3 minutes ago, Enoon said:

What is the reason for their "eagerness" to start using the word "endemic"?

Presumably some sort of face gaining/saving, either in the eyes of the locals or internationally.  (As is so often the case.)

6 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Presumably some sort of face gaining/saving, either in the eyes of the locals or internationally.  (As is so often the case.)

Rigth.They even better then WHO.Even endemic they will still not scrap anything about tourists paying in advance,

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

It's difficult to get the actual % of un/anti's from uk. I've seen on various news reports on uk figures varying from 60% to 90% of those requiring hospital treatment. BBC/ITV? did show an interview with one lady who was now recoving in hospital and when asked  Do you think now you should have gone for vaccination she would only answer 'maybe'.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/my-bile-rises-as-im-asked-to-move-my-dying-cancer-patient-out-of-icu-to-make-room-for-an-unvaccinated-man-with-covid

33 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Presumably some sort of face gaining/saving, either in the eyes of the locals or internationally.  (As is so often the case.)

I would have thought it would mean the end of them paying for the medicines and the hospitel, hospitals, and Field hospitals. Endemic as it is with this governments not wanting to really throw money out to the public.

3 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Hospitals in the US are at historically high levels of admissions. This does not support your premise. 

Severe infections and deaths are attributed to Delta which will likely get snuffed out by this new variant. Some people are getting sick from the new variant and hospitalized, but are out of the hospital within 1.5 days. The new variant is spreading like wildfire, is peaking and is expected to drop sharply like it rose.

 

Things will (should) get much better very, very soon. We can only hope.

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

Presumably some sort of face gaining/saving, either in the eyes of the locals or internationally.  (As is so often the case.)

I agree, but it's only so as procedural formality.

 

It is an unrelenting, domineering, authoritarian face.

 

Their re-invention of the word "endemic" stems from it.

 

Once they present a safe condition (endemic) which they will take the credit for, they will "order" whatever they like.

 

The UK public have understood, from the opinions of medics/scientists/academics, that COVID is likely to be endemic but will be less threatening,  they expect restrictions to be relaxed.

 

The Thai gov is seeking  to characterise "endemic" as a target they have set themselves, in order to take credit for achieving and making it so.

 

Because they absolutely cannot be seen be led, in any way, according to the expectations of the population.

 

It is a simple, authoritarian formula, to use upon an unsophisticated, ignorant, ill-informed and cowed population.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition of Endemic - basically an outbreak that is confined to a particular area.

Endemic Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“We have been pioneers on this front in many aspects,” said Opart, citing the cross-vaccination program and reopening of the country via the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme. “This is because we look ahead,” he explained.

The country is open? When did this happen? And pioneers? ????????????????????????

9 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

The country is open? When did this happen? And pioneers? ????????????????????????

Ur so rigth.The only thing their open is more and more hospitels so they can suck out more money.

Pioneers????OMG

 

17 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

The country is open? When did this happen? And pioneers? ????????????????????????

He left out the r..and s...prisoneers 

where I am in EU the latest discripion in news outlets is "almost over"

WHO cant say that because different parts of the world are at different stages US will probably end of feb, where I am its happening faster than expected from the worst in the world 3 wks ago hospitalizations for covid are falling fast.

it will be endemic by mid year...

Add for footy fans, when premier league sides now been called out for saying they have covid been accused of taking advantage u know it over.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12516180/gary-neville-and-jamie-carragher-believe-premier-league-clubs-must-be-forced-to-play-fixtures-after-postponement-requests

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

????????????????

I think they meant we are looking for a head.....In THailand looking ahead is a very rare phenomenon

Cambodia declared COVID endemic last November and changed its testing and entry policies accordingly. They are now, in light of Omicron, reviewing some additional changes but not AFAIK rescinding the "endemic" categorization.

 

Declaring a disease endemic does not preclude periodic outbreaks/epidemics -- an  epidemic is simply when a disease occurs at more than endemic levels, and there are often epidemics of endemic diseases. (And a pandemic is simply an epidemic affecting multiple countries).

 

The main implication in terms of COVID is that classifying it as an endemic disease means recognizing that it cannot  be completely eradicated or kept out of the country, and rather will remain present to some extent in the population for the foreseeable future.  This does not preclude vaccination campaigns nor  measures designed to keep levels of infection manageable (i.e. in line with health system capacities).  It would usually mean no more aggressive track and trace efforts (since these are largely futile once a disease is endemic) and limiting testing to symptomatic cases where it is needed to guide treatment, and perhaps also new arrivals.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Opart Karnkawinpong, head of the Disease Control Department, insisted on Friday (Jan 14) that Thailand was not standing in opposition to the world health agency and its advice. The fact was, he continued, that when it came to management of COVID-19, Thailand is merely a step ahead of WHO and many other nations.

