TallGuyJohninBKK

COVID vaccine may cut long-term symptoms up to 80% "COVID-19 patients who had received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reported 8 of the 10 most common long-COVID symptoms 50% to 80% less often than their unvaccinated counterparts, finds an ongoing Israeli study published in the Nature journal npj Vaccines. A team led by Bar-Ilan University researchers invited adults tested for COVID-19 at three affiliated hospitals in northern Israel from March 2020 to November 2021 to complete an online questionnaire about demographics, vaccination status, and any symptoms they had or continued to experience. ... After adjusting for age, time from symptom onset to questionnaire completion, and baseline symptoms, infected two-dose vaccine recipients were less likely than their unvaccinated infected peers to report fatigue (-62%), headache (-50%), limb weakness (-62%), and muscle pain (-66%) (risk ratios [RRs], 0.38, 0.50, 0.38, and 0.34). Shortness of breath was also reduced 80%." (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/covid-vaccine-may-cut-long-term-symptoms-80 Also, source study: Association between BNT162b2 vaccination and reported incidence of post-COVID-19 symptoms: cross-sectional study 2020-21, Israel https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-022-00526-5 ... "We invited individuals PCR-tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection at participating hospitals between March 2020 and November 2021 to fill an online questionnaire that included information about demographics, acute COVID-19 episode and symptoms they were currently experiencing. ... After adjusting for age, time from beginning of symptoms to responding to the survey, and baseline symptoms, those who received two vaccine doses were less likely than unvaccinated individuals to report any of these symptoms (fatigue, headache, weakness of limbs, persistent muscle pain) by 62%, 50%, 62%, and 66% respectively..." ... Our results suggest that BNT162b2 vaccination may have a protective effect against longer term COVID-19 symptoms."

Study finds Omicron hospital risk 10 times higher in unvaccinated vs. boosted After the emergence of the Omicron variant, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States was 10.5 times higher in unvaccinated adults and 2.5 times higher in those who were vaccinated but received no booster than in booster recipients, according to a new study. ... In the first study, a team led by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers analyzed data on 192,509 hospitalizations from more than 250 hospitals in 13 states participating in the COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network from Jan 1, 2021, to Apr 30, 2022. The research was published [Sept. 8] in JAMA Internal Medicine. Monthly COVID-19 hospitalization rates were 3.5 to 17.7 times higher in unvaccinated patients than in their vaccinated counterparts, regardless of whether they had received a booster. Hospitalization rates were 10.5 times higher in the unvaccinated and 2.5 times higher in vaccinated patients with no booster than in booster recipients. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/study-finds-omicron-hospital-risk-10-times-higher-unvaccinated Also, source study: COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Adults 18 Years or Older in 13 US States, January 2021 to April 2022 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2796235 "Findings In this cross-sectional study of US adults hospitalized with COVID-19 during January 2022 to April 2022 (during Omicron variant predominance), COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates were 10.5 times higher in unvaccinated persons and 2.5 times higher in vaccinated persons with no booster dose, respectively, compared with those who had received a booster dose. Compared with unvaccinated hospitalized persons, vaccinated hospitalized persons were more likely to be older and have more underlying medical conditions. Meaning The study results suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are strongly associated with prevention of serious COVID-19 illness."

Just fyi, for those needing a bank letter to document their 400K or 800K Thai bank deposit for Immigration, BKK CW Immigration will accept bank letters dated up to 1 week prior to your visit... though I usually try to get mine just before, regardless. And it's OK / no problem if the balance on your bank letter obtained days before doesn't exactly match your required bankbook update the day of your visit -- though obviously all your balances have to remain above the required amounts in order to satisfy Immigration. For the BKKB and Krungsri branches at the Government Complex, at least, there's no appointment required, just walk in and request and pay... Though there may be a wait of 30 minutes or more at times... So figure that risk into your planning and whether you get an IO queue ticket beforehand.

Yes, last time I saw, SCB was gone from the Govt. Complex building.

I believe they are still there.... but... caveat... they weren't the focus of my attention yesterday.

And yellow Bank of Ayudhya / Krungsri is still there, among others.

They do the queue tickets thing mainly in the morning at opening, I believe, to prevent the otherwise crush. You'll note, my prior post read: "BKK Immigration seems to now have a newish COVID inspired queue system at opening in the morning..."

If you want to do any business with Thai Immigration in BKK, you'd better be wearing a face mask, because they REQUIRE it. During my visit there this week, the IO's were going up to several non-mask wearing farangs sitting waiting for service, and telling them they had to don a mask, and not leaving until they put one on.

