Mild disagreement
Re: "Protect those at risk", (PostBag, June 26).
While I normally value Khun Burin's contributions to PostBag, I must correct his claim on Sunday that Covid has only killed nine children in the US.
Unfortunately, data from the CDC WONDER NCHS (which tracks deaths with Covid as the underlying cause) shows a cumulative 1,088 paediatric deaths up to May 1, 2022. The same dataset records more than five paediatric Covid deaths per day throughout January 2022 -- more children than died of cancer daily.
Nor are infected children immune from potential long Covid, while countries which have seen mass infection have also experienced peaks in paediatric fulminant hepatitis, requiring liver transplants in severe cases and with life-changing consequences.
Unfortunately, the "Covid is mild in children" trope couldn't be more wrong. Until every classroom in Thailand is fitted with Hepa filters and set up with a constant flow of ventilation, we should continue protecting our children with indoor masking requirements, rather than adopting the "let it rip" approach that many Western countries have followed, to the detriment of children's health.
Diane Archer
Out of action
Re: "Young oppose elitist rule: Somkid," (BP, June 28).
Somkid Jatusripitak is quite correct in his analysis of the political changes that our youth want. I wish him all the best. However, having lived here nine years, I know that it is very unlikely those changes will happen in my lifetime.
Folks, talk is cheap. Actions, however, are very costly and freedom is paid for only with things we hold very dear. In Thailand, I think it would be fair to say that I hear nearly every younger Thai under about 45 years old talk about change and complain about how things are, but I see very few of them lift a meaningful finger to invoke change. Aside from an occasional rally, the action from society as a whole is usually to stand by silently as young people expressing alternate ideas are arrested, threatened, hit by their teachers or carted off to jail ... and all for just asking a question or expressing a new idea.
Moreover, rather than retool during the Covid years and broadly acquire new skills, I see the public preparing to run right back to tourism about as fast as an alcoholic can run to the next bottle of booze.
So, I wish Somkid all the best, but he needs to understand that as long as the public largely favours talk over action, nothing meaningful will change and Thailand's best days really are little more than nice memories and pretty songs. So, play it again Somkid.
Jason A Jellison
Six jabs and sick
Re: "Anutin has Covid, absent from cabinet meeting", (Online, June 28).
Public Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, despite having been "vaccinated six times", has caught Covid.
In numerous previous letters to this forum, I have explained that the vaccines and mitigation measures do not work. Many have criticised my efforts to counter the wholly unscientific narrative which attempts to legitimise experimental vaccines and the futility of wearing masks all day every day.
I predict that more and more evidence which proves my warnings to be true will surface in the days ahead.
Michael Setter
