Why should the UK vaccine supply be diverted to Europe?

[lovelemoncurd]

They ordered 3 months later than the UK. They have themselves less time to sort glitches. They have been slow to the table and now they wish to punish to UK for being efficient.

I was a remain voter. I'm starting to change my mind!

Why is the UK pre-ordering vaccines for use on its own citizens “nationalistic” but the EU wanting those vaccines not nationalistic?

🤷‍♀️

@IrmaFayLear

Why is the UK pre-ordering vaccines for use on its own citizens “nationalistic” but the EU wanting those vaccines not nationalistic?

If we hadn’t ordered enough - so much criticism

Ordered in time and good quantities of working vaccines - still they go on

Our youngest, nearly 17, has controlled asthma, otherwise very healthy. I voted remain. In life, I do what I realistically can to help others. Do I want him vaccinated over an 85 year old in another country? Hell yes, of course I do because I don’t know/love them but I do love him.
Being honest, I’d like him vaccinated now but thankfully, for once, this usually inept Government got something very right, I don’t have that choice, I have to live with my Government’s actions, so he’ll wait his turn.

The EU got it wrong this time, left it too late and it’s citizens must accept the consequences of that and seek redress from the Commission if they feel strongly.

@MessAllOver but there is still a risk, in last week my missus has watched 2 healthy people around the same age as me die from covid, why would I risk my life for someone who has 85 years on this planet, I have a child, I want to see her grow up!

By all means, refuse your vaccine, but I honestly hope you dont catch it and end up in hospital!

@hamstersarse

I do despair of the pathetic virtue signalling that has appeared on this thread.

Sending it to Malawi? Dear god.

It was a good thread until this

Nearly 18, not 16. Fat fingers.

Not 17!!!
Even fatter fingers than I thought 😁

Ordered in time and good quantities of working vaccines - still they go on

This. Tiring, isn’t it?

Also are young people allowed it if the are working in the NHS, are teachers, police, paramedic, supermarket workers, bus drivers, etc, etc?

I'm mid 20s, I want the vaccine, and nothing is gonna stop that, not a 80 year old in Europe

See tbh i have issue with type of attitude.

I understand the politics and why the uk tried to protect its vaccine supply. It had to on a political level otherwise it risked its most vulnerable. It needs to look after the national interest.

But since there is a global issue here comparisons and what happens in the EU affects us from the point of view of much lower risk groups i have a moral issue and the point at which the national interest shifts.

Its not just an 20 year old brit v an 80 year old eu cit.

Once youve got past your high risk groups and reduced the hospitalisation rate, and things are reopening you need to think about global strategy imo.

So whilst protecting early supply is great and i fully agree with, you hit an issue with whether its really in your interests to crack on with the whole population without considering how it might be in your interests to reduce cases and pressures elsewhere (especially if you trade heavily with the EU - for things like food and medicine). And not least simply cos more cases = more chance of mutation. And vaccinating an 80 year old stops the chance if them being hospitalised and blocking a bed for someone else - it protects the lives of not just the individual its given to but others indirectly (inc children).

So i do think the uk position gets weaker the more we vaccinate. But if the eu only use az for under 55s thats more complex and only really justifible for healthcare staff for some time.

Vaccinating more at risk groups of your trading partners (the ROI being the best example) should be considered further down the line though in this context.

And yep that should have an impact on anyone in priority group 10 (thats also me btw and im 42 so at more risk).

I don't really want to get into a situation where the uk is stuffed because of mutations or the uk is doing brilliantly whilst the EU has massive death tolls which we could help prevent. Its not in our national interest and its a pretty morally repugnant view to have.

Ha ha just did a search on the BBC website and found the original story when the UK decided not to join in:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53361906

Reacting to reports the UK was not going to join the EU scheme, Lib Dem leadership hopeful Layla Moran tweeted: "Walking away from the EU vaccines scheme is putting ideology ahead of public health."

And Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted: "By refusing to join the EU's vaccine scheme, the government is yet again putting ideology before saving lives."

I wonder what those MPs have to say now? Surely if anyone has put ideology over savings lives it's the EU?

