The COVID-2019 Thread

[russellsimpson]

"No to vaccine passports"

I predict the vaccine "passports" will cause major problems.

God help us if we ever get into that kind of nonsense.

[lom]

I predict the vaccine "passports" will cause major problems.

Yes for those who don't want to get vaccinated but still want to travel, I for one wont shed a tear for them.

[tomcat]

I for one wont shed a tear for them.

...make that two...let 'em stew in their backwaters...

[HuangLao]

Yes for those who don't want to get vaccinated but still want to travel, I for one wont shed a tear for them.

Nature's thinning of the herd.
There's a place for it.

[Cujo]

I predict the vaccine "passports" will cause major problems.

God help us if we ever get into that kind of nonsense.

Don't you think it sensible that someone should show a vaccination certificate before being allowed onto a crowded bus or train ?

[OhOh]

You really are that stupid/brainwashed, aren't you?

The data says it all, is very clear that all can access it, bright, dull, stupid or brainwashed.

The political view point of the saved Hungarian patients are not recorded by the websites. No mention of the patients being excluded, the doctors not examining, the nurses withholding care or patients being charged "undesirables rates" due to their political views. Is that the norm in your neighbourhood?

The source is an EU country, Hungary. Are you suggesting an EU country is a foreign country's "floosie".

Or just belittle the messenger, again it seems.

It's a futile role you have accepted.

[OhOh]

a vaccination certificate

Is that gold one or a grey one?

Issued in which country?

One-month-old or issued within the last 72 hours?

Vaccine" xxx or yyy?

Mutant abc or kkk?

Until an accurate test is made available which; allows one to be tested, at home, determines your "infection status", updates your non-removable bracelet and unlocks your door, what is a passport's value?

Whoever supplies it.

[thailazer]

India is being hit hard with the coronavirus and it makes me wonder if more mutations will be generated there that will ultimately spread. Humanity might be facing a rather long struggle with the virus I am afraid.



COVID ‘swallowing’ people in India as crematoriums overwhelmed | India News | Al Jazeera

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I predict the vaccine "passports" will cause major problems.

God help us if we ever get into that kind of nonsense.

Not as many problems as not having them. What kind of problems do you predict?

[Shutree]

This amused me:

Thai PM fined 6,000 baht for not wearing face mask during Cabinet meeting.




Thai PM fined 6,000 baht for not wearing face mask during Cabinet meeting | Thaiger

[strigils]

^ saw that yesterday, just shows his arrogance and contempt.

[cyrille]

just shows his arrogance and contempt.

Small beer compared to that displayed by the British PM though.

[strigils]

Small beer compared to that displayed by the British PM though.

[HermantheGerman]

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN): The Sinovac vaccine provides as much as “99.4 per cent immunity against Covid-19 a month after the second dose”, Chulalongkorn University virology specialist and chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology Dr Yong Poovorawan said in a Facebook post on Thursday (April 22).
Thai specialist: Sinovac can provide up to 99.4% immunity | The Star



Coronavirus: Sinovac vaccine gives 70 per cent less protection against South African variant, but Hongkongers urged to still get jab

• New data published by mainland scientists shows drop in level of protection
• Health experts looking into whether mixing vaccines more effective in combating new strains

Coronavirus: Sinovac vaccine gives 70 per cent less protection against South African variant, but Hongkongers urged to still get jab | South China Morning Post



China doubts the effectiveness of its own vaccines

The People's Republic has had four corona vaccines developed so far. But the protective effect is comparatively low, as was first admitted. Beijing is therefore now pursuing other approaches.

China zweifelt an Wirksamkeit eigener Vakzine | Aktuell Asien | DW | 11.04.2021

[Shutree]

^ saw that yesterday, just shows his arrogance and contempt.

I saw a similar piece yesterday evening in the Bangkok Post. That was more amusing as it claimed that the meeting was about ordering masks.

Strangely, or perhaps not, when I came to post it this morning I could not find the piece on the Bangkok Post website today.

I'd bet that whoever had the job of taking the photo to show the PM hard at work, fighting Covid, and posting it on his FB page will have gotten some stick.

[strigils]

^ had to use the search function on BKKPost https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2105839/prayut-among-first-fined-for-flouting-mask-rule

[misskit]

Philippines Tops 1 Million Infections as Region Struggles to Contain COVID-19 Waves


The Philippines on Monday surpassed the 1 million mark in coronavirus cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020, as the Southeast Asian country and others in the region struggle to contain surging waves in the global outbreak.


