TallGuyJohninBKK

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for July 21 - 27, 2024: For the most recent week, the MoPH update showed improvements / declines in all four publicly reported COVID indicators -- new COVID hospitalizations, deaths, currently hospitalized COVID patients in serious condition and those requiring ventilation to breathe. The latest update is another clear sign that Thailand's spring 2024 COVID surge is subsiding. --928 new COVID hospitalizations, averaging 133 per day, down 139 / -13% from 1,067 the prior week --2 new COVID deaths, down 1 / -33.3% from 3 the prior week --513 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), down 76 / -12.9% from 589 the prior week (dark purple) --223 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, down 42 / -15.8% from 265 the prior week (light purple) --------------------------------------- The reported 928 new COVID hospitalizations last week marked the first time this weekly tally has fallen below the 1,000 mark since mid-April, and is less than one-third of the recent weekly peak of 3,256 new hospitalizations reached in late June. Cumulative officially reported figures since the start of 2024 are COVID hospitalizations (35,581) & COVID deaths (193). Of the two official COVID deaths for the past week, the MoPH is reporting that both were female. By age, one was age 60-69, and one was age 20-49. 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 July 27 -- 928 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. For the comparable week last year in 2023, new COVID hospitalizations were 371 and there were 7 COVID deaths.

1. In terms of natural, un-enhanced physique, I'd say generally yes. 2. Overall, I'd say yes. 3. Of course, some. 4. You probably don't / won't.

You might be able to place a delivery order via the Bangkok Beef FB group run by Greg Lange, operator of the Sunrise Tacos Mexican restaurants chain. They regularly have and sell their own bags of pickled sliced jalapenos, which I buy and use all the time... I believe he also sells whole fresh jalapenos, when they have them in-stock / in-season. You can send him a message on FB Messenger to inquire re the fresh, whole jalapenos.

HH is one of my favorite getaways from BKK, and we usually make a point of staying there on weekday periods... Nice beach town environment but also plenty of good international restaurants and malls for eating and shopping and relaxing. Even did a grocery delivery order to my hotel from Villa Market HH last time there. However, the horses on the beach has always been a turn off for me... Not only do the horses do their business on the sand when nature calls, but they also at times do their droppings at the water line, and the waves wash up and disperse the poop into the beach waters... So I do much enjoy the broader beach environment in HH, and like walking the beach from the downtown area several KMs to the south. But the horse poop issue is enough to make me decide against doing any ocean swimming there, and will stick to hotel pools for that. Also the VIP bus service from Suvarnabhumi to HH for about 350b per person is a very good deal and efficient, dropping you off at their bus station next to to the HH airport. But the bus operator then also will provide free van rides into town to the Clocktower meeting point, or, direct van service to local hotels for arrivals (but not return trip departures) for 100b per person.

I use Grab every time I'm in Hua Hin (anywhere from Khao Takiab up to the airport area), and the service there has been great... Easy to book rides, no problems with cancellations that I've experienced. Good drivers and service. No complaints!

When I asked for and received my MRT seniors discount pass a year or so back, they definitely wanted to see my passport as proof of age eligibility. The MRT counter rep specifically asked to see my passport. I don't have a Thai DL and maybe it would have sufficed if I did have one, but they didn't ask for that either.

LOS.... just to clarify... 1. Was your application to the London embassy done via their E-visa route or in-person? 2. If it was done via the E-Visa route, could you have completed that process while physically being in Thailand, or was there anything that would have physically required you to be there in London? Thanks! (I've never done an E-Visa app, so not clear on the particulars....)

I realize they're coming from different agencies, but the MFA guy was very clear and specific in his interview in saying that ONLY the visa would be required for DTV re-entries -- no other or additional documentation.

I'm here for the long haul, married to a Thai, and a decade-plus of retirement extensions under my belt. I would NOT be interested to potentially lose my grandfathered status under retirement extension rules for a 5-year visa where I don't clearly know what my status and options would be at the end of the initial 5 years. And of course IF the DTV is in fact a one-and-done visa (which we don't actually know at this point), I'd have no interest in trading my annual retirement extensions for that. Because of life changes and the aftermath of COVID, I'm not traveling internationally as much as I did in the past. So the advantage of not having to leave the country under retirement extensions vs. having to leave at least once a year under the DTV is a consideration. But then again, my demographic is clearly not the target group for the DTV visa, even though I probably could qualify if I wanted to try.

That's an interesting nuance... Do we know the underlying source for the claim that the 5-year DTV might be a one and done proposition? That is/was a subject (renewals of the 5-year DTV visa itself) that didn't get broached at all in the MFA guy's comments and interview.

The MFA guy interviewed above said there would be NO documentation requirements for DTV holders when re-entering Thailand ... just present the visa only. No requalification process. However, just the opposite if the same DTV holder instead wants to do the single in-country 180-day extension allowed at Thai Immigration per each new arrival in country. At Immigration for that extension, the MFA guy indicated proof of continuing eligibility WOULD be required.

