TallGuyJohninBKK

The latest weekly report today from Singapore shows a flattening of their running 7-day average of daily new cases, not a decline in the 7-day average, and continuing increases in hospitalizations. https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/local-situation-report/ceg_20221019_weekly_report_on_covid-19.pdf

Girls just wanna have fun... and make some money.

Did you wear a face mask during your airplane trip? Were you wearing a face mask while in Thailand prior to testing positive yesterday? Perhaps, that's a signal that COVID is alive and well-circulating in Thailand, even though the government has tried to deprecate it in order to attempt to revive tourism.

Looks like a pretty sharp recent increase in Singapore COVID cases to me... https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=singapore+covid+cases

The Singapore government's statement was about dubious claims made in an article that wasn't posted here in this thread, and those claims were not the ones that I've made here. Singapore was objecting to the following: 'The article claimed that increased disease severity of COVID-19 is becoming a common occurrence, even in the fully vaccinated. The article also claimed that mortuaries, funeral parlours, and crematoria are facing a ‘pile up’ in cases. These claims are false." As I noted above, Singapore says it hasn't seen any increase in COVID deaths lately... But as the above graphs show, it's clearly seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations. If you think there's another graph from their report that adds useful information on the subject of rising cases and hospitalizations, go ahead and post it.

Lower hospitalization risk from XBB, as reported by Singapore, isn't the same thing as rising NUMBERS of COVID hospitalizations, as also reported by Singapore You can have a lower risk rate, but if the COVID cases are rising substantially as they have been, the numbers of hospitalizations can still increase. https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/local-situation-report/ceg_20221012_weekly_report_on_covid-19.pdf

I've followed those public health COVID prevention measures pretty seriously since the outset, including wearing an N95 mask whenever I'm around others away from home... And now nearly three years into the pandemic, with an estimated 15-20 million people worldwide dead from COVID, I've yet to catch the virus, thankfully. So yes, in my experience, following sound public health advice does make a difference.

Screening for the XBB variant is prudent for various reasons, including that early research on it suggests it is highly transmissible (more than Omicron BA5), and is more able to evade protections from vaccines and prior COVID infections. In Singapore, it has driven a large spike in their local cases and increased hospitalizations there as well... though as yet, not any increase in COVID fatalities. "Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and Medscape's editor-in-chief, said about COVID this fall: "There will be another wave, magnitude unknown." He said subvariants XBB and BQ.1.1 "have extreme levels of immune evasion and both could pose a challenge," explaining that XBB is more likely to cause trouble than BQ.1.1 because it is even more resistant to natural or vaccine-induced immunity." https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/982113 "Experts are also concerned that monoclonal antibody treatments might be less effective against newer variants like XBB and BA.2.75.2. “We’ve not seen this type of immune evasion before,” Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), told Fortune earlier this month." https://thainewsroom.com/2022/10/13/3-thais-found-infected-with-new-covid-strain-xbb-in-hong-kong/

--Grab Mart for access to the major supermarket chains. --Foodpanda for their access to the major supermarket chains. --Tops Online for a sometimes different selection of things they stock that may or may not be listed on Tops' locations on Grab or Foodpanda. It's very strange, I've found, in that for a given supermarket company, what products are listed for offer via delivery may vary from Grab to Foodpanda to the store's own company online presence -- for the same store location. One thing I really came to like about Happy Fresh, before it died, was their feature of allowing the shopper to select saved back-up choices in advance in case a particular item shown as available online ends up being out of stock in the actual store. That, and, they wouldn't actually charge your bank card until the order is completed, and they'd only charge you for what was actually available, accurately reflecting any substitutions or missing items. Foodpanda, on the other hand, charges your card for the full original order upfront, and then when things offered online invariably end up being out of stock in the store, the customer has no ability to pre-select backup items. And when your order cant be fully completed, they end up later having to process a separate card charge refund for the value of the missing item(s) -- which is annoying! With Happy Fresh, you could actually exchange text messages with the person fulfilling your order to work out any problems about substitutions or out of stock issues while they were preparing your order. Can't do that with either Foodpanda or Tops Online...and only to a limited extent with Grab. With Grab, Foodpanda and Tops Online, you may not find out that something or things that you ordered online aren't available and won't be delivered until your partial order actually arrives...and it's pretty much too late to do anything about it at that point. Tops Online, for example, has an option when ordering online to call you midday and advise if any items are going to be missing from the later delivered order. But, unfortunately, when they call you with the news, they have no current ability to allow you to choose substitute items at that point or increase or decrease the quantities of things. They're telling you, but there's absolutely nothing you can do about their news, at that point. Sadly, I had started using Happy Fresh more and more in the past year because they provided a higher level of personalized service, and thus increased the odds that I'd actually get what I needed, one way or the other. And that I'd only be charged upfront for what they actually delivered... Only to see the whole thing suddenly disappear into the void.

