Thailand bans arrivals from 8 African countries as a precaution against new COVID-19 variant Omicron

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Anti vaxxers are messing it up and procrastinating. Time for mandates. If 100% vaccinated, we'd have very few new variants. Like this one.

 

1 minute ago, KhaoYai said:

Agreed, I've never met one yet that is prepared to consider the science or look at genuine evidence.  As soon as they are backed into a corner they call evidence 'propaganda'. For those, mandatory vaccination is the only way - can't see it happening in either the UK or Thailand though.

Southern Africa apparently has a vaccination rate at around 6% unless Ive misread the data. The WHO claims this is largely due to rich nations hogging the vaccine and not contributing enough to the covax program. Another issue is the IP that drug companies retain which prevents poor countries from manuafacturing the drugs.

[drenddy]

Does anybody know, when CSSA holds meeting again?

 

Planned trip next Sunday.....

 

It will be madness to introduce mandatory quarantine again...

[KhaoYai]

32 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

How are you being prevented?

 I have already explained that not everybody's personal circumstances allow them to travel when they want.  If I could have dropped everything and gone to Thailand on 1 November, I would. I may well still be able to travel but I think its unlikely.

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

Southern Africa apparently has a vaccination rate at around 6% unless Ive misread the data. The WHO claims this is largely due to rich nations hogging the vaccine and not contributing enough to the covax program. Another issue is the IP that drug companies retain which prevents poor countries from manuafacturing the drugs.

Supply was a problem at the start but now there are more complex issues on the reason for low vaccination rates in SA

 

South Africa’s vaccine headache switches from supply to demand

 

Vaccine hesitancy or outright opposition has been a barrier to ending the coronavirus pandemic all over the world, though may be a particular problem in South Africa.

A survey found last month that about 54% of nationals say they are unlikely to get a Covid-19 vaccine and almost half say they believe prayer provides more protection than the shots.

One issue of concern in South Africa is a particular reluctance to be vaccinated among men, Crisp said. Almost 60% of those to have received a dose to date have been women.

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/trending/512982/south-africas-vaccine-headache-switches-from-supply-to-demand/amp/

[HashBrownHarry]

He's in the UK, entry to Thailand from UK is not hard.

 

I'm in Africa currently which makes it a little bit more complicated to return to Thailand but by no means impossible.

[Jeffr2]

19 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

Southern Africa apparently has a vaccination rate at around 6% unless Ive misread the data. The WHO claims this is largely due to rich nations hogging the vaccine and not contributing enough to the covax program. Another issue is the IP that drug companies retain which prevents poor countries from manuafacturing the drugs.

I just heard it's also due to vaccinate hesitancy. But for sure, access to vaccines is also a problem.

[Enoon]

From the epicentre:

 

 

 

 

[KhaoYai]

3 minutes ago, Enoon said:

From the epicentre:

 

 

 

 

That's the interview I referred to earlier.

[GroveHillWanderer]

3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

That quote by the doctor is being taken out of context as the BNO newsroom points out:

 

"A widely-shared quote from a South African doctor, saying Omicron causes only mild symptoms, is being taken out of context. She was referring to a small group of young, healthy people and warned of severe disease in other groups https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/south-african-doctor-raised-alarm-omicron-variant-says-symptoms/"

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1464734073897766919

 

If you watch this interview with her on a S. African news channel, I'm not so sure it is being taken that much out of context. She points out that it wasn't just in her patients that it was mild, it was the same with all of her colleagues (and she's the chair of the SA Medical Association, so she has a lot of colleagues).

 

She makes it clear that although the picture could change going forward, at this point as far as she's concerned, foreign governments are massively over-reacting.

 

https://youtu.be/zIzWtcrjPaY

 

[RichardColeman]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

False. I arrived in Thailand on Jan 10, 2020 and on the 11th I knew that I would not be staying the year I had intended.

