oh lord...what depressing dross...ofcourse I'll be back...and so will the boys...do u really think they wanna be stuck in the rice paddy fields all year...all we need is a vaccine or an effective treatment plan...any day now....
Printable View
oh lord...what depressing dross...ofcourse I'll be back...and so will the boys...do u really think they wanna be stuck in the rice paddy fields all year...all we need is a vaccine or an effective treatment plan...any day now....
More depressing dross latinwithpox.
Any day now???
Do you honestly think Thailand will be able to agree a vaccine amongst the many being produced? Do you really think they can come up with the right beaurocracy? Do you think they could come up with a credible plan? Haven’t you been watching developments, or rather lack of them?
What planet do you live on?
Don’t answer that!
u coddled guys have no idea...probably the lost dramatic thing that has ever happened in your lives is running out of toilet paper...quick dial 011....the virus will either be tamed by a vaccine or treatment plan or run its natural course and eventually burn out...i can wait another year...no great hardship...
The operative word here is eventually. The truth is of course that none of us can be sure. When you look at other vaccines (or lack of same) things are not looking too encouraging but yes that could change. But who knows. Must I remind you that we are now living with the incidence of HIV virus for over 40 years? And with the common cold virus for perhaps a few thousand years? So if we get lucky with this nasty one, we can all celebrate with a trip to Sin City!
These are not directly comparable.
1 HIV mutates quickly. And technical capability now is way ahead of 40 years ago.
2 The common cold is actually caused by many different viruses. Four of which are coronaviruses.
3 Motivation to develop a vaccine is much higher with Covid, hence it is well funded with many different vaccines under development.
We will probably see two vaccines submitting results to regulators for approval in 2020.
That’s exactly how I feel, latintopxxx. In the normal course of events I would hope to travel out to Thailand in January 2021 and stay for three months. But it has been apparent for several months now that being able to travel to Thailand in the first quarter of 2021 would, for someone from the UK, be highly unlikely. I have therefore set my sights on January 2022.
The good news, according to the following article published in The Guardian is that a vaccine is expected to be available here in the UK by “early next year”. It goes without saying that health service workers will be at the front of the queue, but how will the health authorities decide the basis on which everyone else will be vaccinated?
Perhaps a good indicator might be the way they decide how the flu vaccine is distributed. My slot for getting the flu vaccination this year is different from previous years. It is reasonably early and will take place on November 8th, 2020. The selection process is based on age, those with a health condition, carers and alphabetically based on surname. Whether that is a good indicator of the basis on which they will decide how the Covid-19 vaccine will be distributed is, at the present time, anyone’s guess. If however this method is chosen then there is a modest chance that travelling to Thailand in January 2022 is a realistic expectation. Like most of us, all I can do is wait and see and not fret too much about a likely date for my return.
For the full article see: https://www.theguardian.com/society/...e-for-covid-19Quote:
Are we near to having a vaccine for Covid-19?
Even a once bullish PM is now not so optimistic but there are promising signs of a vaccine on the horizon
James Tapper
Sat 17 Oct 2020 21.47 BST Last modified on Sat 17 Oct 2020 22.05 BST
Chair of the Vaccine Taskforce, Kate Bingham, has said there is a ‘slim chance’ a vaccine might arrive by Christmas. In March, Boris Johnson said we would turn the tide in 12 weeks and “send the coronavirus packing” and by May ministers were boasting of having a vaccine by September. Last week the prime minister sounded far less confident, telling MPs that there was still no vaccine for SARS, 18 years after it emerged. A vaccine may not be far away though . . .
Are you perhaps thinking along these lines?
Attachment 10373
Unless I'm mistaken Armando you paid in Bangkok whereas in the UK it's free at the point of delivery.
When the vaccine is available the west should do away with the niceties of health care and have people queuing round the block. That's what they'll do ihere n China and so everyone will be jabbed in record time.
Me too. Samitivej Hospital. 990 Baht.
There has been an unprecedented demand for flu jabs in the UK this autumn. No surprise really.
Until recently anyone could have it done in Tesco’s or £12 or so (if you have to pay).
According to their website they are now only doing it for NHS patients over 65, due to demand.
Not free. Free at the point of delivery.
Generally, if a good or service is provided by a competitive market, there will be an abundance of supply and no waiting.
