TallGuyJohninBKK

One other fact that was noted in the OP article deserves attention, especially for newcomers to the topic. 1. The rare blood clots being discussed above also can and do occur in the absence of the AZ and any similar vaccine, due to a wide range of medical conditions, including the COVID disease itself. As AZ is quoted saying in the article: “Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence,” it added. There are some pretty sophisticated blood tests that can be done to help narrow down the likely cause of these kinds of clots, whether vaccine related or not. But just experiencing blood clots after a vaccination doesn't automatically mean the vaccination was the cause.

Yes, the WHO acknowledged the rare potential blood clotting side effect some three years ago back in 2021, as did the various other countries using the AZ vaccine after their safety monitoring detected the problem -- so rare that it hadn't surfaced in the AZ's clinic trials.... a very very small risk that in some cases could be fatal. Nothing new for anyone who's been modestly paying attention. And that's in part what led to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID mRNA vaccines becoming the primary ones in the world, and the AZ vaccine being not approved (U.S.A.) or phased out (U.K., Australia etc.) in various countries around the world. But people need to keep these things in context. There were about 50 million AZ doses given in the UK, and thus far there have been somewhere between 60 and 80 reported fatalities. So if you use the higher number, that equates to one side effects fatality per 625,000 AZ vaccine doses there for a vaccine that's no longer even used in the UK. The risk was extremely small. Then balance against the following benefits: Oxford vaccine saved most lives in its first year of rollout "As a result of this commitment to ensuring global and equitable access, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine saved 6.3 million lives in the first year of the global vaccine rollout – the most out of all the vaccines in circulation at the time." https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-07-15-oxford-vaccine-saved-most-lives-its-first-year-rollout And for COVID vaccines in general in the UK: Covid vaccines saved more than 400,000 lives in England and Scotland, WHO says The study is the most comprehensive to date in showing how effective Covid vaccines have been, scientists say https://inews.co.uk/news/science/covid-vaccines-saved-lives-england-scotland-who-2862550 The bottom line is, the AZ vaccine saved vastly more lives that it lost thru the rare blood clotting side effect. And people's risks of health problems or fatality back then were far higher from COVID than from the AZ vaccine. The UK's death toll from COVID, even after the vaccines, ended up being more than 230,000 people lost due to COVID illness. The AZ vaccine side effects pale in comparison.

Bingo!!!

AstraZeneca admits its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effect in court documents for first time AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare side effect, in an apparent about-turn that could pave the way for a multi-million pound legal payout. The pharmaceutical giant is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases. ... AstraZeneca is contesting the claims but has accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”. TTS – which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome – causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count. Fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million. ... The company is pointing out that product information relating to the vaccine was updated in April 2021, with the approval of the UK regulator, to include “the possibility that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is capable, in very rare cases, of being a trigger for” TTS. (more) From The Telegraph, via https://news.yahoo.com/astrazeneca-admits-first-time-covid-180000780.html Note: the AZ vaccine was widely used in the UK during 2021 with up to 50 million doses given, but later phased out in the UK and elsewhere as reports surfaced about the very rare blood clotting and because the mRNA COVID vaccines proved more effective. The UK government has indemnified AstraZeneca against any legal actions associated with the vaccine. Still, health authorities long maintained that the COVID disease itself carried a higher risk of blood clotting, and the vaccine's benefits in reducing COVID illness and deaths outweighed its risks. AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: safety and side effects Updated 25 January 2023 "In April 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed a possible link between the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and these rare blood clots, but emphasised that the benefits of the vaccine continued to outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people." ... Study shows risk of blood clots is far greater from coronavirus than the vaccine A study by the University of Oxford shows that having Covid-19 puts you at a much higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots than the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines. ... The study, based on the health records of 29.1 million people in England, suggests while there is a slightly increased risk of developing low platelet levels and blood clots in the veins after a first dose of AstraZeneca, being infected with the virus raises this risk much more, and for longer. The researchers estimate that for every 10 million people who are vaccinated with AstraZeneca, there are 66 extra cases of blood clots in the veins and seven extra cases of a rare type of blood clot in the brain. Infection with Covid-19 is estimated to cause 12,614 extra cases of blood clots in the veins and 20 cases of rare blood clots in the brain. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine

