Oxford vaccine and lockdown, do you think they will be announced at the same time?

[Whatever9999]

Anyone else expecting that the approval of the Oxford vaccine and a 6 week national lockdown (tier 4+schools closing) to be announced at the same time. Just got this funny feeling that they are going to use the vaccine as a sweetener to get people to comply. Because let's face it, more and more people are starting to realise there's more harm in life than just covid.

Possible that the government are holding out for Oxford news. Not sure things are quite as streamlined and ordered as that in number 10

I was thinking that earlier.

I think it would be a good way to get people to comply, by giving them something to look forward to.

But only of they close schools too, because other wise people take no notice of a "lockdown" (see November!)

Please, please, please let the Oxford vaccine get passed 🙏🏻
Much easier to transport and handle.

Boris never likes to announce bad news without being able to point to something just around the corner that will fix everything. See for example moonshot.

If they do that they had better have a plan and get cracking with the vaccinations quickly otherwise I think it will go down like a fart in a yoga class.

otherwise I think it will go down like a fart in a yoga class.

That's a very culturally specific expression :). I have never been to a yoga class and I can't be alone.

@notevenat20

otherwise I think it will go down like a fart in a yoga class.

That's a very culturally specific expression :). I have never been to a yoga class and I can't be alone.

I have been to yoga classes and I thought farting was a natural consequence of some of the positions so not a noteworthy thing but maybe I've misunderstood

I don't think that the two things are linked but who can tell, I guess we have to wait and see.

Yes.

Not to the yoga farting thing - to the good news/bad news plan.

Not that the MHRA are renowned for partisan political stunts, but it’s probably Johnson’s aim for this week.

Good point OP. Hadn't thought of that. Maybe Oxford Vaccine, Tier 4, Schools will all be bundled into one briefing. Wish they'd get a wriggle on.

Getting twitchy now.

The MHRA is supposed to be independent, isn't it? Will the Government be able to control when the Oxford news is announced. I'm trying to remember how the approval of Pfizer was announced - I think I first saw it as breaking news on the BBC website, not in a government briefing.

@PuzzledObserver

Getting twitchy now.

The MHRA is supposed to be independent, isn't it? Will the Government be able to control when the Oxford news is announced. I'm trying to remember how the approval of Pfizer was announced - I think I first saw it as breaking news on the BBC website, not in a government briefing.

The govt. will know the MHRA’s intentions and I’m guessing they will time their own briefing around that.

The vaccine authorisation is price sensitive information so the authorisation holder presumably had to announce it to the stock market first.

@Splodgetastic

The vaccine authorisation is price sensitive information so the authorisation holder presumably had to announce it to the stock market first.

Well OP half of your scenario has now happened, did you expect them literally at the same press conference or onte same day?

I dnt know what you mean about the stock market, I heard the vaccine announcement before 7am and Im pretty sure they said it would have a positive effect on the stock market implying it wasn't already known or do you mean they had to be told overnight?

Yes. I imagine you heard it at the same time as the release to the stock market, which was at 7. Before that, anyone with information had inside information which isn’t really a problem if the stock market is shut, like overnight.

otp.tools.investis.com/clients/uk/astrazeneca/rns/regulatory-story.aspx?cid=1343&newsid=1440641

MHRA and anyone else who knew before that would be on an insider list and any dealings should and would have been monitored.