Sheryl, in the YT interview posted above of the deputy director general of the MFA, he made it pretty clear that there was NO limit on the number or frequency of re-entries allowed under the DTV... and no mention of any kinds of minimum times outside the country being required. It is a 5-year visa with unlimited re-entry permissions to stay of up to 180-days each... and with each re-entry, the ability to do one in-country extension at Immigration for another 180 days... So to me, at least, it's pretty clear that they envision DTV holders to be able to remain in the country long-term for up to 5 years.... provided they do the requisite 180-day departures and/or make use of the in-country extensions. Admittedly, the source is from MFA, not Thai Immigration. But at this point, I'm not seeing any sign or evidence that they're planning to restrict the DTV comings and goings the same ways they have with visa exempt or other methods.

That's an interesting take on their idea of what will qualify... Would you mind saying, what country's embassy took that stance?

In a worst case scenario, no, I don't think there's any issue about having the original visa revoked, because the visa itself doesn't seem to have any subsequent checks AFTER the original approval. But it MIGHT result in Immigration denying a subsequent in-country extension. In which case, the DTV holder I think would still be able to leave the country and return, thus gaining another 180-day permission to stay under the terms of the visa. The way the MFA guy explained it in the above cited YT video, the DTV holder is entitled to an unlimited number of exits and re-entries under the DTV during the 5-year-life of the visa, with each new entry gaining a new 180-day permission to stay.

If you're willing to leave and re-enter Thailand every 180 days over the life of the 5-year DTV and/or make use of the in-country 180-day extension allowed at Thai Immigration (one per each new entry into the country). And in the latter case, potentially have to re-prove your eligibility for the extension each and every time.

About the issue of a DTV holder wanting to do subsequent 180-day in-country extensions at Thai Immigration (one per each new entry to Thailand allowed under the 5-year visa), one thing that the MFA official indicated in the video was that Thai Immigration, in addition to asking for the standard 1,900 baht extension fee each time, would also want to see documentation of eligibility for the visa extension itself each time. Even in years 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 of the original visa. Unfortunately, the MFA official didn't go into any further detail about that issue... But for example, if someone gets a DTV visa in 2024 based on attending a Thai cooking class or for some medical procedure, it raises the question of whether Immigration in years 2-5 is going to be satisfied with the original DTV documentation OR whether they're then going to want to see some ongoing, then-still-current proof of eligibility. That question wasn't addressed. But, if I were a guessing / betting man, assuming the MFA official was correct about how Immigration will handle DTV visa in-country extensions, my guess would be that in years 2-5 of the DTV visa, that they're going to want to see some then still-current proof of eligibility -- not just repeating proof of some activity done back in 2024 and then not continued into the ensuing years. Presumably, for in-country DTV extensions, that also would include having to each time prove the DTV holder still has the required 500K baht on deposit in a bank account somewhere (in or out of Thailand).

In all my years in Thailand, I've always had a general policy -- if a sit-down restaurant has no 10% service charge, and the service is decent or better, I'll add a 10% or better tip depending on the level of service. But if there IS a 10% service charge automatically added to everything, then I generally won't tip more for routine service, but might if the service is still beyond the normal. And that based on the assumption that the service staff were in fact getting their share of the 10% service charge as a type of tip. But now the other night, I was watching a YT video where some Thai nationals who work in the restaurant business were talking about the 10% service charge issue, and they were claiming that at least in their experience, the full 10% does NOT necessarily go to the service staff. And instead, they claimed, some business owners here take some or all of the service charge proceeds to support / cover their own business operating expenses such as facility improvements, equipment, who knows what, etc etc... So that made me start wondering, and want to ask the question here of those in or familiar with the restaurant-bar business here in Thailand -- in your experience, who actually gets the proceeds of the 10% service charge if one is levied? And to what extent, in your experience, are bar and restaurant owners here in fact skimming the service charge proceeds that I'd assume most customers believe, rightly or wrongly, are going to the service staff to support / augment their wages? Any insights, much appreciated!

Strange thing I've noticed lately -- Villa Market has been advertising supposedly UK sourced Iceland-brand frozen Atlantic cod fillets... Villa lists the fish as "Cod (Gadus Morhua)". But when I checked, the Iceland-brand UK website shows that product being sourced from CHINA! How's China the source of UK-sold "Atlantic cod fillets"? PS - I tried a package of them from Villa a month or so back, and found them tasteless and kind of soggy. From the Villa website: https://shop.villamarket.com/product/215197 From the Iceland UK corporate website: https://www.iceland.co.uk/p/iceland-atlantic-cod-fillets-320g/91814.html#q=cod fillets&start=1

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