Nothing to worry about indeed. Those who fuelled the fear narrative partook in a psychological operation for political motive, as the UK's Rishi Sunak is now acknowledging:

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-leadership-candidate-sunak-attacks-covid-lockdown-response-2022-08-25/

Edited September 15, 20223 yr by rattlesnake

Ya, what "first world" countries came out looking bad in all of this vs. what "lesser" country did comparatively far better by comparison.

 

Cumulative COVID deaths per 1 million population -- the U.S., U.K., and Thailand

 

 

Source link

Edited September 15, 20223 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

So, know we start to understand how the world has been thinking one year after Covid started. Not a day too late.

And more of the same from Johns Hopkins.... U.S. and U.K. toward the top of the world list of cumulative per capita COVID deaths among the most affected countries:

 

Mortality in the most affected countries

"For the twenty countries currently most affected by COVID-19 worldwide, the bars in the chart below show the number of deaths either per 100 confirmed cases (observed case-fatality ratio) or per 100,000 population. [cited in chart below"

 

 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

 

One might argue, based on the outcomes above, that at least some segments of the U.S. and U.K. populations could have benefited from a bit more well-placed fear.

6 hours ago, edogthong said:

Those of us who've been saying not to worry from the start and were told that we were crazy conspiracy theorists who should shut up and get vaccinated still haven't received our apologies. I'm talking to YOU, 95% of the members in here. It's time to own up to your mistakes. 

What mistakes are you referring to exactly? Whether you accept it or not, a lot of people died in the earlier stages of the pandemic. Obviously now, with widespread exposure to the virus and vaccinations, the situation is quite different. I had an asymptomatic case after 2 vaccinations and a booster. Actual data shows that the vaccinated have better outcomes than the unvaccinated. Now that I’ve said that, do want an apology ?

Edited September 15, 20223 yr by charmonman
Spelling

37 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And more of the same from Johns Hopkins.... U.S. and U.K. toward the top of the world list of cumulative per capita COVID deaths among the most affected countries:

 

Mortality in the most affected countries

"For the twenty countries currently most affected by COVID-19 worldwide, the bars in the chart below show the number of deaths either per 100 confirmed cases (observed case-fatality ratio) or per 100,000 population. [cited in chart below"

 

 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

 

One might argue, based on the outcomes above, that at least some segments of the U.S. and U.K. populations could have benefited from a bit more well-placed fear.

"At least some segments", yes. A large portion of the population suffered immensely from lockdowns and it's that "can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" approach which is now under scrutiny (and very rightly so).

Edited September 15, 20223 yr by rattlesnake

Public should not worry about new Omicron subvariants
 

I never worried about any of the old ones either, only the overreaction. 

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Ya, what "first world" countries came out looking bad in all of this vs. what "lesser" country did comparatively far better by comparison.

 

Cumulative COVID deaths per 1 million population -- the U.S., U.K., and Thailand

 

 

Source link

You can chuck up all the data and graphs you want. Aside from US and UK being global travel and business hubs, exacerbating spread of disease, these are also the countries with an aged populace and are also more likely to accurately (and over-) report figures. Thailand’s tallies (lol) have always been massaged and based on an agenda together with a woeful lack of testing. You cannot compare this thing like that. Pretty naive. 

32 minutes ago, charmonman said:

What mistakes are you referring to exactly? Whether you accept it or not, a lot of people died in the earlier stages of the pandemic. Obviously now, with widespread exposure to the virus and vaccinations, the situation is quite different. I had an asymptomatic case after 2 vaccinations and a booster. Actual data shows that the vaccinated have better outcomes than the unvaccinated. Now that I’ve said that, do want an apology ?

I beg to differ, recent research suggests higher vaccine uptake leads to higher infection rates. The study I am pasting below shows that countries with the highest vaccination rates are experiencing the highest numbers of so-called “breakthrough infections,” as well as reinfection from other variants of COVID-19. A very interesting read.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq1841?cookieSet=1

 

But if you look at places where vaccine campaigns have not been widely implemented, such as most African countries, infections are far lower than highly-vaccinated countries.

The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Dashboard shows that:

https://covid19.who.int/

 

To those who still think the Covid jabs are fantastic, if you wish to reply, please read the above material and formulate a reason why you think it is not valid using your own words. Posting a link from the CDC saying "vaccines work" will not cut it.