WHO declared Pandemic nearly 2 and a half months after learning about it, WHO declared SA strain an issue with 5 days !

[Bkk Brian]

10 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

If you watch this interview with her on a S. African news channel, I'm not so sure it is being taken that much out of context. She points out that it wasn't just in her patients that it was mild, it was the same with all of her colleagues (and she's the chair of the SA Medical Association, so she has a lot of colleagues).

 

She makes it clear that although the picture could change going forward, at this point as far as she's concerned, foreign governments are massively over-reacting.

 

https://youtu.be/zIzWtcrjPaY

 

This is a new interview, just 7 hours ago, nothing to do with the previous piece that was referred to where it clearly was out of context. In this local interview however she is obviously pushing back against all the travel restrictions that have been imposed since,

[GroveHillWanderer]

Just now, Bkk Brian said:

This is a new interview, nothing to do with the previous piece that was referred to where it clearly was out of context. In this local interview however she is obviously pushing back against all the travel restrictions that have been imposed since,

She is pushing back about the travel restrictions but she is also stressing how mild the symptoms are in all patients at this point and that it isn't just in a small number of her own patients, but in all the doctors she's spoken to.

 

She does allow that things might change, however.

 

If we want to get the fuller context, we have to look at all the available information, not just the one interview where she talked about only a smaller number of younger patients.

[Blumpie]

8 hours ago, itsari said:

Blumpie thinks its a laugh , OK 

Your  hyperbole is also laughable.  

If there were a tissue nearby, I would probably offer it to you in the corner there sulking about what someone else feels.  Hell, I may even buy you a drink.  A hug?  

[Blumpie]

3 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

This is just madness.  The new variant will get into Thailand whatever they do - just as the Delta variant did. What are we going to do? Close the world forever?  What happened to learning to live with the virus Mr. Chan-oh-Cha?

 

Trip planned for 29 December, booked, paid for, Thailand Pass received - 2 cases in the UK already, there will be more.  Very doubtful my trip will go ahead - I cannot accept 14 days quarantine.

 

There was a report on UK TV this morning with a live interview of a doctor in South Africa who has been dealing with patients infected with the new variant. All the patients this doctor has dealt with had been double vaccinated and ALL only had mild symptoms - yet to see how it affects people who have not been vaccinated.

 

The answer seems quite simple - get the population vaccinated and get on with your life!!  Let those who don't want the vaccine take their chances.

Listen, it WILL get into Thailand.  It will get to every corner of the planet and all the lockdowns will not stop it.  It will slow it.  

OR it will burn itself out.  Or it will be harmless.  ????  

It's fascinating to see how this is getting blown out of proportion from people who really have no idea how viruses work.  I'm seeing people think that feel like the world is ending.  

There is a worst case scenario and a best case scenario.  Does anyone remember Delta variant?  Oh yeah, it's what COVID basically is now.  

[Bkk Brian]

8 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

She is pushing back about the travel restrictions but she is also stressing how mild the symptoms are in all patients at this point and that it isn't just in a small number of her own patients, but in all the doctors she's spoken to.

 

She does allow that things might change, however.

 

If we want to get the fuller context, we have to look at all the available information, not just the one interview where she talked about only a smaller number of younger patients.

The bigger context is that there has not been enough time yet to assess how severe or not this new strain is and will be:

 

Important from Dr. Lessells, a leading South African infectious disease specialist:

 

Just a note of caution - We know that getting a rapid understanding of disease severity with #Omicron (particularly in vaccinated individuals and re-infections) is absolutely critical, but it's just too early for reliable data

 

Observations from clinicians on the ground are always important, and we lean heavily on them, but we need to be cautious about jumping on early reports that all cases with this variant are mild

 

The resurgence in cases in Gauteng is really very recent, off a low base - here you can see the test positivity rates over the first three weeks of November

 

Most of the early spread was amongst younger people, with outbreaks in universities likely being amplification events.

