TallGuyJohninBKK

The government's post above says they will accept walk-ins. But by adding the IOD's LINE address -- @SKINTHAILAND -- my wife got a weblink to an online appointments system for their COVID vaccines. But it's entirely in Thai language, no English.... And, it shows no hour specific appointment times for tomorrow/Saturday, Monday or Tuesday... However, I was able to schedule a specific time appointment for Wednesday in their system and there were other times available on subsequent days through next Saturday -- even though the govt's Facebook post above says the program there only will run thru Tues., March 14. Which considering they only announced it today, seems like that date reference may have been some kind of mistake. At any rate, here's the link to their online appointments website: https://covid19.iod.go.th/vaccine/ Not very expat friendly, to say the least.... There's one section in there where they ask for the person's ID number. From the Thai explanation posted there, it seems to say that if a foreigner has never received a Thai government issued COVID vaccine before, they should use their passport number. But if the person has received a Thai government issued COVID vaccine before, they should enter the separate ID number listed on their prior government vaccination certificates, which may begin with "600000" and then have seven more digits thereafter.

Institute of Dermatology Address : 456 Rajavithi Road, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok 02-354-5222 https://www.iod.go.th/en/ https://www.google.com/maps/place/Institute+of+Dermatology/@13.7657344,100.5358388,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x30e29eb179f4f45b:0x1c3449acdde35515!8m2!3d13.7657344!4d100.5358388!16s%2Fg%2F1hc4340dq?hl=en-TH

Just found this posted earlier today from the TH government re them now offering the new bivalent Pfizer COVID vaccines at a government facility near Victory Monument for those who haven't had a booster for the past 4 months or longer. The new vaccines are gonna be out there for expats as well...but the offer below appears to only be valid through March 14, which would be this coming Tuesday. (Though I'd assume, but can't guarantee, they'll offer other locations after that...) "The Institute of Dermatology (IOD) in Bangkok is now offering the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer as a booster shot. ... The vaccine is free of charge for Thai citizens and foreign nationals who reside long-term in Thailand. Visitors can also purchase the vaccine for 1,380 baht per dose. ... The IOD offers the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for Monday through Saturday, from 9AM to 3PM, until March 14. Reservations can be made one day prior to the appointment, while walk-ins are accepted during the service hours. (more) https://www.facebook.com/nbtworld/posts/pfbid02YXj9WKQUiznvkfJ6X1HQK5kECUybZFiGYi7Dwj1tWD8HrRk17jcDmigQ92EnLzc3l

Re the donation of the newer bivalent Pfizer vaccines by South Korea... I now see there was a second article Feb. 18 in the BKK Post, which we cannot link or quote here under the forum's rules, that says the Thai MoPH planned to begin rolling out the newer vaccines first to what they call the high risk "608" group -- those age 60 and above and those with 8 various chronic health conditions -- during March. Also included will be medical workers and so-called front-line government personnel, which in the past has meant police and others. But the article also says members of the general public outside the abovementioned groups also will be able to receive the newer vaccines upon request. But nowhere in the article is there any mention made or distinction between eligibility for Thais vs resident expats. The Post article also mentions the follow-on vaccine donation by France, which kind of suggests those might also be the newer bivalent vaccines, but doesn't specifically say so. The article also quotes the head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control as saying Thailand now has an adequate supply of COVID vaccines and is "unlikely" to make further purchases.

Well, part of what Thailand does, is not buy the latest, newly released vaccines for their own people... and instead hope to be bailed out by donations from others. That's what occurred with the original vaccine campaign here for expats that started out pretty much entirely with U.S. and European donated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. And the pattern seems to be repeating itself again now with the latest iteration.

We also had some prior threads on this subject:

Youtube crackpots and right-wing conspiracy & misinformation purveyors... I know who I'm going to listen to .... experts and authorities in the public health field.

In general, it's the older population groups and anyone with any number of high-risk conditions -- overweight, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, diabetes, etc etc... -- that have the strongest case for staying current with COVID vaccination recommendations/schedules. Because they're most at risk from bad health outcomes, should they come down with the virus. Though even milder cases of COVID in non-elderly populations have been linked to a wide range of ongoing post-infection chronic health issues, including fatigue, mental foggyness, chest pain and respiratory issues, and increased risks of things like late onset diabetes, strokes and heart problems.

