TallGuyJohninBKK

Curiously, the language in the OP cited study also sounds a whole lot similar to the language in this 2022 Journal of Alzheimer's Disease study that found significantly increased risks of Alzheimer's diagnosis from people who previously had been infected with COVID vs. those who had not: Association of COVID-19 with New-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease ... "Before propensity-score matching the overall risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in the COVID-19 cohort was 0.68%, compared to 0.35% in the non-COVID-19 cohort. After propensity-score matching, COVID-19 cohort had increased risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease compared to matched non-COVID-19 cohort (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.53–1.72). ... Older adults with COVID-19 were at significantly increased risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease with highest risk in people age ≥85 and in women." The authors also wrote: "However, whether COVID-19 might trigger new-onset Alzheimer’s disease or accelerate its emergence is unclear." And they called for more studies and long-term research on the subject. https://content.iospress.com/download/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad220717?id=journal-of-alzheimers-disease%2Fjad220717

The cited study says "preliminary evidence" and "potential" association... "Preliminary evidence suggests a potential link between COVID-19 vaccination, particularly mRNA vaccines, and increased incidences of AD and MCI." [emphasis added] And balanced against that, from the Alzheimer's Society: Coronavirus (Covid) vaccines and dementia Our information gives a summary of what people affected by dementia need to know about the Covid vaccines, including consenting to have a vaccine. ... 2. Can the Covid vaccine make dementia worse? There is no evidence that any of the coronavirus vaccines make dementia worse. There is also no evidence that the coronavirus vaccine can make someone who doesn’t have dementia more likely to develop the condition. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/coronavirus/covid-vaccines-dementia AND COVID-19 vaccine tied to reduced deaths in seniors with dementia July 18, 2023 For the first time, researchers have calculated excess deaths among US dementia patients during the pandemic, and they found a reduction in excess mortality among long-term care residents after COVID-19 vaccines were made available. The study was published today in JAMA Neurology. ... "Our finding that faster vaccine rollout and greater coverage were associated with larger reductions in ADRD-related deaths in year 2 suggests that access to vaccines, both for persons living with ADRD and their care professionals, may play a key role in reducing excess deaths,” the authors concluded. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-tied-reduced-deaths-seniors-dementia

Also from December 2023: COVID-19 hospitalizations are increasing in US, rates are highest among oldest and youngest Americans ... "Rates of COVID hospitalizations remain elevated among senior citizens, middle-aged adults and children under age 4, meaning the virus is affecting both the oldest and youngest Americans. ... Young kids also at risk of severe illness Infants and young children under age 4 have the third-highest rate of hospitalizations by age group at 1.6% per 100,000 for the week ending Dec. 2, CDC data shows. Although children are less likely to fall severely ill and die from COVID compared to adults, they can get sick enough to be hospitalized." https://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-19-hospitalizations-increasing-us-rates-highest-oldest/story?id=105452104 AND Covid-19 is a leading cause of death for children in the US, despite relatively low mortality rate January 30, 2023 (CNN) — Covid-19 has become the eighth most common cause of death among children in the United States, according to a study published Monday. ... The researchers’ analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were 821 Covid-19 deaths in this age group during a 12-month period from August 2021 to July 2022. That death rate – about 1 for every 100,000 children ages 0 to 19 – ranks eighth compared with the 2019 data. ... Covid-19 deaths displace influenza and pneumonia, becoming the top cause of death caused by any infectious or respiratory disease. It caused “substantially” more deaths than any vaccine-preventable disease historically, the researchers wrote. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/health/covid-deaths-children/index.html

