TallGuyJohninBKK

During the height of the pandemic, we used to get province specific COVID case data from the Thai government. Alas, these days, we no longer do. At the countrywide level, reported new COVID hospitalizations peaked at almost 3,300 per week about one month back, and subsequently have fallen down to about 1,000+ per week as of the latest weekly report. So things have improved greatly lately according to the official reports in terms of COVID hospitalizations. But that 1,000+ COVID hospitalizations per week rate is still about double what the comparable number was back in mid-March at the start of Thailand's spring 2024 COVID surge. And almost double what the comparable number was at the start of 2024... So, things are much better than they were a month ago, but still worse than at the start of 2024 or even earlier this spring. FWIW, a lot of the current hospitalizations reportedly are among older/elderly folks. Almost certainly, there are huge numbers of other, younger people in Thailand coming down with COVID infections that are not officially tested or diagnosed with COVID, and just ride things out at home and/or at work, and potentially spreading the virus around. Just as one illustration of that, back in May, when Thailand was reporting about 1,800 new COVID hospitalizations per week, a prominent Chula doctor specializing in COVID estimated that the country might be running as many as 18,000 new COVID infections per day! https://aseannow.com/topic/1327863-doctor-warns-of-surge-in-covid-infections-up-to-18000-cases-daily/ Which is a pretty good argument for wearing face masks when around other people who may have COVID infections like in a hospital, and/or in general crowded indoor areas with a lot of people in close quarters.

So I guess one question is, just what flight segment on Qatar Airways fancy class is selling for 400,000b / almost $11,000 per ticket? https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelerobson/2024/07/24/the-game-changing-upgrade-on-qatar-airways-new-business-class-qsuite/

CDC COVID update for July 26, 2024: "Most areas of the country are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity. COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations are increasing, particularly among adults 65+. Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during the summer months." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/snapshot.html https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00 COVID-19 As of July 23, 2024, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 36 states and territories, declining or likely declining in 1 state or territory, and are stable or uncertain in 5 states and territories. https://www.cdc.gov/forecast-outbreak-analytics/about/rt-estimates.html Maryland Very High Colorado Very High Wyoming Very High Dist. Of Columbia Very High Louisiana Very High Arkansas Very High California Very High New Mexico Very High Utah Very High New Hampshire Very High Washington Very High Florida Very High Texas Very High Minnesota Very High Missouri Very High South Carolina Very High Oregon Very High Nevada Very High Idaho Very High Massachusetts Very High "This map shows the median Wastewater Viral Activity Level of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) reported by wastewater treatment plants within each state or territory over the previous week. Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses spreading from one person to another within a community earlier than clinical testing and before people who are sick go to their doctor or hospital. It can also detect infections without symptoms." https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

At least based on public data tracking sites like Our World in Data and Worldometer, France stopped regularly publicly reporting its COVID case and COVID death counts back in June 2023. France's cumulative totals in both of those categories have remained mostly unchanged since mid-last year. Daily Cases Source: Our World in Data Cumulative Cases Source: Our World in Data Cumulative Deaths Source: Our World in Data WHO cumulative data for France's reported COVID cases and deaths: 39 million COVID cases and 168,091 official COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic. https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/cases?n=c&m49=250 https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths?n=c&m49=250

France sees no Olympic spike in COVID cases: minister July 25, 2024 There has been no spike in COVID cases in France as tourists surge in for the Paris Olympic Games, a minister said Thursday, adding that the government would remain "vigilant". "COVID is still with us at a low level" but "we're not in a period with an explosion or strong return" of the virus, junior health minister Frederic Valletoux told broadcaster Franceinfo. He added that authorities were not "for now" expecting to introduce mask requirements in venues. (more) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-france-olympic-spike-covid-cases.html

2024 Paris Olympics hit by early COVID cases, but organizers don't seem worried by risk of major outbreak July 24, 2024 ... Given the pre-opening ceremony cases and the recent history at the Tour de France, the focus has turned sharply toward the fast-approaching Games. Some 10,500 athletes are due in the French capital, and organizers know that along with the spirit of sportsmanship, they bring with them the potential for a major outbreak in the Olympic Village, which will be home to more than 14,000 athletes and accompanying team members. But organizers appear relatively unfazed. "For now, nothing has been put into place by the organizing committee," André-Pierre Goubert, the director of Olympics and high performance sport at the National French Olympic and Sport Committee (CNOSF), recently told the French newspaper Le Monde. "We recommended that the delegations test their athletes before coming to the Olympic Village, using their own medical teams." (more) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2024-paris-olympics-covid-cases-organizers-seem-unfazed-outbreak-risk/

Update: Paris 2024 Olympics: Five Australian water polo players test positive for COVID-19 24 July 2024 Five players of the Australian women's water polo team have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which officially gets underway on Friday. “There have been five athletes in total who have tested positive,” Australian chef de mission Anna Meares confirmed on Wednesday during a press conference. Meares added that the cases were confined to the Aussie Stingers and the players will be allowed to practice with protocols in place. (more) https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-olympics-australia-water-polo-team-covid-19-five-players