Wonder if we'll see the following news in tomorrow's World News updates here: Court says state health-care plans can’t exclude gender-affirming surgery A federal appellate court in Richmond became the first in the country to rule that state health-care plans must pay for gender-affirming surgeries, a major win for transgender rights amid a nationwide wave of anti-trans activism and legislation. The decision came from a set of cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia, where state officials argued that their policies were based on cost concerns rather than bias. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected that argument, saying the plans were discriminating against trans people in need of treatment. (more) --Washington Post https://archive.ph/WvfhM

Hey, it's only from the new owner of the forum you're currently posting on.... 🙂 ASEANNOW, Thailand’s largest English language forum and a major English language news publisher, has been acquired by The Thaiger from Choice Group Asia Co., Ltd. https://aseannow.com/topic/1325398-aseannow-joins-the-thaiger-in-strategic-acquisition-to-expand-digital-reach-in-thailand/

"Suchanun, a 25 year old single mother of a five year old, had spoken to reporters the previous day to refute the accusations against her. Arrested on July 30, she was later released on bail. She vehemently denied operating online gambling sites and claimed she was compelled by a PCT4 officer to confess to a crime she did not perpetrate. She further alleged that she was coerced into implicating Phakphum Phitsamai, the deputy chief investigator of Provincial Police Region 4 and a close aide to Big Joke, in the case. Media outlets have circulated photos and a video of her singing karaoke with Big Joke, and posing with three others. Yet, Suchanun denies having any personal acquaintance with Big Joke." https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-police-demand-transparent-probe-into-online-gambling-allegations

COVID booster linked to 25% lower odds of long COVID A new cross-sectional study published in Vaccine of US adults demonstrates that people who received the COVID-19 booster vaccine had 25% lower odds of having long COVID than their unvaccinated counterparts. ... People receiving the COVID-19 booster vaccine had significantly lower adjusted odds of long COVID (OR 0.75, 95 % confidence interval 0.61 to 0.93) compared to unvaccinated people. "Our findings suggest that ensuring individuals are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations could be an effective public health strategy for reducing the prevalence of long-COVID," the authors concluded. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-booster-linked-25-lower-odds-long-covid Highlights • The COVID-19 booster vaccine was associated with a reduced likelihood of experiencing long-COVID among U.S. adults. • Sociodemographics such as age, sex, and family poverty level were independent predictors of long-COVID. • Having a history of certain chronic conditions such as obesity or arthritis was linked to greater odds of long-COVID. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X24005097

Sorry, I didn't mean to convey that "I" don't think people are entitled to know the sources of their "news". I absolutely do. I meant to convey that those conveying the AI stuff here don't seem to believe that we are entitled to know the original source of the "news" before it was fed into the sausage maker.

If I recall right, there were reports of Joke and the woman behind the alleged illegal gambling operation being caught on video singing karaoke together at some party... And I thought, from reading various past Thai news reports, some claims that the investigating police had found financial ties between the Joke group and the gambling group. But at this point, hard to know what is true and what is political maneuvering and infighting. All in all, though, I stick to my long held view that people don't get to the top of the RTP hierarchy in Thailand without having gotten messy along the way. Some of what previously has been alleged: AND https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-police-demand-transparent-probe-into-online-gambling-allegations

Right now, for reports posted here, you're not ENTITLED to know where the news comes from or who produced it at its original source.

Does the adopted son wear bright red high heeled shoes??? And Muslim too, according to the AI.

