TallGuyJohninBKK

The past research on this involving Bangkok has shown that the PM2.5 pollution here varies by season. During the historically worst times of the year -- December to March or so, the predominant elements are from agricultural burning (both locally and cross-border), then along with lesser contributions from vehicle exhaust, industrial plants and other sources, including things like construction activity and even temple crematoriums. During the rest of the year, including the rainy season times, the agricultural burning element is less...and vehicle emissions play a larger role... but the overall pollution levels are lower. "The CMB results showed consistent important source factors at both sites of biomass OB, diesel vehicles, secondary inorganic PM and industry. The biomass OB contribution was the most dominant in the dry season while the vehicle emission was most dominant in the wet season. In dry period, at PCD, the most important contributors to PM2.5 were biomass burning (35%), and diesel vehicles (21%) and those at AIT were also biomass burning (36%), diesel vehicles (26%), inorganic secondary PM (15%) and industry (5%). In the wet period, at PCD, the most important contributors to PM2.5 were diesel vehicles (28%), biomass burning (26%) and inorganic secondary PM (21%)." https://www.jica.go.jp/Resource/jica-ri/publication/booksandreports/l75nbg00000kjwkk-att/Final_report.pdf

Because... 1: even though COVID deaths among young people are relatively rare, COVID even now is still causing a lot of hospitalizations and health problems among the young... example from the U.S. last September: "a new analysis of federal data from the American Academy of Pediatrics showed hospital admissions among children are rising faster than average. Nearly 1,200 children were admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 during the week ending September 9, marking a five-fold increase over the past three months. Hospitalizations among adults increased about three-fold in that same time period. Admissions among children remain below previous pandemic peaks. There were about 1,800 new pediatric admissions in a week at the height of last winter’s wave, and more than 6,500 weekly admissions during Omicron, the AAP analysis shows. Children accounted for 6% of all Covid-19 hospital admissions during the week ending September 9, federal data shows. And children under 5 were the most at risk, with about half of all pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations among those younger than 5, according to the AAP analysis." https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/22/health/covid-hospitalizations-seniors-kids-vaccines/index.html And 2: the history of vaccines over decades has shown that any vaccine related side effects happen shortly after vaccination -- not many months or years later. So experts in the field discount the anti-vaxer claims about some potential future harms. Plus right now, we're already three-plus years into the global COVID vaccination program with more than 12 billion total doses administered. 5 Reasons We Know The COVID-19 Vaccines Don't Have Long-Term Health Effects "“The only long-term effect of the COVID-19 vaccines is survival,” says Dr. Cunningham. “There are no adverse long-term effects to worry about. Contracting COVID-19, however, can leave you with lingering health problems.” ... 1. History has showed us that with vaccines, adverse effects occur within eight weeks of vaccination—not years later. ... Neither mRNA technology—nor viral vector technology—is new. ... The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were created using messenger RNA (or mRNA) technology, which has been used for about 10 years in cancer treatment, with no long-term effects detected." https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/02/5-reasons-we-know-the-covid-vaccines-dont-have-longterm-effects

Here's some additional info on that... The good news is, the government after being quiet on COVID vaccines for quite a long while recently, has just begun promoting details their availability in Bangkok since the start of the new year. The offering below involving local public health centers is for every Wednesday. The bad news is, unfortunately, the vaccine they're offering is, as the graphic below indicates, the older Pfizer bivalent version, and not the newer Pfizer or Moderna monovalent vaccines launched in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere last fall that target the newer XBB-heritage variants. For expats, as long as you can show you're a long-term resident here and not a tourist (such as via a pink card or visa/extension stamp in your passport), then there should be no charge under the government's program. I've reached out to several agencies here lately on the issue of when/if Thailand, either the government or private hospitals, are going to source the newer vaccines... And so far, the answers have been silence. Source link Here's a translation of another one of the Bangkok recent announcements: " From January 2024 onwards🔴 Where is a good place to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Public Health Service Center, Department of Health invites you to get vaccinated against Covid 19💉 We accept walk-ins every Wednesday, except public holidays. Time 09.00 - 15.00 hrs. at 69 public health service centers For more information, call 0 2203 2883 during business days and times"

In general at BKK CW, once you get a new passport, they want your next 90 day report to be IN PERSON. And then once you've done that, the future ones can then be done online again. Last time around I had a new passport last year, I was first rejected for online. Then tried doing a mail-in, and got a response that wasn't acceptable, and was required to go to BKK CW in person.

I realize many in Thailand have an abiding belief in a variety of supposed protective elements including things like wearing amulets... But when it comes to protecting against PM2.5 fine particle air pollution that can cause health harms because the pollution particles enter directly into the blood stream.... I'd put the OP's herbal recommendations down into the category of hokum pokum nonsense. If someone really wants to protect against PM2.5, the answer is to keep it out of your lungs and body in the first place by wearing things like N95 respirator face masks and running HEPA air purifiers at home.