A better answer would be: --Get vaccinated and boosted as appropriate. --Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle --Wear a facemask when away from home and indoors around other people --Observe social distancing when possible

The ‘End’ of COVID Is Still Far Worse Than We Imagined Even now, the coronavirus is killing three times as many people [in the U.S.] as the flu. September 22, 2022 ... "COVID has settled into something far worse than the flu. When President Joe Biden declared this week, “The pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks,” the country was still recording more than 400 COVID deaths a day—more than triple the average number from flu." .... "Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, estimates that COVID will continue to exact a death toll of 100,000 Americans a year in the near future. This too is approximately three times that of a typical flu year." https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/09/covid-pandemic-end-worse-than-flu/671514/ 100,000 COVID deaths per year in the U.S. would mean an average of about 273 per day. Right now, last I saw from the U.S. CDC, even with the U.S. right now being in a COVID declining phase, COVID deaths still have been averaging more than 300 per day, well above the pace for 100,000 COVID deaths per year. "The current 7-day moving average of new deaths (328) decreased 8.5% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (359)." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

Unless, perhaps, it also left you with any of the ongoing symptoms of so-called Long COVID, which have been shown to include things such as diminished mental capacity, "brain fog," cardiac problems, shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, etc etc. "Post-COVID conditions can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or longer. Post-COVID conditions are found more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience post-COVID conditions, even people who had mild illness or no symptoms from COVID-19. People who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and become infected might also be at higher risk of developing post-COVID conditions compared to people who were vaccinated and had breakthrough infections." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html

Why do viruses spread more in winter? Cold temps are key "For many, cold weather just isn’t our thing, which is why we spend some much time huddled indoors. And that makes it easier for the common cold, the flu and COVID-19 to spread— especially the highly transmissible variant, Omicron." "the virus that causes COVID-19, with its potent variants, has proven to strike year-round, regardless of season. Risks for infection can also increase based on where we spend most of our time during the winter: indoors. Here, we gather closely in spaces that may offer less-than-ideal ventilation and cramped personal space. Heating systems also make indoor air drier. Studies have shown that these conditions can greatly affect the transmission of respiratory viruses." https://www.horizonhealthnews.com/why-do-viruses-spread-more-in-winter-cold-temps-are-key/

Actually, just getting vaccinated and boosted, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, wearing a face mask when close around others when indoors, and trying to maintain social distancing around others when possible probably is a better approach.

Not as humans get older... The general trend as people age is lessened natural immunity and increased potential for various things gradually (or sometimes not so gradually) going wrong.

Unlike the elements that make up airborne elements of the coronavirus, some elements of odors are far smaller and capable of passing through even an N95 mask. "The NIOSH-approved N95 respirators must pass the filter performance tests listed in the NIOSH's regulations. Smell is quite another matter. Smell detects molecules via our olfactory receptors. Sulfur with an approximate molecule diameter of 0.0004 μm is detectable by smell and could certainly pass through an N95 mask." "...odoriferous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, may certainly do so. Thus, it is possible to detect certain molecules and particles by smell. It does not indicate that the mask is not functioning properly." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7447000/

How to reduce risk of infection Who is at highest risk for getting very sick from COVID-19? "Age is the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness." ... "To reduce your risk of getting sick, get vaccinated and boosted as soon as you are eligible, wear a mask indoors, especially when community levels of COVID are elevated, maintain a physical distance of at least six feet when you're around other people, and wash your hands often." https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/if-you-are-at-higher-risk

The state of understanding of the primary risk factors for serious COVID illness has evolved since the time of that mid 2021 research. Here's a more up-to-date, current discussion of those issues, noting what other research has previously found -- advanced AGE is the highest risk factor for serious COVID illness. "We continue to learn more about the risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Although age is the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, patients with certain underlying medical conditions are also at higher risk." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html AND "Everything we know underscores the importance of maintaining health-promoting behaviors, even as restrictions begin to ease, especially if you have one or more underlying medical conditions. To reduce your risk of getting sick, get vaccinated and boosted as soon as you are eligible, wear a mask indoors, especially when community levels of COVID are elevated, maintain a physical distance of at least six feet when you're around other people, and wash your hands often." https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/if-you-are-at-higher-risk

It went from being a mandate to being a soft recommendation...largely as part of the government here dropping COVID screening measures for incoming travelers as part of their efforts to restore intl tourism. Look at what group is most resistant to wearing face masks, with farang posters here regularly complaining they'll never travel to Thailand if there's required face mask wearing.