A rather bold statement in light of last years fiasco.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

“We have been pioneers on this front in many aspects,” said Opart, citing the cross-vaccination program and reopening of the country via the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme. “This is because we look ahead,” he explained.

????

5 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Hospitals in the US are at historically high levels of admissions. This does not support your premise. 

Maybe they have historically high levels of under-lying conditions?

You cannot quote one nations admissions against anothers directly, many things come into play.

the sooner its called endemic (read..live with it) the better,

 

3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

All around where I am here in Oregon the hospitals are open and accepting walk in patients, albeit if they think they might have covid they go in through a dedicated entrance.  No phone calls and no calling the ambulance as you say.  I landed in the US just a few days ago and as much Covid is supposedly infecting folks, you could only tell by reduced amounts of employee's to stock shelves and work in the restaurants and in the air as well as police and firefighters.  Nurses are also short staffed but others are picking up the slack and making some bank.

Reality versus mass media hysteria, so beloved by our fellow posters.

One of the UK scientists on the radio this morning trying to explain why they got their doom and gloom predictions so wrong.

Sounds as if the death figures are also up for debate regarding deaths of or with Covid.

From the start South Africa said the hysterical global reaction and border restrictions where a total over reaction to omicron.

How right they where.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The fact was, he continued, that when it came to management of COVID-19, Thailand is merely a step ahead of WHO and many other nations.

Amazing how even medical autorities is led to and believe in the opposite of actual conditions. My wife got her first injection with Pfizer here in late November 2021. In Europe her sister-in-law got her first injection with Pfizer early March 2021????

Felt

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

All around where I am here in Oregon the hospitals are open and accepting walk in patients, albeit if they think they might have covid they go in through a dedicated entrance.  No phone calls and no calling the ambulance as you say.  I landed in the US just a few days ago and as much Covid is supposedly infecting folks, you could only tell by reduced amounts of employee's to stock shelves and work in the restaurants and in the air as well as police and firefighters.  Nurses are also short staffed but others are picking up the slack and making some bank.

US now starting to follow UK in some states.

 

"there are growing signs that the Omicron wave has reached a peak in some areas. The record today is only 2.8% above last Friday and the seven-day average is declining in seven states."

 

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

All around where I am here in Oregon the hospitals are open and accepting walk in patients, albeit if they think they might have covid they go in through a dedicated entrance.  No phone calls and no calling the ambulance as you say.  I landed in the US just a few days ago and as much Covid is supposedly infecting folks, you could only tell by reduced amounts of employee's to stock shelves and work in the restaurants and in the air as well as police and firefighters.  Nurses are also short staffed but others are picking up the slack and making some bank.

The US is a very large diverse country so infection.waves hit different areas differently and at different times.

 

Oregon being a blue state is heavily vaccinated. The Omicron hospitalizations and deaths are mostly about the unvaccinated.

6 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Hospitals in the US are at historically high levels of admissions. This does not support your premise. 

But nevertheless reasons for this have been posted and we should not disregard the well supported belief that Omicron has far milder symptoms than say Delta. It is also displacing Delta very quickly. Overall this is positive.

7 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

But nevertheless reasons for this have been posted and we should not disregard the well supported belief that Omicron has far milder symptoms than say Delta. It is also displacing Delta very quickly. Overall this is positive.

I hope you are right.

 

i also hope Omicron goes away more quickly.

55 minutes ago, wombat said:

the sooner its called endemic (read..live with it) the better,

 

A lame meme.

1 minute ago, Danderman123 said:

I hope you are right.

 

i also hope Omicron goes away more quickly.

It appears to have a far shorter incubation than previous mutations (2  days), and symptoms last only 4-5 days. So that is likely. It has already peaked in the UK.

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Not all these though right?

 

Omicron is not done with us/US, but we now have >155,000 hospitalizations, nearly 26,000 patients in ICUs, and as reported today another almost 2,800 people who died—the majority of all of these outcomes eminently preventable + >926,000 confirmed new cases

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1482154850125160449

 

I agree with much of what you post but on this one without a breakdown between Delta and Omicron I can't see how this can be supported. US is still a Delta/Omicron mix.

IMO the longer they try and hold Omicron back the longer it will take for this to become endemic. 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is merely a step ahead of WHO and many other nations.

Hmmmmm!

 

I'd say something but everyone else already knows that's total b*ls***.

34 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

I agree with much of what you post but on this one without a breakdown between Delta and Omicron I can't see how this can be supported. US is still a Delta/Omicron mix.

I agree, there must be a good proportion of delta still lingering in the US deaths and no doubt in ICU, never seen a breakdown of that though. I think the cleanest countries to look for Omicron deaths are South Africa and Denmark as they were both well out of the previous delta wave.

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/denmark

A good thing. Something the whole world should do. Done with the scare bs and move on