Some caveats of the study cited in the prior post: 1. their assumptions based on the seasonality of COVID weren't based on COVID itself, but instead, on the trends of OTHER non-COVID coronaviruses "(using the average incidence of endemic human beta-coronaviruses in Sweden over a 10-year period as a proxy)" Hmmm.... "These four coronaviruses (two alpha-coronaviruses and two beta-coronaviruses) have been suggested to be responsible for 10–15% of “common cold” cases and demonstrate a strong seasonality. Given that COVID-19 is caused by a human beta-coronavirus, we suggest that, if it also has a seasonal component, it might be similar to the seasonality of these endemic beta-coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1). [emphasis added] 2. And then, as their own conclusion section notes: "our results should be interpreted in light of the possibility of the so-called “ecological fallacy”. That is, the results at a population level for each of the six countries might potentially mask significant effects at an individual level."

That's going to be bad for business, tourism and otherwise.... :-) Who's gonna shine those poles once they get just a few years older?

I've used all varieties of Fire TV boxes and sticks in Thailand for many years, and have never had any wifi problems with them. With the sticks, they each come with an HDMI extender cord to move the stick a bit further away from the TV's HDMI slot, wherever it may be on a given TV. Also, each TV is different, some TVs have their HDMI slots on the rear... Others have them on the right or left edges of the TV cabinet. Also, non-techie folks may not be aware that with Amazon Fire Sticks, you also have the option to buy an inexpensive OTG cable add-on that would allow you to connect the stick via Ethernet (assuming you have a connection available nearby) instead of wifi.

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Jan. 7 - 13, 2024: --625 new COVID hospitalizations, down 39 from the prior week --7 new COVID deaths, up 3 from prior week --177 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition, up 33 from the prior week --125 COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation to breathe, up 36 from the prior week https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

1. Rats are not people...as the authors of this study themselves concede, saying: "It's imperative to recognize the limitations of our research, given that it relies on animal models. Caution should be exercised in generalizing these results to humans. Further rigorous clinical studies are required to confirm these observations in human populations and to ascertain the exact mechanisms at play." 2. Claims that vaccines cause autism or autism like disorders have long been a standard and discredited claim of anti-vax activists... False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel July 21, 2023 "Studies have found the rate of autism is the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But the false claim that vaccines are associated with the disorder persists." ... " the false claim about vaccination and autism has been circulating since 1998, when a since-retracted paper wrongly suggested the MMR vaccine was linked to autism. Data presented in the paper were later found to be fabricated. The General Medical Council in the United Kingdom stripped the lead author of his ability to practice medicine for his dishonesty and irresponsibility in the paper. But the baseless claim has remained." https://www.factcheck.org/2023/07/scicheck-false-claim-about-cause-of-autism-highlighted-on-pennsylvania-senate-panel/ American Academy of Pediatrics: What to know about vaccines The child and adolescent immunization schedule is a policy that is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Like all AAP policies, it is developed based on expert review of all available evidence. As a parent, you can be reassured to know that there have been hundreds of large-scale studies around the world on vaccine safety during the past few decades. They demonstrate that: Recommended vaccines are safe for children and teens. Vaccines are not associated with conditions like diabetes or problems with fertility. Vaccines are not associated with autism or developmental delay." https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Vaccine-Studies-Examine-the-Evidence.aspx As per the "neonatal" element of the OP research, the U.S. CDC also has judged that COVID vaccines are both safe and effective if administered during pregnancy, both for the mother and the unborn child. COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding Updated Nov. 3, 2023 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/pregnancy.html

Just asking, where's the beef? Let's see whatever evidence, proof, medical findings they claim to have.

I'm not making the claims... They are.... I look forward to them actually documenting and proving their claims for their peers to read and judge in some medical/public health journal setting -- which is the way such things are normally vetted.

You think popping up in a Bangkok Post article with mostly vague and unsourced claims is OK and consequence-free, but somehow the normal route of publishing in a medical journal detailing their findings for their peers to read and judge is going to have dire consequences?

There are certain potential side effects of COVID vaccines that have been well documented by researchers / health authorities around the world, although all the available evidence thus far says those are VERY rare and the risks of those are far, far exceeded by the risks from COVID. Since the vaccines became available in late 2020, more than 12 BILLION doses have been administered around the world. If something more problematic were occurring with them, you wouldn't necessarily expect the notion of that to surface out of the blue three-plus years later from two doctors in Thailand. If something is going on, have the Thai doctors involved written up their findings for medical journal review and publication (no mention of that in the BP article)? And what's the evidence, if any, for their claim that some unstated / unknown parties are allegedly suppressing some kind of problematic findings?

