DogNo1

The longer that the virus survives and replicates on a huge scale, the more likely it is that troublesome variants will emerge.  That may require the vaccines to be modified to remain effective. Probably very costly.

A Thai Government spokesman has said that it is unlikely that vaccinations will lead to entry without quarantining.  This appeared on Thai Visa a few days ago.  Phuket tourism leaders seem to be assuming the opposite.  

Just more pie in the sky.

Today there are reports of vaccine shortages on the American news channel CBS.  In Florida, the vaccine has been made available to people 65 and over but the predominance of white people who are successful in getting the vaccine is criticized.  Apparently black and brown people are not getting the vaccine in similar numbers.  Apparently people are expected to sign up on line for the shots.  Apparently no officials have understood that older and minority people might not be sufficiently computer literate to deal with signing up online.  In Seattle, however, my daughter who is a health care manager for 90 elderly Vietnamese , has successfully signed up all of her patients. Why can’t these cities and states appoint health care coordinators for the populations who have trouble signing up.  Apparently they haven’t thought of doing it.

Also, the news media have no understandable explanation for the shortage of vaccine doses.  They just complain about it endlessly.  They get an F for sensationalism and lack of constructive helpfulness 

The primary objective of the Thai government should be to protect Thai citizens and Thai residents, especially the elderly and people with high-risk conditions, from contracting the virus.  What they are doing is correct and prudent.  If you lose your job and live, you can work another day.  If you die, you can’t.  Once a significant percentage of the population is vaccinated, especially all of those most vulnerable, travel restrictions can be eased.  Until then, they shouldn’t be.  Right now, those who must travel to countries with high infection rates should have a high priority for getting the vaccine.  The fate of the world and its unemployed workers depends on the speed of the administration of the vaccines.  While it may be an unstated objective, I think that it would be useful for the WHO to urge an intensified international effort to produce and administer vaccines.

I do my 90-day report by mail.  It never fails.

Immunization conferred by a vaccine is now just a dream but organizations such as Oxford are working on creating a more effective vaccine by combining elements of other vaccines with its own.  We could see increased effectiveness in the future.  Right now the priority should be getting the vaccines into peoples’ arms ASAP. It’s a matter of life and death.  The number of organs with ACE-2 receptors that the virus can destroy is large and now includes the pancreas.  So diabetes 2 can now be caused by a COVID infection.

Dream on......

I use my Navy Fed Visa for almost all purchases.  I get 2% back.   Over time, it adds up.  I’ve never been refused anywhere.

There may be some technicalities.  I use my daughter’s address in Washington state for the billing address for some of my credit cards.  Purchases with these are always charged the Washington State sales tax.  The state has no state tax so I have no worries about implied residence.  California is tricky.  I had a mail-forwarding address at a friend’s house in Huntington Beach during my first years in Japan.  California tracked me down and telephoned me in Tokyo.  The state had filed a lien against me in Orange County.  The tax official agreed to cancel the lien but I can’t get Orange County to remove it.  I don’t plan to live in the USA again for a while but who knows the eventual legal implications.  I retain the document removing the lien but just can’t get Orange County to remove the lien.  I think that it’s best to avoid California.  Their tax collection is really aggressive.

I don't think that easy international travel will resume until the world has subdued the pandemic and that might take 3-4 years.  Thailand has been attractive because it was cheap and exotic although with infrastructure problems such dangerous walkways and traffic.  It is not so cheap any more so we'll have to see how well it can compete with other locations when easy travel resumes.  For people whose countries have cold winters the warm weather is a plus.

I think that some workers whose income depended on the tourism industry would be smart to reorient themselves to another type of work.  

With COVID, people don’t willingly self-isolate because they don’t realize that they’re sick until they’ve been infectious for several days.

For those using the monthly transfer method, it is recommended to get a 12-month statement the month before you apply and then a one-month statement for the month of your application..I especially need to do this since the transactions in my bank book are printed out of order and one is printed directly over another.  Using the bank book updating machines is not recommended.   It’s best to get the teller to update your bank book.

If you can get out of Australia, you can then do what you want. If you can convince the authorities there that you are exiting for 90 days or more, you can then follow the instruction of UbonJoe.

1 hour ago, kiwikeith said:

Will they tighten Sir Fish Heads access to Myamer slaves smuggled across the border by the enlightened ones staff.

Next time make sure they wear masks whilst being smuggled ,and put them into quarantine at the fish factory where they can work as well as be under quarantine.

If they need face masks during quarantine and covid tests add this onto the debt they have to pay to Sir Fish Head.

As for the costs that Fish Head has put upon Thailand ignore this.

Also grant exemption for health and covid insurance as if they get sick dump them back across the border and bring in  fresh produce.

Hmmm.  These comments just as the incoming CDC director declares that increased testing and analysis of strains is important.   She plans to massively increase vaccinations.  Thailand might be lucky and get to mid-year when the vaccines are widely available without an outbreak of the much more contagious strains taking root in the country but, then again, it may not be that lucky.  We could see a huge wave of infections.  Here in Central Bangkok, people are no longer respecting social distancing.   This is no time to relax.  Thailand should remain vigilant until the Vaccines are widely available.  For us elderly, COVID can be a death sentence.

To see the results of what carelessness can do, have a look at the news about Orange County, CA.  If you PM me, I can provide a link to the article.  I lived in Orange County for ten years.  It is the location of Little Saigon and has a high population of Vietnamese.

One possible scenario: The COVID test is required three days before an application for extension of stay because if longer than three days, the test is no longer valid.  The person tests positive and is sent off to a hospital.  As a result, he/she misses the deadline to extend and goes on overstay.  Would he/she then be allowed to extend late without penalty?  
It doesn’t make sense to have applicants for an extension of stay take a COVID test several weeks in advance of their applications because they could catch COVID in the interval between their test and the day that they apply.  I think that the requirement for applicants for extensions to take COVID tests should be scrapped as unworkable.

My doctor says that a vaccine will be available at Bumrungrad in April or May.  I don’t know which it will be but I’ll be first in line.  The priority is to get some level of protection as soon as possible.

My doctor says that the western vaccines will be available in April or May.  There is so much fake medicine around and it is so cleverly packaged that I will wait until my hospital has verified that the vaccine that they receive is real before I get my injection.

Some people believe that an asymptomatic or mild symptom case of COVID is no worse than the common influenza.  There are now several videos on YouTube in which doctors explain that these sort of cases can lead to neurological damage eventually resulting in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurological problems.   They can be found by searching on Google.  COVID is a vicious disease!

The AstraZeneca vaccine will come a little later. Before that it will be Sinovac - the Chinese vaccine.

So how many years of life do people with co-morbidities lose by contracting COVID?   The main issue right now isn't that some people don't develop severe symptoms; it's that those who do have overfilled hospitals.  Let's hope that many hospitals can be built to accommodate the overflow.  With enough beds and medical staff, even people with co-morbidities can sometimes be saved. 

I think that Thailand should emulate the UK and now America in getting first shots to the whole population to cut down on the number of cases needing hospitalization.  If the hospitals become overcrowded, people will die.  It is said that now in Los Angeles ambulance companies are being ordered not to bring people who have a poor prognosis for survival to hospitals.  This triage may be practiced country-wide as the number of cases increases exponentially.  Overcrowding of the hospitals could happen in Thailand.  People have a lot of bravado about COVID only being a minor illness.  That is magical thinking.  People don’t know how sick they will become until they are infected.  Even people who don’t get serious symptoms are said to have lingering effects.

For me, the choice is clear.  When any of the Western vaccines is available here, I will pay whatever it costs to get my first injection.