Is new COVID-19 variant a cause of concern for Thailand?

[Confuscious]

Publish on every border where Omnicore can enter Thailand the rules to enter the country (Health insurance; Covid insurance; health pass; quarantaine; etc...)
Omnicore will not come to Thailand on reading these rules

[GroveHillWanderer]

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

For some balance, here is a report on severe cases:

 

“Young people, in their 20s to just over their late 30s, are coming in with moderate to severe disease, some needing intensive care. About 65% are not vaccinated and most of the rest are only half-vaccinated,” said Mathivha. “I’m worried that as the numbers go up, the public health care facilities will become overwhelmed.”

That doesn't actually provide much, if any perspective about the virulence of the omicron variant since there's no evidence these severe cases are due to omicron.

 

That report quotes Dr Rudo Mathivha, head of intensive care at Chris Hani  Baragwanath hospital in Soweto.

 

However, as the article below states:

 

Quote

Epidemiologist and former ministerial advisory committee chair Prof Salim Abdool Karim said ...

[...]

"But we don’t know yet whether the younger people at Baragwanath hospital actually have this variant.”

Young people bearing brunt of Covid-19 resurgence, ICU doctor warns

[Jeffr2]

Just now, GroveHillWanderer said:

That doesn't actually provide much, if any perspective about the virulence of the omicron variant since there's no evidence these severe cases are due to omicron.

 

That report quotes Dr Rudo Mathivha, head of intensive care at Chris Hani  Baragwanath hospital in Soweto.

 

However, as the article below states:

 

Young people bearing brunt of Covid-19 resurgence, ICU doctor warns

Nobody knows the details for a few weeks. Time will tell.

[Tug]

Let’s all hope it is more benign than previous variants that beeing said please practice safe protocols help each other stay safe!

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

That doesn't actually provide much, if any perspective about the virulence of the omicron variant since there's no evidence these severe cases are due to omicron.

 

That report quotes Dr Rudo Mathivha, head of intensive care at Chris Hani  Baragwanath hospital in Soweto.

 

However, as the article below states:

 

Young people bearing brunt of Covid-19 resurgence, ICU doctor warns

Best leave it to the experts to provide a comprehensive assessment once all the data is in, WHO have already stated that reports of mild symptoms are due to the University age patients as has one of the leading infectious disease experts in SA. Normal covid and even Delta also had gave mild symptoms to the majority of people in those age groups.

[Bkk Brian]

S.Africa could top 10,000 daily Covid cases this week: epidemiologist

 

"I am expecting we will top over 10,000 cases by the end of the week per day (and) see pressure on hospitals within the next two, three weeks."

South African scientists announced the new highly-mutated variant on Thursday, blaming it for a sudden rise in infections in Africa's worst-hit nation.

Hospital admissions more than doubled over the past month in Gauteng, South Africa's most populous province and the epicentre of the new outbreak, according to official figures.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/africa-could-top-10-000-092725059.html

[placnx]

8 hours ago, RafPinto said:

The biggest shame is on the rich countries from Europe, USA, Australia, Canada etc.

Why to give vaccines for free to rich countries like Thailand etc.
Thailand doesn't need any free vaccines, it is a rich country. Don't buy submarines, buy  vaccines instead.

Those rich countries should help the less fortunate, lots of them in Africa.

So I guess that you were not among those who benefited from the US Pfizer donation? Wealthy countries should greatly increase vaccine production capacity to be able to vaccinate their own quickly, then dedicate massive capacity to helping the world, especially the poorest.

[placnx]

7 hours ago, Kevin Taylor said:

Agreed, In terms of evolution its not in a viruses best interest to rapidly kill the host. Your option 3 is kind of the goal of the virus.

Hopefully thats how it goes.

Virus does not have a brain and cannot decide whether or not to exterminate the host!

[placnx]

Natural immunity is inferior to immunity from vaccination with mRNA vaccines. Decline in antibodies is more rapid with people who were infected than after two jabs. Those who recovered from Covid should definitely get at least one jab fairly soon after recovery.

Edited November 29, 2021 by onthedarkside
quote of hidden post removed

[Partenavia]

Unlikely to find omicron any time soon in Thailand, they barely do any testing worth mentioning.

[placnx]

7 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's good to read some words of caution.  However, I also remember similar worries being expressed about Delta.   I doubt Omicron will be the last either!

Unfortunately Omicron will probably not be the last.

[placnx]

4 hours ago, ifmu said:

to the next pandemic   ...  spanish flu to  aids to covid to 

Before getting diverted to Covid, Moderna and maybe BioNTech were using the same technology to develop cancer vaccines. That would be a game changer!

[ivor bigun]

just watching bloomberg and there was a report from Africa that although it is more transmissable all those unfacinated addmited to hospital  so far have not been any more ill than usual , make of that what you will

[placnx]

4 hours ago, orchidfan said:

Something happened with SARS 1 (l lived through it in HK) .

But before a vaccine was (fully) developed, it seemed to eradicate or self destruct itself. 

Let's hope for the same outcome for bl**dy  SARS 2. 

