TallGuyJohninBKK

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

To the best of my knowledge, the general pattern with vaccines historically is that any resulting side effects have tended to occur in the relatively near term after vaccination.... And that history really doesn't support the notion or fear that some totally unknown and unidentified vaccine side effect is suddenly going to surface years later. See the following, as just one example of the medical community's knowledge on this: "Unlike many medications, which are taken daily, vaccines are generally one-and-done. Medicines you take every day can cause side effects that reveal themselves over time, including long-term problems as levels of the drug build up in the body over months and years. “Vaccines are just designed to deliver a payload and then are quickly eliminated by the body,” Goepfert said. “This is particularly true of the mRNA vaccines. mRNA degrades incredibly rapidly. You wouldn’t expect any of these vaccines to have any long-term side effects.” --Paul Goepfert, M.D., director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham https://www.uab.edu/news/health/item/12143-three-things-to-know-about-the-long-term-side-effects-of-covid-vaccines

Seems like she was pretty well respected on the international scene, despite some of the dinosaur opinions expressed above: "In March 2019, in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings, Ardern reacted by rapidly introducing strict gun laws, winning her wide recognition.[14]" Points for that. "Throughout 2020 she led New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which she won praise for New Zealand being one of the few Western nations to successfully contain the virus.[15]" Points for that. "She led the Labour Party to a landslide victory, gaining an overall majority of 65 seats in Parliament, the first time a majority government had been formed since the introduction of a proportional representation system in 1996.[17][18][19]" Points for that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacinda_Ardern

Not only that, but in the past, Lazada reps have told me that they simply don't do international shipping for orders originating from their various SE Asia online stores. So in other words, Lazada Thailand orders only can be shipped to Thailand addresses. Lazada Malaysia orders only can be shipped to Malaysian addresses. Etc etc etc. And yes, IME, the availability of various items and items stocked does vary some among the various different Lazada country-based operations.

The chart you're citing from Worldometers appears to be OLD 2020 era data just from China, which in and of itself is notoriously unreliable... All in all, it means nothing. Here's the broader look at the chart info you excerpted above: And, not surprisingly, there is actual real and more current data on that subject that you could have cited, but didn't. According to the US CDC, for example, there have been since the start of the pandemic in the U.S. alone 637 COVID deaths of children ages 0 - 4, and 986 COVID deaths among youngsters ages 5 to 18. So anyone suggesting children are somehow immune from serious health impacts from COVID is simply wrong. And these CDC numbers below only deal with youngster COVID deaths, and not the far larger numbers of COVID hospitalizations and COVID illnesses. https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Deaths-by-Sex-Ages-0-18-years/xa4b-4pzv

When the bivalent vaccines were first launched in the West, there were very mixed signals about just how effective they were, and whether they really were an improvement over the original versions. Some initial reports and analysis said they were not. However, subsequent and expanded research and studies on the bivalent vaccines after they've been in use in various countries for months seems to have turned the tide and the latest and more recent research seems to in fact show them as more effective against serious illness, hospitalization and death than their predecessors. However, in looking today, I found one Thai media source earlier this month that claimed the Thai MoPH ended up canceling their plans to acquire the bivalent vaccines based on the early and ultimately countermanded research findings about about the newer vaccines, which if true would be a bad move on Thailand's part. Here's that Thai media report, not sure how credible or authoritative it is: Thai bivalent strains of the COVID-2 vaccine do not have to be imported. Health Underwood World 6 days ago ... "Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, said he had received information on medical and academic advice. covid vaccineThe original and the new. 2 strains of COVID vaccine The effect of using a needle to stimulate the immune system is similar. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider importing it to be used as a stimulant needle in Thailand at this time. will definitely not be stuck at him. Dr. Tares Krassanairawiwong The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control (Kor.) gave information that there was no need to order at this time." (more) https://thailand.postsen.com/health/100791/Thai-bivalent-strains-of-the-COVID-2-vaccine-do-not-have-to-be-imported.html Unfortunately for Thailand, more recent research and reports as the newer bivalent vaccines have been in use in the U.S. and elsewhere say they DO have protection advantages over the original versions..... and no different safety profile. "our vaccines have continued to be protective against severe disease as the virus mutates, including the bivalent boosters currently available that were modeled after the BA.4/BA.5 subvariants. Lab studies have found that new boosters neutralize XBB.1.5 as well as BA.5, according to Topol's report, and that XBB.1.5's and BA.5's spike proteins have more in common." https://www.cnet.com/health/medical/vaccine-effectiveness-available-covid-treatments-what-to-know-about-xbb-1-5/ Bivalent COVID-19 boosters may cut risk of severe disease by more than half Updated bivalent (two-strain) mRNA booster shots, which target the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 sublineages of COVID-19 and the original strain, cut the risk of contracting severe COVID-19 by up to 57%, according to a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report today, but most Americans have yet to get the shot since they were made available on Sep 1. A second study today in the same journal shows the bivalent boosters are particularly effective at preventing hospitalizations in elderly Americans. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/bivalent-covid-19-boosters-may-cut-risk-severe-disease-more-half The above article cites the following recent study from the U.S. CDC: Early Estimates of Bivalent mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department or Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Immunocompetent Adults — VISION Network, Nine States, September–November 2022 What is added by this report? "Bivalent booster doses provided additional protection against COVID-19–associated emergency department/urgent care encounters and hospitalizations in persons who previously received 2, 3, or 4 monovalent vaccine doses. Because of waning of monovalent vaccine-conferred immunity, relative effectiveness of bivalent vaccines was higher with increased time since the previous monovalent dose. What are the implications for public health practice? All persons should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, including receiving a bivalent booster dose if eligible." This is how the CDC report said the newer vaccines helped improve people's odds of avoiding COVID hospitalization, compared to being unvaccinated and compared to having prior original vaccinations at various timeframes: "VE [vaccine effectiveness] of a bivalent booster dose (after 2, 3, or 4 monovalent doses) against COVID-19–associated hospitalizations was 57% compared with no vaccination, 38% compared with monovalent vaccination only with last dose 5–7 months earlier, and 45% compared with monovalent vaccination only with last dose ≥11 months earlier. (more) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm715152e1.htm

Those reports later rescinded as a probable false alarm: Does Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster increase stroke risk? ‘Very unlikely,’ agencies say The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that one of their databases warned of the possibility that the Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 booster could be linked to an increased risk of stroke in people aged 65 and older. The agencies investigated that warning and did not find evidence to confirm the risk. "The CDC and FDA announced their investigation in a Jan. 13 press release. The agencies said a "preliminary safety signal" was identified for people 65 and older, but their investigation found "it is very unlikely that the signal … represents a true clinical risk." (more) https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/jan/18/does-pfizers-covid-19-booster-increase-stroke-risk/

You're dating yourself! I go back a long ways here... but that name even predates my arrival! I believe the original name of the current mall, that opened in 1990, was the ill-named (based on later U.S. events) World Trade Center.

I remember that announcement. But I also seem to remember subsequent to that, it was clarified that Thailand still was going to be acquiring the newer vaccines, if not by the MoPH directly, then by the GPO and/or private hospitals. But, until we hear something more recent and authoritative on the issue, who knows!