -- where Thailand is only in the mid 30% range of vaccinations -- is what's really required to best protect against Omicron.

MoPH breakdown of the 92 new COVID deaths reported today: --50 males, 42 females --89 Thais, 1 each from Sweden, the United States and Myanmar (second day in a row of an American death) --Median age of 76, with range from 11 months to age 97 --68 of the deaths (74%) were age 60 or older --18 of the deaths (19%) were under age 60 with chronic conditions --6 of the deaths (7%) were under age 60 with no known chronic conditions Among the provinces, Bangkok and Lopburi had the most deaths with 7 each. https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/533203564964639/?type=3 Also, the past two week (March 19 to April 1) key COVID stats look from the Thai MoPH: The red text at the bottom of the far right graph says 87 of the 92 new deaths reported today had NOT taken a COVID vaccine booster dose. The rest of the chart from left to right: 14-day average of daily new COVID cases, serious COVID hospitalizations, COVID cases intubated, and daily new COVID deaths. https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/533203684964627/?type=3

I see the Thai MoPH has produced a nice 3 minute PR video, with EN subtitles, encouraging locals to get their COVID vaccines ahead of the Songkran holiday:

Thailand on Friday reported an all-time record high of 28,379 new official COVID cases and 92 new COVID deaths, the latter setting a new 2022 yearly high for deaths. https://aseannow.com/topic/1255373-thailand-reports-record-high-of-28379-new-covid-19-cases-92-deaths-23843-recoveries/?do=findComment&comment=17280906 In my book, sensible people acknowledge when there are risks to their health and do what they can to minimize those risks.... instead of denying the risks or claiming they no longer exist.

Thailand on Friday reported an all-time record high of 28,379 new official COVID cases and 92 new COVID deaths, the latter setting a new 2022 yearly high for deaths. Friday's update by the Thai Ministry of Public Health marked the first time the country's official daily case count passed the 28,000 mark, and the first time this year that new daily COVID deaths exceeded 90. Friday's new COVID case count surpassed not only the prior 2022 record high of 27,560 set only yesterday, but also was Thailand's highest daily case tally since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The peak last year only exceeded 23,000. In addition, Friday's update also saw the country set a new 2022 record high of 1,828 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, passing the prior yearly record of 1,808 set yesterday. Total current COVID cases reported also rose markedly to 251,214, falling just shy of the 2022 record daily high of 251,936 set on March 27. In one other key indicator, no doubt because of Friday's yearly record number of new deaths, the count of COVID cases hospitalized and requiring intubation to breathe fell by one to 712, down from yesterday's yearly record high of 713. All the new yearly record highs reported on Friday also meant that daily new official cases, daily new deaths, total current cases, and seriously ill COVID cases in hospitals all were higher than the comparable figures from one week ago. Official COVID case counts are at best a low-end approximation in Thailand, where many cases go unreported, and are subject to typical upward swings during the week and declines during weekend periods, although serious hospitalization figures are likely a more reliable indicator of current COVID trends. For added context, during the peak of the Delta wave last fall, Thailand's daily COVID case count topped out at 23,418, but the numbers of serious hospital cases and intubated patients peaked above 5,600 and 1,100 respectively, and daily deaths topped 300 for a brief period. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

Ya, in their public documents and statements involving their daily COVID updates, the Thai MoPH has not been giving that more detailed kind of breakdown regarding deaths and vax status, AFAIK. I believe they may have done a one-time recap of that sort involving deaths at some prior point, but I don't have that at my fingertips to answer your question. Except to say.... the best medical/public health advice is that a third vax dose (a booster) is required to give the best protection against Omicron. The various studies that have been done show that two shots only do very poorly at preventing Omicron infections, and offer reduced protection against illness, particularly once the person gets 4+ months past their second shot.

S&P Global expects Russia-Ukraine insurance losses to hit $35B - Reuters "S&P Global is expecting losses in the specialty insurance market of $16B-35B due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a report. Specifically, aviation insurance losses could reach $6B-15B, with other specialty lines such as cyber, political risk and marine war insurance likely to be affected as well, Reuters noted, citing the ratings agency. "We believe it may take many years to settle the ultimate losses incurred by aircraft leasing companies, insurers, and reinsurers," S&P Global highlighted." https://seekingalpha.com/news/3819386-sp-global-expects-russia-ukraine-insurance-losses-to-hit-35b-reuters

Weblink And three weeks later... "Well , as luck would have it I tested positive on the day one PCR test, they moved me out of the test and go hotel and I am now incarcerated in a quarantine hotel for the next 7 days" AND Weblink Seems like it's not quite "over" yet...

