Pfizer Booster @ Royal Garden Pattaya

[Gaybutton]

The point I'm trying to make is why pay 1600 baht for what you can get for free? I suppose some of you paid before anyone knew that later you could have gotten it free.

I have no idea whether boosters are still being given at Royal Garden, but if anyone reading this hasn't had the booster yet, it's worth checking.

Now I'm seeing articles saying we'll all probably need a second booster at some point.

By the way, so far I have not had anyone or any venue ask to see my proof of vaccinations. I have not had anyone or any venue ask to see any Covid test results. And so far immigration isn't asking for any of it.

Don't become complacent once you've had the booster. Some people, two who I know personally, had the two injections and the booster, but got Covid anyway. I remember Jun saying the injections are no guarantee of immunity. However if you get Covid despite the injections you are much less likely to die.

[Jun]

The point I'm trying to make is why pay 1600 baht for what you can get for free? I suppose some of you paid before anyone knew that later you could have gotten it free.

For how long has Moderna been free in Thailand ?

Incidentally, as an example of paying for what you can get free, I was speaking to one of my Lao acquaintances in Bangkok back in January. As he wanted a vaccine, I pointed out they had been vaccinating foreigners for free & suggested he went to The Asiatique, which was fairly quiet when I went in November. However, of course with Omicron, demand for vaccines had increased and in January, he would need to wait several weeks for a free vaccine.


So he went & paid 1700 baht for a dose of Moderna. Then he showed up in my room with the plaster still on his arm.
Had he been organized back in November, he could have had a dose of Pfizer, for free. It seems that not everyone believes in mending the roof when the sun is shining.

If I were his age, I'd prefer Pfizer ahead of the Moderna.

Incidentally, several other Laos lads I met had J&J in Laos, before somehow crossing the border into Thailand.

[Gaybutton]

For how long has Moderna been free in Thailand ?

I have no idea. I don't know how long Pfizer has been free in Thailand either. All I know is both were free when I got my booster.

[Daleinpattaya]

Relative to a 2nd booster (jab #4), this article just popped up on THE HILL news website.

Pfizer CEO says a fourth booster shot 'is necessary'

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... -necessary

BY JOSEPH CHOI - 03/13/22 01:26 PM EDT

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be necessary to continue to help keep hospitalizations manageable and sicknesses more mild. 
"Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now. The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths," Bourla said while appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"It's not that good against infections but doesn't last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer," he added.

In August, the FDA fully approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people at least 16 years old or older. A third dose of Pfizer's vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization.
Bourla told CNBC on Saturday of his company's plans to submit data for a fourth COVID-19 dose.
"It’s clear that there is a need in an environment of omicron to boost the immune response," he said while appearing on CNBC's "Squawk Box.”
Countries including Israel, Chile and Germany have already begun recommending fourth COVID-19 doses for high-risk groups.
"Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan asked Bourla if he expects to be able to avoid the same confusion over booster shots that came about when the third vaccine dose was being deployed.

"I think so. And I think right now we need to be very well coordinated, CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], FDA and the industry so that we are all providing to the American people and to the world a cohesive picture rather than confusion," he said.
During his interview on Sunday, Bourla reiterated his company's goal of creating a vaccine effective against all variants of COVID-19 for longer periods of time.
"We are working very diligently right now ... to make not only a vaccine that will protect against all variants, including omicron, but also something that can protect for at least a year," he said. "And if we be able to achieve that, then I think it is very easy to follow and remember so that we can go back to really the way used to live.

[Dodger]

Thanks for everyone's input.

I elected to sign up at Jomtien Hospital versus wait in a long line at Royal Garden not knowing what the results would be.

Like Dale mentioned earlier, signing up and getting scheduled at this hospital is hassle free. No line whatsoever...very few people in the hospital...wondered if I walked in the right door.

Paid the 1,600 THB for Moderna and got scheduled for 23 March which is a week from now. It couldn't have been easier.

I saw the post regrading the CEO of Pfizer telling people they have to get a fourth jab. Why am I not surprised? After my booster next week I'm done getting jabbed. If I get covid after all this bullshit so be it.

Cheers

[Daleinpattaya]

We heard from Pfizer re jab #4 … now here is Mr. MODERNA

Moderna president: 4th vaccine dose only necessary for certain groups

https://www.axios.com/moderna-4th-covid ... 5bdba.html

A fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will likely only be necessary for elderly and immunocompromised people but not for the general public, Moderna president Stephen Hoge told Business Insider on Monday.
Why it matters: His words are in contrast to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla's comments on Sunday, who said that fourth doses will be necessary in order to maintain manageable levels of hospitalizations and mild infections.
* "Variants are coming and Omicron was the first one...but also we know that the duration of the protection doesn't last very long," Bourla said.
State of play: Fourth doses are already authorized for some immunocompromised people.
What they're saying: "For those who are immune-compromised, those who are older adults, over the age of 50 or at least 65, we want to strongly recommend and encourage [a fourth shot], the same way we do with flu vaccines," Hoge said.
* But Hoge stopped short of recommending fourth doses of the vaccine for the general public and said he doesn't expect "any kind of recommendations that would be across the board for everyone."
* "Whether or not public health continues to recommend it for everybody is a more complicated thing, because not everybody's wanting to get the first couple ones."
The bottom line: "Is it necessary? I think that's a strong word. I think it will provide a benefit to anyone who gets it," Hoge said.
* "I personally will get a booster every year because I don't want to ever lose my sense of smell," he said, adding, "Long COVID sounds nasty."

[Jun]

Asking Pfizer or Moderna if you need a vaccine is like asking a barber if you need a hair cut.