The health risks for pregnant women and infants from COVID are higher than for other various other groups, except for the elderly. Study finds prenatal vaccination protects infants from COVID November 11, 2023 Infants as old as 6 months were protected from COVID-19 infections only when mothers were vaccinated prenatally, and not before pregnancy, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open. The study is one of the largest to compare outcomes among infants whose mothers were vaccinated before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or were unvaccinated at the time of birth. Infants younger than 6 months are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19, and accounted for 44% of all pediatric COVID hospitalizations during the Omicron dominant period beginning in December 2021. Infants younger than 6 months remain the only group ineligible for COVID vaccination in the United States. [emphasis added] (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study-finds-prenatal-vaccination-protects-infants-covid AND COVID-19 risks during pregnancy April 05, 2024 "Pregnant people seem to catch the virus that causes COVID-19 at about the same rate as people who aren't pregnant. Also, pregnant people usually get better without needing care in the hospital. But pregnancy is a factor that raises the risk of severe COVID-19. That risk stays higher for at least a month after giving birth. ... Pregnant people with severe COVID-19 also may be more likely to develop other health problems as a result of COVID-19. They include heart damage, blood clots and kidney damage. Moderate to severe symptoms from COVID-19 have also been linked to higher rates of preterm birth, high blood pressure or preeclampsia. These risks may shift as the virus that causes COVID-19 changes. Risks also may change as disease prevention and treatment evolve. But risks are lowered significantly when a pregnant person gets the COVID-19 vaccine." https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/pregnancy-and-covid-19/art-20482639

From that 2021 report: "Dec 30 (Reuters) - Governments have been making COVID-19 shots mandatory for health workers and other high-risk groups, pushed by a sharp upturn in infections caused by the Delta variant and a slowdown in vaccinations, as well as the new Omicron variant. A growing number of countries are also making shots compulsory for public servants and other workers." And that was driven at the time by the following reality: "WHO estimates that between 80 000 and 180 000 health and care workers could have died from COVID-19 in the period between January 2020 to May 2021, converging to a medium scenario of 115 500 deaths1. These deaths are a tragic loss. They are also an irreplaceable gap in the world’s pandemic response." https://www.who.int/news/item/20-10-2021-health-and-care-worker-deaths-during-covid-19

Mike, the latest available vaccine here and elsewhere is the 2023-24 version aimed at the XBB variant that is no longer the main one circulating. In Thailand right now, AFAICT, only the Pfizer vaccine is available in that type. Last time I checked, I couldn't find anyone offering the comparable Moderna COVID vaccine here. I don't think any other older versions are still available here. The last update I did on all that was back in March, when as far as the central BKK authorities knew, only several locations in BKK were offering the newer Pfizer vaccine. Though that may have changed/expanded since then. One place to start is by calling the Ministry of Public Health's COVID public hotline (where they do speak English) at phone 1422 and inquiring on the latest for your specific area. They may or may not know more... Here was the prior recap relating to places in the BKK area: Also, another forum member posted here recently about another location outside BKK in the North where he had obtained the newer Pfizer COVID vaccine: "As of two week’s ago, Bangkok Hospital, Chiang Mai were offering Pfizer Comirnaty - ฿2,500 including vaccine, doctor’s fee and hospital fee. " https://aseannow.com/topic/1329918-new-covid-sub-variant-kp2-on-the-rise-in-thailand/?do=findComment&comment=18996640 PS - Western countries like the U.S. and U.K. will have new version 2024-25 versions available starting this fall targeted the newer variants... Presumably those will become available for private purchase here in Thailand sometime thereafter. But with the current XBB version of the vaccines, their arrival in Thailand seemed to follow about 6 months behind their rollout in the west.