The Philippine health department said it had recorded 8,929 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours that took the country past the grim milestone. The department also logged 70 virus-related deaths, bringing the total to 16,853.


The surge “has placed hospitals under siege,” the Philippine Red Cross said, noting it was “urgently setting up field hospitals, quarantine facilities and scaling up existing testing laboratories.”


“Urgent extra medical care is a matter of life and death as this pandemic sets alarming new records,” said Richard Gordon, a senator who heads the Red Cross.


“Our volunteers are working day and night, but we urgently need more medical volunteers to assist COVID-19 patients in emergency field hospitals and quarantine facilities,” Gordon said. “We must bring this virus under control.”


Elsewhere in Asia, officials in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have restricted travel from India as that nation faces an exploding coronavirus pandemic. India recorded nearly 353,000 new infections on Monday, marking the world’s highest jump in infections for the fifth straight day, according to media reports.


India’s total of more than 17.3 million infections is second only to the United States, which has recorded nearly 32.1 million. Worldwide, more than 147 million infections and 3.1 million deaths have been recorded since the pandemic began, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.


Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III urged the public to follow minimum public health standard so the country does not end up mirroring India.


“We have breached the 1 million mark, but we have to look at recoveries also,” Duque said over ABS-CBN television. He said hospital occupancy rates remained at “critical risk levels.”


After setting a national daily record of 15,310 infections on April 2, Philippine government officials announced a strict lockdown for Metropolitan Manila and four adjacent provinces, whose total population is about 24 million.


The lockdown led to about 30 percent fewer cases through April 24, spokesman Harry Roque said, adding that President Rodrigo Duterte would announce new quarantine classifications on Wednesday.


Roque on Monday blamed the new uptick on variants of the disease, noting that while the Philippines had reached 1 million cases, the number recoveries had also been high.


“I don’t think it is a negative reflection,” of the government’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, Roque told reporters.


“We were not remiss, there were just new variants that caused a rise in numbers,” he said.


“It is not a positive milestone to be proud of,” said Dr. Tony Leachon, a health advocate who previously advised the Philippine government on its COVID-19 response. “We need to find out solid solutions to end the pandemic.”


Among others, mass testing and contact tracing need to be strengthened, he said, adding the Philippines should look at Israel as a model country for controlling the virus by introducing a rapid vaccination campaign.

Travel restrictions


On Sunday, Bangladesh sealed its border with India as New Delhi stopped importing medical oxygen in the wake of its own acute crisis, officials said.


Bangladesh has not suffered from an oxygen shortage, but that could change if COVID-19 infections rise, Dr. Farid Hossain Mia, who heads the hospital division at the Directorate General of Health Services, told BenarNews.


Linde Bangladesh Limited, the nation’s major oxygen producer, had already suspended production of industrial oxygen to deal with the demand for medical oxygen that had tripled, company General Manager Saiqa Mazed said.


Meanwhile as Bangladesh faced a shortage and uncertain deliveries, the government suspended first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations on Sunday after giving initial jabs to 5.8 million people.


India’s Serum Institute could not guarantee that it would supply an additional 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine after delivering 7 million, authorities said.


Elsewhere, the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi announced on Sunday that all certificates of entry for non-Thai citizens from India would be cancelled as of May 1 and “will be suspended until further notice.”


The embassy noted that Air India flights scheduled to fly to Thailand next month would not accommodate any non-Thais seeking to enter the country.


Indonesia and Malaysia issued similar bans on travelers.


On Friday, the Indonesian government announced it had stopped issuing visas to foreigner who had been in India during the previous two weeks.


Indonesian officials announced that they expected as many as 3.8 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to arrive on Monday night, according to the government-run Antara news agency.


“So, the plane will come tonight with 3.8 million vaccines from AstraZeneca under the GAVI scheme,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said during an online news conference.


He said another 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were expected to arrive next month along with between 10 million and 15 million doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd.


In Malaysia, the National Security Council ordered a temporary freeze on flights originating anywhere in India starting Wednesday, but exempted Malaysian citizens and non-citizens married to Malaysians from the order.


Those who return home from India are to be subjected to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days upon arrival.