Looks like the source was an article today in the Bangkok Post. Can't quote or link to BKK Post articles on the forum, per forum rules.... But AI can. "16. The Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Pattaya Mail and the Phuket News do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on ASEAN NOW." https://aseannow.com/forum_rules/ However, what the original source actually reported is a bit different from the OP here. The original source only quoted a Google guy as saying that in 2023, they saw a significant surge in financial fraud scams in Singapore, Thailand and India. There's no talk in the Post report of any kind of top countries ranking.

I had no problem DLing Google Wallet from the Play Store lately... But my Google account is identified in the U.S., not Thailand, which may make a difference in what is shown as available.

And for all of that and more above, that's the reason RFK Jr. has been politically disowned by his extended family of Kennedy relatives, many of whom have now endorsed Joe Biden for re-election: In rebuke to RFK Jr, Biden wins Kennedy family endorsement April 19, 2024 PHILADELPHIA, April 18 (Reuters) - Fifteen members of the storied Kennedy political family endorsed U.S. President Joe Biden at a Philadelphia campaign event on Thursday, with some joining him onstage, in a rebuke of Robert F. Kennedy Jr's independent bid for office. Biden, a Democrat, faces Republican Donald Trump in a November re-match of the 2020 election. But members of both parties have bristled over the possibility that the candidacy of Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist, or another third-party bid could spoil either of their chances. ... Many in Robert F. Kennedy Jr's elite family - prominent Democrats since the 19th century - have broken with him over his views. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-win-kennedy-family-endorsement-philadelphia-2024-04-18/ AND Kennedy family members call RFK Jr.’s independent bid ‘dangerous to our country’ 10/09/23 Members of the Kennedy family are denouncing 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision on Monday to abandon his Democratic campaign and instead run as an independent candidate. “The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third-party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,” read a statement signed by four of Kennedy’s siblings — former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II (D-Mass.), Rory Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy. “Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country,” the statement continued. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4245980-kennedy-family-members-call-rfk-jr-s-independent-bid-dangerous-to-our-country/

Not very surprising that one of the greatest misinformation peddlers of the COVID pandemic, now a presidential candidate who's been politically disowned by his own extended family, would be trying to walk back the anti-vax nonsense above that multiple credible news agencies and fact checkers have confirmed RFK Jr. really did say. And it's not the first time he's done so. RFK Jr. Incorrectly Denies Past Remarks on Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness November 8, 2023 ... In a “PBS NewsHour” interview, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly denied previously saying that “no vaccine” is safe and effective. But Kennedy said exactly that on the Lex Fridman podcast in July. ... Fridman, July 6: You’ve talked about that the media slanders you by calling you an anti-vaxxer, and you’ve said that you’re not anti-vaccine, you’re pro-safe vaccine. Difficult question: Can you name any vaccines that you think are good? Kennedy: I think some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they’re causing. There’s no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective. https://www.factcheck.org/2023/11/scicheck-rfk-jr-incorrectly-denies-past-remarks-on-vaccine-safety-and-effectiveness/ AND FactChecking Robert F. Kennedy Jr. August 9, 2023 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is no stranger to FactCheck.org. He is a prominent anti-vaccine advocate who has been on our radar for years, primarily as the founder of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that spreads anti-vaccine misinformation. We’ve written numerous stories about his claims and those made in posts appearing on his nonprofit’s website. In 2021, the Center for Countering Digital Hate named Kennedy and CHD one of the “Disinformation Dozen,” or top 12 spreaders of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines online. ... Many of these are about vaccines. Kennedy, who is also an environmental activist and lawyer, has been opposed to vaccines since at least 2005, when he published an error-laden story in Rolling Stone and Salon that pushed the false notion that certain vaccine ingredients cause autism. The publications later retracted or withdrew the story. https://www.factcheck.org/2023/08/scicheck-factchecking-robert-f-kennedy-jr/ AND RFK Jr.’s COVID-19 Deceptions August 11, 2023 More recently, during his campaign, Kennedy hosted a virtual roundtable with some top COVID-19 misinformation spreaders, including Dr. Joseph Mercola, Del Bigtree and Dr. Pierre Kory. And in the first episode of his campaign YouTube series “Running on Truth,” the only three people featured are Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Robert Malone and Kory — each of whom have pushed COVID-19 disinformation. Time and again, Kennedy has misrepresented or distorted the science about the pandemic or the COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.factcheck.org/2023/08/scicheck-rfk-jr-s-covid-19-deceptions/