For a long time now, the recommended public health precautions from medical experts on the virus have been clear -- boosted vaccination, good quality (pref N95 type) face mask wear in indoor spaces particularly close contact ones, and social distancing as much as possible. And yet, too many people are refusing to get COVID booster vaccines (including the new 2nd gen ones in the West where they're already available now), refusing to wear face masks when indoor around others, and ignoring social distancing. And when people do that, the results at some point are going to be predictable. The government/political organizations in Thailand, the U.S. and elsewhere have backed off those kinds of basic responses, largely because too many in the public simply won't go along. But if you ask the medical experts on the virus how to best stop/curtail it, their advice will remain the same as it's long been. And the above are only common sense measures aimed at stopping/curtailing an airborne virus.... You don't have to be a genius or public health expert to figure that out.

The clear and stated reason why COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising in Singapore is because of COVID. What role comorbidities like diabetes may play in those COVID case and hospitalization counts is unknown, because AFAIK, the health officials there are not linking those kind of details in their public reporting. No doubt, people with diabetes in general are at higher risk of complications if they contract COVID, but advanced age itself has been reported as the largest single risk factor, and there's obesity and other conditions as well. Regarding your cited 400,000 Singaporeans with diabetes figure, which is what their health department reports, that ends up accounting for less than 7% of Singapore's total population, which is about 6 million. So let's not get too carried away in presuming factually unsupported connections with their rising COVID case and hospitalization counts. https://srv1.worldometers.info/world-population/singapore-population/

No proof Trump asked for troops on Jan. 6 or that Democrats denied a request There is no record of former President Donald Trump authorizing or requesting thousands of National Guard troops for the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Several Trump administration officials who have testified before the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 said they never heard Trump request National Guard support before or during the attack. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/10/facebook-posts/no-proof-trump-asked-troops-jan-6-or-democrats-den/ "Trump’s claim was debunked by fact-checkers in March, after he first made the statement during a Fox News appearance, and it’s still not true. There is no evidence Trump made any formal request about deploying 10,000 National Guard troops before the rally." ... A timeline from the Department of Defense only mentions an agreement made on Jan. 4 about potentially providing 340 District of Columbia National Guard members at the request of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to support traffic control points and to deploy a quick reaction force “if additional support is requested by civilian authorities.” ... While Trump never formally requested 10,000 National Guard troops, then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller told Vanity Fair that Trump brought up the figure in conversation on the night before Jan. 6. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/12/16/fact-check-no-trump-request-10000-guard-troops-jan-6/8929215002/

Confirming my explanation above: Invisible majorities: Counting to nine votes in per curiam cases ... "But not all opinions are signed. The court sometimes issues unsigned per curiam decisions – so named after the Latin phrase meaning “by the court.” In such cases, the justices’ positions are not always so clear. All we know for sure is that at least five members – a majority of the court – agreed with the unsigned order. Individual justices can, and do, write separately to express their concurrence with, or dissent from, a per curiam ruling. But the failure to write separately does not necessarily indicate assent. As a result, it is often impossible in these cases to figure out which justices were in the majority, and which were in the dissent." https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/07/invisible-majorities-counting-to-nine-votes-in-per-curiam-cases/

I think what it means is...for whatever reasons, none of them chose to make an official public dissent to the ruling. I don't think we can necessarily presume that automatically means all 9 of them were in full agreement behind the scenes. It could mean that, but doesn't automatically mean that, as I understand it. By doing it as an unsigned order, the public isn't given any info on just what any of the individual justices might have thought on the subject.

Thursday and Friday this week are Thai national public holidays: Thu 13th Oct -- Anniversary of the Death of King Bhumibol Fri 14th Oct -- Bridge Public holiday https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/thailand/ And two more later this month: Oct 23 Sunday -- Chulalongkorn Day -- National holiday Oct 24 Monday -- Day off for Chulalongkorn Day -- National holiday