A study from the same Stanford Univ. professor who predicted early on that the COVID pandemic would only cause 10,000 deaths in the U.S. -- with the actual number ending up at 1.2 million! A fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data By John P.A. Ioannidis March 17, 2020 ... "If we assume that case fatality rate among individuals infected by SARS-CoV-2 is 0.3% in the general population — a mid-range guess from my Diamond Princess analysis — and that 1% of the U.S. population gets infected (about 3.3 million people), this would translate to about 10,000 deaths. This sounds like a huge number, but it is buried within the noise of the estimate of deaths from “influenza-like illness.” https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/17/a-fiasco-in-the-making-as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-takes-hold-we-are-making-decisions-without-reliable-data/ Not to mention: Dr. John Ioannidis: “The Biggest Mistakes I am Sure Are Mine.” April 19, 2024 ... "While there’s a lot of competition, it’s hard to think of another scientist who was so wrong, early, so consistently, and so publicly. ... During some of these appearances, Dr. Ioannidis told viewers to distrust everything they’d heard so far. In his appearance with Mr. Levin on April 2020, for example, he said that “the evidence we had early in the pandemic was utterly unreliable.” He said predictions of mass death were “completely off, it is just an astronomical error.” Dr. Ioannidis then told viewers he had newer and better data." https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/mistakes/

From the U.S. CDC in August 2021: "A new CDC analysis of current data from the v-safe pregnancy registry assessed vaccination early in pregnancy and did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Miscarriage typically occurs in about 11-16% of pregnancies, and this study found miscarriage rates after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine were around 13%, similar to the expected rate of miscarriage in the general population. Previously, data from three safety monitoring systems did not find any safety concerns for pregnant people who were vaccinated late in pregnancy or for their babies. Combined, these data and the known severe risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy demonstrate that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant people outweigh any known or potential risks." Source: Which only after all of the above finally led to: CDC recommends pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccine August 11, 2021 "Aug 11 (Reuters) - Pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The CDC said it has found no safety concerns for pregnant people in either the new analysis or earlier studies. It said miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to the expected rate. Pregnant women can receive any of the three vaccines given emergency authorization -- Pfizer (PFE.N), Moderna (MRNA.O), or Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N). The agency had not previously recommended pregnant women get vaccinated but had said that they should discuss vaccination with their health care providers. [emphasis added] https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/cdc-recommends-pregnant-women-get-covid-19-vaccine-2021-08-11/

There was data, and lots of it, early on in the vaccine rollout relating to pregnant women, as detailed below, before the CDC finally did begin recommending the vaccines for pregnant women starting in August 2021. Also, it was typical back at that time for pregnant women to NOT be included in clinical trials for new medicines and vaccines, so the Pfizer clinical trials were not unusual in that regard. Per the UK-based FullFact fact checking website in an Oct. 2021 post: "As we have written before, pregnant women were excluded from the initial large-scale Covid-19 vaccine trials. There were 57 unintended pregnancies during the trials, but the number of cases was so small that they can’t be extrapolated in a meaningful way to the rest of the population. However, there have been studies of different data sets from women who were vaccinated in pregnancy as part of the general roll out, with the aim of identifying any problems or safety concerns either in pregnancy or after birth. The results have been compared against the usual rate at which issues (such as miscarriage or preterm birth) would sadly normally be expected in populations of women who have not receieved a Covid-19 vaccine. One study also compared women vaccinated in pregnancy against women who had a Covid-19 infection during pregnancy. From these, no significant safety concerns have arisen." [emphasis added] Source: Also, right or wrong, as mentioned above, it had been the norm in the past to initially exclude pregnant women from clinical trials for new medicines and vaccines, as the following 2023 study reported: "Pregnant women are generally excluded from clinical trials due to fears over the safety of the foetus as well as uncertainties about the effect of pregnancy-related physiological changes on the pharmaco-dynamics and -kinetics of different investigational products [1], [2]. Additionally, pregnant women-related bioethical dilemmas contribute to the complexity and reluctance to include them in clinical trials [3], [4]. An example of such conundrums would be the inability of foetuses to provide consent to any possible trial that recruits pregnant women." ... In the last decades, the lack of pregnancy-related safety data gained increased attention. In 2011, a study demonstrated that approximately 91 % of FDA-approved drugs between 2000 and 2010 had no or “very limited” safety data on human intake during pregnancy." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X23012598 That said, the regulatory agencies did gather data early in the COVID vaccine rollout to ensure that the vaccines were/are safe for pregnant women: The following FactCheck.org report from June 2021 (and later updated) included the following background: "Clinical trials and medical studies have indicated that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant people." ... Update, Aug. 16: Citing more accumulated safety data, including an analysis of outcomes of pregnant people enrolled in v-safe, another vaccine surveillance system, the CDC recommended on Aug. 11 that pregnant people be vaccinated. The new CDC study, not yet peer-reviewed or published, found no increased risk of miscarriage with vaccination. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine had already strongly recommended vaccination for all pregnant people on July 30, given evidence “demonstrating the safe use of the COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy from tens of thousands of reporting individuals over the last several months, as well as the current low vaccination rates and concerning increase in cases.” https://www.factcheck.org/2021/06/scicheck-evidence-points-to-safety-of-covid-19-vaccines-for-pregnant-people/