Well, I guess that means you didn't know somewhere between 7 million people (the official count) and 27 million people (the estimated potential direct and indirect count) who lost their lives because of COVID since 2020: "in many low- and middle-income countries, undercounting of mortality is a serious issue. The UN estimates that, in “normal” times, only two-thirds of countries register at least 90% of all deaths that occur, and some countries register less than 50% — or even under 10% — of deaths. During the pandemic the actual coverage might be even lower.11 ... "the overall conclusion remains clear: in many countries and globally, the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 is far below the pandemic’s full death toll." https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid

Since you're so concerned about how your taxes are spent, maybe you ought to reconsider what you believe in: Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion

Most Americans have to pay taxes regardless. So given that, I don't think there's anything wrong with the poorest, under- or uninsured getting some vax assistance from the feds. Nor do I have any problem with an insured working person, who's paying for health insurance along with their employer, getting the tiny insurance optional benefit of one annual COVID vaccination. The cost of the vaccination is going to be a whole lot less than if the same people end up seriously ill in the hospital with COVID, and the feds, states or private insurers end up having to pay for that. COVID vaccines more than pay for themselves in the avoidance of what otherwise would be significant medical expenses. Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion, 3 million lives December 14, 2022 "Commonwealth Fund study estimates that, through November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented more than 18.5 million US hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths and saved the country $1.15 trillion." ... "Without vaccination the U.S. would have experienced 1.5 times more infections, 3.8 times more hospitalizations, and 4.1 times more deaths," the authors wrote. "These losses would have been accompanied by more than $1 trillion in additional medical costs that were averted because of fewer infections, hospitalizations, and deaths." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/report-covid-19-vaccines-saved-us-115-trillion-3-million-lives

According to Our World in Data, the U.S. and the U.K. both rank around 20th in the world in PER CAPITA COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic, but are the highest two countries on the list among major nations as of the end of 2023. Source Link

Interesting comparisons: According to the WHO's data, the U.S. has had the most officially reported COVID deaths of any country in the world since the beginning of the pandemic, now totaling about 1.2 million. Although that's partly due to the U.S.'s rank as the third most populous country in the world behind China and India. And many experts believe China likely exceeded the U.S. total if China had ever fully reported its COVID fatalities. But by contrast, the U.S. ranks around #79 out of about 200 countries in the world for the share of its population that has received at least one booster dose of a COVID vaccine, at only about 36%, just above the world average of 32%. According to the WHO data, Thailand ranks about #60 on the list with a booster vaccination rate of 46%, well above the world average. ... ... Other select countries on the list: --Singapore, 82% --Italy, 75% --Japan, 68% --South Korea, 66% --France & Germany, 63% --Vietnam, 60% --China, 57% --Australia & New Zealand, 56% --Canada, 53% --Malaysia, 51% --Mexico, 44% --Iran, 37% --Laos, 34% --Myanmar, 29% --Indonesia, 25% --Philippines, 22% --India, 17% --South Africa, 7% https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/vaccines?n=c For the U.S., IMHO, that's pathetic.

This would appear to be some further detail from the WHO on their announcement of nearly 10,000 global COVID deaths reported last month during December, recognizing that only about 50 of the 200 or so countries in the world are reporting such data to the WHO. China is further down on the list with a reported 8 COVID deaths for the month, if anyone wants to believe that. The U.K. shows as zero on the WHO's list, even though the UK does track and report its COVID deaths, and lately had been reporting weekly totals in the COVID 200 deaths range. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths?areaType=overview&areaName=United Kingdom Note: the reference above in the first WHO graphic to the December COVID deaths total being 1,500 less than the prior month likely is an artifact of the reporting data for the most recent week, the last week of December, being incomplete, as the WHO notes in a footnote on the following chart below. https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths?n=c

From the U.S. CDC and FDA in a report from last year: "The most recent estimate is that those who are up to date on their vaccination status have a 9.8 fold lower risk of dying from COVID-19 than those who are unvaccinated and 2.4 fold lower risk of dying from Covid-19 than those who were vaccinated but had not received the updated, bivalent vaccine. Roughly 90% of deaths from COVID-19, as carefully classified by the CDC, in recent months have occurred among those who were not up to date on their vaccines." https://www.fda.gov/media/166159/download

COVID vaccines remain covered by most Americans' health insurance plans, and are available for free still for those without health insurance, at least through the end of 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html

About 1,600 Americans are dying of COVID each and every week right now... adding to the COVID total deaths in the U.S. of about 1.1 million. Just how exactly is that "commonsense" for anyone? Many of those deaths could have been avoided, if only people had kept current on their vaccinations and followed sensible precautions like masking and social distancing. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00

From the OP: "Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study involved 25 patients with long Covid who reported experiencing malaise after exercising, and 21 people who had had Covid but made a full recovery.... Each participant spent about 10-15 minutes on an exercise bicycle, and blood samples and skeletal muscle biopsies were taken a week before and the day after the task." And then the results were reported. It's called research.

You keep repeating that same false rubbish above.... But as one of those you're presumably referring to, I haven't and don't generally "dictate" to anyone what they should or shouldn't be doing. I will say what I am doing... And I do present facts and information and recommendations from public health agencies and experts via news reports. But even they are not "dictating" anything to anyone these days, since obviously people are going to do whatever they choose to do.