Germany saying AZ vaccine only 8% effective in over 65s *MNHQ noting that this story has been widely debunked*

[dbIdb]

What fresh hell is this.

Why, why, why was the Oxford trial/data reporting so sloppy?

How has it come to this??

I would like it to happen. Gov should make an offer at least.

Yes I agree. We are supplying overseas territories like Gibraltar etc now so I think an island the U.K. is actually attached to would be sensible. I don’t think there’s be a huge outcry actually, lots of people here have Irish relatives plus Biden is of course Irish

ROI is a sovereign state, we should not be interfering or mischief making, no more reason to offer vaccinations to ROI than to France, where so much of our imports pass through.

UK has ordered 350m vaccines, inc 100m OXZ, enough to do every adult in the country twice, once we have sorted out our own population, the rest should go via covax or direct to developing countries.

ROI is a sovereign state, we should not be interfering or mischief making, no more reason to offer vaccinations to ROI than to France, where so much of our imports pass through.

Not sure how offering much needed vaccines would be mischief making. And the Irish are always free to say no thanks.

As for your other point, France isn't part of a common travel area with GB. ROI is.

@Bluethrough

ROI is a sovereign state, we should not be interfering or mischief making, no more reason to offer vaccinations to ROI than to France, where so much of our imports pass through.

UK has ordered 350m vaccines, inc 100m OXZ, enough to do every adult in the country twice, once we have sorted out our own population, the rest should go via covax or direct to developing countries.

It’s not mischief making

A shared land border, cmon it makes sense.

@Waspnest

I agree I don't think the British government could prioritise RoI over UK citizens. If supply weren't an issue I think it would be a good gesture to show we value our relationship with the Irish BUT as we've been told all along, supply is the limiting factor in the vaccination program.

People on here are constantly arguing about vaccine priority lists, can you imagine the outcry if the government diverted some shots to RoI?

It’d be difficult before adults here and that’s a fair list

no more reason to offer vaccinations to ROI than to France
This is what Ireland's health service said when NI were under excessive strain.
"Covid-19: Critical cases from NI could put pressure on services in Republic" www.irishtimes.com/news/health/covid-19-critical-cases-from-ni-could-put-pressure-on-services-in-republic-1.4391125?mode=amp
“should either jurisdiction require support this will be provided where possible”, noting that there was “longstanding co-operation between respective authorities and health services in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.”

You're ill-informed. Sharing health resources and the Common Travel Area are both extremely big reasons that exist for no other place apart from British overseas territories. Ireland and the UK do not agree on everything, but they are always our nearest and closest neighbour, and if they require assistance it should always be provided. If there is a delay it may therefore make sense for the UK to offer to help, and Republic of Ireland are well able to decide for themselves whether to say yes or no.

We should absolutely offer to RoI. Like other posters said we have a common travel area so it makes sense to protect all vulnerable citizens on both sides of the border. The EU wouldn’t like it, but it’s about saving lives, geography is important.

At the end of the day, not helping NI puts NI lives at risk.

Its in our interests to help 'at some point'. The 'at some point' definition being the sticking point.

I can well see if there is a big blow up of this the UK has to conceed that there will be moves insisting that any divertion of vaccine to the EU MUST go to Ireland not anywhere else.

At the end of the day, not helping NI puts NI lives at risk.

How does NI need to be helped? As part of the UK, it has already received vaccines in proportion to its population.

Speaking of Sputnik, I wonder when their trial results with AZ are due? Maybe not for a while?

Also not sure what the parameters were?

Financial Times correspondent on radio 4 just now. (a pro-EU paper).

Says EU has had bad luck but has also made bad decisions. It has no right to ask for UK supplies or vaccine. Astra has done nothing wrong, neither has UK.

But EU, coming under pressure from member states, is blaming first Pfizer, now Astra Zenaca - anyone but itself.

I wonder what would have happened if Scotland had left and were in the EU without vaccines. Would they even accept them from Westminster? NS isn’t even letting the Prime Minister up to Scotland to defend the Union at the moment

Apologies if this has already been posted but here is AZ's interview with the Italian newspaper. It makes interesting reading.
www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/01/26/news/interview_pascal_soriot_ceo_astrazeneca_coronavirus_covid_vaccines-284349628/

The anglophobia in both Scotland and ROI means the EU gets an easy ride in those places, and as we've seen on this thread, anyone or anything but the EU will be blamed when things go wrong.

@Wildswim

The anglophobia in both Scotland and ROI means the EU gets an easy ride in those places, and as we've seen on this thread, anyone or anything but the EU will be blamed when things go wrong.

Very true

I think the EU need to be mindful of vaccination take up once they get approval. False stats of 8% efficacy and talks of the UK being treated as guinea pigs is going to be damaging. France currently has less than a third of the population wanting the vaccine...

@MoltenLasagne

I think the EU need to be mindful of vaccination take up once they get approval. False stats of 8% efficacy and talks of the UK being treated as guinea pigs is going to be damaging. France currently has less than a third of the population wanting the vaccine...

Not true. Vaccine intention now over 50%. The campaign is moving quite swiftly and already mirrors the numbers vaccinated in the first month in the UK. Some of my over 75 friends were done within a few days of the vaccine being available to that age group and have the second dose booked for three weeks later.

Quote from Bill gates I thought was insightful. Begs the question why pharma companies would bother next time, particularly for zero profit, which should worry us all.

“Philanthropist Bill Gates told Reuters the rollout of vaccines was a “super hard allocation problem” that was putting pressure on global institutions, governments and drugmakers.

“If you’re a pharma company that didn’t make a vaccine, you’re not under pressure. But the ones who did make the vaccine - they are the ones being attacked,” he said. “It’s all very zero-sum.”

@Wildswim

The anglophobia in both Scotland and ROI means the EU gets an easy ride in those places, and as we've seen on this thread, anyone or anything but the EU will be blamed when things go wrong.

Indeed. The U.K. govt seems to not be drawn on the row at the moment too which is probably the best policy. Otherwise the media will swing to blaming the U.K. somehow.