New COVID requirements in force January 9, 2023 to January 31

[Chuai-Duai]

"Starting January 9, 2023 to January 31, 2023 travelers (aged 18 years old and above) arriving in Thailand must have proof of full vaccination; OR proof of recovery from COVID in the last 6 months; OR you may provide a vaccine-exemption letter from a doctor."

quoted from here:

https://www.thaiembassy.com/weekly-updates/thailand-travel-restrictions-for-january-2023

[Blueskytoday]

Last couple days...Chinese who had negative covid test 48 hours prior to boarding flights, arrived at Incheon Korea Airport....All passengers given on the spot covid test on arrival...up to 1/5th of all arriving Chinese tested POSITIVE...(to me this means, the vaccines the Chinese receive are no good, OR, the tests they give/take are not at all world class standard.....OR they come with phony test certificates.........something very wrong here..

[latintopxxx]

...for the 1000th time...the vaccine (any/all) does NOT stop you from catching covid, its supposed to minimise the severity of the illness...stop you from getting really ill and possibly dying....ive been triple vaccinated and still caught covid twice and both times it was extremely mild...have had much worse flus.....hopefully this trend will continue as Im far too young and gorgeous to die...

[latintopxxx]

...which is why possibly it should not be called a vaccine....

[Moses]

up to 1/5th of all arriving Chinese tested POSITIVE...(to me this means, the vaccines the Chinese receive are no good,

No one vaccine in world has ability to protect from to have virus. No one. Vaccines protecting from illness. If you will walk by street and somebody will cough on you - how vaccine may protect from viruses in air what will lay on your clothes, what you will inhale with air?

Purpose of vaccine is to train your body to kill viruses. They train and body will kill, but not immediately, within 1-2-3 and even 7 days. At these days you may feel slight cold symptoms, or feel nothing, but any test will show you have virus in your body. After any existing vaccine.

So, in real life if you meet group of people, where everyone is tested positive on COVID, but everyone feel good, that means they got very good vaccine.

[Blueskytoday]

My main point apparently was not understood...The covid testing the Chinese are giving are not as good as most other countries, otherwise so many would not be testing positive for Covid upon arrival, when they just had the test 48 hours earlier to board the flight..

[Moses]

My main point apparently was not understood...The covid testing the Chinese are giving are not as good as most other countries, otherwise so many would not be testing positive for Covid upon arrival, when they just had the test 48 hours earlier to board the flight..

For fast check airlines and airports uses "quick test" by sampling saliva and other liquids from nose and/or mouth. This test is like a lottery - if doctor will touch with probe stick zone with virus - then they will find it, if doctor will do just formal picking then result will be negative. 100% warranty has only blood test.

[latintopxxx]

...and 48 hours is a long time, you may be infected at 8pm at your local group sex orgy party with 500 guys...get tested next morning and still show up as clean, it may take as long as 3 days before it shows up....so its a tool that may minimise risk but its onlty a mitigating factor...

[bkkmfj2648]

To lighten things up a bit regarding Covid - Jimmy Fallon from the Tonight Show in the USA doing a B-52 rendition of Covid variant xbb.1.5

https://www.tiktok.com/@fallontonight/video/7185388275513789739

[Mancs]

TiT

9 Jan 2023
Thailand has revoked an entry policy announced two days ago requiring visitors to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, its health minister said, citing sufficient immunisation levels in China and globally.

On Monday, Anutin Charnvirakul said checking evidence of vaccinations was inconvenient and a panel of health experts had agreed to withdraw the new rule, which was announced on Saturday by aviation authorities ahead of an expected deluge of visitors from China, where COVID cases have surged. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/9/thailand-makes-u-turn-on-covid-19-vaccination-rule-for-visitors

[davidmelba]

And how many travelers ended up not even going after that Saturday declaration? This country Can really screw things up that's for sure. Total incompetence.

[Moses]

And how many travelers ended up not even going after that Saturday declaration? This country Can really screw things up that's for sure. Total incompetence.

I think: nobody, because alternative for vaccination certificate was just rapid PCR test for 200 Bahts right in Airport (15 min).

[Patanawet]

Anutin is u-turning by the hour!

[Oliver2]

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this saga is over: just wait for a cluster of Covid cases to appear in Pattaya or somewhere following the arrival of unvaccinated Chinese visitors. Panic will ensue, I promise you, as the hospitals fill. And following initial panic, renewed restrictions on entry and entertainment.

[oio999]

My main point apparently was not understood...The covid testing the Chinese are giving are not as good as most other countries, otherwise so many would not be testing positive for Covid upon arrival, when they just had the test 48 hours earlier to board the flight..