 

So with this, and the time lag for infections to progress to severe disease and hospitalisation, we would only expect to see the impact on hospitalisations in the next few weeks

 

We have robust surveillance systems in place with @nicd_sa @HealthZA to monitor hospitalisations and to link to PCR and sequencing data, so we are well placed to answer the key questions over the coming days and weeks

[sezze]

13 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Appears that the timely Omicron is already disrupting flight schedules worldwide - 

The sensationalized fear mongering is spreading faster than the latest bug......one that we really don't know much about yet. 

Well , we don't know much , but what is known is that there are lots of changes vs the "original" strains . Especially the ones on the spike proteines are worrying , since those are used for the vaccines . There are 31 or 32 changes on the spike proteines .

Another thing which is worrying that it looks much faster spreading in high Delta environment . Today i heard a 1st potentially good thing , meaning milder symptoms ( way to soon to be confirmed ) .

Better try to slow the spread and find out a bit more about this variant , then let everything go on , and if it is a bad variant create problems fast . A couple of days or weeks can give more knowledge .

[KhaoYai]

23 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

Listen, it WILL get into Thailand.  It will get to every corner of the planet and all the lockdowns will not stop it.  It will slow it.  

OR it will burn itself out.  Or it will be harmless.  ????  

It's fascinating to see how this is getting blown out of proportion from people who really have no idea how viruses work.  I'm seeing people think that feel like the world is ending.  

There is a worst case scenario and a best case scenario.  Does anyone remember Delta variant?  Oh yeah, it's what COVID basically is now.  

And your points are relevant to my post because.........? I said it would get in anyway as delta did.

 

If you are classing me as one of those 'people who really have no idea how viruses work.'  I never claimed I did and neither do I think the world is ending, my concerns are purely about being able to visit my wife and the world getting back to a 'new normal', which means learning to live with the virus.

 

So I'm struggling to understand why you chose my post to quote from and neither issue is correct.

[KhaoYai]

59 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

This is a new interview, just 7 hours ago, nothing to do with the previous piece that was referred to where it clearly was out of context. In this local interview however she is obviously pushing back against all the travel restrictions that have been imposed since,

I don't think she's pushing back at all.  She's simply describing her experiences so far, which have only been with fully vaccinated patients who to date have only presented with mild symptoms. She cannot comment on how this new variant will affect unvaccinated patients until she has some - that's what I took as her main point.

 

The fact that she's only dealt with fully vaccinated patients suggests her medical facility is somewhere in the vicinity of the university that had a cluster of infections - The Tshwane University of Technology where I believe it is a requirement to be double vaccinated.

[Blumpie]

26 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

And your points are relevant to my post because.........? I said it would get in anyway as delta did.

 

If you are classing me as one of those 'people who really have no idea how viruses work.'  I never claimed I did and neither do I think the world is ending, my concerns are purely about being able to visit my wife and the world getting back to a 'new normal', which means learning to live with the virus.

 

So I'm struggling to understand why you chose my post to quote from and neither issue is correct.

I guess I could have explained myself a little better - no, I don't class you in those people..  But I do see quite a few here that think that have a skewed reason for these bans right now. ????  I completely agree with you.  

 

This virus will get here.  Like Delta, the flu, the common cold, no way to stop it.  

 

The only thing that I hope is that this is the biggest nothing burger of the pandemic.  Generally speaking, pandemic bugs get less virulent in time, meaning they cause less and less harm till it's hardly noticeable.  This could very well be the case, but everyone needs to take it slow and see what's going on first.  

 

I am as far from a medical expert as one can get, am fairly well read on this and all experts are saying "wait 2 weeks".  Indeed, let's wait.  

[gearbox]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hotel-quarantine-back-on-the-cards-as-omicron-lands-in-sydney-20211128-p59ctn.html

 

The nanny state panicking again even as 92.4 percent of the population above 16 years old is fully vaccinated.