SARS1 was not so contagious, so it could be contained. It did not mutate AFAIK.

[placnx]

4 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Developed countries need to share the blame for hoarding vaccines in the early stages of the pandemic. Even now less than 10% of African countries hit the COVID-19 vaccination goal. More should be done to donate vaccines to under developed countries. 

There is simply not enough production capacity. To not booster US & EU populations would be derelict. It's really unfortunate that the US and others did not assess available capacity a year ago. Then when Biden took office there could have been a plan in place to create more capacity, encourage other countries to do the same. 

[placnx]

4 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Vaccine hesitancy is also a big issue there. Misinformation at it's worst.

South Africa has only 25% vaccinated because of hesitancy.

[placnx]

4 hours ago, sungod said:

Going back to your original question, I believe all the people who's lives it saved.

 

Whilst you are talking about WHO reports, what do you think about their opinion of Sinovac? They seem to quite like it and recommend it.

 

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know

WHO is a political organization, so cannot be too fussy about efficacy.

[bangkokbonecollector]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Let’s all hope it is more benign than previous variants that beeing said please practice safe protocols help each other stay safe!

As viruses go, we can have some hope that it should begin to weaken.

[natway09]

They are not panicking & running in circles but keeping a watchful eye on the new variant as they should.

Cause for concern but not enough known about it to panic yet.

As for statements that it is in Thailand already, please provide one shred of evidence ?

[bangkokbonecollector]

9 minutes ago, placnx said:

South Africa has only 25% vaccinated because of hesitancy.

Yeah and the President was trying to scold other countries for vaccine nationalism whilst the Saffas have actually had plenty of vaccines but no one taking them.

[Skeptic7]

Only concern for me is the amount of media fueled and driven hysteria and government overreaction. Got plenty of travel planned for January onward and don't want these Covidiots mucking up my plans...AGAIN. Other than that, not the least bit concerned. ???? (yawn)

[onthedarkside]

A post linking to a non-credible conspiracy-pseudoscience website has been removed. Post from the same source again, and you'll be winning a posting suspension.

 

[goldenbrwn1]

13 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

. I think the ATK test with no quarantine at all on December 16th should be postponed a bit if we don't know yet the severity of the Omicron variant. Confusing times...

Yes definitely. Especially after I payed for a bloody quarantine COVID hotel for when I come back at the end of Dec….????

[mommysboy]

So far the only thing we know for certain about the omicron variant is that optimists say one thing and pessimists another.

 

Well, they would wouldn't they?

[CartagenaWarlock]

14 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I am all for the country's reopening, been advocating for it for many months.

Advocating where? How many rallies you have attended to demand opening? How many letters you have written to authorities and published in news papers? How many  articles you have published advocating for an opening? 

[cdemundo]

4 hours ago, placnx said:

Virus does not have a brain and cannot decide whether or not to exterminate the host!

Good point. 

People use metaphorical/anthropomorphic language which even though used consciously has unconscious effects on understanding.

Additionally, it is not true that everyone understands the nature of metaphorical/anthropomorphic language.

The fact that mutation has no direction and is random is lost on many.

I had an exchange on this forum with an individual who insisted that "the vaccine teaches cells to make the spike protein and the cells remember that and don't forget how to make those proteins" (not a quote, only a paraphrase); so this person took the metaphorical/anthropomorphic language literally.

But these things are useful shorthand in discussing the virus as long a s we are conscious that it is a shorthand and not to be taken literally.

 

 

[Blumpie]

2 hours ago, mommysboy said:

So far the only thing we know for certain about the omicron variant is that optimists say one thing and pessimists another.

 

Well, they would wouldn't they?

The good news is tons of people aren't keeling over dead.  It is spreading quickly in a nation that has a horrendous vaccination rate.  Go figure.  

[Boyn]

Amazing how this virus travels around the world, it will turn up in Thailand for sure and it will not have a thai pass or any other sort of visa ,i also suspect it will not bother to do 90 day reporting

[Jeffr2]

7 hours ago, mommysboy said:

So far the only thing we know for certain about the omicron variant is that optimists say one thing and pessimists another.

 

Well, they would wouldn't they?

Optimists point to one report by one doctor in South Africa.  Realists point to what the scientists are saying.  Which is...we just don't know yet.

 

This is concerning:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#weekly_table

[pizzachang]

21 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

we're going to have viruses and variants the rest of our lives.

Didn't everyone know that a "new variant" would be "announced? I'm really surprised at the disconnect between "WHO's Fears" and reality. Haven't all the{Thai} "emergency field hospitals" closed?. Didn't I hear multiple scientists and doctors state publicly, the same information that is common to virus 'behavior?  "They become less dangerous and more transmissible." I also heard on multiple media that "most people seem to have little or no symptoms....if ANY". The entire "virus emergency" seems more like an experiment in some kind of 'global control' of travel, public gatherings, and compliance - but I've been told that is "conspiracy theory".  There are some basic facts that may be useful for allaying "fears".  They are: death rates, recovery rates, comparisons to other lung disease and immunity after natural infection/recovery...hardly a conspiracy.