“Yes @Theotherrudolph I absolutely agree they need to be diligent to ensure safety but from what I’ve read it doesn’t seem to be that side holding things up, it’s the debate over which dose works better. I say get it out there ASAP and then argue over the finer points.
Which is probably why I’m not a scientist in fairness 😂“
If all you are worried about is immediate safety/side effects then you might have a point - but there’s far more at stake here, including public confidence in the vaccine, without which it is useless anyway (if people won’t take it then we might as well not have it). You don’t think the dose is kind of fundamental to the whole thing? You think it’s “a finer point”? Do you think the public will be queuing up for it on that basis, and if the dose they’re given is wrong/less efficacious they’ll be ok with that? (And it’s not oil in a car, “top ups” don’t necessarily work the same way as a bigger dose to start with, hence the whole controversy in the first place.)
Seriously, actual professionals with actual qualifications who’ve spent their lives doing this stuff are working on it and have sight of lots of stuff we don’t. I’m confident if just giving it to people and working out the dose later was sensible they’d have done it. They may still do it, but at least with an understanding of the risks involved. I doubt they’re unaware of the urgency.
And yes, of course a select group of people will know before Joe Public what the answer will be - they have to brief ministers and nhs chiefs etc. But I don’t think it’s going to be waiting for a scheduled meeting, Christmas Day or just sitting on an envelope awaiting the “proclaimed” date.