Coronavirus (2021) thread

[blueparrot]

The Handelsblatt piece was not sourced - it seems to have been either misleading or wrong, and a number of journalists tweeting about it have withdrawn their tweets.

There was then a twitterstorm.

Which is why it’s best never to base too strong an opinion off something some bloke puts on twitter, and to wait for real news from those in a position to know facts.

 

[inbetween]

It still seems to me that AZ and Pfizer have promised quantities of vaccine that they cannot produce in the agreed timescale. That's totally irresponsible in a pandemic and inevitably causes a lot of concern.

Israeli and UK supplies are ample enough and it's ramping up rapidly because we accelerated approvals so that several vaccines are now at our disposal. As a result we vaccinated more people in a day last week than France have done in total so far.

Supply is a major issue but it's an issue in every industry at the moment. You need to combat supply problems and make things happen by spreading the risk across multiple vaccines which is the UK position. The MHRA was working with the vaccine manufacturers as early as last summer to get this over the line fast and it's now paying dividends.

It doesn't require rocket science to know that vaccine demand currently exceeds 1 billion doses and not a single thing in history has been manufactured to that quantity. Of course there was going to be supply issues.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Maybe it is harsh but pharmaceutical companies have never been shy in the past of placing profit above people's well-being.

Maybe, but costs for developing a successful product are staggering because so many paths taken are dead ends - it was $100 million dollars 30 years ago, so it could easily be 1 billion now - they have about 7 years on average to make that money back.

 

[Del_Bosque]

The Handelsblatt piece was not sourced - it seems to have been either misleading or wrong, and a number of journalists tweeting about it have withdrawn their tweets.

There was then a twitterstorm.

with that and the bild story coming the same day, it’s pretty clear someone in the German Authorities has been off the record briefing against AZ

 

[Tim of the Oak]

with that and the bild story coming the same day, it’s pretty clear someone in the German Authorities has been off the record briefing against AZ

If we gave the Germans Dido Harding, we would really throw a spanner in their works!

 

[squirtyflower]

No none of that is right if the EU went down that path. Also, it’s very unhelpful if there are AZ employees who are gloating that vaccinations earmarked for the EU are being allocated to the U.K. it undermines our Government’s attempts to keep information on our vaccine supplies private to protect our people,. It could also provoke the EU in to doing something rash.

I don’t know any AZ employees so I don’t know what they are or are not gloating about.
I‘m just piecing together the news articles and the Twitter links which together suggest the EU are trying to make up lost ground by underhand and illegal moves.

 

[N1985]

We should carpet bomb Berlin, that’s what we should do.

Even if it’s one big misunderstanding, it’ll teach them.

Can we not do Munich instead? I like Berlin :-(

 

[Healdplace]

Glad to see the Oxford vaccine 'never wanted it anyway it's rubbish' story is falling apart as expertly spotted last night in here by rouby.

Why doesn't Boris try to regain some statesmanship kudos by calling a meeting in London for all European leaders to have a summit on the concept - vaccines are for the whole world not for greed - or some such.

Then make them all self isolate in a hotel at their expense for travelling here.

Maybe not the last part.

But we do need that summit to regain some sanity as these vaccines are way more important than Brexit or any egos.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I don’t know any AZ employees so I don’t know what they are or are not gloating about.
I‘m just piecing together the news articles and the Twitter links which together suggest the EU are trying to make up lost ground by underhand and illegal moves.

The EMA and EU should focus on getting more vaccines approved and vaccinations ramped up from their available supply, before challenging exports to other Countries in public. If they had concerns about the equity of vaccine distribution, which might well be reasonable, they could have picked this up in private with AZ and Pfizer.

I was referring to somebody else’s posts re. AZ employees

 

[Healdplace]

On isolation - I don't suppose any of you saw This Morning - but they had this young covidiot live from the Middle East in a bikini by a pool who claimed to have followers on line for being a 'motivator' and had no regrets posting her 'content' because it 'inspired' her followers and as a 'professional inspirer' the trip was work related.

About if she would self isolate and pay for a hotel on return she said she intended staying there until she could do things back here.

About time someone sent a message and took her passport away temporarily and or assured her they would find her 'free' accommodation in Hotel Holloway on return until she did some truly inspitational community service like clearing up the mess in hospitals for a month.

But of course nothing will happen and these kinds of fingers up to the real heroes and heroines will continue.

She was asked about the message to nurses and doctors on the front line from what she was doing and claimed to be an essential worker - as they showed her having a joy ride on a camel.

We need to clamp down on things like this not make a joke out of it which seemed to be the point.

I do not regard this as an amusing story. I regard it as a terrible message to people out there to do what they like that someone should be making clear and showing would have consequences.