Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, it would seem that there is a broad paradigm shift regarding matters pertaining to the pandemic across Southeast Asia and Oceania. As we have noted in prior videos, Singapore has started taking a position that they are going to start treating this whole thing as more of an endemic issue and learning to live with it as it were, live with the COVID situation as best that they can. Meanwhile, it appears Australia is taking the same tack. As noted in prior videos and those made contemporaneously with this one, Thailand is starting to shift its paradigm regarding starting to treat this more as an endemic to quote Dr. Opas, more of an endemic situation, the implied difference being rather than a pandemic situation so not so much about containment but about learning to live with it, learning to mitigate the worst aspects of this especially on the most vulnerable. It was interesting to me that this appears to be gaining some broad-based momentum.  

In recent article from the Financial Review, that is afr.com, the article is titled: A paradigm shift in thinking about COVID-19. The tilt from zero tolerance to vaccination and living with the virus is becoming more pronounced among medical realists (I like that term 'medical realists') as well as politicians. Quoting directly: "Led ironically by COVID-hit New South Wales, Australia is months away from breaking out of the gilded cage of lockdowns and into the next stage of managing the new pandemic world. Yes the infection numbers in New South Wales are still high and tragically dispiriting: 644 new cases on Friday." My own comment: that is pretty small numbers compared to up here in Thailand and to other places as well. Quoting further: "That meant that the formal extension of the Sydney lockdown for another month was already expected. And yes, Victoria is struggling to contain its outbreak even after locking down hard and early." So interesting. As we have noted in prior videos, I think it is clear the economic impact of this is just devastating, these lockdowns, but I think maybe more of a cost benefit analysis is appropriate with respect to these moving forward because to me, I am hard pressed to find a benefit where the evidence is this has had any statistically positive impact on the overall situation. Again I don't know the answer to that and those in the comments, feel free if you have got evidence, I am happy to get up here and correct myself; not so much correct myself but talk about it because again I don't have a set position. I am just trying to look at this and hoping to discuss what is going to get us through this as best we can. There is no good answer. We are all trying to figure out the best bad way forwards in a sense. 

So hopefully, as things progress especially here in Thailand, we have noted the CCSA is discussing reopening; it is discussing it in line with the Prime Minister's statements that things would be getting reopened here in October. Things seem at least as of the time of this video to be moving in that direction. We will keep you updated on this channel as the situation progresses.