Here's the detail about the recent South Korean donation of the newer bivalent Pfizer vaccines. Korea Provides Thailand Additional Covid-19 Vaccine FRIDAY, February 17, 2023 The Republic of Korea decided to provide 501,120 doses of Pfizer, the BA.1 bivalent Covid-19 vaccine, to help Thailand fight variants more effectively. The vaccines reach Thailand on Feb 15th. This is the second time that Korea provides vaccines to Thailand, after the delivery of 470,000 doses of AstraZeneca in October 2021. This donation is expected to contribute to mitigating the worldwide Covid-19 crisis and to promote the two countries further cooperation, marking the 65th anniversary of Korea-Thailand bilateral ties. https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024966

The original versions of the vaccines are still available for free to expats here, generally through Thai public hospitals and certain medical clinics. The part that's unknown for now, AFAIK, is what's become of the newer bivalent vaccines that recently have been donated to Thailand. I haven't seen ANYTHING from the TH government about that. Generally, the original vaccine boosters are recommended anytime 5-6 months after a prior dose. Thailand, AFAIK, doesn't have any published policy yet on the timing for getting the newer bivalent vaccines, because they haven't been making them available, thus far. But in the U.S., a booster with the newer bivalent vaccine is recommended anytime two months or more after a person's last prior COVID vax shot. And the U.S. is moving toward pretty much using the newer bivalent vaccines exclusively for everyone, and phasing out the original ones. The UK just announced plans for a spring COVID booster campaign there with the newer vaccines. But unlike the U.S., the UK is only aiming its government sponsored vaccinations at those age 75 and above, people with weak immune systems and other high-risk individuals.

US CDC source link And COVID hospitalizations: US CDC source link

It's better to be waking up... than not waking up because you died or got sick from COVID. Monovalent COVID booster protects well against Omicron, but it wanes over 6 months March 3, 2023 "The monovalent (single-strain) COVID-19 vaccine booster was 74% effective against Omicron infection compared with the primary vaccine series for 3 months, but protection waned to 42% from 3 to 6 months and 36% after 6 months, estimates a study published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. ... The results, the authors said, confirm that vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 infection is temporary and influenced by evolving pandemic conditions. "Increasing bivalent booster uptake should be a priority to increase protection likely lost due to waning immunity and antigenic change of circulating viruses," they wrote." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/monovalent-covid-booster-protects-well-against-omicron-it-wanes-over-6-months

Side effects from the COVID vaccines are rare and mostly minor.... Your odds of some health issue are far greater from COVID the disease than anything relating to the vaccines... especially if you're in the older age groups.

It's a shame the OP article doesn't seem to clarify whether the France donated Moderna doses are the older, original version or the newer bivalent version specifically tailored against the current Omicron strains. The separate recent donation by South Korea was, if memory serves, the newer bivalent doses... But.. unless I missed something, there's been NADA from the Thai government since they received the SK doses of just how and where they're going to be used.

Don't think I didn't notice what you were doing with the sly comment above... "CUT and dry case....."

This is an interesting thread and topic. Glad to see the various responses above from folks saying you can apply for a Thai DL in a different province from where you may be currently staying... for example, live in BKK but apply to a DLT office elsewhere. For the folks above who did so, when you went to the other DLT office away from the province where you live, were you handing them a residence certificate for where you actually live in your home province...and not for somewhere in the province where the DLT office you were applying to was located?

The coast is looking a whole lot better than BKK right now, according to the aqicn.org site I use as my primary. In general, I would expect the sea breezes to help disperse the gunk: Bangkok: https://aqicn.org/city/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan/gaia-10/

It's worth noting that the U.S., contrary to the U.K., has adopted much broader eligibility guidelines for people to receive the newer, bivalent vaccines... basically almost everyone with the following guidelines: "The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 5 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine." AND "The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as single booster dose in children 6 months through 5 years of age at least two months after completion of a primary series with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. It is also authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 6 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine." https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-bivalent-vaccine-boosters Also worth noting, that while case counts, hospitalizations and COVID deaths have been declining in recent weeks, the U.S. is still running about 330 COVID deaths per day and 3,300+ new COVID hospitalization per day... About 53.7 million people, or only 16.2% of the U.S. population, have thus far received an updated booster dose. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

For the above mentioned spring and subsequent booster campaigns, the UK is planning to use the newer bivalent version of the vaccines, which also target the Omicron strains. "The JCVI has advised the following vaccines may be used in the 2023 spring programme: Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent Moderna bivalent Sanofi/GSK monovalent (beta variant) Novavax monovalent (wild-type variant) – only for use when alternative products are not considered clinically suitable https://www.gov.uk/government/news/most-vulnerable-to-be-offered-spring-covid-19-booster

