The sky is falling

[reader]

Skimming through the headlines of the day, it's clear that astronomers missed the fact that the sky must indeed be falling. Let me count the ways.

"World famous Khaosan Road closed temporarily after Covid cases found"

"Hospitals around the country told to prepare for surge in cases"

"New cases spike in Wednesday's Covid report"

"Phuket preps hotel guest isolation"

"Anutin wants to delay nightclub reopening"

"Bangkok prepares field hospitals, isolation centres for anticipated Covid-19 uptick"

"Thai Officials Insist On More Restrictions"

Thai officialdom and an accommodating media have teamed up to create a spreading sense of panic. But when you look behind the headlines, reality is evident.

Yes, the hospital will be overwhelmed, but only because "experts" insist that asymptomatic people must be quarantined within them.

Thailand, which was on the verge of reviving its tourism industry, is now being victimized by a scourge far more insidious than the virus: manufactured panic.

The practice of putting people with flu-like symptoms in hospitals is one sure fire way to concentrate them into a setting that becomes its own self-fulling prophecy.

Perhaps all this will pass as quickly as it developed. In a few months, maybe we'll be back to "test-and-go". But even if we are, we'll have it in the back of our minds that everything could go off the rails again along with our travel itineraries.

 

 

[vinapu]

if it's any consolation I see the same in my own place after I returned, few mild cases of Omicron and most venues closed for 3 weeks. Today is 6th day after I arrived and I'm still locked at home waiting for results of mandatory test taken on arrival. They already called me 3 times to make sure I'm home so I'm stuck. Bright side is I have time to write trip report to torment you guys.

And no, I don't live an authoritarian country in any sense. 

World went amok over covid issue, lunacy prevails. I like description ' manufactured panic" , brilliant !!!.

Only consolation is , all countries seem to be stupid over issue , either too strict or too lax so we in the same boat. The same follows with populations, a lot of too panicky or too dismissive. I'm already enemy of some neighbors because I dared to travel and return bringing unspeakable danger  to the whole building. I'm kidding you not.

[starbum]

There goes my trip in Feb. There were some thoughts going in December but my bf and I decided on Feb for 3 reasons:

1. More people from US and Europe going to BKK during Dec. So Feb will be the best timing since it is Chinese New Year holidays for Asia. 

2. Planned cruise (to nowhere) with big family in end Dec so better avoid going anywhere. 

3. More shops will be opened and less restrictions.

Too bad, everywhere is battling Omicron and govt around the world doesn't want to repeat the same episode as Delta.

[starbum]

12 hours ago, vinapu said:

World went amok over covid issue, lunacy prevails. I like description ' manufactured panic" , brilliant !!!.

Only consolation is , all countries seem to be stupid over issue , either too strict or too lax so we in the same boat. The same follows with populations, a lot of too panicky or too dismissive. I'm already enemy of some neighbors because I dared to travel and return bringing unspeakable danger  to the whole building. I'm kidding you not.

You neighbours need to understand that you are traveling to places with low infection rates while most of my countrymen's leisure travel to US and Europe are having higher infection rates when they are back. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the lockdown will not be back especially we are just less than a month to Chinese New Year.

So long you had your booster, all is well.

[vinapu]

53 minutes ago, starbum said:

Too bad, everywhere is battling Omicron and govt around the world doesn't want to repeat the same episode as Delta.

I think reader summarized it best this morning "manufactured panic '

no, I'm not antivaxxer nor covid denier but I firmly believe governments all  over are sizing chance to show how much they care and how capable they are , strangling us in the process by all that love . 

[vinapu]

41 minutes ago, starbum said:

You neighbours need to understand that you are traveling.....

So long you had your booster, all is well.

they only know  I was away for whole month  , not where but some are panicked since spring 2020 and I understand why but that doesn't mean i should be panicked.

Boosted scheduled for Jan 13 but my mind frame is firm on the issue - I took my 2 jabs as soon as I could in order not to be afraid of getting infected

[Boy69]

It seems now that the Omicron variant is much more contagious but far less lethal then the Delta and  is more like a regular flue ,the panic behaviour of governments all over the world will cause devastating affect on the global economy far more than the Omicron damage will do. we are leaving in lunatic era.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, reader said:

Yes, the hospital will be overwhelmed, but only because "experts" insist that asymptomatic people must be quarantined within them.

Thailand, which was on the verge of reviving its tourism industry, is now being victimized by a scourge far more insidious than the virus: manufactured panic.

The practice of putting people with flu-like symptoms in hospitals is one sure fire way to concentrate them into a setting that becomes its own self-fulling pprophecy

Also, forcibly detaining people has the unintended consequences that people will avoid testing at all costs.