On Monday, the government offered an explanation for dipping into the nation’s trust fund to cover costs related to the pandemic.


The Malaysian Ministry of Finance explained that the government would use 5 billion ringgit (U.S. $1.22 billion) from the National Trust Fund in the fight against COVID-19 because of debts tied to the gross domestic product and the 1Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal.


Finance Minister Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said 3.5 billion ringgit ($853.8 million) would be used to purchase vaccines while another 1.5 billion ringgit ($366 million) was earmarked for the national immunization plan.


Mohamad Hasan, deputy president of the UMNO party, a member of the ruling bloc, called the government action to dip into the trust fund worrying.


“This should be discussed with all parties and all things need to be weighed in under the highest transparency because this involves national interest,” he said on Saturday.


Philippines Tops 1 Million Infections as Region Struggles to Contain COVID-19 Waves — BenarNews

[thailazer]

Don't you think it sensible that someone should show a vaccination certificate before being allowed onto a crowded bus or train ?

The certificate would require variant coverage information or it would me meaningless. I don't see that happening. I suppose it could work in local areas for some time period. At the current infection rates in some areas, I think the variants will be appearing much faster.

[hallelujah]

Good news for Brits:

Spain to welcome overseas travellers with Covid certificates from June | Spain | The Guardian

[tomcat]

...an infographic from the CDC...just common sense...

[misskit]

AstraZeneca vaccine production by Siam Bioscience officially approved in Thailand, to be distributed in the country and Southeast Asia in June

AstraZeneca’s vaccine production in Thailand has been approved under Siam Bioscience Company Limited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Thailand, the company’s country president announced today, April 28th.


James Teague, Country President of AstraZeneca (Thailand) Co.Ltd., revealed in a press release that the company’s plans to produce its Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand have made significant progress, and the first batch of the vaccine will be ready for delivery to the Thai government in June.


AstraZeneca, together with Siam Bioscience, has also been working as the “regional production hub” to ensure that the distribution will be able to make it to Thailand and another eight countries in Southeast Asia in the same exact month as well.

According to AstraZeneca’s statement, each batch of the vaccine undergoes more than 60 quality controls during the manufacture-to-vaccination process. Siam Bioscience has been proved for its world-class vaccine product standard, as known as the Good Manufacturing Address (GMA), ensuring that the products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.


Mr. Teague said: “AstraZeneca and our global manufacturing partners, including Siam Bioscience, are committed to maintaining the highest safety and quality standard of our products. Numerous safety tests and quality control measures are carried out at each step. We are working as quickly as possible to supply the vaccine to the Government of Thailand to overcome the ongoing pandemic.”


“We all have the same objective, to get effective vaccines to everybody as quickly as possible but safely. At the core of everything we do is the health and the well-being of Thai people.” Mr. Teague concluded.


AstraZeneca vaccine production by Siam Bioscience officially approved in Thailand, to be distributed in the country and Southeast Asia in June - The Pattaya News

[misskit]

Global concern grows over new Covid variant from India as cases soar


The new Covid-19 variant first identified in India has spread to at least 18 countries, according to some observers Wednesday.


The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the new strain B.1.617 as a “variant of interest”. It has yet to be classified as a “variant of concern”, as the South Africa and UK strain have been, as it requires more research.


But the organization and many health authorities are finding that this new variant is a possible cause for the rapid rise in infections and collapse of the nation’s healthcare system.


B.1.617 has a “higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility,” the WHO acknowledged earlier this week.


Other countries where the variant has been identified include Singapore, the UK, and USA.


In India, health authorities recorded more than 320,000 new cases and 2,771 deaths on Tuesday alone, according to the website Worldometer.


With a population of 1.38 billion, India is the latest epicentre of the outbreak with more than 201,000 recorded deaths since the pandemic began. However, experts believe that the real toll is much higher, based on an observed spike in death rates and cremations.


Several countries including China, Pakistan, and Singapore have pledged assistance as hospitals and cremation sites around India are overrun. Clinics are also running out of oxygen.


Experts also suggest that the new variant might pose a risk to those who have recovered from a Covid-19 infection or have been vaccinated, as their immunity may not be resilient to other forms of the virus.

Global concern grows over new Covid variant from India as cases soar - Thai Enquirer

[misskit]

Higher, faster, deadlier: Third wave of COVID triggers growing fear in Thailand


A grim warning has been issued by a leading medical expert as Thailand grapples with its third and worst wave of COVID-19: expect a double-digit death toll to become regular daily occurrence.


