TallGuyJohninBKK

Covid-19 related mortality in the US was higher than in every western European country. Compared with its closest neighbour, Canada, also a federated country with a decentralised health system, the US fared far worse. With over 1.1 million dead at the end of 2023, leaders and academics have begun a painful postmortem. What went wrong, and what can be done to make authorities in the US better equipped for the next pandemic? In this article, part of a BMJ series examining US covid-19 lessons (http://bmj.com/collections/us-covid-series), we focus on the role of legal infrastructure, including both the law itself and the capacity to wield it effectively.... From almost the beginning of the pandemic, criticism was levelled at the White House and some state governors for failing to implement or maintain essential interventions to combat covid-19. Even where legal powers were wielded, trouble arose. Governmental powers proved too fragmented and limited in some respects, making it difficult to erect a nationwide net of community mitigation measures such as stay-at-home orders; school and business closures; mask, vaccination, and testing requirements; and restrictions on gatherings.... Political forces have pushed reform efforts strongly in one direction—weakening public health legal powers—with potentially dangerous consequences for present and future health crises and preparedness. (more) https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-076269

Of course, nowhere in the almost 3-year-old article you linked to does Larry Sanger actually say what the Independent's headline claims him to have said. “Can you trust it to always give you the truth? Well, it depends on what you think the truth is,” said Mr Sanger, who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001 alongside Jimmy Wales." Not quite the same sentiment.

US adults aged 45 and older who were physically active before the pandemic were 10% less likely to contract COVID-19 and 27% less likely to be hospitalized if they were infected, a Brigham and Women's Hospital–led study suggests. The observational study, published today in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data on 61,557 adults with an average age of 76 years who are participants in three ongoing randomized clinical trials (Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study, Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial, and Women's Health Study). ... After controlling for demographics, BMI, lifestyle factors, underlying illnesses, and medications, compared with inactive individuals, those who were insufficiently active had no significant reduction in infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.96) or hospitalization (OR, 0.98), while those sufficiently active had a significant reduction in infection (OR, 0.90) and hospitalization (OR, 0.73). (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study-older-us-adults-who-exercised-prepandemic-lower-risk-covid-infection-hospitalization https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814993 "Some of the study’s limitations include that it is observational, uses self-reported data, and cannot account for health behavior changes that may have occurred during the pandemic. Further studies are needed to generalize these findings to different groups of people. The research team plans to further investigate the association between physical activity leading into the COVID-19 pandemic and other aspects of health and well-being such as depression and social connectedness." https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/press-releases-detail?id=4651

The unit you're posting on appears to have a relatively lower quality/ low efficiency filter used that's not a true HEPA filter (99.97% rating): "Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.95% (ISO, European Standard)[4][5] or 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE)[6][7] of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm, with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm.[8] " On their website, they list for sale a replacement so-callled HEPA filter rated as H11 and claim it can remove 99.5% of pollutants. https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-hepa-filter/ For their larger purifier unit, they say "The Sqair’s H12 HEPA filter effectively traps 99.5% of viruses," https://wedo-air.com/product/sqair-air-purifier/ No explanation I can find for why they list one type of filter as their replacement filter (H11) but a slightly higher (H12), but still not true HEPA, filter in the writeup on their unit. True HEPA filters start with H13 and H14 ratings as noted in the chart below. HEPA filters are graded by "H" number reference. The lower the number, the lower the efficiency of the filter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA All of the above is not to say that their air purifiers and filter won't work. They will work, just not as efficiently / effectively as units/filters that actually meet the real standard for true HEPA filtration. Obviously, though, any level of filtration of polluted air is better than none. FWIW, Xiaomi used to do the same thing with their Chinese produced air purifiers, calling them HEPA but actually using filters that were rated at less than HEPA standards. Truth in advertising isn't a particularly strong thing here.

It's for that true reason that I don't believe anyone can reach the high ranks of the RTP as BJ has without being tainted in some way by the sewer that surrounds it. If it isn't the allegations in the particular case being alleged here, it's most likely something else, or more likely, many other something elses.

Oddly, coincidence or not, Pentagon FCU also has recently done a similar re-do of their website... and ever since the new version began, I've been totally unable to log-in there with a Firefox browser.. Called Pentagon customer service, and was told their new website doesn't support Firefox anymore.... What kind of @#@#@ are they pulling? Do these places ever consider the impact of such things on their customers?