7 hours ago, edogthong said:

Those of us who've been saying not to worry from the start and were told that we were crazy conspiracy theorists who should shut up and get vaccinated still haven't received our apologies. I'm talking to YOU, 95% of the members in here. It's time to own up to your mistakes. 

The original variant was much more dangerous though, plus there was no natural immunity, or vaccines. But yeah no worries now!

Say have any of your anti masker expats hear of the term Pollution?

There is many reasons to wear a mask, especially in Bangkok. I even do not

want to catch the regular flu or other diseases from you.  Go to the UK

catch what ever sickness they have and bring it back to Thailand, great

thinking.  Just my opinion of course.

Harvey

that's not what I have been reading about BA 2.75 !!!  If it becomes the dominant strain quickly then we should be worried ,especially those at most risk .   The newer vaccines developed to combat BA 5.0 are in the pipeline and do not take into account of this new strain . 

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Newer subvariants of COVID-19 continue to emerge as BA.5 remains the predominant strain in Thailand. Health authorities said the general public should not worry about the new subvariants, as they do not seem to be more virulent or transmissible than their predecessors.

From what I've witnessed they're not.

A post misrepresenting the findings of a cited study has been removed.

 

18 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Public should not worry about new Omicron subvariants
 

I never worried about any of the old ones either, only the overreaction. 

Nor me, just got vaxed a few times, so far so good.....????

18 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

"At least some segments", yes. A large portion of the population suffered immensely from lockdowns and it's that "can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" approach which is now under scrutiny (and very rightly so).

Yes, after the event, ????..

In the early stages of C19 most countries took notice of their scientists, and rightly so...????

On 9/15/2022 at 5:04 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

Thais and no doubt people of other Asian nations will probably wear a mask until the day they die - and then in some cases it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if the body is taken to the temple still masked up.

I can definitely see this happening, the chinese sets where you burn stuff now include paper masks. It's so comical.

 

 

 

On 9/15/2022 at 5:34 PM, jacko45k said:

Coincidence that, chatting with a pal who just got over a bout of Covid.... and he says his remaining symptom is a problem sleeping!

Is your friend double or triple jabbed? 

On 9/15/2022 at 12:57 PM, ukrules said:

I'll try my best not to worry too much ????

3 car accidents

Swine flu

 

Was never worried covid day 1

 

People need to get over it.

Edited September 16, 20223 yr by onthedarkside
trolling comment removed

Never got vaxed, never even even had the sniffles. Probably been the best couple years where I never even got the flu (which happens from time to time).

 

55 and not in my prime, yet I survived without a mask.

 

=============

I noticed some things 20+ years ago about Thailand. Whenever Western governments do something, Thailand tries to follow suit. 

 

Just easy stuff. Shut-downs, buy submarines for the Gulf (that is only 200 feet deep), no smoking in bars (thanks Billary),

 

=============

Edit: Oh yeah, Hookers (I do love hookers :-) Bless their  illegal hearts!

Edited September 16, 20223 yr by jaywalker

10 hours ago, MoneyNo1 said:

Is your friend double or triple jabbed? 

Not vaccinated. 

On 9/15/2022 at 2:41 PM, NorthernRyland said:

I just got back to Maskland after being 2 months in Colorado USA where basically no one is wearing masks. It's like going back into a warp from March 2020 where we're frozen in time. I'd say maybe 1 out of 100 people don't have a mask on in Chiang Mai and even so it's probably just pulled down over their chin. These people have lost their minds. RIP.

It is bizarre. This is just speculation, but it seems that many Thai people feel important while wearing a uniform. Possibly to give them a feeling of importance? Or more respected? Maybe the mask wearing is a similar phenomenon?
I remember pre covid, where a lot of Asian people were already wearing masks, while the rest of the world wasn't.

A trolling post with unsourced and unsubstantiated claims has been removed along with a post with an unsourced quotation, and ensuing replies.

 

4 hours ago, BadSpottedDog said:

It is bizarre. This is just speculation, but it seems that many Thai people feel important while wearing a uniform. Possibly to give them a feeling of importance? Or more respected? Maybe the mask wearing is a similar phenomenon?
I remember pre covid, where a lot of Asian people were already wearing masks, while the rest of the world wasn't.

