Corona Virus

“The EU “rejected the logic of first come first served “,
in other words,sod everyone else,let’s jump to the front of the queue cos we’re in the shit.

 

I do think this (as usual) is being lead along by the nose, by "click bate journos" feeding our desperation for the one headline we all want to hear. ' Back to Normal'

 

The EU seems to be acting like any customer being stiffed on delivery dates. Whether or not, this is acceptable behaviour from world statesmen and women is open to debate, by their own electors, most noticeably, one would suppose.

 

Interesting background here from AstraZeneca:
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...accines-row-astrazeneca-boss-reveals-problems
EU obviously didn't act fast enough and missed the early train. Early birds, worms, etc. Now under fire from member states and trying to pull irons out of fire.
(Do I get the prize for the most mixed metaphors in one post?)

P.S. Got my appointment for my vaccination today for 12th February. Don't know which vaccine.

 

Well, I'm a Brit and awaiting a vaccine. I was told it's likely I'd be getting a jab mid March time. Thing is, I see this as a worldwide issue. All production of vaccines should be allocated fairly and as far as possible, evenly. If I wait another month to get mine, well so what.
There seems little point in clearing the UK of covid if nobody can go anywhere without facing the likelihood of poor healthcare or everywhere closed due to ill health of that nation. Not to mention that morally, it's the right thing.
If the clown in 10 downing street hadn't been so keen to crow about how far ahead of the game the UK was in vaccinations, then perhaps we, as UK residents wouldn't be faced with political threats like this.
I sometimes wonder why a decent education was wasted on people who can't see the consequences of their words and actions.

 

Be kind to us Europeans now. Share and share alike.

 

The sooner we can get up and running and be able to get our lives somewhere back to normal,even if it doesn’t mean international travel,the better.
I’m sorry but the EU has made a right pigs ear of the vaccine situation and only have their politicians to blame for this.
Why the hell should they jump the queue because they’ve screwed up?They still haven’t approved the AstraZeneca vaccine so they’re just going to have to wait.
If you placed an order three months after somebody else,do you really believe you should be entitled to receive delivery at the same time as the other person?
The Eu is also having difficulties with Pfizer, so it’s possible that they (EU)may be economic with the truth regarding why they’re having problems.

 

We’re all Europeans but some are more European than others.

 

It’s an interesting debate even just comparing the UK and EU, let alone the rest of the world.

UK acted early and funded AstraZeneca building a plant in the UK to make vaccine for the UK.

EU dilly-dallied and took another three months before agreeing to a deal with AZ. At which point AZ had a guarantee of funding to build a plant in Belgium to supply the EU.

Both contracts almost certainly gave AZ wriggle-room on the timing of deliveries to reflect the uncertainties of mass-manufacturing a new vaccine. It appears that the UK-AZ contract committed AZ to giving priority to the UK for vaccines manufactured in the (UK-funded) UK plant. One would assume that the EU-AZ contract had a similar prioritisation for the EU.

And now the UK plant has sorted out its inevitable initial teething problems and is delivering at scale to the UK. While the EU plant is still going through its equally inevitable initial teething problems and is c 3 months behind.

It seems unreasonable for the EU to cry “foul” with any realistic expectation of getting anywhere. It is politically helpful for them to be able to blame someone else - AZ or the nasty UK - because right now they are looking like clowns. But at some point they may need us to agree to AZ diverting UK stocks to the EU, so they need to be careful about making too much fuss.

So if we just think about the ethics of the UK/EU priorities, particularly given our much higher death rate, the arguments to send “our” vaccines to the EU to make up for their own incompetence aren’t exactly compelling.

 

A bit out of date, but important news nonetheless...

 

This is the interview with the AstraZeneca CEO.

https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2...razeneca_coronavirus_covid_vaccines-284349628

His view doesn't seem to be quite the same as that of the EU.

 

Interesting. Hopefully they will start to deliver in large quantities in February as he says. At work we are waiting on things to be delivered from the EU and with lots of their manufacturing closed we can’t get access to essential things.

 

Just ear from an eminent french doctor (Gilbert Deray). First 60 million dose for UK, then next should be dispatched.
He also rant over Europe that let Pzifer make too much business in the context .

 

Quote from Professor Müller (one of my daughters lecturers):

"To be German is to be European but to be European is not necessarily to be German - we tried that once, it didn't go well!"

 

Hungary has bought the Russian sputnik vaccine,having lost faith in the EU fiasco.

 

For once our government acted decisively and secured us a head start against the virus. The sooner we achieve high levels of vaccination the sooner I and many like me will be able to return to work (If we still have jobs to return to).

The problem with vaccine supply to the EU. is of its own making. They now want us to be good neighbours and hand over our supplies and seem surprised that there is reluctance to do so.

It's a funny old world.

 

I'm surprised we are just talking about vaccines in general. We have there 2 types, RNA and Viral (old way)
The AZ and Sputnik are Viral, Moderna and BioNtech are RNA.
If you had a choice would you prefer a viral or a RNA one?
Personally I'd go for a RNA.

 

I wonder if there'll be 'delays at the borders' if the vaccines are exported by truck?

"Bonjour Emmanuel - comment ca va? Bien. OK, yeah, listen Emm., this problem with the A-Z covid vaccine you've been asking about .... well, yeah, yeah ... look, we have about 30 or so 32 tonne artics full of the stuff but they're at the back of a long line of trucks at Dover, just behind a dozen trucks full of Brixham fish, actually! Anyway, look, if you can let me have a long term plan to lift some of the non-existent barriers, pointless delays and pettifogging bureaucracy at Douane Calais, then we can probably get them over to you 'toot sweet' so to speak. Yeah? Sorry, Emm., say again? What? Oh, "pettifogging"? Yeah, yeah - sorry, it is 'ow you say "chicaniere" I think? Yeah, yeah sure. Anyway, let me know what we can do, huh Emm. and we'll maybe get this whole trade thing sorted out and this shit sorted, huh? Sure, sure - awvwah."

 

Vaccine vs Stinky cheese and pricey wine

 

I know which I'd prefer!