Those are a Thai made model with a generally good reputation among users here. They used to sell their own HEPA filters directly online from their website, but not sure they still do. FWIW, I've read some info in the past that Hatari's HEPA filters may not be of the higher quality so-called True HEPA variety. They say their HEPA filters "Filters fine dust particles, allergens and other foreign particles as small as 0.3 micron" -- but they don't specify to what efficiency rate 99%, 99.5%, 99.97%, the latter being what's called True HEPA. "Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standards require that a HEPA air filter must remove—from the air that passes through—at least 99.95% (ISO, European Standard)[4][5] or 99.97% (ASME, U.S. DOE)[6][7] of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm, with the filtration efficiency increasing for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm.[8 ... "Products that are marketed to be "HEPA-type," "HEPA-like," "HEPA-style" or "99% HEPA" do not satisfy the HEPA standard and may not have been tested in independent laboratories. Although such filters may come reasonably close to HEPA standards, others fall significantly short.[26] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA Model AP12R1: https://www.hatari.co.th/en/product/UHJvZHVjdDo3NQ%3D%3D https://www.hatari.co.th/en/category/air-filters One other downside to Hatari is that they're primarily a fan manufacturer, not an air purifier manufacturer.... I think they've only ever had a single air purifier model offered at any given time.

I buy carbon prefilters from Amazon in the U.S. and have them mail forwarded here... In the past, I've often bought a particular size made by Honeywell for a particular large/house sized Honeywell purifier I have at home. But these days, there are multiple quality suppliers of those sheets on Amazon... It's kind of a commodity product, unless you need one of an unusual size. FWIW, I've never really looked to see if the same are available here in Thailand. The Honeywell ones fit my Honeywell purifier, and the leftover/trim from those I hand cut to fit in the rear of my Thai purchased smaller Sharp unit. Examples: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UH9I2G/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQR1W51/ PS - One of the disadvantages of the Xiaomi units, IMO, is that their filters are of the one-piece cartridge style... as opposed to having separate HEPA and pre-filter and-or carbon sheets... To me, being able to replace/clean the separate pre-filter and cheap carbon filters more often allows you to extend the life of your more expensive HEPA filter.... vs having to replace it more often when you're using the all-in-one variety. The manufacturers, if it wasn't already obvious, generally make their money off the HEPA filter replacement sales more than off the original units. And one interesting feature that Xiaomi has had, at least on past models, was an electric mechanism on their units that checks to insure that the installed HEPA filter is one made by Xiaomi, as opposed to any third-party source.

As I said above, depends on usage.... For me here in Bangkok, air pollution is really only a major problem during the burning season, typically Nov-Dec to Mar-April. That's the period when there's the most gunk in the air, and accumulating on your HEPA filter... Also, there's steps you can take to extend the life of the HEPA filter. For example, my Sharp unit came with a back cover that serves as a pre-filter, keeping the larger particles away from the HEPA filter. And that back pre-filter can be easily removed and rinsed clean indefinitely. Also, I added my own hand-cut carbon filter sheets inside my Sharp unit between the pre-filter and HEPA filter. And the carbon filter sheets also catch stuff that makes it thru the pre-filter, further protecting the HEPA filter. Those carbon filter sheets are relatively cheap. They cannot be washed. But they can be vacuumed with HEPA hand vac or HEPA house vac to extend their life.

I've had one of those Thai-purchased Sharp models (FP-F30 TA and similar) at home in BKK for the past several years, and it's worked flawlessly and effectively. But their units in that price range, I believe, are only sized for a room of about 20 sq mt... So great for a bedroom and such, but not a single unit for an entire home or larger condo.

I've never heard of this name/brand at all when it comes to air purifiers. There's probably a reason it's "very cheap."

There are several important features anyone looking to buy an air purifier in Thailand should consider: 1. It should be a HEPA or True HEPA purifier, meaning it's rated to remove 99.97% of PM2.5 down to 0.3 microns in size. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA 2. It should be sized large enough to accommodate the room or open living space where it will be used. In other words, don't buy a purifier rated for handling a 20 sq mt room when the area you need to purify is 40 or 80 sq mt. 3. Make sure and identify for the model you're considering that there is a local and reliable supply of replacement HEPA filters for the unit in question, as HEPA filters typically need to be replaced every one year or so...depending on useage patterns. And the purifier you buy will be useless to you in the future if you can't source quality replacement filters sized for your unit. Some of the reputable brands offered here include Hatari, which makes a relatively low cost model, Sharp, which also makes some affordable room sized purifiers, and Xiaomi, particularly their later 3 and 4 series models.

I wonder how this new tourist insurance scheme is going to classify the constantly occurring tourist hotel/condo balcony falls? Covered, or, excluded risky behavior? Same with riding/traveling on Thai island speed boats? Covered or excluded risky behavior? It would be interesting in the coming year/years to find out, if we ever do, what kinds of cases were accepted for coverage vs. what kinds of ones were denied/rejected.

There seem to be TWO different versions in the opening two news reports above of what is actually required to be eligible under this scheme, with very different implications. The first is the one you quoted above -- have to have a tourist visa, which excludes a lot of tourists who come via other means, including visa exempt. And then the other, second news report above has the following broader definition: "They must be visiting Thailand with a tourist visa or for tourism purposes." I have no idea which version is the actual one the Thai government plans to follow with this. But there's a pretty big difference between those two different versions.