Interesting! The "map to your home" has been a standard BKK CW document request for retirement extensions for a long time... I'm OK with killing one less tree every year! 🙂

Yes, but the question looming in the minds of many of us has been.... will the recent unfortunate and widely publicized miscreant misbehavior of various farangs, including some directly against police, end up making the annual Immigration experience more troublesome for the regular folks as the authorities have talked about various kinds of "crackdowns" against foreigners here... And based on the OP's report, it sounds like things at BKK CW at least for now are pretty much business as usual for those with proper documentation, which is good news!

I have an Amazon Alexa device at home that gives me current temperatures for Bangkok in real time every day. That's been showing daily highs illustrated by the gray bar peaks right around 100 F., sometimes a bit above, sometimes a bit below, for many days now. And the below chart seems to confirm that. https://weatherspark.com/h/m/113416/2024/4/Historical-Weather-in-April-2024-in-Bangkok-Thailand#Figures-Temperature Seems as though past years in April, as illustrated by the peaks of the gray shaded bars, have been quite a bit cooler, though 2023 was warming up:

Yes, the current situation doesn't compare to the past couple major peaks of the pandemic here in Thailand. But the current latest week new hospitalization numbers for COVID are still the highest in almost a year. Also, the Worldometers chart you used above is somewhat misleading, because the peaks shown were back when what Thailand was reporting was actual COVID cases, just cases. Whereas since last year, the only "case" numbers they report are in fact the smaller numbers of hospitalizations. So the one Worldometers chart is really tracking two different stats over time, without acknowledging the change. FWIW, we had a Thai doctor in the past week, as reported here on AN, estimate that based on current COVID hospitalization numbers, Thailand was probably experiencing almost 10,000 actual COVID cases/infections (not hospitalizations) per day. "Last year’s Covid outbreak that led to a jump in infection, illness and death continued till early June and it is worrisome how the situation will pan out this year, he said, while urging the public to protect themselves in daily life. https://thainewsroom.com/2024/04/22/concern-over-spread-of-covid-19-nearly-10000-cases-a-day/ Here's the closest last year to this year weekly comparison to be had for the present Week ending April 29, 2023: 1,811 new COVID hospitalizations and 10 COVID deaths. 157 current serious condition COVID hospitalizations. Week ending April 27, 2024: 1,672 new COVID hospitalizations and 9 COVID deaths. 390 current serious condition COVID hospitalizations. The serious condition COVID hospitalizations and the hospitalized COVID intubation numbers (shown in purple below) from that week in 2023 are much smaller than the current numbers now. Week ending April 29, 2023: Last year, the above COVID hospitalization numbers kept climbing into June and peaked at over 3,000 in a week, before they started falling off. So if that pattern holds, this year's numbers are likely to continue increasing in the coming weeks.

I wish the Thai MoPH would be more forthcoming in publicly reporting the deaths and hospitalizations associated with the various other major diseases, since doing so would bring better context on how to evaluate their COVID reporting. But, unfortunately, they don't do that. That said, I seriously doubt any of the other diseases you listed above produced 1600+ new hospitalizations in the past week like COVID did in Thailand. Overall, it will be very interesting to see if this year's spring COVID surge ends up being less, equal to, or higher than the comparable one from last year. That will be a sign of what the COVID future here holds.