[Aussieroaming]

What a pox of a time I picked to go to the UK for a couple of weeks earlier this month, now sweating on getting back next Sunday before Thailand potentially imposed quarantine on UK returnees due to the emerging new mutation of covid. The risks of travelling during covid I guess.

 

I submitted my Info for the Thailand Pass a few days ago and I am now on the "under review list". No idea why I didn't get instant acceptance like some applicants, given that I'm fully vaxxed in Thailand, hold yearly Thai health insurance exceeding the minimum, have a valid visa and return entry permit and also booked and paid for my SHA+ hotel. No wonder short term tourists might baulk at the process. 

 

This new varient in the covid might give people the colly wobbles in regards to movement internationally at the moment.

[Willy Wombat]

3 hours ago, gearbox said:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hotel-quarantine-back-on-the-cards-as-omicron-lands-in-sydney-20211128-p59ctn.html

 

The nanny state panicking again even as 92.4 percent of the population above 16 years old is fully vaccinated.

Australia has turned into a nation of bed wetters run by narcissistic Premiers

[The Hammer2021]

19 hours ago, Kinnock said:

Unfortunately, if Thailand did not ban entry from certain countries with known cases, then other countries will stop travel from Thailand.

 

It's just politicians pretending to protect their people, as any new variant that spreads quicker than the old model will be everywhere in time - but impotent politicians have to be seen to do something, even if it adds no value and wrecks the economy.

 

UK now has the new variant, so maybe next on the ban list?

There are other determinants including vaccine rates, genome sequencing facilities etc but Israel  and Switzerland aren't  taking any chances at all

[Bkk Brian]

7 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

The fact that she's only dealt with fully vaccinated patients suggests her medical facility is somewhere in the vicinity of the university that had a cluster of infections - The Tshwane University of Technology where I believe it is a requirement to be double vaccinated.

Yes I had mentioned that here:

8 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Most of the early spread was amongst younger people, with outbreaks in universities likely being amplification events.

In addition its also clearly mentioned in the latest WHO update:

 

"There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.  Initial reported infections were among university students—younger individuals who tend to have more mild disease—but understanding the level of severity of the Omicron variant will take days to several weeks"

 

https://www.who.int/news/item/28-11-2021-update-on-omicron

[Jeffr2]

6 hours ago, gearbox said:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hotel-quarantine-back-on-the-cards-as-omicron-lands-in-sydney-20211128-p59ctn.html

 

The nanny state panicking again even as 92.4 percent of the population above 16 years old is fully vaccinated.

Ummm...not the global population.  Thus, this new variant.

[itsari]

8 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Your  hyperbole is also laughable.  

If there were a tissue nearby, I would probably offer it to you in the corner there sulking about what someone else feels.  Hell, I may even buy you a drink.  A hug?  

No tissue or drink required , my hyperbole as you call it has an element of truth in it and is not exaggerated then that is not hyperbole .

Have a good day Mr Blumpie .

[Rimmer]

An off topic misleading post and replies has been removed

[Misterwhisper]

I'd rather wish you'd bar people from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Benin and other illustrious WEST African nations from entering. For completely different reasons than them possibly being infected with the Omicron variant, of course.

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, Soulman1980 said:

Trip planned for Dec. 5th, i don´t think it will happen. I am from Germany and we already have 2 confirmed cases of Omicron and i think my country will be on the travel ban list soon too. Really frustrated now, i really looked forward to spend some time in Thailand with nice warm weather instead of the dark, cold and depressing stuff here.. This really sucks. Everything was smooth until now, Thai Pass was no problem at all and now this.

Don't panic......

I don't expect Thailand will be closing its doors to any, bar several African countries. Germany is not in any position worse than many other European countries. Omicron has yet to kill anybody and how serious it is is unknown ATM.

I have a pal on the plane today from UK.... I expect his return trip to be more of an issue. 

[Rimmer]

A troll post amounting to a personal attack has been removed