The UK will be offering a 4th jab to those with underlying conditions and over 75s. My parents know of people who have been invited. I missed the announcement, but as with previous shots, the 4th dose would presumably have been authorized by the independent regulator, JCVI.

Thailand should probably work a little harder at persuading it's unvaccinated elderly people to get their first & second shots.
According to the WHO, only 62% of over 60s in Thailand have had their second shot, compared with, for example 69.8% of the 12~17 year olds. The latter group barely need it anyway.

[Gaybutton]

According to the WHO, only 62% of over 60s in Thailand have had their second shot

And the situation just became a little more serious now that the "BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron strain" has reached Thailand. I don't have any information yet as to how dangerous this might be or even what is meant by "subvariant", but I doubt it is good news.
______________________

Ministry reports HK strain

Omicron subvariant found in 4 samples

by Apinya Wipatayotin

March 15, 2022

The Public Health Ministry on Monday reported four cases of coronavirus infections which it suspects may be caused by a new mutant strain responsible for the worrying Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong, but assured that so far, authorities see no reason to be concerned.

Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said the majority of the cases found in Thailand in the current outbreak were caused by the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron strain.

Out of the more than 2,000 samples that were sent for genomic sequencing last week, 99.7% were found to be the Omicron variant, with BA.2 sub-variant increasing from 52% to 68% and BA.1 sub-variant accounting for 32%, he said. Four, however, were suspected to be the BA2.2 sub-variant.

The findings, he said, have been submitted to Gisaid, an international genomic database, which will confirm its genetic make-up.

The patients -- three Thais and a foreigner -- had mild symptoms, but have since fully recovered, the DMS director-general said.

"There is no need to panic as there are no worrying signs. But we have to be vigilant and answer three questions -- does it spread more quickly? Will it cause more deaths and can it evade our efforts to boost immunity?" Dr Supakit said.

Addressing the latest flare-up of Covid-19 in Hong Kong, which now has one of the world's highest fatality rate from the virus, Dr Supakit said it is premature to say at this stage if the new mutation solely to blame.

"The Omicron strain is highly transmissible, so when the public health system is unable to cope with the surge, it may result in more deaths," he said.

Banlang Uppapong, deputy director-general of the DMS, said other factors will have to be taken into account when discussing the spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths in Hong Kong, such as the age of patients and city's relatively low vaccination rates.

Separately, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) may further ease disease control measures in its Friday meeting, as authorities believe the country's public health system is capable of handling a surge in infections.

"As the health system can still cope with the caseload, more disease control measures may be eased to allow more people to resume their activities and businesses," Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman for the CCSA, said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -hk-strain

[Jun]

Rather than persist with repressive restrictions, do these CCSA people ever do anything to try and persuade elderly people to take the vaccines ?
I don't see anything in the daily briefings. All they mention is total doses etc, with no age breakdown.

Percentage of over 60s in Thailand vaccinated = 62% (WHO, Feb).
Percentage of over 60s in England vaccinated = Over 97% (UK ONS, March).

[Daleinpattaya]

Takin' care of us older folks with jab #4.


Pfizer is expected to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a second booster shot of its Covid vaccine for adults 65 and older.

Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday that they had sought emergency authorization for a second booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine for adults 65 and older.
The companies’ request to the Food and Drug Administration was based heavily on data from Israel, where such shots are authorized for a somewhat broader group. Their move could further inflame a tortuous debate among scientists over when and how the vaccines’ protection should be bolstered, and for whom.
Pfizer’s chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla, said repeatedly over the past week that he believed an additional dose would be necessary to counteract waning protection after the third dose, now authorized for all Americans 12 and older. “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths,” he told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “It’s not that good against infections.”
Previous requests last fall for a booster shot set off a fierce public debate. Some public health experts vigorously opposed them for the general population last fall, only to change their minds after the Omicron variant proved more agile at evading the vaccines’ shield. Scientists have continued to clash over how long the vaccines’ protection really lasts and how much benefit added shots offer.
In an interview with Business Insider on Monday, Dr. Stephen Hoge, the president of Moderna, whose vaccine is the second most widely used in the United States, sounded a more cautious note than Dr. Bourla.
“For those who are immune-compromised, those who are older adults, over the age of 50 or at least 65, we want to strongly recommend and encourage” a fourth shot, he said. But he did not say how soon he thought it would be needed. Like a number of other experts, he suggested that most people would need an annual shot to protect them against the coronavirus, just like the flu.
In their justification, Pfizer and BioNTech cited in part two recent studies from Israel, both published on preprint servers without peer review. One study, done in conjunction with Israel’s Ministry of Health, reviewed the health records of 1.1 million people and concluded that they were less likely to become infected with the virus or to develop severe illness after a fourth dose of Pfizer’s vaccine.
But since Israel only recently began its second booster program, researchers could not determine whether the added protection was short-lived. Israel began offering fourth doses to health care workers in late December, then quickly broadened eligibility to those 60 and older and other vulnerable groups.
The second study, of Israeli health care workers, showed that while fourth shots of either Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccine boosted antibody levels, it was not very effective at preventing infections. Researchers said those findings underscored the urgency of developing vaccines that target whatever variant is circulating.
The National Institutes of Health in the United States and various vaccine manufacturers have been studying how the vaccines could be updated.
Some senior administration officials say a fourth shot for all older Americans may make sense now, but that the general population should probably wait until the fall. The F.D.A. is expected to convene a meeting of its expert advisory committee next month to discuss the issue of fourth shots. Developments on Pfizer’s request were reported earlier by The Washington Post.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/15 ... -americans