The first part being a pretty good and prudent suggestion, considering the findings of the above study: "However, the findings of the study, published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, suggest that full Covid vaccination makes sufferers four times less likely to have brain fog – a term used to describe symptoms including poor concentration, feeling confused and cognitive impairment."

A 66% one-week increase in new COVID hospitalizations, and COVID hospitalizations rising consecutively for 7 straight weeks now and tripling over that period isn't "skyrocketing"???

Weekly new hospitalizations for COVID continued their strong spring 2024 surge in Thailand during the past week, with new COVID hospitalizations now having risen for the past seven consecutive weeks and having more than tripled over that period to the highest level in nearly a year. According to the latest weekly report released today by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, new COVID hospitalizations spiked to 1,672 during the past week, a 66% increase over the 1,004 reported for the prior week. There also were marked increases in weekly COVID deaths that tripled to 9 last week, as well as the totals of hospitalized COVID patients in serious condition and those needing intubation to breath. The latest MoPH report covers the period April 21 to 27, the first full week following Thailand's mid-April Song Kran holidays that brought the entire country out for gatherings and celebrations and saw many people traveling back to their family homes in the provinces. Thailand had a similar COVID hospitalizations surge last spring as well, when weekly COVID hospitalizations rose from a few hundred to a peak of more than 3,000 by early June 2023 before eventually subsiding. The latest COVID hospitalizations tally reported today by MoPH is Thailand's highest weekly total since mid-June 2023 when the weekly number hit 2,158. Among the 9 newly reported COVID deaths during the past week, one involved an infant between 0 and 4 years of age. The MoPH only recently resumed publicly disclosing the broad age ranges for Thailand's reported COVID deaths, something they had ceased many months prior with the end of COVID's declared emergency status in Thailand. Among the other new COVID deaths, 6 involved people age 70 and above, along with one each in age 60-69 and 50-59 ranges. With the latest weekly report, Thailand since the start of 2024 has now seen 11,265 COVID hospitalizations and 81 official COVID deaths, according to the MoPH. Even while COVID hospitalizations have been spiking, Thailand's officially reported weekly COVID deaths have mostly remained in the single digits thus far in 2024. The weekly COVID hospitalization increases reported by the MoPH during the past seven weeks have been as follows, with the spring surge beginning well before this year's Song Kran holidays, but then climbing rapidly once they arrived: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 In the latest weekly report, the number of hospitalized COVID patients considered in serious condition with pneumonia type symptoms rose from 292 to 390 week over week (the dark purple section in the chart above). Likewise, the number of hospitalized COVID patients requiring intubation/ventilation to breath rose from 101 to 148 week over week (the light purple section in the chart above). The MoPH's weekly COVID reports for Thailand are available at the following MoPH website: https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main They also have been posted each week in the following AseanNow forum thread: https://aseannow.com/topic/1311049-weekly-thai-ministry-of-public-health-covid-reports/ Below is the MoPH's prior weekly COVID report for the period April 14-20:

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Apr. 21 - 27, 2024: --1,672 new COVID hospitalizations, up 668 from the prior week --9 new COVID deaths, up 6 from the prior week --390 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), up 98 from the prior week (dark purple) --148 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 47 from the prior week (light purple) Cumulative figures since the start of the current year are COVID new hospitalizations (11,265) & COVID deaths (81). Of the 9 new official COVID deaths, the MoPH below is reporting that 8 were male and 1 female. By age, 6 were 70 and above, and one each were 60-69, 50-59 and 0-4. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main Reported weekly COVID new hospitalizations have now risen for the past 7 consecutive weeks since mid-March and more than tripled over that period, as follows for the weeks ending: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774 April 13 -- 849 April 20 -- 1,004 April 27 -- 1,672 The latest weekly new COVID hospitalizations total is Thailand's highest since mid-June 2023, when the total hit 2,158. Thailand's weekly new COVID hospitalizations peaked last spring at 3,085 in early June amid a similar run-up that began in mid-April.