Another large Kansas newspaper, the Topeka Capital-Journal, also has the following very strange excerpt in its news report on Kobach's lawsuit, which makes it sound like his own state attorneys won't even be taking the lead on the Pfizer case. Instead: "The Kansas lawsuit is likely being handled by the James Otis Law Group, a firm that Kobach contracted with for a secretive pharmaceutical case. The request for proposals had said the attorney general's office was "in the early stages" of an investigation into "alleged unfair or unconscionable acts or practices involving the drug manufacturer industry" targeting "a particular firm." ... The [law] firm was founded by former Missouri solicitor general Dean John Sauer. He has represented former President Donald Trump, arguing that he should be immune from criminal prosecution for charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Sauer gained national attention when arguing in a federal appellate court that presidential immunity could hypothetically cover ordering Navy SEALs to assassinate a political rival." The Topeka Capital-Journal https://archive.ph/mEVXg All of the above reports give a pretty good sense of the backgrounds of those filing and pursuing these cases against Pfizer.

The home state Kansas City Star newspaper also reported the following in its news report on Kobach's lawsuit: "The lawsuit, filed in state court in Thomas County, comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit in November. Kobach said at a news conference on Monday that Kansas is one of several states taking legal action against Pfizer. The company said in a statement the lawsuit is without merit. Kobach, a Republican, is launching the legal challenge as the pandemic has begun to fade in the public consciousness. But anger at vaccine manufacturers, including conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines, are rampant among parts of the right." https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289330650.html

The above-linked Reuters report also took issue with other claims made in Kobach's lawsuit, such as: "The lawsuit claims that, beginning shortly after the vaccine's rollout in early 2021, Pfizer concealed evidence that the shot was linked to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, as well as inflammation in and around the heart, known as myocarditis and pericarditis. ... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2021 added a warning about myocarditis and pericarditis to the vaccine's label. The side effects are rare and most often occur in adolescent boys and young men. A 2023 review of 21 studies by the U.S. National Institutes of Health concluded that COVID vaccines were not linked to miscarriage." https://www.reuters.com/legal/kansas-accuses-pfizer-misleading-public-about-covid-vaccine-lawsuit-2024-06-17/