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Feb. 4 - Feb. 10, 2024: --537 new COVID hospitalizations, down 178 from the prior week --5 new COVID deaths, down 3 from the prior week --344 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, up 96 from the prior week (dark purple) --169 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, down 7 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (3,216) & deaths (39) since the start of the current year) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

The reference isn't intended to discredit him, after all, his finding to not file any criminal charges pertained to a Democrat President, making the outcome all the more significant. It does, however, accurately reflect his career history and political leanings as a Trump appointed U.S. attorney and, before that, a long association with and support of various Republican and right-wing judges and political figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_K._Hur "After law school, Hur was a law clerk for Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002 and for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court from 2002 to 2003.[2]" "On November 1, 2017, Hur was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.[6] ... He was sworn in on April 9, 2018.[9] "Hur has made donations to the campaigns of at least three Republican political candidates, for less than one thousand dollars combined.[24]"

Worth noting that the partisan opinions expressed in the above weblink were made in mid-2023 -- many months before the Republican-aligned special counsel decided that no criminal charges would be brought against Biden for any violations of federal law.

The OP article talks about the Chinese guy being arrested in the Din Daeng area of central Bangkok... So presumably, the 5 convicted and now imprisoned Immigration officers were operating within the Chaengwattana IO jurisdiction. PS - as is too common with Thai news reports here... zero mention of whether these 5 will remain in custody, or have been or will be released on bail pending potential appeals.

Things have sort of washed clear on the TurboTax ITIN problem I cited above in recent days... TurboTax reps, in their support forum, have basically acknowledged their online system for the current 2023 returns cycle had an error that caused the system to say perfectly valid ITIN numbers were invalid. They've now recognized the error, and say they are in the process of correcting it. My wife's valid ITIN, which TT last week judged invalid, is now accepted as valid again.

"Worldwide, there were more than 11,000 reported deaths from COVID between mid-December 2023 and mid-January 2024, and more than half of those deaths occurred in the U.S. In that same time frame, nearly one million cases were reported to the World Health Organization globally (although reduced testing and reporting means this is likely a vast undercount)." And those numbers above are not real worldwide totals, but instead as the WHO has cautioned, tallies from just a few dozen countries (including the U.S.) that are still regularly tracking and publicly reporting that kind of data. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rampant-covid-poses-new-challenges-in-the-fifth-year-of-the-pandemic/ "Overall, the updated Covid-19 vaccines provided 54% protection against symptomatic infection among immunocompetent adults who were recently vaccinated compared with those who did not receive an updated vaccine, according to the report published Thursday by the CDC." https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/01/health/updated-covid-vaccine-effectiveness-jn1/index.html

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A federal appeals court shot down claims Monday that New Jersey residents’ refusal to wear face masks at school board meetings during the COVID-19 outbreak constituted protected speech under the First Amendment. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in two related cases stemming from lawsuits against officials in Freehold and Cranford, New Jersey. ... “A question shadowing suits such as these is whether there is a First Amendment right to refuse to wear a protective mask as required by valid health and safety orders put in place during a recognized public health emergency. Like all courts to address this issue, we conclude there is not,” the court said. (more) https://apnews.com/article/covid-mask-free-speech-lawsuits-new-jersey-108abf877288999f34d1c604b731d34c

And yet here you are voluntarily choosing to read news articles in the forum's COVID subforum... Hmmm...

"All of the COVID interventions have been politicized and with huge amounts of misinformation and disinformation that spreads faster than viruses. And misinformation, disinformation and politicization kill." --Maria Van Kerkhove, interim director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rampant-covid-poses-new-challenges-in-the-fifth-year-of-the-pandemic/

Updated COVID-19 vaccines effective against variants, new data show ... "Overall, VE was 54% (95% CI, 46%-60%) among people who had recently received an updated COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers found that VE for people aged 18 to 49 years was 57% (95% CI, 48%-65%) and for people aged 50 years and older was 46% (95% CI, 31%-58%). Additionally, VE was 58% (95% CI, 48%-65%) among people tested for COVID-19 between 7 to 59 days after receiving an updated vaccine. It was 49% (95% CI, 36%-58%) among people tested for COVID-19 between 60 to 119 days after receiving an updated vaccine. (more) https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20240201/updated-covid19-vaccines-effective-against-variants-new-data-show

(CNN) — A shot of the latest Covid-19 vaccine can help cut the chances of getting a symptomatic infection by half, early data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests. ... Overall, the updated Covid-19 vaccines provided 54% protection against symptomatic infection among immunocompetent adults who were recently vaccinated compared with those who did not receive an updated vaccine, according to the report published ... by the CDC. ... Generally, the goal of the US Covid-19 vaccination program is to prevent severe disease, but measuring vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection offers an extra early look at how well the vaccines are working. ... During the week ending January 13, there were nearly 31,000 Covid-19 hospitalizations and more than 1,800 deaths, according to CDC data. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/01/health/updated-covid-vaccine-effectiveness-jn1/index.html