Thais have an extraodrinary sense of togetherness, in many ways the collective being is above the individual, they are taught from birth that the country is more important than they are as persons (it's even in the national anthem).

 

They are also subservient to people in authority. So when there are pro-mask campaigns by politicians and doctors as was the case for a couple of years, it's no surprise that the compliance rate is 100%.

 

It's their Achilles heel as they don't have enough individuality to decide to take it off.

 

I underestimated this myself as I initially thought (2 months ago) that they would gradually come off, but I was wrong. The only Thais I see taking them off are women with farang partners, probably because it relieves them of any responsibility ("it's not me, it's my farang husband" as if being a "mia farang" exempted you of certain Thai cultural obligations – similar to the way it's OK them to wear a bikini at the pool rather than cover up their body.).

 

Seems like the only way out of it will be a reversed process where politicians and doctors say "take off your masks for the greater good of Thai society".

Edited September 17, 20223 yr by rattlesnake

Don't worry.  Just keep those masks on forever. 

6 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

It's their Achilles heel as they don't have enough individuality to decide to take it off.

 

I underestimated this myself as I initially thought (2 months ago) that they would gradually come off, but I was wrong.

The problem is that if you watch Thai TV, all of the news anchors wear masks, all the talk show hosts wear masks, everyone on TV wears masks except on the Thai soaps and movies - on the soaps and movies it's still 'old normal.'  The most ridiculous are those wearing plastic face shields with a gap a bird could fly through.  Yeah - that will stop those Covid viruses. 

My guess.  Thais will be dutifully wearing their masks just like their beloved TV celebs for months and months to come, if not years.

 

Edited September 17, 20223 yr by connda

20 hours ago, BadSpottedDog said:

It is bizarre. This is just speculation, but it seems that many Thai people feel important while wearing a uniform. Possibly to give them a feeling of importance? Or more respected? Maybe the mask wearing is a similar phenomenon?
I remember pre covid, where a lot of Asian people were already wearing masks, while the rest of the world wasn't.

That is just a silly comment. 

Previously they wore masks if they had some cold or flu themselves to limit it's spread... a concept one might call consideration for others.... sadly lacking in many other countries where many had to die. 

The Great Reset is beginning to settle in. 

16 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

Thais have an extraodrinary sense of togetherness, in many ways the collective being is above the individual, they are taught from birth that the country is more important than they are as persons (it's even in the national anthem).

 

They are also subservient to people in authority. So when there are pro-mask campaigns by politicians and doctors as was the case for a couple of years, it's no surprise that the compliance rate is 100%.

 

It's their Achilles heel as they don't have enough individuality to decide to take it off.

 

I underestimated this myself as I initially thought (2 months ago) that they would gradually come off, but I was wrong. The only Thais I see taking them off are women with farang partners, probably because it relieves them of any responsibility ("it's not me, it's my farang husband" as if being a "mia farang" exempted you of certain Thai cultural obligations – similar to the way it's OK them to wear a bikini at the pool rather than cover up their body.).

 

Seems like the only way out of it will be a reversed process where politicians and doctors say "take off your masks for the greater good of Thai society".

This is very sad and it's holding Thailand back immensely. Mass masking is becoming vanishingly  rare outside of China, South Korea and a couple of others. The pandemic is definitely ending, it is simply completely unnecessary to wear them as Thais are.

 

It will do Thailand a world of good to get rid of the masks. The direction needs to come from politicians, doctors and health authorities, the fear needs to end.

 

In the meantime, anyone can/should make the decision to just go out and about without a face covering, even if it feels a bit uncomfortable for now. Every mask less person helps this get back to where it needs to be.

 

 

15 minutes ago, anrcaccount said:

This is very sad and it's holding Thailand back immensely. Mass masking is becoming vanishingly  rare outside of China, South Korea and a couple of others. The pandemic is definitely ending, it is simply completely unnecessary to wear them as Thais are.

 

It will do Thailand a world of good to get rid of the masks. The direction needs to come from politicians, doctors and health authorities, the fear needs to end.

 

In the meantime, anyone can/should make the decision to just go out and about without a face covering, even if it feels a bit uncomfortable for now. Every mask less person helps this get back to where it needs to be.

 

 

 

It won’t happen.

 

If you think it will, then you know little about the Thai mentality. 
 

The mask has become their amulet.