The lawsuit here by a far right-wing idealogue state attorney general is basically a copycat of a prior case, as noted in the Reuters report linked above, filed months ago by a similar right-wing AG in Texas, which drew the following assessment: Texas sues Pfizer with COVID anti-vax argument that is pure stupid 12/5/2023 ... "In all, Paxton's 54-page complaint acts as a compendium of pandemic-era anti-vaccine misinformation and tropes while making a slew of unsupported claims. But, central to the Lone Star State's shaky legal argument is one that centers on the standard math Pfizer used to assess the effectiveness of its vaccine: a calculation of relative risk reduction. This argument is as unoriginal as it is incorrect. Anti-vaccine advocates have championed this flawed math-based theory since the height of the pandemic. Actual experts have roundly debunked it many times. Still, it appears in all its absurd glory in Paxton's lawsuit last week, which seeks $10 million in reparations." https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/12/texas-sues-pfizer-with-covid-anti-vax-argument-that-is-pure-stupid/ Kobach's lawsuit makes the exact same argument in its filing, as follows: https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/2024-06-15-pfizer-complaint-(002).pdf?sfvrsn=eb8bbe1a_8 Also, the Associated Press did a profile on Kobach in 2022 that included the following on his background and history of questionable claims and legal initiatives, which should be considered when evaluating the likely merits of his claims being made in this Pfizer case: "Kobach also pushed the idea that droves of people could be voting illegally and championed a tough prove-your-citizenship rule for new Kansas voters, only to see the federal courts strike it down and order the state to pay voting rights attorneys $1.4 million. Kobach served as co-chairman of Trump’s short-lived presidential advisory commission on “election integrity” and promoted Trump’s lies about widespread voter fraud. At the time, The Associated Press reported that Kobach oversaw an election system in Kansas that threw out at least three times as many ballots in the 2016 election as any similarly sized state did, fueling concerns about massive voter suppression should its practices become the national standard." https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6

There are different opinions about the questions you broach above, but I can offer the following comments: In general, for a person who's at high risk for bad COVID outcomes (elderly, overweight, diabetes), places such as the U.S. and UK recommend that they remain up-to-date with their COVID vaccinations. Right now, that's meant as at least having received one dose of the latest XBB variant COVID vaccine. The UK at present is running twice-a-year public vaccination campaigns (spring and fall) targeted to the elderly and those otherwise at high risk. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-spring-booster-resources/a-guide-to-the-covid-19-spring-booster-2023 The U.S. has taken a broader approach, saying that everyone should at least receive one dose of the latest XBB variant vaccine, and a second dose is OK for people at higher risk. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s-0228-covid.html In both the U.S. and the UK, there will be new versions of the COVID vaccines released later this fall aimed at protecting against the latest JN.1 / KP.2 COVID variants. In general, both countries appear to be heading toward an annual cycle of COVID vaccines being updated for the latest variants, much like flu vaccines are updated each year. And both the U.S. and UK right now are OK with twice-a-year vaccinations for those in the high-risk groups. As for the duration of protection, recent studies continue to show that it wanes after administration, down to pretty low levels by the time people get 6 months or more out from vaccination -- which is what presumably has driven the acceptance of twice-a-year vaccinations for those at high risk. This study info was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine recently on protection duration against COVID infections, hospitalizations and death, and was posted earlier in this thread: https://aseannow.com/topic/1329918-new-covid-sub-variant-kp2-on-the-rise-in-thailand/?do=findComment&comment=19000206 Re your comment about prior discussion about the vaccines having longer-term protections lasting 1-2 years, I saw those references earlier in the pandemic with earlier variants of the COVID virus. But I haven't seen anything substantiating that lately. Also, while I wouldn't advise the following, there was this item in the news not long back:

Anti-vaxerism and vax hesitancy for COVID had a real and substantial cost in lives lost early on in the pandemic: 300,000 US COVID deaths could have been averted through vaccination, analysis finds The national average indicates that about 50% of deaths were preventable. May 17, 2022 COVID-19 vaccines could have prevented at least 318,000 virus-related deaths between January 2021 and April 2022, a new analysis found. The analysis used real-world data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The New York Times and was done by researchers from Brown School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Microsoft AI for Health. ... "At a time when many in the U.S. have given up on vaccinations, these numbers are a stark reminder of the effectiveness of vaccines in fighting this pandemic," said Stefanie Friedhoff, associate professor of the practice in health services, policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, and a co-author of the analysis. "We must continue to invest in getting more Americans vaccinated and boosted to save more lives." (more) https://abcnews.go.com/Health/300000-us-covid-deaths-averted-vaccination-analysis-finds/story?id=84753284