Prof Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, spoke up on Tuesday (April 27) as the country recorded its second day of two-figure fatalities – 15 COVID-related deaths. The first came just two days earlier amid a death toll that has been mounting every day since April 17.


“At Siriraj Hospital, about one in four COVID-19 patients has developed lung inflammation,” Prasit said, “This rate, which is more than before, will translate into a higher mortality rate – a two-digit figure [perhaps daily]”.



COVID-19 turns more lethal


COVID-19 emerged in Thailand early last year, but the country managed to control the first wave efficiently. Stringent measures including strict lockdowns resulted in just 4,237 COVID-19 infections and 60 deaths in the 11 months from January to mid-December.


The second wave proved more virulent and dangerous. From December 15 to March 31, the virus infected 24,626 people in Thailand, killing 34 of them.


The third wave, which began in early April, has already dwarfed its predecessors, totalling 30,824 cases and 69 fatalities as of Tuesday (April 27). Simply put, COVID-19 has killed more people in Thailand this month than in the whole of 2020.


Worrying signs from rising death toll


Disease Control Department director-general Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong said the high death count in recent weeks has sent Thailand toppling down the international pandemic standings. Thailand was ranked 106th for COVID-19 deaths on April 23. “But if the focus is just on the April 16-23 period, Thailand is in 50th spot,” he said.


Records also reveal the period between confirmed infection and death of COVID-19 patients in Thailand this month averaged only six days. Early last year it was 12 days, but the period shortened to seven days in December.


Also, COVID-19 is no longer killing only elderly people or those with chronic diseases. A 24-year-old woman succumbed to the disease on April 20, followed by a 24-year-old man on April 26.


What’s behind higher fatalities?


Early this month, the UK strain of COVID-19 (B117) was found in Thailand for the first time. The discovery triggered alarm since this mutant is thought to be 1.7 times more contagious and deadly than other strains. According to one overseas study, deaths from B117 infections are between 30 and 100 percent higher than deaths from earlier variants.


Meanwhile, Dr. Chawetsan Namwat of the Disease Control Department said epidemiologists are trying to determine if the soaring death toll is also linked to people’s difficulty in accessing medical services.


Prasit noted patients’ demand for ventilators and ICU care had risen sharply in recent weeks. While his hospital has increased its beds, adding more medical staff in a short period of time is more difficult.


“Also, a scramble for Favipiravir has started,” said Prasit, referring to the antiviral drug used to combat COVID-19. “Demand for this medicine has risen across the world.”


He added while Thailand is not yet suffering a shortage of ventilators, special respirators needed for severely ill COVID patients were not readily available.



Efforts to save lives


Opart said his department was closely monitoring the situation and might adjust treatment guidelines in a bid to save more lives.


The current guidelines include only a few drugs other than Favipiravir for use in COVID-19 treatments.


Higher, faster, deadlier: Third wave of COVID triggers growing fear in Thailand | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

[misskit]

A friend of mine told me yesterday that her mother had a SinoVac injection Friday and ended up in the emergency room with thrombosis Sunday. Still in hospital yesterday. The mother is in Brazil and is also getting radiation therapy for cancer.

[russellsimpson]

Yes for those who don't want to get vaccinated but still want to travel, I for one wont shed a tear for them.

[QUOTE=russellsimpson;4250467]I predict the vaccine "passports" will cause major problems.


A massive misspeak on my part, apologies. Apologies to for to the delayed response.(Canadians have apologies down to a fine art)

Shit happens.

...make that two...let 'em stew in their backwaters...

see above.

Nature's thinning of the herd.
There's a place for it.

(good laugh)

Don't you think it sensible that someone should show a vaccination certificate before being allowed onto a crowded bus or train ?

Where does it end but Cujo ? The ability to use this as a tool to control and violate basic freedoms is enormous.

Not as many problems as not having them. What kind of problems do you predict?

Human Rights infringements perhaps? I'm always concerned that these sorts of actions could be used to control the peasants once they figure out how stupid the peasants really are. And this is an experiment to that effect on a colossal scale.

Still and all I should not have overstated my case.

I would of course be in favour of the vaccine passports if we are given assurances that once the pandemic ends, so will the passports.

Doesn't seem unreasonable to me.