The following was Thai MoPH's update on the details of today's 85 newly reported COVID deaths: --51 male, 34 female --84 Thais and 1 American --Median age 75, with a range from 22 to 92 years Of the 85, 69 were age 60 or older, another 15 were under age 60 but with chronic conditions, and one was under age 60 with no known chronic conditions. Bangkok province had 12 of the deaths, though Nakhon Si Thammarat and Ratchaburi provinces each reported eight. https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/532628738355455/?type=3

And highlights of the WHO's latest weekly COVID update: Global COVID cases ebb amid testing blind-spot worries ... "The five countries reporting the most cases were South Korea, Germany, Vietnam, France, and Italy. ... China's daily COVID-19 total spiked to 8,655 new cases today, though about 82% were asymptomatic and mostly from Shanghai, where much of the city is on lockdown, and mass testing is under way. ... In South Korea...Daily deaths reached their second highest level, and the number of critically ill patients rose to a record high." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/03/global-covid-cases-ebb-amid-testing-blind-spot-worries

I think that info has been coming from my daily updates on MoPH COVID deaths reporting.... And their day to day numbers have been running 90%+ -- more than 90% of the day to day COVID deaths lately have been UN-boosted. PS - today, the latest reported UN-boosted number was 84 out of 85 new COVID deaths (the red text in the bottom of the far right graph below). https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/532628655022130/?type=3

The U.S. now also has authorized fourth-shot COVID vaccine mRNA booster doses for those age 50 and older: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna win U.S. regulatory nod for second booster shot "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second booster shot of Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA) COVID-19 vaccines for those aged 50 years and older on Tuesday. The FDA clearance allows the use of a fourth dose of mRNA-based vaccines after at least four months from the first booster. “Emerging evidence suggests that a second booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine improves protection against severe COVID-19 and is not associated with new safety concerns,” the FDA said in a statement." (more) https://seekingalpha.com/news/3818472-pfizerbiontech-and-moderna-granted-fda-ok-for-second-booster-shot

To those of a certain conspiracy persuasion who think that influenza had somehow disappeared during the COVID pandemic, new data from the U.S. CDC is assuring you that you're wrong. The seasonal flu is chugging along, albeit at somewhat lower levels now compared to prior to the pandemic. Per the U.S. CDC: "Influenza activity is increasing in most of the country. ... The cumulative hospitalization rate in the FluSurv-NET system is higher than the rate for the entire 2020-2021 season, but lower than the rate seen at this time during the four seasons preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. ... CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 3.1 million flu illnesses, 31,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths from flu." In other words, the CDC is estimating about 1,800 flu deaths nationwide thus far this flu season -- which is equivalent to 2 to 3 DAYS worth of COVID deaths based on recent levels. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm COVID Deaths "The current 7-day moving average of new deaths (749) has decreased 29.5% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (1,063). As of March 23, 2022, a total of 972,550 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the United States." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

I have numerous U.S. debit cards, all of which I've sent from the U.S. to here over the years. I don't think any bank has EVER sent me a pre-activated debit card. They're always un-activated when sent, because if activated and the stolen in transit, debit cards can be used in swipe and sign mode to buy things without requiring any PIN or password. And usually, to activate a new debit card, you need to have/use the new debit card number as part of the activation process.... which you wouldn't normally have access to sitting here in Thailand waiting for your envelope to arrive. USPS First Class international mail is cheap to send a low-weight documents envelope, but there's little to no tracking once the item leaves the U.S. USPS Priority International is more expensive, very reliable and usually faster than regular first class international. And AFAIK, its tracking capability extends to Thailand. But the price might be not that different from a regular FedEx or DHL economy international envelope, depending on who's doing the pricing for those services. In all of the above cases, I think you'd just list the Customs info for the envelope as "documents" with little value, and they should arrive here without any grief.

Thailand on Thursday set new record highs for 2022 for newly reported COVID cases (27,560) and COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (1,808), along with 85 new COVID deaths. The updated numbers reported by the Ministry of Public Health meant Thailand passed its prior yearly highs for most daily cases, which had been 27,071 on March 18, and most serious COVID hospitalizations, which had been 1,748 set last Tuesday. In addition, Thailand on Thursday also set a new record high for the year of 713 COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation to breathe, passing the prior high of 691 also set last Tuesday. Thursday's update was the first time Thailand's count of serious condition hospitalized COVID patients passed the 1,800 threshold, and likewise the first time the intubated patients count passed the 700 threshold. The 85 new COVID deaths reported Thursday was a drop of two from the 87 reported on Wednesday, and remained just below the country's daily high for COVID deaths of 88 set on March 21. Overall, Thailand on Thursday reported 246,770 active COVID cases, which was an increase from the prior day's 244,372 tally, but below the yearly high of 251,936 set on March 27. All the key indicators reported by the MoPH on Thursday -- daily new cases, new deaths, total active cases, serious hospitalizations and intubations -- were increases from those daily tallies reported one week ago. Official COVID case statistics are at best an approximation in Thailand, where many cases go unreported, and are subject to typical upward swings during the week and declines during weekend periods, although serious hospitalization figures are likely a more reliable indicator of current COVID trends. For added context, during the peak of the Delta wave last fall, Thailand's daily COVID case count topped out at 23,418, but the numbers of serious hospital cases and intubated patients peaked above 5,600 and 1,100 respectively, and daily deaths topped 300 for a brief period. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/532459101705752

Ya, but that's part of the fun of it... the journey of exploration.... and knowing that the only way you can get out is charging forward thru the maze that ultimately takes you to the check-out section / exit... ????