Here in Chonburi, we're supposed to get covid tests before visiting any restaurants that sell alcohol.  They even make it easy with free test centres, where the result is valid for 72 hours. However, we have to show ID cards first and that means they can track us down and cart us away after a fallure.  So hardly anyone uses these test centres.

All this nonsense for a variant that is normally mild in vaccinated people.

[TMax]

I am hoping that this variant is what experts are now predicting, that because it is more mild in the majority of cases (at least in those vaccinated) that it could be the beginning of the end, it would be good if it was so that people the world over can get back to a more normal life. Fingers crossed on that. 

[Gaybutton]

20 hours ago, reader said:

Thai officialdom and an accommodating media have teamed up to create a spreading sense of panic.

The part on my "I Don't Get It" list is why.  Why would the Thai powers-that-be want to use the Omicron variant to shoot its own tourism industry in the foot and put thousands of people out of work yet again?  What's in it for them?

I have not been able to come up with a logical answer, even by Thai logic standards, for that one.

[Guest]

Hypothetically, the powers that be could buy up lots of hotels and other tourist assets at distressed prices, just before they reopen.  If that occurred in stock markets, it would be called market manipulation.

As for moving on from restrictions, well Boris Johnson appears to have got it about right.  The UK have persuaded a relatively high percentage of the population to get vaccines and are proceeding with fewer restrictions, at least in England.

However, Thailand still seems to be following policies that are more suited to 2020 than 2022.  Now everyone at risk has already had the chance of a vaccine and with a milder variant, it's time to move on from restrictions.

[10tazione]

1 hour ago, Gaybutton said:

I have not been able to come up with a logical answer, even by Thai logic standards, for that one.

All people in this world are addicted to something. People in power are addicted to exerting control/power over people. The virus is a great reason/excuse to satisfy their addiction.

I hope I could make your "i dont get it list" one item shorter - how long is it actually?

[Gaybutton]

1 hour ago, 10tazione said:

I hope I could make your "i dont get it list" one item shorter - how long is it actually?

That did not work.  They have plenty of ways to exercise their power without destroying an entire industry their country's economy depends on.  Of course the way things work around here, it would come as no great surprise to me if it turns out you are exactly right.

As far as the length of my "I Don't Get It" list and how many items are on it - after all these years living in Thailand, think of the number of stars in our galaxy . . .

[reader]

4 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

The part on my "I Don't Get It" list is why.  Why would the Thai powers-that-be want to use the Omicron variant to shoot its own tourism industry in the foot and put thousands of people out of work yet again?  What's in it for them?

I have not been able to come up with a logical answer, even by Thai logic standards, for that one.

Try this one then: gaining political power. Ask yourself who has the most to gain by creating the chaos--and not just in the case of Omicron. It's the same tactic that's been used successfully in politics around the globe. Niccolò Machiavelli wrote the book on it in the 16th century.

In Thailand, a key minister who has been out in front in the Covid-19 discussion very much wants to displace the incumbent PM. By taking controversial stands, you garner tons of free publicity that gets your name and photo in the daily headlines. It's a means to an end.

And you don't have to look to deeply into today's headlines to see it playing out even more robustly than yesterday.

As usual, all the decisions are being made by the elites in Bangkok and Chiang Mai who provide the money that finances the legislative election campaigns. The winners then get to decide who gets the nod for the PM's job.

It's all about power. Acquiring it, exercising it and keeping hold of it.

 

[TotallyOz]

Yes, we as old men have vaccines. We are also mostly well off by Thai standards and have better vaccines that many in Thailand.

Young children are not vaccinated and regardless of how this effects the tourist system, some thought has to be put into protecting every citizen.

Like many, I don't think stopping tourists from coming is the answer. But, I understand the panic. Asian countries have done better than most tourist countries that want to come here.

I'm old and I don't give a shit what anyone says about lower risks with new variants. In the last week, I have had 10 people get sick with Covid in Bangkok that I know (not been around them) and 2 were on ventilators as it was serious. I have also been lucky to have a boy with me for 6 months that has been amazing. I don't know if I would have made it alone. I often drive him crazy so I know I would have driven myself insane if I were alone.

[Guest]

Thai people who haven't had an mRNA vaccine are entitled to an mRNA booster 3 months after their second vaccine dose.  So they finally do have access to good vaccines.  I'm just surprised at the relatively high percentage of people who haven't had any vaccine yet, despite walk in vaccine centres with good availability.

As for children, the covid death rate there is negligible and there are far worse causes of deaths in young people.  In other countries, such as the UK, the independent vaccine regulator took quite a long time before they would even agree there was a net benefit to children from the vaccines.   It's a far more marginal decision than vaccinating adults.