I’m with you blueskytoday, most people either avoid the subject or just read the headlines and reply with something not relevant to your question , tourists from China produced Fake COVID negative test certificate is absolutely true , in Japan, they retest people from China for COVID and found more than 80% of the passengers was positive to the COVID virus, same as in South Korea and Italy , Thai authorities let traveler from China enter Thailand with no restrictions imposed are worrisome for me, Most countries require 48hours negative COVID certificate for travellers from China to enter their country,at least have some basic defence mechanisms in place to protect it citizens, COVID ( omicron variant) only affected the upper respiratory system but I saw the news about COVID in China Is affecting the lungs , lots of young healthy people got this white lungs when they take a CT scan , not to mention older populations, they got no chance to survive if they contracted the virus, I’m holding off my plan celebrating Thai new year in April for now, wait and see, if you are in Thailand right now, please keep informed us the situation in Thailand here in SGT

[Moses]

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this saga is over: just wait for a cluster of Covid cases to appear in Pattaya or somewhere following the arrival of unvaccinated Chinese visitors. Panic will ensue, I promise you, as the hospitals fill. And following initial panic, renewed restrictions on entry and entertainment.

Which one "panic" do you expect? Omicron in 90% of cases has no symptomes, in 9% feels like a flu, one night with high temperature and that's all. Nobody cares even to make test.

I had crossed Thai border in 5 min in BKK, no forms, no questions, they just stamp my passport... By the way: I had flight via China mainland and Hong Kong and arrived in aircraft full of Chinese. Already 12 days no any symptoms of Covid

[Blueskytoday]

Few days ago...flight from China landed in Seoul Korea...they had to have covid test 48 hours before boarding and vaccination proof...they were all given covid test at the airport upon arrival....371 passengers on the flight......81% tested POSITIVE out of the 371....so obvious china's vaccine does not work OR their testing is so minor it does not show positive results...SAD...and CRAZY...

[maump]

Few days ago...flight from China landed in Seoul Korea...they had to have covid test 48 hours before boarding and vaccination proof...they were all given covid test at the airport upon arrival....371 passengers on the flight......81% tested POSITIVE out of the 371....so obvious china's vaccine does not work OR their testing is so minor it does not show positive results...SAD...and CRAZY...

Or maybe chinese vaccine works good at stopping symptoms..... new infection variant with few symptoms.... time will tell.

[Patanawet]

...for the 1000th time...the vaccine (any/all) does NOT stop you from catching covid, its supposed to minimise the severity of the illness...stop you from getting really ill and possibly dying....ive been triple vaccinated and still caught covid twice and both times it was extremely mild...have had much worse flus.....hopefully this trend will continue as Im far too young and gorgeous to die...
Well, well talking sense (although YOU saying something for a thousand times doesn't make it so! But in this case it is true).
However, you mention flu. Many think they've had flu but haven't really had the muscle aches, even your hair hurts. You REALLY know if you've had flu.

But the flu vaccine DOES help protect against infection (my doctor quotes 80% protection).
Flu jabs are available in Thailand for about 1000 Baht.

[Moses]

Well, well talking sense (although YOU saying something for a thousand times doesn't make it so! But in this case it is true).
However, you mention flu. Many think they've had flu but haven't really had the muscle aches, even your hair hurts. You REALLY know if you've had flu.

But the flu vaccine DOES help protect against infection (my doctor quotes 80% protection).
Flu jabs are available in Thailand for about 1000 Baht.
You should ask your doctor again. If he will say axactly that again, then for your safety is better to change doctor.
Vaccines "against infections" are unknown to science and not exist. All vaccines are against illness. Vaccines can't kill any virus or bacteria. No one.They teach your immune system to recognize virus and fight with it.

[Patanawet]

Of course one can cherry pick information from the net but this is the immediate thing that came up when I asked if flu vaccines prevented flu:
"While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines".

[Moses]

Of course one can cherry pick information from the net but this is the immediate thing that came up when I asked if flu vaccines prevented flu:
"While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines".

That exactly I wrote: "prevent illness", meanwhile vaccinated patient will sill be carrier of virus and will spread it around. But will have no illness and will have no symptoms.

[Patanawet]

That exactly I wrote: "prevent illness", meanwhile vaccinated patient will sill be carrier of virus and will spread it around. But will have no illness and will have no symptoms.
I bow to your superior knowledge presumably gained through years of studying immunology and virology OR are you just a 'know it all'?

[Moses]

I bow to your superior knowledge presumably gained through years of studying immunology and virology OR are you just a 'know it all'?

My husband is MD exactly in immunology and virology, so in almost 20 years I got a lot of knowledge from him, especially at time of quarantine.