[quote MRex]There seems to be some poor information about Covax. No, EC funding isn't additional to individual countries, the EC contributed nothing and EU countries have contributed very little, only $2bn needed this year.
UK funding £548m so far and pushing other countries with match funding:
www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-raises-1bn-so-vulnerable-countries-can-get-vaccine.
EU funding a measly €500m:
ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2262.
UN said the funding gap was $4.3bn, if only the USA and EU gave proportionally to funding given by the UK and Australia then it would far exceed target:
news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079842.
Total raised US$4bn of US$6.8bn funding for 2bn doses this year, the main risks described as not getting enough funding (UK is doing its share) and competitive pharmaceutical pricing (AZ agreement commits them to non profit):
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00044-9
Gavi explains how the AZ doses are coming from India (see, there's a plan) :
www.gavi.org/covax-facility.[/quote]
My mistake. There's a $26BN funding gap for the whole ACT Accelerator programme (vaccines + therapeutics + testing)

www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19-25-january-2021

@Horizons83

Ha ha just did a search on the BBC website and found the original story when the UK decided not to join in:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53361906

Reacting to reports the UK was not going to join the EU scheme, Lib Dem leadership hopeful Layla Moran tweeted: "Walking away from the EU vaccines scheme is putting ideology ahead of public health."

And Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted: "By refusing to join the EU's vaccine scheme, the government is yet again putting ideology before saving lives."

I wonder what those MPs have to say now? Surely if anyone has put ideology over savings lives it's the EU?

Good find

Whilst EU continue to fight, Bojo is off talking eith Johnson & Johnson about their one shot vaccine....you would think the EU would have learnt their lesson and be doing the same thing to widen the number of vaccines they have available to use....sadly they will 3 months late again.

Rinse and repeat

Btw i think, particularly if the eu only intend to use az for under 65s that by the time the uk has got to the point of vaccinating the over 50s and hopefully having got ontop of our hospitalisation issue, the EU will be more on top of the situation and supply of vaccine anyway. So there wouldn't be any point in diverting uk doses anyway, so its all theoretical in practice where it is a 20 year old (or 42 year old) brit v an 80 year old eu cit.

Its a 2 month issue. Which makes you wonder where things would be if the EU had moved a couple of months earlier with their purchasing.

Didn't Germany break rank & secure some of their own vaccine? Were they buying it for Germans or are they posting if to other nations in gift bags?

Sorry that came out much more goady than I intended it to be. But I'm just fed up of the EU acting like it is morally superior to everything else when in fact it's just a bully.

@cyclingmad

Whilst EU continue to fight, Bojo is off talking eith Johnson & Johnson about their one shot vaccine....you would think the EU would have learnt their lesson and be doing the same thing to widen the number of vaccines they have available to use....sadly they will 3 months late again.

Rinse and repeat

The eu have bought J and J. They are further behind in approving it though by the sound of it.

I do despair of the pathetic virtue signalling that has appeared on this thread.

Sending it to Malawi? Dear god.

It was a good thread until this

This thread was never going to be more than a pile of jingoistic self-congratulation at having "got one over" on Europe, with a few dissenting voices.

All I did was shake it up a bit.

Just seen in the Spanish media that The Times is reporting that UK has got supply for all year whilst they're having problems in the next 2 months... I cant see in TM whether the "enough supply" is for the top groups or for the whole population meant to be vaccinated.

And as someone has said.. is this uK's fault or EU's for not securing enough vaccines?

I'm a remainer but the EU have done themselves no favours with this.

All I did was shake it up a bit.

😆

@marbellamarc

Yes because that protects me & my loved ones in turn.

So presumably you'd want you loved ones' neighbours to be healthy so as not to spread the virus to them? It's in nobody's interest for our closest neighbours to remain "sick" much as people seem to be gleefully reveling in the thought of it so they can wave flags around. The govt understands this which is why they have paid so much for covax and declined the opportunity to rub the EUs mistakes in their faces, because behind the politics real people are dying. I mean, when Boris Johnson has more humanity than you...

@MessAllOver

I do despair of the pathetic virtue signalling that has appeared on this thread.

Sending it to Malawi? Dear god.

It was a good thread until this

This thread was never going to be more than a pile of jingoistic self-congratulation at having "got one over" on Europe, with a few dissenting voices.

All I did was shake it up a bit.

So lucky for us you did.