For example, we can get food 24 hours a day. If the service is no good, we can go to any one of about a dozen alternatives.
The moment a service is provided by a state monopoly, there will be queues, waiting lists and sometimes shoddy service. As we see with the NHS. Also, when food was provided by a state monopoly in eastern Europe, there were supply shortages and restricted choice. Same structure, same result.
Up until March, where I live, people have been queuing outside the GP surgery, as the Doctor sees the first 16 & the rest are told to naff off. It looks just like a Soviet food store from the 1980s. Then they closed completely when covid hit.
Meanwhile, in Germany, the consumer has an element of choice with his healthcare provision AND they make it available for everyone.
Asda charge £9 for the flu jab. I suspect demand is higher this year, as the death rate for people with flu AND Covid is over 2x higher than just Covid. Although, of course the probability of getting flu should be much lower due to all the Covid precautions.
Anyone can walk into a chemist in UK and get flu vaccine for £12, normally without a wait. I got mine straight away last week. I think the rationing that Jellybean is referring to is for those who are elderly and vulnerable and offered a free of charge vaccine via National Health Service.. if they don’t want to wait, just pay £12 and go to pharmacy.
You were lucky it seems as I've tried over the past two weeks to get a paid for Flu shot by ANY means fair or foul and it seems there's non to be had anywhere at ANY price. Boots etc are quoting MONTHS just now before they believe they've have any stock again to be able to sell appointments again and that's even for the paid for option ! :-(
So, if that;s is for the standard existing Flu vaccine I can only imagine what the wait time will be if and when any Covid vaccine gets rolled out to the masses ! :-(
Tempting though your question is StevieWonders, I better play it safe and would refer you to the answer I gave some moments ago. ;)
As I alluded to in my earlier reply, Armando, this year is very different, caused by the pressure on our health service and the extra protective measures required due to Covid-19. The flu vaccination would normally be given at my local general practitioner practice and several days set aside during which eligible patients can attend at any time during the allotted days and obtain their flu vaccination. From memory, this usually takes around 15-20 minutes with a steady stream of patients being vaccinated in an efficient conveyor belt manner. But this year, due to Covid-19, my local surgery will not be carrying out the vaccination programme and I am required to attend during a one hour time slot at a designated local medical centre.
When I lived in Bangkok, due to a recurring problem with my left eye, I had regular experience of two local hospitals, the BNH Hospital on Convent Road and the Bangkok Christian Hospital on Silom Road (BCH). What struck me the most was that I could attend either hospital as a walk-in patient without an appointment. In the case of the BNH, which is the more expensive of the two hospitals, on average I could register at reception, see a nurse, see a doctor, pay the bill and collect my prescription within 30-40 minutes. The timescale at BCH was somewhat longer at one to two hours from start to finish.
In the UK, when I lived in London, my primary ophthalmology consultant was at King’s College Hospital in Camberwell (KCH). I was seen annually, but when an issue arose, an appointment could take many weeks if not months to obtain. And once there, with an appointment, it could take one to two hours before I was seen, then a further hour or more as I was dealt with by a nurse, a doctor then finally seen by the consultant. I was treated at KCH over a 15 year period and the above is typical of my experience. So yes, I am envious of the efficiency I experienced at the Bangkok hospitals I attended but, of course, I had to pay directly for my treatment and not through my taxes and a national insurance scheme (although I no longer contribute to the scheme). And lastly, apologies for the length of my reply.
A month or so ago I had a message from my GP telling me to book a flu jab and giving me two dates.
I rang them (15 minutes to get through) and they said 0915 for the first date. “Too early” I said I have things to do every morning. What about the next date?
0930 they said. “Sorry cannot. Can you do me in the afternoon?”.
No, they told me ...”We have to issue bookings in strict order...blah blah.
So I was in Tesco's and they gave me a leaflet. Booked on line for a time I wanted the following week. All done in 5 minutes.
Welcome to the wonderful UK NHS !
I assure you no apologies necessary. The Bangkok private hospitals are great. But then they are also pricey The public hospitals like Ramathibodi and Chulalongkorn are perhaps one fifth of the cost but very similar to your NHS treatment. Both are enormous with many buildings spread over a huge area. At Ramathibodi you'd better read Thai as there is no English anywhere.