There continues to be good scientific evidence that COVID vaccines, even for Omicron variants, continue to REDUCE the chances of catching the virus in the months after administration. So the correct info is not prevent 100%, but reduce your odds or HELP prevent infection. But that protection, just like protection from prior COVID infections, does wane over time, which is the reason for the renewed boosters campaign. Monovalent COVID booster protects well against Omicron, but it wanes over 6 months March 3, 2023 "The monovalent (single-strain) COVID-19 vaccine booster was 74% effective against Omicron infection compared with the primary vaccine series for 3 months, but protection waned to 42% from 3 to 6 months and 36% after 6 months, estimates a study published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. ... The study spanned the predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, primarily the BA.2 and BA.5 substrains, and was conducted before the availability of the updated bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 booster." ... "Increasing bivalent booster uptake should be a priority to increase protection likely lost due to waning immunity and antigenic change of circulating viruses," they wrote. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/monovalent-covid-booster-protects-well-against-omicron-it-wanes-over-6-months

You might have quoted from your link above for others to read: Who's dying suddenly now? — Unvaccinated more likely to have heart attack, stroke after COVID, study finds Being fully vaccinated reduced the risk by about 41 percent. A bout of COVID-19 is known to increase a person's long-term risks of having a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke. But being fully vaccinated or even partially vaccinated appears to bring that risk down, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. ... Overall, the researchers found that being vaccinated—fully or partially—was linked to fewer cardiac events in the six months following a case of COVID-19. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and time since the pandemic began, the researchers found that being fully vaccinated reduced the risk of having a major cardiac event by about 41 percent, while being partially vaccinated reduced the risk by about 24 percent. (more) https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/unvaccinated-more-likely-to-have-heart-attack-stroke-after-covid-study-finds/

And meanwhile, we have Capitol insurrection suspects who were allowed to remain on home detention/house arrest pending trial going on the lam.... Hopefully the exploits of this pair will encourage other judges to keep other insurrectionists locked up pending the completion of their court cases. 2 Capitol riot defendants accused of violently attacking Capitol Police officers tampered with their ankle monitors and are now on the run, FBI says "A federal judge issued warrants for the arrest of two January 6 Capitol riot defendants who went missing on Monday. Olivia Pollock and Joseph Hutchinson III are both accused of several charges, including assaulting Capitol officers, theft of government property, entry to restricted grounds, and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, court documents show. Joe Boland, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's Lakeland, Florida office, said the bureau learned Pollock and Hutchinson had "tampered with or removed" the ankle monitors used to track them and notified the court after they couldn't locate either of them, the Associated Press reported on Monday." (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/2-capitol-riot-defendants-accused-of-violently-attacking-capitol-police-officers-tampered-with-their-ankle-monitors-and-are-now-on-the-run-fbi-says/ar-AA18kwBX And what makes this case worse is the woman suspect involved here is the sister of another charged insurrectionist who already has been a fugitive on the run since 2021. It never occurred to the federal authorities involved here that the sister insurrectionist might be inclined to follow in the footsteps of her already fugitive brother insurrectionist?

JCVI advises vaccine top-up for over-75s, immunosuppressed and residents in care homes for older adults "The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has confirmed its advice for a 2023 spring coronavirus (COVID-19) booster programme. ... The committee has since advised that a spring booster dose should be offered to: adults aged 75 years and over residents in a care home for older adults individuals aged 5 years and over who are immunosuppressed Eligible individuals will be offered the vaccine around 6 months after their previous dose and NHS England will confirm operational details for the programme in due course." (more) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/most-vulnerable-to-be-offered-spring-covid-19-booster

I have to admit, I've only seen the bar girl / school girl uniform events being publicized by various Thai-local oriented bars and nightclubs on Thai social media... Never got an up-close and personal look to know whether the uniforms the girls were sporting were just generic SG ones or perhaps leftovers from their youth.... ???? Guess that means I need to get out and get a more hands-on and up-close sense of just what's going on with those events... checking the embroidery and tags and pins and such... I'm sure the girls won't mind! ????

I noticed the same thing, and presumed that meant -- although the article didn't say so -- that the two suspects are in fact ladyboys??? I think, and my wife confirms, that the two names given for the suspects would generally be considered Thai women's names. The whole thing sounds quite a bit like a (wrong side of the tracks) Thai ladyboy caper.