Except that they're now beginning to also buy limited quantities of imported Paxlovid and Molnupiravir... But at the prices they're paying, they certainly won't handing those out like Skittles.... And not that Molnupiravir is great, with a documented effectiveness in preventing hospitalization and death of only about 30%. November 29, 2021 Molnupiravir: Merck’s Covid-19 antiviral less effective in new analysis "Merck has provided updated data on its Covid-19 antiviral, molnupiravir, that shows the antiviral to be significantly less effective against the virus than previously thought. The new analysis, shared by the company on Friday, shows treatment with molnupiravir reduces hospitalisation or death by 30%. The drug’s efficacy is considerably lower than what was reported in interim analysis in October, when molnupiravir was said to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by around 50%." https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/molnupiravir-merck-antiviral-less-effective-new-analysis/ Paxlovid is said to be considerably better, with an effectiveness rate of almost 90%, if taken within five days of the start of symptoms: 12 Things To Know About Paxlovid, the Latest COVID-19 Pill "The drug, developed by Pfizer, appears to have a lot of positives: It had an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death in clinical trials, a number that was high enough to prompt the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prioritize it over other COVID-19 treatments; it’s cheaper than many other COVID-19 drugs (it’s provided for free by the U.S. government while there is a public health emergency); and, perhaps most reassuring, it is expected to work against the Omicron variant. “I think it is the beginning of a ‘game-changer,’” says Scott Roberts, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist. “It's really our first efficacious oral antiviral pill for this virus. It shows clear benefit, and it really can prevent hospitalization and death in people who are at high risk.” https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/12-things-to-know-paxlovid-covid-19 However, Paxlovid also has substantial potential drug interaction issues: “For starters, Paxlovid is 88 percent effective at preventing hospitalization and death. But it also has six pages of drug interactions, including interactions that may require a patient to hold, change, or reduce doses of other medications." https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-statement-administration-s-test-treat-covid-19-plan "The FDA has published a fact sheet for health care providers on Paxlovid. Much more than a sheet, it’s actually 29 pages crammed with facts – and 12 of those pages list potential side effects. Here’s the irony: Some of the preexisting conditions that make a COVID infection especially dangerous — such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure and arrhythmias — often are treated with multiple medicines that could also make Paxlovid dangerous." https://www.inquirer.com/health/expert-opinions/paxlovid-pfizer-covid-19-heart-disease-20220202.html

Seems like most of the world's medical community has moved onto other treatments with more proven results... But Thailand keeps handing out the stuff like M&Ms....

Even Japan's bailing out of the favi ship... Japan's Fujifilm to halt enrollment in Avigan trial for COVID-19 March 11 (Reuters) ... "Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he hoped Avigan would be approved in May 2020 for COVID-19, and he pledged donate supplies to needy countries. ... ...studies in Japan have been inconclusive, leading domestic regulators to hold off approval for it, partly because animal study data showed it could lead to birth defects. As Avigan stumbled in clinical trials, other antiviral pills have come to the fore against COVID-19. Japan has bought millions of doses of oral treatments developed by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Merck & Co (MRK.N)." https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/japans-fujifilm-says-terminate-enrollment-avigan-trial-covid-19-2022-03-11/ Fujifilm's Avigan shows no significant benefit on COVID-19 mortality - study TOKYO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A study of global trials of Fujifilm Holdings Corp's (4901.T) antiviral drug Avigan suggests it has little benefit for COVID-19 patients once their symptoms become serious. .... But it failed to demonstrate statistically significant results in reducing mortality among those with mild to moderate COVID-19. ... In January, Indian drugmaker Dr.Reddy's Laboratories (REDY.NS), which bought the global rights to Avigan from Fujifilm last summer, halted a clinical trial of the drug in Kuwait. (more) https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/fujifilms-avigan-shows-no-significant-benefit-covid-19-mortality-study-2021-02-18/

I hadn't seen this recent update previously: Japan Govt to End Observational Avigan Study for COVID-19 January 5, 2022 The Japanese health ministry is discontinuing a state-funded observational study for Fujifilm’s antiviral Avigan (favipiravir) for the treatment of COVID-19. Drug supplies from a government stockpile for this program were terminated as of December 28. The ministry has been conducting… https://pj.jiho.jp/article/245912 Fujifilm Drops Avigan’s Japan PIII Trial for COVID-19 March 14, 2022 Fujifilm has jettisoned its Japanese PIII trial investigating its antiviral Avigan (favipiravir) for the treatment of COVID-19 as the circulation of the Omicron variant has made it difficult to measure its efficacy for preventing severe disease. https://pj.jiho.jp/article/246318?searched_keyword[]=Avigan