This is the latest research I've seen on the real-world effectiveness of the current XBB variant COVID vaccines -- not absolute protection by any means, but a lot better than doing nothing. The percentages below refer to the amounts of reduced risk that being vaccinated with the current XBB-variant vaccines (mostly Pfizer, some Moderna) provided against being hospitalized, dying, etc. vs. those who didn't receive them. The research below also divided its overall vaccine effectiveness data into two cohorts -- those vaccinated before late Oct. 2023 when the XBB variant was still dominant, and those vaccinated later when the current, more vaccine evasive JN.1 family of variants emerged. "Data appeared to point to lower effectiveness against infection, hospitalization, and death after the arrival of the JN.1 subvariant, the dominant strain in the U.S. through the end of March of this year. ... Effectiveness against hospitalization in those vaccinated during the period before JN.1 was 73.7% after week 8 and 59.1% after week 10, while effectiveness against death was 86.2% at week 4 and 72.9% at week 8 during this period. Among those vaccinated after the JN.1 variant became dominant, effectiveness against hospitalization was 60.1% after week 4 and effectiveness against death was 59.8% after week 4, and both steadily decreased over time. [the hospitalization VE number at week 9, the last week tracked, was 40.3%]" MedPage Today https://archive.ph/G7c1d "We collected individual-level data on the uptake of the three XBB.1.5 vaccines and the incidence of Covid-19 between September 11, 2023, and February 21, 2024, in a cohort of approximately 1.8 million persons by linking records from the Nebraska Electronic Disease Surveillance System and the Nebraska State Immunization Information System (NESIIS). ... In the cohort, 218,250 persons (11.9%) received XBB.1.5 vaccines, of whom 133,403 (61.1%) received the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine and 84,307 (38.6%) received the Moderna vaccine. ... Overall, the XBB.1.5 vaccines were effective against omicron subvariants, although less so against JN.1. The effectiveness was greater against hospitalization and death than against infection, and it waned moderately from its peak over time." https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2402779

The Thai Red Cross vaccination clinic in BKK -- formally known as the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute -- does indeed offer the updated XBB COVID vaccines for a fee, along with several other clinics or hospitals around BKK, at last check: Contact and other details below:

You've got a lot you're trying to forget. And in my opinion, the millions who lost their lives because of COVID deserve to be remembered, not forgotten, and lessons learned. Per the New York Times in March: The Fourth Anniversary of the Covid Pandemic "The worst pandemic in a century had begun. ... The true toll Covid’s confirmed death toll — more than seven million people worldwide — is horrific on its own, and the true toll is much worse. The Economist magazine keeps a running estimate of excess deaths, defined as the number of deaths above what was expected from pre-Covid trends. The global total is approaching 30 million. This number includes both confirmed Covid deaths and undiagnosed ones, which have been common in poorer countries. It includes deaths caused by pandemic disruptions, such as missed doctor appointments that might have prevented other diseases. The isolation of the pandemic also caused a surge of social ills in the U.S., including increases in deaths from alcohol, drugs, vehicle crashes and murders." (more) https://archive.ph/niVyc

The journal BMJ Public Health, which originally published the disputed study cited in this thread, now has publicly posted its formal "Expression of concern" regarding the study, and announced it is formally investigating "the quality and messaging" of the study, as follows: Correction | Published: 14 June 2024 Expression of concern: Excess mortality across countries in the western world since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022 "The integrity team and editors are investigating issues raised regarding the quality and messaging of this work. The Princess Máxima Centre, which is listed as the affiliation of three of the four authors, is also investigating the scientific quality of this study.1 The integrity team has contacted the institution regarding their investigation. Readers should also be alerted to misreporting and misunderstanding of the work. It has been claimed that the work implies a direct causal link between COVID-19 vaccination and mortality. This study does not establish any such link. The researchers looked only at trends in excess mortality over time, not its causes. The research does not support the claim that vaccines are a major contributory factor to excess deaths since the start of the pandemic. Vaccines have, in fact, been instrumental in reducing the severe illness and death associated with COVID-19 infection." https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000282eoc

