EU and AstraZeneca

[Weststander]

If the only place you've come across people "lamenting" the EU failure is on here then you need to start getting out of your echo chamber, if all you're seeing is triumphalism then it's incredibly short-sighted.

And it was luck. The Government did not know the AstraZeneca vaccine would work as well as it has, and if it hadn't where would we be now? Not here.

The same "luck" that meant the UK was administering millions with the Pfizer vaccine, whilst others were bogged down in crippling bureaucracy.

I voted Remain but accepted the vote. I know many others with exactly the same stance, some post on NSC. Away from NSC and some broadcasters/callers to phone-ins, I just never come across angry Remainers. Positive people living their lives, whatever life throws at them.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

The same "luck" that meant the UK was administering millions with the Pfizer vaccine, whilst others were bogged down in crippling bureaucracy.

I voted Remain but accepted the vote. I know many others with exactly the same stance, some post on NSC. Away from NSC and some broadcasters/callers to phone-ins, I just never come across angry Remainers. Positive people living their lives, whatever life throws at them.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in Europe as being "unacceptably slow".

It also says the situation in the region is more worrying than it has been for several months.

Vaccination campaigns in much of Europe have been hit by delays and the number of infections is rising.

France is the latest country to announce new lockdown measures, lasting four weeks.

The EU has been criticised for the pace of its vaccination programme - only 16% of its population has received the jab, compared with 52% in the UK.

But the EU says the UK has had an unfair advantage in contracts it signed with vaccine manufacturers, some of whom are based within the EU.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow" and is prolonging the pandemic in the wider Europe region, WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now," he added.

Last week saw increasing transmission of Covid-19 in the majority of countries in the WHO European region - which includes more than 50 countries and extends from Greenland to the far east of Russia - with 1.6 million new cases and close to 24,000 deaths, the WHO said.

Only 10% of the nearly 900 million people in the region have had a single dose of coronavirus vaccine.

It remains the second most affected by the virus of all the world's regions, with the total number of deaths fast approaching one million and the total number of cases about to surpass 45 million, it added.

It also warned of the risks of greater spread associated with increased mobility and number of gatherings over the forthcoming religious holidays of Passover, Easter and Ramadan.

Some 27 countries of the more than 50 included in the WHO Europe region have implemented partial or full coronavirus lockdowns.

 

[Chicken Run]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in Europe as being "unacceptably slow".

It also says the situation in the region is more worrying than it has been for several months.

Vaccination campaigns in much of Europe have been hit by delays and the number of infections is rising.

France is the latest country to announce new lockdown measures, lasting four weeks.

The EU has been criticised for the pace of its vaccination programme - only 16% of its population has received the jab, compared with 52% in the UK.

But the EU says the UK has had an unfair advantage in contracts it signed with vaccine manufacturers, some of whom are based within the EU.

"Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic... However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow" and is prolonging the pandemic in the wider Europe region, WHO director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

"We must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now," he added.

Last week saw increasing transmission of Covid-19 in the majority of countries in the WHO European region - which includes more than 50 countries and extends from Greenland to the far east of Russia - with 1.6 million new cases and close to 24,000 deaths, the WHO said.

Only 10% of the nearly 900 million people in the region have had a single dose of coronavirus vaccine.

It remains the second most affected by the virus of all the world's regions, with the total number of deaths fast approaching one million and the total number of cases about to surpass 45 million, it added.

It also warned of the risks of greater spread associated with increased mobility and number of gatherings over the forthcoming religious holidays of Passover, Easter and Ramadan.

Some 27 countries of the more than 50 included in the WHO Europe region have implemented partial or full coronavirus lockdowns.

It’s the citizens of these countries I feel sorry for, this situation will roll on for mainland Europe.

 

[nicko31]

Interestingly Canada also raised concerns about the blood clot issue last weekend and suspended vaccination, and yet barely a peep compared to when Germany did it. But I'm sure it's not just people still furious with the idea of anything European...

Bit like when India imposed their export ban, barely a mention. But when Europe hinted at the idea complete meltdown from the gutter press..

 

[JC Footy Genius]

British taxpayers funded EU factory at heart of vaccine row

British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money – reported to be in the region of £21 million – was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations.

A leaked letter revealed that Oxford scientists urged a major EU nation to invest in the Halix factory alongside the UK last April, but the deal was never signed.

The European Union would have been likely to have secured millions of AstraZeneca doses had the Dutch government acted more decisively, sources suggested. An EU official admitted the bloc had yet to contribute a single euro towards the Halix plant.


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/01/british-taxpayers-funded-eu-factory-heart-vaccine-row/

 

[Randy McNob]

British taxpayers funded EU factory at heart of vaccine row

British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money – reported to be in the region of £21 million – was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations.