Jul 23, 2024 PARIS - French and Australian officials on Tuesday played down the risk of a COVID cluster at the Paris Olympics after the Australia team was the first to report that one of its athletes, a water polo player, had tested positive and been isolated. Paris 2024 is meant to be the first post-pandemic summer Olympics, after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, postponed by a year due to COVID, were held largely without spectators. "I need to emphasise that we are treating COVID no differently to other bugs like the flu. This is not Tokyo," Australia's Olympic team chief Anna Meares told a press conference. Meares said the athlete's teammates would wear masks and adhere to social distancing measures. All close contacts were tested. ... A second Australia player, who was a close contact, later tested positive as well, the Australian Olympic Committee said, but no other athletes in the country's team have been diagnosed with COVID. (more) https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/australian-water-polo-player-isolated-with-covid-team-chief-says

Japan battling 11th COVID wave, data shows, as KP.3 variant evades immunity Jul 24, 2024 Japan appears to be experiencing its 11th wave of COVID-19 infections, with new infections increasing for 10 consecutive weeks amid the rise of a highly transmissible new coronavirus variant. ... COVID-19 cases have been increasing since early May. The total number of new cases in regularly monitored medical institutions across the country reached 55,072 in the week through July 14, according to the ministry. ... On Monday, the ministry held a hearing with experts on the nationwide infection situation and the state of medical services. Although the country is not currently facing a medical crisis, experts urged people to remain vigilant against COVID-19 infections. "Elderly people and those with underlying conditions are at high risk of developing severe symptoms if infected," a ministry official said. (more) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/07/24/japan/science-health/covid-19-11th-wave/

Weekly COVID deaths in England, with the latest weekly update above, continue to be about double the comparable weekly numbers for the same period last year in 2023: ... https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of July 25: My text summary - weekly COVID new cases, weekly COVID deaths, and COVID testing positivity rates (7-day rolling average) all increased vs. the prior week's report (as posted above as of July 18). There was no updated data for COVID new hospital admissions since the prior weekly report. Versus the prior weekly report: --COVID reported weekly cases increased from 3,382 to 3,557 --COVID weekly deaths increased from 163 to 197, the highest weekly total since late February --COVID testing positivity rate (7-day rolling average) increased from 13.9% to 15.9% https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the most recent weekly low in May: Deaths data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including 12 July 2024 Date -- Amount 12 Jul 2024 -- 197 5 Jul 2024 -- 163 28 Jun 2024 -- 171 21 Jun 2024 -- 145 14 Jun 2024 -- 155 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#testing

The global COVID deaths these days, 4-1/2 years into the pandemic and after 7 million official and up to 30 million COVID excess deaths prior, are predominantly among the elderly. But over the duration of the pandemic, the age distribution hasn't been so lopsided as your comments above suggest. Look at the official age breakdown for COVID deaths in the U.S. from the start of the pandemic in 2020 through Sept. 2023 as one example -- almost 278,000 deaths, or 24%, in the under age 65 cohorts. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#SexAndAge

The Taiwan CDC reported Tuesday that the country's new COVID deaths increased again during the past week to 124, while new serious COVID cases (hospitalizations) declined for a second straight week to 773. The CDC, as with past weeks, said most of the serious cases and new COVID deaths involved the elderly age 65 and above. Week Ending -- Severe COVID cases -- COVID Deaths June 17 -- 624 -- N/A June 24 -- 817 -- 40 July 1 -- 932 -- 64 July 8 -- 987 -- 99 July 15 -- 896 (revised) -- 104 July 22 -- 773 -- 124 Noting that regional neighbor Japan likewise has been having a COVID surge amid the peak summer travel season, the Taiwan CDC urged its citizens planning to travel to Japan, and senior citizens in general, to be up-to-date with the latest available XBB COVID vaccine, and to practice personal hygiene habits such as frequent hand washing and wearing face masks when in crowded or poorly ventilated places. Source:

I knew one officer who was going to send his in for inspection... But by the time he got around to trying to do it, the termites at eaten the whole thing! (joking....) 🤪

I remember going to the Nana Hotel disco a few times 20+ years ago during my earliest tourist visits to Thailand, because while not great, it actually was a Thai disco where people, including Thai young women, danced on a dance floor instead of just standing around tables. Many years later, I tried the Nana Hotel coffee shop a few times for their cheap western all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, which included things like pancakes which are nice to have from time to time.... But the place always had a bit of a creepy feeling for me, so I didn't hang around long. Never stayed overnight at the hotel. Couldn't trust the pillows! 🙂

What's wrong with what led up to the fatal shooting and hostage-taking here: "Boonma, who had known mental health issues," AND "Boonma, known to be a gun enthusiast, had an arsenal of weapons, including four pistols and a shotgun."

