There's another vaccine! And we've got 60 million shots! And it's made here!

[HelloThereMeHearties]

And it's effective against the new UK variant!

And it will really wind the EU up!!!

Novavax has passed its stage three trial, now hopefully the MHRA will approve it!!!

Well this is the problem Avon, the tides out and this fiasco is showing who is wears clothes.

I've got relatives in the eu who were incredulous over brexit.... Scathing but I'm telling you now, one is ELDERY and waiting for a jab that's been administered here, to their age group.

It brings things into sharp focus when your own life is at risk and that of your families.

Obviously I don’t know the specifics of this but Brexit or not wouldn’t it be morally right for vaccines to be shared once all vulnerable UK citizens are vaccinated? Would it really harm the UK’s vaccination drive if some were diverted to the EU temporarily. (Just as some were diverted from the EU to the UK before Christmas)?

I think certain comments from the EU officials have been awful but that doesn’t mean that EU citizens should needlessly suffer. Maybe I am being naive but think this point scoring by both the EU and UK is no good to anyone.

Ah it's all down to the fish.

We all just want fair play, and I reckon a side deal was done with our precious Oxford vaccine that is produced in India and elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, am delighted to see the roll out of vaccines is so successful.

At last something to be proud of.

We're not scoring any points! We're just getting on with our vaccination programme!

I'm reading it's only 50% against South Africa variant, so small amount of caution.

@Avondklok

The shitshow is the U.K. at the moment with its awful death toll. You know there are sovereign countries in EU which each have their own rules.

Well that's a question to our planning regulators in the UK for the constant building on top of already overpopulated areas. We are literally cramming people into extremely densely populated housing. There needs to be a huge investigation into the way housing developments are built. Grenfell pointed out major inadequacies and this pandemic is highlighting the serious situation with population density. We far exceed our European neighbours on this.

Great news! Let this be the first of a bunch of good news, (about covid and lockdown,) because I am sick of having great news one day, and then shitty news the next. Feels like we are going 2 steps forward and 3 steps back all the time.

Isn't this new one a single dose vaccine too. One shot and you're covered!

@PenguinIce No way, the UK is a mess re covid and the best way out to to vaccinate whole population ASAP. Let the EU sort out countries in it - I suspect they won't - see Germany ordering its own vaccine supply outside the crap EU procurement.

I'd like my government, that I've voted for to make sure myself and my fellow citizens are sorted out first so we can resume education, and our lives.. Then once our situation is under control, remembering how awful its been, we can roll it out to others in need like Malawi..

@DrMadelineMaxwell

Isn't this new one a single dose vaccine too. One shot and you're covered!

No that's the J&J one, so we can jab 30 million people with the Novavax. Not too shabby

@Justthebeerlighttoguide

Agree choc, I don't think it was coincidence either!

You didn't even know that the variant was in the EU 2 minutes ago and now you think it originated in France?

Given the case spread it seems unlikely and there is no evidence that it did, although it doesn't really matter where case zero originated. It's in everyone's interest, UK, EU and the rest of the world to vaccinate their populations asap, particularly given the rise of new variants.

[quote Rosehip10]@PenguinIce No way, the UK is a mess re covid and the best way out to to vaccinate whole population ASAP. Let the EU sort out countries in it - I suspect they won't - see Germany ordering its own vaccine supply outside the crap EU procurement.[/quote]
Yes, what happened to all the EU solidarity there then...

@PenguinIce Germany at least has made it clear that it doesn't want Oxford for its elderly and vulnerable. Given we are still vaccinating the 75+ cohort (and virtually none of them have had a second dose) why should we divert vaccine from that group to be used for first and second doses in under 65s?

Once our population has been vaccinated then, of course, excess doses should be shared. Stockpiling doses we do not need would be appalling. But my preference would be for them to go to the developing world, who cannot afford to buy them, not to the EU, who can. I could see an argument for diverting to the ROI, because of the common land border, but not other than that.

@Avondklok

Everyone is framing this in EU vs U.K light which is not accurate. The EU are not throwing their toys out. they have a contract and have invested money in U.K. manufacturing which has allowed U.K. to get their vaccines. When the EU wants their vaccines AZ are now breaching the contract.

I'm wondering if you live in an EU nation by any chance?

It’s great that we have the vaccines. Fabulous, but it’s not making any difference to our death rates is it? It’s still one of the worst in the world. All this crowing about how great we are, but it’s a shit show still and I am amazed that no one seems that outraged by all this needless loss.

X post motorina, I want spares doses going to the poorest countries and our expertise....

Boris and others constantly mentioning at news briefings how the UK is vaccinating quicker than other European Countries is definitely point scoring! Just like the slides last year that showed death rates of various Countries that disappeared once the UKs death toll rose to near the top!

I am hoping and praying the vaccination drive is a success but think caution is needed and there is no need to make enemies out of others if it can be avoided.

I do honestly despair at the fucking Brexit attitudes, "It's our vaccine, the rest of you can fuck off." The Pfizer one is not British so let's hope sufficient manufacturing ability is in place for the second doses and there are no issues with production in U.K. And any delays in the vaccination programme in EU will just keep all the borders shut longer and let Covid propagate more as it does not stop transmission.

@feelingverylazytoday

It will really wind the EU up Really? Bit of a childish reaction. People in the EU deserve to be protected against this horrible virus as much as British people do. It's not a competition.

Totally. Someone's bitter

It's the EU that people should be angry at

Why? Because the mass media are trying to rile us up over a non-event. It's a tedious contract dispute/political hot air and the press is trying (and clearly succeeding) to get people frothing over how horrible the big bad EU is.

Quite. AZ have contractual obligations and that's it.

Totally. Someone's bitter hmm

Bitter about how the EU has made this a UK issue? Yes totally @Whatflavourjellybabyisnice. Bitter about how well we're getting on very well with our vaccine programme in the UK? Not at all.

And, notwithstanding that EU citizens are suffering because of this shit show, delighted that more people are having their eyes opened to the way the EU operates.

@Justthebeerlighttoguide

Has the new Kent variant made it to the eu yet?.

Since Kent is the county nearest to mainland Europe, home to the port of Dover, and is also where the Channel Tunnel emerges, it wouldn't surprise me if it arrived here from the EU in the first place.

It’s great news about the new vaccine , although worrying that it’s only 50 % effective against the South African variant. But the comment about winding the EU up is very unpleasant. I want people in the U.K. to be vaccinated as soon as possible but take no pleasure that there might be other places where there are supply issues. And why would the government in those countries not try to sort that out .
We could all be vaccinated in the U.K. but until the rest of the world is vaccinated the pandemic won’t be over.