A leaked letter revealed that Oxford scientists urged a major EU nation to invest in the Halix factory alongside the UK last April, but the deal was never signed.

The European Union would have been likely to have secured millions of AstraZeneca doses had the Dutch government acted more decisively, sources suggested. An EU official admitted the bloc had yet to contribute a single euro towards the Halix plant.


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/01/british-taxpayers-funded-eu-factory-heart-vaccine-row/

Divide and rule

 

[portslade seagull]

Divide and rule

EU are like the boy that cried wolf. No flexibility at the start has put them in this self imposed position.
Why did they as a collective refuse to invest at the very start, would've saved 1000s of lives. Can you answer that ?

 

[WATFORD zero]

EU are like the boy that cried wolf. No flexibility at the start has put them in this self imposed position.
Why did they as a collective refuse to invest at the very start, would've saved 1000s of lives. Can you answer that ?

The EU have done some stupid things during the vaccine rollout, but the original issue with Astra Zenenca arose when AZ cut their predicted supply (albeit best reasonable efforts) to the EU by 2/3rds during February and March. The EU invested and AZ failed to deliver

Its all here, if you want to read up about it

AstraZeneca cut its supply forecast of Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union in the first quarter to about 30 million doses, a third of its contractual obligations and a 25 per cent drop from pledges made last month, a document seen by Reuters shows.

The shortfall is a further blow to EU’s vaccination plans already being hampered by repeated delays in supply and a slow rollout in some nations.The AstraZeneca document, shared with EU officials and dated March 10th, shows that the company now expects to deliver 30.1 million doses by the end of March, and another 20 million in April.

On February 25th, AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot told the European Parliament that the company would try to deliver 40 million doses by the end of March.The document shows that on February 24th, the Anglo-Swedish company had estimated a supply of only 34 million doses to the EU for the January to March period, well below its contracted target of 90 million doses.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/astrazeneca-cuts-eu-vaccine-supply-target-again-1.4508491

There's plenty of things you can validly knock the EU for on vaccine rollouts without making things up.

 

[nicko31]

EU are like the boy that cried wolf. No flexibility at the start has put them in this self imposed position.
Why did they as a collective refuse to invest at the very start, would've saved 1000s of lives. Can you answer that ?

You'd be better venting your anger towards the ten of thousands of unnecessary deaths on these shores thanks to our glorious leader.

His failed governance also lead to the worst mutation of Covid in the western world.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

You'd be better venting your anger towards the ten of thousands of unnecessary deaths on these shores thanks to our glorious leader.

His failed governance also lead to the worst mutation of Covid in the western world.

Lead spokesman for the 5th column collective indulges in whataboutery to divert from EU failings *shock*.

I know the UK are world leaders at genome sequencing for Covid but I never realised they can also identify the "it's Boris's fault" mutation.

 

[portslade seagull]

You'd be better venting your anger towards the ten of thousands of unnecessary deaths on these shores thanks to our glorious leader.

His failed governance also lead to the worst mutation of Covid in the western world.

Can't answer it then, say no more

 

[Baker lite]

https://twitter.com/bom_ding/status/1378776933580865539?s=21


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Randy McNob]

Can't answer it then, say no more

bit like asking for a Brexit benefit....

 

[Deleted member 22389]

My 86 year old uncle in Italy still hasn't been offered the jab yet. My cousin thinks he might get it next month, what a fing joke. We are so lucky in this country.

 

[Chicken Run]

bit like asking for a Brexit benefit....

Bit like asking you why you joined a BHA football forum.....

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Politics For All
@PoliticsForAlI
�� BREAKING: Britain's health regulator is considering a proposal to restrict the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in younger people over concerns about **very rare blood clots**


Maybe the EU had a point?

 

[nicko31]

Politics For All
@PoliticsForAlI
�� BREAKING: Britain's health regulator is considering a proposal to restrict the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in younger people over concerns about **very rare blood clots**


Maybe the EU had a point?

Still a lot of EU countries running with it. Think death rate is about 1 in 800k in Europe, we've lost 150k to Covid.

Hopefully common sense prevails

 

[Weststander]

Politics For All
@PoliticsForAlI
�� BREAKING: Britain's health regulator is considering a proposal to restrict the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in younger people over concerns about **very rare blood clots**


Maybe the EU had a point?

Is it the EU?

I thought some continental nations are fine with OAZ, whilst others ride a rollercoaster of imposing restrictions then retracting them.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Is it the EU?

I thought some continental nations are fine with OAZ, whilst others ride a rollercoaster of imposing restrictions then retracting them.

Fair.

The upset seems mainly at the EU