For those maybe just about to book flights - maybe wait and lets hope this DOESNT become a "thing"? :-(

[Nirish guy]

Sorry firstly I should say MEANT to add a question mark after the topic headline to make it an open question rather than a statement of opinion or fact !


So as just reported on BBC "breaking news" an hour ago,,,,,Reports of a new variant being discovered in Africa and quotes as below certainly dont fill one with any great rush to head out and book any long haul flights to anywhere just yet perhaps :-( Lets hope when the find out more it fizzles out !


"One expert described the variant, known as B.1.1.529, as "the worst one we've seen so far", and there is concern it has the potential to evade immunity."
"he said the variant has a significant number of mutations, "perhaps double the number of mutations that we have seen in the Delta variant" He added: "And that would suggest that it may well be more transmissible and the current vaccines that we have may well be less effective."

On a plus point ? they did also say " it was not clear if the variant was more transmissible or resistant to vaccines and therefore it was too early to judge the risk it poses"


We'll see I guess.

The link to the full story,,,,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59424269

[arsenal]

Coming up to two years since this all started. Two years of hope-dashed-hope-dashed-hope-dashed.

"It's not the despair, I can cope with the despair. It's the hope I can't cope with."
John Cleese in Clockwise.

We hear you.

[Dodger]

If people were to hold off on booking flights for their vacations until there were no more variants being discovered in the world, they may never get a chance to take a vacation again.

My position on this is very simple: Get myself fully vaccinated (done). Use common sense when it comes to social distancing, wearing face masks, etc., and, last-but-not-least, live my life the way I see fit.

More people die from "stress" than anything else, including covid-19. I just remind myself to laugh out loud every time I hear an overly paranoid person freaking out over this bullshit. Laughing is good for the soul.

[dinagam]

Indeed!
The vaccine manufacturers and their agents are all laughing their way to the bank!

[StevieWonders]

Indeed!
The vaccine manufacturers and their agents are all laughing their way to the bank! It's called capitalism

[Oliver2]

I've already spent a lot of money on my March trip, much of it refundable but not all. And I did so in a spirit of defiance, knowing full well the risks. One of the reasons was that, after two years, I needed more than a vague hope that one day, sometime in the future, I'd be Thailand-bound.

By booking-up I have raised my sagging morale enormously, enabling me to endure the dark months ahead with a smile of anticipation.

Yes, I know it could end in tears but, at the moment, I'm fixated on my preparations. And feel all the better for it.

[Nirish guy]

If people were to hold off on booking flights for their vacations until there were no more variants being discovered in the world, they may never get a chance to take a vacation again.

Correct, but I a lot of scientists are flagging up "hey, heres a new thing and we need to look into it as it could be a bigger problem than before" and airlines and the stock market are already factoring that into their thinking and planning then as per my OP IF 'I" was about to press "book" on a long haul flight personally I think I'd think it appropriate to give it a week or so until a bit more information was forthcoming re that perhaps, but each to their own of course.




My position on this is very simple: Get myself fully vaccinated (done).

Totally agree there, do all of that and then get on with things - that is on the assumption that the vaccine actually WORKS on a new strain - again I'd think waiting a week or two to find that out would be sensible, but again maybe that's me.



people die from "stress" than anything else, including covid-19. .

Oh please, you cant be serious, that's not even worthy of a reply.....



I just remind myself to laugh out loud every time I hear an overly paranoid person freaking out over this bullshit. Laughing is good for the soul.

Well if by overly paranoid you mean being aware of situations as they develop and try to alter my life around them so they affect me less then I guess I'm guilty of that - and as for laughing being good for the soul, do be sure to tell that the people who have lost their loved ones to covid, I'm sure that will be a great comfort to them.

[Dodger]

Correct, but I a lot of scientists are flagging up "hey, heres a new thing and we need to look into it as it could be a bigger problem than before" and airlines and the stock market are already factoring that into their thinking and planning then as per my OP IF 'I" was about to press "book" on a long haul flight personally I think I'd think it appropriate to give it a week or so until a bit more information was forthcoming re that perhaps, but each to their own of course.





Totally agree there, do all of that and then get on with things - that is on the assumption that the vaccine actually WORKS on a new strain - again I'd think waiting a week or two to find that out would be sensible, but again maybe that's me.




Oh please, you cant be serious, that's not even worthy of a reply.....




Well if by overly paranoid you mean being aware of situations as they develop and try to alter my life around them so they affect me less then I guess I'm guilty of that - and as for laughing being good for the soul, do be sure to tell that the people who have lost their loved ones to covid, I'm sure that will be a great comfort to them.

Emotional stress is a major contributing factor to the six leading causes of death: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. This may not be worthy of replying to - but worth thinking about.

This is serious, no doubt, but remaining positive, and yes, finding some humor along-the-road, can only be a benefit.

[arsenal]

Serious alarm bells being rung over this latest 32 spike multiple variant strain. Oh fuck.