Well someone must be taking notice, because at least 99% of the people I saw today riding around on the BTS, Thai and foreigners alike, were wearing face masks.... And that's well above the general rate I see when out and around elsewhere in town in BKK. Perhaps, just perhaps, it has something to do with standing packed in close proximity to many strangers in a closed environment during a time of COVID.

Depending on when the last time was that various folks were there... BKK Immigration seems to now have a newish COVID inspired queue system at opening in the morning that's a big improvement, compared to what it was the last time I was there a year ago. This week, when I arrived about 8 am prior to the official 8:30 am opening of the Immigration Office, there were three IOs sitting at a table in front of the closed IO entrance handing out entry queue tickets and TM forms to those that wanted/needed them. When I arrived, I walked right up to their desk and NO ONE was in line waiting for their service. At 8 am, they gave me an entry ticket number of 136, which I soon realized relates to what now are long rows of wooden chairs that snake along the side of their office heading back a long way. Each chair has a number tag pasted on the back, which corresponds to the queue ticket number they've given you (i.e., that's where you sit to wait in socially distanced style). By about 8:15 or 8:20 am, they began allowing the queued up chair folks to line up and then enter the actual Immigration Office, and then onward to the line at the IO's front counter where you get the real queue ticket number for service at whatever Immigration section you're headed to. The entry into Immigration was all very orderly and organized, and they had an IO checking every queue ticket number outside to make sure no one was cutting into the line or going out of order relative to their queue number.... A far cry from the old days of long standing queues outside the IO office, people without queue tickets cutting line, and a general mob rush into the IO office once they opened the doors. None of that is occurring now under the current system, AFAICT.

Couple other details of my BKK CW visit on Tues: --They're still requiring the COVID questionnaire form to be completed prior to entering the the building where they do NOT ask about your vax status, but DO ask about all kind of other COVID-related things in the prior week -- have you had any recent symptoms, have you been around COVID positive people, have you traveled internationally, have you tested positive, etc etc. --Also, they are enforcing the face mask wearing policy in the Immigration offices at BKK CW. While I was sitting inside there waiting for my queue number to be called, there were two other farang guys sitting nearby at various points who were NOT wearing face masks... And in short order, one of the female IOs came up to each of them, and said 'MISTER!" and told them to put on their face masks. They also chided another guy who was wearing his mask below his nose.... So, come prepared!

Ya, I was leaving there there mid-morning... 10 to 11 am... Perhaps you got caught in the afternoon rush hour and resulting dirth of taxis. That's why I always try to get there early in the morning... miss the morning rush hour out, take care of my business quick, miss the lunch break at Immigration, and miss the afternoon traffic on the way back home! ????

One nice thing I did notice on the way TO Immigration from Mochit meanwhile...when taking the paid tollway out to Laksi... There used to be an odd, typically Thai exit from the expressway there that took you off onto surface streets and traffic congestion before you could finally get to the corner of CW Road and turn down toward Soi 7 and the government complex. Now, with all the rail line associated construction there, they've redone the Laksi intersection and, believe or not, there's a regular curved downward exit from the tollway that descends and puts you right onto CW Road heading in the right direction... They seem to have gotten that part right, at least.

When I was there Tuesday, it was easy to wait for and catch regular meter taxis at the exit from the Government Complex B building right outside where Immigration is located. When I was there, there was a queue of them parked, empty and waiting, right along the curb at the entrance area there. They're also still running the internal shuttle that takes people from the B Building to the top of the soi along CW Road. But agree about the local roadways within the Government Complex area right now... It took my taxi almost as long to maneuver out of that current mess, as it did to make it all the way back to Mochit once we got on the highway.

Anyone been out or around BKK CW Immigration in the past couple days? Any info if there's any impact there, either on their operations or access to the area, from the flooding that's apparently occurring in the Laksi area?

The wife and I may be planning a trip back to the U.S. toward the end of the year -- first time outside of Thailand since COVID began nearly 3 years ago.... And looking for any recommendations / experiences from anyone who's gone TH - U.S. lately, under the new, relaxed COVID rules. I used to always default to EVA Air with their Taipei layover followed by one of their West Coast destinations. But they were out of U.S. travel from Thailand for a long time, not allowing international transit via Taipei because of COVID. So it's been a long time since I took them, their prices I checked lately seemed quite high, and I have no idea what the current lay of the land for travel to the U.S. is with the various carriers. Any recent experiences / recommendations for a reasonably pleasant, affordable journey? PS - I should have mentioned above, I'm a TALL guy who needs seat legroom, but don't fancy shelling out for business class... So I typically look for airlines where I can somehow get the emergency exit row seating in economy.