At Chula you first have to queue up between 5 and 7 in the morning to register. With your registration card in hand, you queue at a nurses station to get an appointment. This will usually be with a young doctor (mine was very cute!) who is a GP on the 13th floor. After a discussion and examination he wanted an x-ray done. This was on another floor. It did not take long but had to be paid for in advance. Back on the 13th floor he was slightly concerned at one indication on the x-ray. So in addition to the procedure I had gone in for he wanted me to see a specialist about the x ray. He gave me a document to take down to another floor. More queuing for a new number. Eventually I was given two pieces of paper rather surprisingly in English. Both were for appointments several weeks later. For the first appointment I waited for 3 1/2 hours. This time I saw a young lady specialist. The only reason for this appointment was for her to give me a new form for the second x-ray. That appointment was three weeks away.
The second x-ray showed there was in fact no problem. I realised the second specialist appointment would merely be a chat before yet anther appointment would be made for the procedure I wanted in the first lplace. As I was in discomfort, I gave up and coughed up for a private hospital. My turn for apologies over length.
You seem to have overlooked completely the not-for-profit private hospitals run by various Christian churches. My go-to hospital is Saint Louis on Sathorn - the prices are a fraction of those charged by BNH and many of their doctors shuttle between the two. The other one is nearby Patpong - Bangkok Christian - and many a money boy’s treatment I’ve paid for there, including vaccinations. I’ve also ex-pat friends who go there and swear by it.
Interesting that these are Christian-sponsored hospitals in Thailand. I’m not sure if any Buddhist-sponsored not-for-profit private hospitals exist although I expect our Resident Apologist For All Things Thailand will be along any tick of the clock to correct my ignorance.
CNN is still reporting the Oxford/ Astra Zenica vaccine as being paused.
They don't mention that it is only paused in the U.S. It paused for only a few days in all testing countries and was resumed (except U.S.) when it was revealed that the deceased Brazilan patient had been given the placebo.
And news today that it is proving in phase 3 testing as very effective in protecting against future infections.
Oxford has insisted that the vaccine will be provided at a no-profit policy whilst the pandemic lasts. Let us hope that all countries follow the same policy for their vaccines.
Amongst all the doom and gloom, some very encouraging green shoots can be seen.
The first is the vanishingly small number of reported cases of people getting this bug twice. Given that it is usually asymptomatic amongst children, it looks likely to vanish into the background, and join the many bugs we get when young, but barely notice.
The second is the growing evidence that we don't all have to get this bug to get over it. Populations with 15% antibody rates are showing infection attenuations that equate to more than 50% resistance. For every person who gets this bug, several more are becoming immune through low level exposure - building resistance without infection.
Third is that despite the onset of the northern hemisphere winter season, with a resultant spike in cases, we are probably very close now to 'peak Covid' with many badly affected countries showing a steady reduction in cases. Once the number of infections globally heads into decline, nations will start to focus on becoming 'post-Covid' and normality will return.
Fourth is that something called a vaccine is likely to become available. Whether it works or not is another matter, but it will give tourist dependant nations like Thailand, that are otherwise way behind the curve when it comes to getting over this bug, an excuse to re-open.
Reading between the lines, I expect vaccines to appear in the second quarter of next year, by which time the bug is likely to have fully run its course in most of the world's cities - but not in Thailand..
Many vaccinations will be ready next month. All of them already proven to be effective and safe. Too many trumps here causing panic and fake news. Stop it and get ready for the world to open.
It's amazing how we have all suddenly become qualified infectious disease experts and virologists and epidemiologists. What a transformation! Come on, guys, none of us has the foggiest idea about the future course of this disease. Nor when an effective vaccine is likely to be pumped into our arms. But we can all hope for the best!
Methinks you speak way too soon. A French woman underwent the mandatory 14 day quarantine in Thailand after arriving on October 1. During quarantine she tested negative twice. She and her family then flew to Koh Samui. 3 days after leaving quarantine she came down with a fever. On arrival at hospital she tested positive. According to the authorities 15 local contacts have been traced.
This follows the case of an African footballer who plays for a Thai team. He arrived in mid-August, was quarantined and tested negative. On September 11 he tested positive.
