OPINION

Cheek by jowl

Re: "It's never too late", (BP, July 4). Your front-page picture on Sunday shows elderly people gathered to be vaccinated in Bang Sue Grand Station which is filled with people packed cheek by jowl -- no social distancing practices in sight.

These seniors might well get not only the vaccine, but the virus as well! Shame on the authorities -- the same ones who no doubt ordered restaurants closed because people were too close to each other.

Irrational fears

Re: "Closing parks logical", (PostBag, July 5).

I read a lot of scientific literature and I never came across a study which would point out an heightened risk of infection in parks or other open spaces. It is quite the opposite. And even if you get infected somewhere, the risk of ending up on a ventilator is about 1 in 10.000.

Instead of closing parks it would be much better if the government and/or society forces the billionaires not to treat their workers like animals and keep them in quasi-chicken coops. And maybe this government stops spending fortunes on military hardware, overstaffing and starts with social housing projects to allow also poorer people to live in dignified and hygienic environments. This was done in many developed and -- it must be said -- democratic nations.

Fake virus deaths

Re: "DDC confirms first post-shot clot case", (BP, July 3).

If Mr X who had heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Aids and Covid 19 dies, Covid-19 will be listed as the cause of death. But if Mr Y dies one week after getting the Covid-19 vaccine, any health problems, real or imagined, that is not related to the vaccine will be listed as the cause of death. Maybe the reason people are turning to the alternative media to get their information is because the mainstream media is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the medical establishment and the drug companies.

Failures of duty

Re: "Govt blasted for jab delay", (BP, July 5).

There are a great number of expats living in Thailand. Many of us, like me, contribute on a grand scale to Thai official coffers and to local life sustainability. This is not something we do to score points with anybody, least of all the officialdom. We are here to live a life with those we love and cherish.

But, we also have a life which reaches home shores, children, grand children, friends, etc whom we want to see and embrace. I have been "laid back" about the travel situation to get back home, my original ticket May 2, then July 2, now Dec 16 in the hope of having a vaccine done ahead of travelling.

My wife and I, as well as many others have prepaid for vaccines only to learn today that no order and no delivery date for that vaccine (Moderna) has yet been announced, despite an earlier announcement that we would be okay in October of this year.

Due to underlying issues, I do not want to travel without prior vaccination. Neither Thailand nor my home country (Norway) seem interested in assisting us, despite our willingness to pay our way. In my regard, both Thailand and Norway fail in their duty to be of assistance.