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

The part on my "I Don't Get It" list is why.  Why would the Thai powers-that-be want to use the Omicron variant to shoot its own tourism industry in the foot and put thousands of people out of work yet again?  What's in it for them?

I have not been able to come up with a logical answer, even by Thai logic standards, for that one.

that's the 2.3 billion baht question

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, 10tazione said:

 People in power are addicted to exerting control/power over people. The virus is a great reason/excuse to satisfy their addiction.

 

you hit the nail !

[caeron]

I disagree with most of these "The government is just being stupid/selfish/crazy/mean." ideas.

While Omicron seems noticeably less dangerous, how it plays out in hospitalizations and deaths remains somewhat to be seen. If it spreads ten times as fast, but is only as 20% as fatal as Delta, that still means twice the death rate of delta. Current evidence seems to suggest that it isn't going to be that big a problem.

But, you cannot travel back in time and enforce measures to slow the spread if it proves to be a greater problem. The only rational decision you can make as a public official is to move towards strict anti-spread measures initially as the data comes in. You can always loosen measures as the data supports it. If the data supports tougher measures, and you didn't do them, well, by then its too late.

Certainly, there can be debate as to what those are, but the suggestion that the only reason a government would use them is because they're power mad I think is more about all of our fatigue at Covid than it is a reasonable critique of policy.

 

 

 

[Gaybutton]

4 hours ago, reader said:

It's all about power. Acquiring it, exercising it and keeping hold of it.

You might be right.  Maybe I'm naive, but to me doing it that way seems awfully farfetched.  Then again I look at what is going on in American politics.  That alone is enough to convince me that your take on it perhaps makes sense after all. 

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, caeron said:

Certainly, there can be debate as to what those are, but the suggestion that the only reason a government would use them is because they're power mad I think is more about all of our fatigue at Covid than it is a reasonable critique of policy.

 

Unreasonable critique is still critique and may lead to unintended consequences as tired populations may look for those who offer fast way out of that misery.

fact that different governments and indeed different levels of government within single country are trying different solutions shows that nobody has good idea what to do  and they  trying , pretending they know.  Packing infected but only mildly sick people in hospitals like Thailand does is just one example.  

You right we are tired of covid  and also of being manipulated into believing world is on verge of catastrophe by paternalistic governments.  What about letting us to make our choices, very few people are strolling in shorts and t-shirts  during  frost  wave  and not all who do actually get sick. After 2 year living with the thing most of us have an idea of how to protect ourselves and we don't need closed stores, gyms, churches and bars leaving millions without living wages in order to protect few. 

I live in the building with aprox. 100 people living in, quite tight knit community of strangers. Since mid-March 2020, first lock down,  we lost 5 neighbours, including 2 in just one day,  none of them  to covid,  so somehow me managed to protect ourselves from covid malice   but not from sickness and death indeed. 

 

[reader]

4 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

You might be right.  Maybe I'm naive, but to me doing it that way seems awfully farfetched.  Then again I look at what is going on in American politics.  That alone is enough to convince me that your take on it perhaps makes sense after all. 

Agree. And don't forget Brazil, Venezuela, China, Turkey, Myanmar....

[TotallyOz]

8 hours ago, z909 said:

Thai people who haven't had an mRNA vaccine are entitled to an mRNA booster 3 months after their second vaccine dose.  So they finally do have access to good vaccines.  I'm just surprised at the relatively high percentage of people who haven't had any vaccine yet, despite walk in vaccine centres with good availability.

As for children, the covid death rate there is negligible and there are far worse causes of deaths in young people.  In other countries, such as the UK, the independent vaccine regulator took quite a long time before they would even agree there was a net benefit to children from the vaccines.   It's a far more marginal decision than vaccinating adults.

Yes, I had an ex with with Sinopharm's and wanted the Moderna or Pfizer booster and waiting for 8 hours to get it. Supply gone. Come back next day. We all know how few days working Thais get off from work without loosing a job. While it is easy for us, it is not easy for some. And, this was after hours of talking to him about getting it because the Thai press is talking a lot about side effects. He did eventually get it because he had someone pushing him hard to get it.

[TotallyOz]

4 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

You might be right.  Maybe I'm naive, but to me doing it that way seems awfully farfetched.  Then again I look at what is going on in American politics.  That alone is enough to convince me that your take on it perhaps makes sense after all. 

Don't get me started on American politics. That is my list of "I don't get it"

 

[reader]

And the beat goes on....

 

The CCSA will be asked to ban alcohol consumption -- which is considered a risk factor in the spread of the virus -- in areas with severe infections and review outbreak zoning based on a colour-coded system to identify provinces hit by the latest outbreak, he said.

Moreover, all returnees and arrivals from abroad will be quarantined, the minister said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2243211/ministry-to-pitch-tougher-curbs