Re: "Disparity worsens ocean pollution," (Opinion, June 9).
I enjoy reading the Bangkok Post every morning; for example, your reports about plastic pollution, like the TDRI's piece on ocean pollution on page 9.
But this morning the Bangkok Post was wrapped in a plastic bag!
Is this your contribution to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to reverse the decline in ocean health?
Re: "Jab history made, says PM," (BP, June 8).
Thailand is to be congratulated for having begun its mass vaccination programme on Monday and hopefully, it will proceed successfully.
There are, however, still some questions arising with regard to the announcement not that long ago that the time between doses for vaccination would be extended to 16 weeks.
At the time it was said that there was evidence to support this policy, where is that evidence? Both the World Health Organization and the manufacturer of the AstraZeneca vaccine recommend up to 12 weeks between doses, not 16! If evidence exists to support the idea of delaying the second dose, it should be provided to the public.
Re: "Jab history made, says PM," (BP, June 8).
Jab history! The first day on Monday for mass vaccination was a good start. Yesterday, the government announced some delays with vaccine delivery. This must be expected as was the case in most countries.
But consider this. It takes four months to get one jab in the arms of 70% of the people in Thailand, with most people receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. With the second jab after 16 weeks, it will be eight months before 70% are fully vaccinated with maximum antibody levels.
When I see pictures of vaccination centres, I notice little social distancing. And I see people holding up signs that say they've been vaccinated.
People need to understand that just because you are vaccinated on Monday, you are not protected on Tuesday. It takes time for people to develop antibodies. And maximum antibody development only happens a few weeks after the second. So if someone had an AstraZeneca shot on Monday and gets a second jab in 16 weeks, it will take 18 weeks to achieve maximum protection.
Everyone wants to see Thailand get back to some level of normality. But then I see plans for Phuket to open up in July and now Chang Mai to open up in August.
Re: "Sandbox shambles," (PostBag, June 8).
In response to Rocket Scientist who advocates the resumption of unrestricted tourism for fully vaccinated people, consider this: the CDC rates the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) at 94%.
If Thailand achieved the pre-Covid tourism volume of 40 million visitors a year, then 2,400,000 of them may potentially be infected with Covid-19.
That's 200,000 infected tourists a month. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to predict the outcome.
With the closure of parks and gyms, my exercise consists of walking the streets of Bangkok and I have noticed lots of litter.
In anticipation of the return of tourists, perhaps authorities could employ people to collect and recycle this trash to make Thailand even more enticing.
09 Jun 2021
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