This report from July 20 seems a bit more clear than the Thai PBS report, and makes no mention of any current / pending plans for increasing the FT (fuel tariff) component, which was what was going to drive the earlier talk about electric rate increases: Thailand’s Minister of Energy scolds media and confirms no rise in electricity prices from September to December 2024, keeping rates stable at ฿4.18 per unit. The government remains committed to reducing electricity costs to support consumers and industry amidst economic challenges. Deputy PM assures public of stable electricity prices amidst economic concerns in Thailand On Saturday, Mr. Pirapan suggested that the current price of ฿4.18 was likely to remain the same. The government reviews the country’s electricity tariff every four months as part of its energy framework. https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2024/07/20/minister-confirms-hold-on-electricity-prices-as-government-policy-aims-for-cheaper-tariffs/ Which would be consistent with the actual OP headline of this thread: Electricity price for September-December to remain at the current rate

I'm struggling to understand, from the OP report here, just what is the bottom line re electric rates for the last quarter of this year.... They're saying the base rate won't rise, but not yet deciding on or ruling out an increase in the added fuel tariff -- which itself would drive an increase in the overall cost of electricity to consumers if the FT were to be raised???

COVID-19 Reported Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity by State Timeseries After May 3, 2024, this dataset and webpage will no longer be updated because hospitals are no longer required to report data on COVID-19 hospital admissions [emphasis added], and hospital capacity and occupancy data, to HHS through CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network. https://healthdata.gov/Hospital/COVID-19-Reported-Patient-Impact-and-Hospital-Capa/g62h-syeh/about_data

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for July 14 - 20, 2024: For the most recent week, new COVID hospitalizations increased slightly, but declines occurred in new COVID deaths and currently hospitalized COVID patients in serious condition and those requiring ventilation to breathe. --1,067 new COVID hospitalizations, averaging 152 per day, up 63 / 6.3% from 1,004 the prior week --3 new COVID deaths, down 2 / -40% from 5 the prior week --589 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), down 93 / -13.6% from 682 the prior week (dark purple) --265 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, down 44 / -14.2% from 309 the prior week (light purple) --------------------------------------- The reported 1,067 new COVID hospitalizations last week, averaging 152 per day, remained more than double the weekly number (501) from mid-March at the start of Thailand's spring 2024 COVID surge. Cumulative officially reported figures since the start of 2024 are COVID hospitalizations (34,653) & COVID deaths (191). Of the three official COVID deaths for the past week, the MoPH is reporting that two were male and one female. By age, two were ages 70 and above, and one was age 60-69. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main The weekly new COVID hospitalization totals since this year's spring surge began in mid-March have been: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 May 4 -- 1,792 May 11 -- 1,880 May 18 - 1,882 May 25 -- 1,801 June 1 -- 1,863 June 8 -- 2,762 June 15 -- 2,881 June 22 -- 1,823 June 29 -- 3,256 July 6 -- 1,377 July 13 -- 1,004 July 20 -- 1,067 By comparison, Thailand's key weekly COVID indicators to start 2024 were 664 new COVID hospitalizations and 4 COVID deaths for the first week of the year.

We each set our own standards... I find his various policies in Florida extremely offensive, and obviously, I'm not the only one. I guess I can always go to San Francisco instead... 🙂

I would not limit my decisions on that subject to just "places where homosexuality is outlawed," but would cast a broader net. I'm not gay, but I firmly support gay and other so-called minority group civil rights. So places that are strongly antagonistic to those core principles and values would be off my travel to-visit list, including places in the U.S. like the DeSantis-headed state of Florida. Never been, and have always wanted to see DisneyWorld etc., but ain't gonna happen as long as he's running the show there and his policies prevail. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/07/10/desantis-controversial-policies-spark-florida-convention-cancellations-as-tourism-shows-signs-of-slowing/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/06/economy/florida-convention-business-cancellations/index.html

It's not my database or report... But the numbers are reported as "COVID-19 Reported Patient Impact" admissions -- not kid admitted for a broken leg who happens to test positive for COVID along the way admissions.

Supplemental graphics from the above report: https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/COVID Hospitalizations Report - June 2024.pdf

American Academy of Pediatrics analyzes pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations from 2020-’24 July 1, 2024 About 234,000 children under age 18 were hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 from fall 2020 to spring 2024, according to AAP analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ... The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations varied substantially across time by waves of infection and emergence of new variants (see figure). The largest peak was in winter 2022 during the omicron surge, with 6,527 child hospitalizations the week of Jan. 15. In the final week of the report, April 27, 2024, 310 children with a confirmed COVID-19 case were admitted, among the lowest levels reported during the pandemic. Starting in January 2022, HHS also required hospitals to break out child admissions by age group (0-4 years, 5-11 years and 12-17 years) in their weekly reports. While children ages 0-4 comprise about 26% of the U.S. child population, they accounted for 58% of the confirmed COVID-19 [juvenile] hospital admissions from January 2022 to April 2024. This may be related to greater vulnerability or to lower vaccination levels among this age group. (more) https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/29182