[Nirish guy]

Yes and with the first case to hit the EU ALREADY being found in Belguim just a few hours ago it would seems that closing the borders from Africa may already have been to late for Europe perhaps. And if as the EU has just called for flights from Africa to be banned it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for other countries to think about putting the same restrictions in place for flights FROM the EU perhaps if more cases are found there.

Hence my original post simply suggesting that IF ?? it does matter to you about getting away or more importantly back home, perhaps for work or family and you find yourself stuck somewhere on or after Christmas it's not a crazy idea just to at least have a secondary plan in place or a cut off date decided in advance as to the latest date you can decide to book to go somewhere or not.

If re work it's important to remember too that many employers now aren't being just as understanding as they were when things first kicked off if their staff find themselves "stranded" in some nice beach resort for several weeks instead of being at their desks, especially when thye had a resonable chance of expecting arrival lockdowns to be put in place and in fact such decisions now could end up leading to employment discliplinary procedings now for staff members who find themselves in such positions it seems.

And that's not a "paranoid person freaking out over bullshit" - merely good common sense ( I think anyway) to protect your job when deciding if and when to book trips to ANYWHERE these days. Bit to those who are retired, I totally agree, book it, go, take your chances and live a bit as what have you to loose and if you get stuck somewhere "so what" as that IS one of the joys of retirement and not having to give a shit anymore!

[goji]

Anyone doing a late booking ought to allow 7 days to get a Thai pass.
Also, very little of the price should be at risk in case of cancellation. Flights can usually be moved at zero cost these days. Hotels tend to be refundable.

[Armando]

Flights can usually be moved at zero cost these days.
Not sure where you got that info. My flight can certainly be changed with no cost for the change. But if the base cost of the flights for the new dates is higher than what i have paid, I am stung for the difference. I believe this is true of most airlines.

[goji]

Not sure where you got that info. My flight can certainly be changed with no cost for the change. But if the base cost of the flights for the new dates is higher than what i have paid, I am stung for the difference. I believe this is true of most airlines.

I see no contradiction with what I posted. As with any transaction, if you change the product or service for one of higher value, you pay the difference.
You have no admin cost for changing dates.

[arsenal]

Omicron. A most uninteresting name. These science bods should take a leaf out of the roller coaster guys and start using a bit of imagination.

32 spikes/teeth, vicious, a killer and potentially species ending. Many exciting names to choose from.

Armageddon
Assassin
Andromeda
Aphrodite's Bite
Arachnid

Anyone wanna do B?

[Nirish guy]

Anyone wanna do B?

How about

The Beast ( or the Beastie if you're in Scotland)
The Behemoth
Beelzebub
The Big One
The Bullet
The Boomerang
The Black Death !!! ( Although I'm guessing they may say no to that one perhaps :-)
The Ball Breaker
The Booster! ( what fun THAT would cause in confusing people ! )

[gumblebee]

Anyone doing a late booking ought to allow 7 days to get a Thai pass.

If all your documentation is up to scratch you might be lucky. My boyfriend (Thai, so a little bit easier) had his within less than a minute.

[Uranus]

If all your documentation is up to scratch you might be lucky. My boyfriend (Thai, so a little bit easier) had his within less than a minute.

I got my Thailand pass the very next day (a Saturday) by logging into the application page and download the pass.

[goji]

Some people get the pass immediately.
They even offer advice on how to get it immediately, based on their sample size of 1.
However, try following those instructions to the letter and it can still take 6 days.

So unles you really need to be quick, allow 7 days, plus a safety margin.

[francois]

My position on this is very simple: Get myself fully vaccinated (done). Use common sense when it comes to social distancing, wearing face masks, etc., and, last-but-not-least, live my life the way I see fit.


Dodger, by fully vaccinated, exactly what does that mean? Does that include a booster shot?

[Moses]

Dodger, by fully vaccinated, exactly what does that mean? Does that include a booster shot?

more than 14 day after second shot and no more than xxx days after first shot... xxx depends on country, usually it is 183 days, but may be 365

[Dodger]

Dodger, by fully vaccinated, exactly what does that mean? Does that include a booster shot?

People are considered "fully vaccinated" after the second jab, but, as far as Jai and I are concerned, "fully vaccinated" means we've also received the booster.

[StevieWonders]

People are considered "fully vaccinated" after the second jab, but, as far as Jai and I are concerned, "fully vaccinated" means we've also received the booster.Who can forget those fabulous rants from Amazing Dodgems of just a few short months ago that the only vaccine he'd be allowing near himself would be from J&J?

[goji]

People are considered "fully vaccinated" after the second jab, but, as far as Jai and I are concerned, "fully vaccinated" means we've also received the booster.

Assuming you got something better than Sinovac, you're fully vaccinated after the second dose. A booster is only needed when immunity starts to fade 4-6 months after the second dose.