Thailand has had weekly new COVID hospitalizations increase five-fold over the past three months to 2,881 last week, and serious condition hospitalizations for COVID right now are at their highest level in a year... and yet, Thailand's official weekly COVID deaths reported have mostly remained in the single digits for most of that time. And the MoPH has in the past indicated it was going to take a narrow approach to what it would consider official COVID deaths. Meanwhile, the UK, with roughly the same size population in Thailand, is regularly reporting 100+ COVID deaths per week where COVID is listed as a cause on the death certificates... Interesting distinction between COVID deaths in those two countries and how they're reported. UKHSA data dashboard https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/

Except for.... Comorbidities, multimorbidity and COVID-19 "Modeling studies have estimated that 1.7 billion people globally (22% of the population) have at least one comorbidity that is associated with an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19." https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02156-9 AND "A study carried out on 5700 COVID-19 patients from 12 hospitals in the USA found diabetes to be the third most common comorbidity (~34% of patients), compared to hypertension (56%) and obesity (42%)." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10456773/ The above citations indicate pretty substantial shares of the population at large having some level of COVID comorbidity risk.

Per the US CDC: "Total COVID-19 deaths, accounting for underreporting, are likely to be higher than, but of the same order of magnitude as, total influenza deaths. Supporting this idea, the cumulative rate of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations during October 1, 2023–February 3, 2024, was 97 per 100,000 population, compared with 52 per 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 44 per 100,000 RSV hospitalizations. In-hospital death was about 1.8 times higher for COVID-19-associated hospitalizations (4.6%) vs. those for influenza (2.6%). https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/background/index.html

That number/share is just the number of UK HCWs who chose to get (or not get) a COVID vaccine in the UK government's semi-annual (twice a year) COVID vaccination campaign last fall. It doesn't tell how many of those folks got vaccinated months before in the spring, or how many will get vaccinated in this current spring's UK COVID vaccination campaign. It also doesn't tell WHY those who didn't get vaccinated chose not to... Perhaps because a lot of staff HCWs tend to be among younger age groups, and the UK government increasingly has only been targeting the elderly for government provided COVID vaccines. One thing I do know -- prior news reporting has indicated that somewhere around 90% of the UK's government health care workers have been COVID vaccinated with either their first and/or second vaccine doses. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56291564

And that studies repeatedly have shown than being up-to-date on COVID XBB variant vaccinations reduces people's risk of serious COVID illness vs. those who haven't received the latest vaccine. Latest COVID-19 vaccines reduce hospitalization risk by around half "The latest COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk for hospitalization or visits to an ED or urgent care by around 50%, according to interim data published in MMWR. ... Overall, VE against COVID-19-associated ME or hospitalization was 51% (95% CI = 47%-54%) in the first 7 to 59 days after receiving an updated vaccine dose and 39% (95% CI = 33%-45%) in the 60 to 119 days after an updated vaccine dose. https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20240301/latest-covid19-vaccines-reduce-hospitalization-risk-by-around-half or the following from the U.S. CDC: "Protective tools, like vaccines and treatments, that decrease risk of COVID-19 disease (particularly severe disease) are now widely available. COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of symptomatic disease and hospitalization by about 50% compared to people not up to date on vaccination. Over 95% of adults hospitalized in 2023-2024 due to COVID-19 had no record of receiving the latest vaccine." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/background/index.html#:~:text=Over 95% of adults hospitalized,of receiving the latest vaccine

I agree. I said several times here that the U.S. went too far and strayed into non-factual claims in several respects. But their comments also were correct about the often substandard quality or outright counterfeit versions of Chinese PPE, and that Sinovac was in fact less effective against COVID than the West's mRNA vaccines.