Now perhaps those outside Thailand will realise that opening the country back up to tourists is not nearly as simple as they reckon it should be.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...urist-on-samui
"Whilst I agree with most of what you are writing, do you have a link to a source of evidence to support this particular point ?"
If you Google the subject of the human immune system, you will find many medical papers, mostly bogged down with medical jargon.
Put simply, you don't get infected by the first bug that comes along. You have a front line of defences that sees off bugs in small numbers. When the exposure level is too high, your front line is overwhelmed and you get an infection.
However, your front line defences have a capacity to learn, and recognise bugs it has previously seen off. This allows the body to see off much larger invasions when it next encounters that particular bug.
As children we experience many infections and minor encounters with bugs that we see off, building our immune system in the process.
The problem that arises with Covid is it's novelty. Our defences had no prior experience of it. Despite that, most infections are asymptomatic.
Compare that to the experience of the native Americans when they first encountered measles and some other bugs they no prior experience of, brought unintentionally by early travellers. Some 90% died.
The extent to which the body recognises bugs, defends against them - and for how long - varies from bug to bug; however all the early indications suggest that Covid will be an easy one to live with.
Comparing the effect of a new virus on the body's immune system today with the diseases that wiped out most of the Central and South American Indian populations is frankly no comparison! As you point out today our bodies have built up resistance to a large number of fairly common illnesses, partly through vaccinations when we were all babies. The massacre of the Aztecs, Incas and others took place because they had absolutely no resistance to these simple illnesses. It is perfectly clear that covid19 is not a simple illness. You disagree? Tell that to the 1.15 million it has already killed around the world and the others who will die in the coming months.
Anyone wanting to get emotional about death statistics should put it in some perspective by comparing the number of deaths v those from TB or road traffic accidents. Both kill more people, yet we have learnt to live with them.
Also, just because we don't yet have a fully signed off vaccine, cure or treatment a mere 9 months after the generic sequence was posted on twitter does not disprove Old Git's statement that it's a simple illness to learn to deal with.
From what I'm reading, it took just a few hours to design some of the vaccines. The rest of the time is taken with manufacturing it, testing, testing and more testing.
Compared with something like HIV, that is relatively simple.
"Tell that to the 1.15 million it has already killed around the world and the others who will die in the coming months"
People really need to stop confusing the numbers who died after testing positive to Covid in the month prior to their death with the number killed by the virus.
When people are close to death due to extreme old age, it is very common for their immune systems to collapse, leaving them prey to whichever bug happens to be around. It's usually a very peaceful and dignified end.
The number of people who have lost good years of life as a direct result of this bug is very small.
Quite. I see in the USA the biggest killer, after heart disease and cancer, is actually accidents.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lea...s-of-death.htm
So anyone who has a positive test and then has an accident goes down as a Covid 19 death...
While for older/very older people that might well be the case, for those aged 20-70 being infected and going on to develop "Long Covid" sadly 'good years of life' being lost as a direct result of this bug may not turn out to be 'very small' compared to lost years from premature death.
Many will lose a huge number of 'good years' with the debilitating after effects of covid now classed as Long Covid, where breathing difficulties, fatigue, organ issues, blood clotting issues will affect many who regarded themselves as 'healthy' with no obvious underlying health issues prior to being infected, and many not even being hospitalised and who are only now months into the pandemic realising that the financial cost (healthcare/lost working hours) and human cost, in terms of quality of life may well be the larger issue compared to the loss of life of those in the 80+ age group. These statistics take time to collate as we continue into the pandemic and are only now being able to be assessed.
Precisely, the difference between the use of words, somebody dying of Covid as opposed to dying with Covid. I imagine that small difference is being used to both exaggerate or play down the numbers depending on the country and politics.
The news that Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is "behaving as desired" continues to offer some hope for the future.
The question of which of a list of co-morbidities actually caused the death is an argument as old as medicine itself. Come on folks is this a forum about clinical science? Can we please just put our naive and half-baked theories to rest and get on with life? Sorry for the repetition but not a one of us has the foggiest notion what is going to happen in 2021 or 2022. But we can hope for the best!
You have evidently failed to realise that many posters are going through the Five Stages of Grief over losing access to their beloved Pattaya and that such posts are clear evidence that the member is “bargaining” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_stages_of_grief