WHO urges Britain to pause covid jabs after treating the vulnerable

[Jay2020]

Link

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/30/who-urges-britain-to-pause-covid-jabs-after-treating-vulnerable

I am beyond broken if this means we can't get to any kind of normality.

I’m so torn on this.
Morally, I think they are right. Pausing vaccinations whilst other nations catch up is the more humane thing to do. It doesn’t feel right for me to be vaccinated as a healthy 30-something before a vulnerable person in another country.

But on the other hand, other vaccine schedules not being rolled out as efficiently as ours - by a Public Health Service we all pay for - shouldn’t be cause for us to delay the whole rollout before we can start to rebuild our economy.

I can see it from both sides to be honest.

It's a careful balancing act isn't it. We could vaccinate the entire UK population but if a vaccine resistant variant emerges in another country where they are struggling to vaccinate, then we won't be protected anyway. Especially as people are so keen to travel again. Protecting us and no one else would only work if we completely close borders and keep them closed for months and maybe years to come.

@MiddlesexGirl

Did the WHO ask Germany to share out their testing capabilities when they had loads and the rest of Europe had very little?

Ooooh. That is an excellent point.

We were late to the party on testing capacity, took it on the chin and worked to solve our own problem.

The problem is the WHO lost credibility when they did the original pro China Covid Report. So nobody listens to them anymore because they are not seen as that neutral. What we really do need though is a list of countries with severe Covid outbreaks and they should be given some sort of priority allocation. Otherwise we will continuously have new variants and mutations. It isn’t about rich vs poor but about urgent need. US and U.K. have a huge Covid problem right now. I think what the WHO might be trying to get at though is that because we have had such a problem the whole population is now scared and so the politicians are incentives to vaccinate everyone, including children eventually, even if the nature of the disease doesn’t require that. But who knows if it does or doesn’t? I mean we give 2-12 year olds flu jabs to prevent the elderly dying more and the NHS being overwhelmed.

I think Perfect28 is getting an unfair thrashing here!
I just thought after I posted the above, I’ve had Covid. It was very mild and I was absolutely fine. Is it really fair for me to be vaccinated for something that didn’t even cause me to have time off work while people all over the world are dying of it??
It just feels wrong.

When did I say I'd refuse the vaccine? You asked if I would stick my arm out for a vaccine that could go to someone more vulnerable. No I wouldn't! I would have the vaccine if it was either going to go to someone in the same category as me or in the bin. If I'm required to have the vaccine then I will, happily. Don't twist my words

It's not twisting your words. Simply responding to your words. If you meant something else than the words you wrote down, then say that instead. Instead of expecting to guess what it is you're incoherently trying to say...

@tatutata

Obviously Ursula van der Leyen gave them a call for a friendly chat. Next thing you know, the vaccines will be in Germany. Not in Africa.

WHO would do better pointing to the U.K. and Australia leading the way with COVAX and questioning countries with lesser contributions. The timing is odd.

@Shelovesamystery I said want because I think the want is human nature. I didn't make a comment on the morality of it.

I've done the same things as you. I don't want the NHS to be overrun some of that is motivated by selfishness Im sure.

Did the WHO ask Germany to share out their testing capabilities when they had loads and the rest of Europe had very little?

They didn’t but perhaps they should have.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, after all.

Is it really fair for me to be vaccinated for something that didn’t even cause me to have time off work while people all over the world are dying of it??

You've forgotten the part where you (general you) could present a risk to others who can't be vaccinated. I appreciate that in your case you've already had it.

@Pyewhacket

The UK has helped to raise $1 billion for the coronavirus COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) through match-funding other donors, which combined with the £548 million of UK aid pledged will help distribute one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.

This vital investment will help stop the spread of the disease and prevent future waves, helping to build back better from coronavirus globally. The UK is using our aid budget, scientific expertise and diplomatic leverage to strengthen global health.

Exactly. And that is all funded out of taxation. If we want to continue to support COVAX, we need to ensure that we have sufficient income from future taxation, and we can only do that if we vaccinate as many of the working age population as possible.

@Chalkcheese
How do you imagine we will 'go and help others' exactly? Genuinely interested. Wouldn't sharing vaccines be helping others?

I honestly wonder how you would all feel if the tables were turned? If we were the misfortunate ones? I imagine you would have slightly different opinions somehow.

I lost a relative to covid in a care home, it was April & the staff didn't have enough PPE. Who knows if it might have saved them.

@Perfect28 you've misunderstood my post somewhat.

I'm suggesting that all those who spent the last year calling others selfish for daring to look after their own needs should at least admit that they're just as selfish in their sharp-elbowed dash to the front of the global vaccine queue.

After months of being bashed globally for the crap job we have done at handling covid we are finally doing an excellent job with vaccinations (and contributing significantly to Covid). I think we should vaccinate all adults here then look to support other nations.

Interesting that the BBC headlines this story. Anything to imply we’re crap.

As pp said, much better of WHO to praise those doing a good job, rather than be mealy-mouthed and resentful about it.

Nah sorry.

On paper I might be 'not vulnerable', other than a few points overweight, but not everyone is aware of any Health conditions they have - huge percentage of people have heart issues, for example, that only become apparent when they drop dead.

My best friend is in her 30s. Healthy. Had two weeks of barely being able to move abs almost had to have her child fostered out because she was incapable of looking after them. She is now four weeks on and still unable to work, is at risk of falling behind in bills and can't play properly with her child.

Fuck that.

@Blackberrycream yes exactly - it's the timing that makes me smell a rat.

@Wherediditgo

Did the WHO ask Germany to share out their testing capabilities when they had loads and the rest of Europe had very little?

They didn’t but perhaps they should have.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, after all.

They did share their labs, UK tests were sent to German and Italian labs in September when the UK labs had a huge backlog.

Do some realise not all the vulnerable can be vaccinated , don't we have vaccinations to also protect others in many cases .
There is no way a goverment would say now they are stopping at say under 50's , not until they can prove that its safe by then and numbers are down and the vaccines are doing what we want.
It will be a lot easier to say to people if life is getting back to normal , deaths are lower and hospitals are coping that they are going to review.
We are months from this though.

The responses here are really interesting and remind me of the recent trolley problem thread.

Who here can honestly say that, if there was a choice of all of their immediate family (including DC) being killed or the entire population of another country being wiped out in some freak accident, they would choose the former?

@HettieMills

When did I say I'd refuse the vaccine? You asked if I would stick my arm out for a vaccine that could go to someone more vulnerable. No I wouldn't! I would have the vaccine if it was either going to go to someone in the same category as me or in the bin. If I'm required to have the vaccine then I will, happily. Don't twist my words

It's not twisting your words. Simply responding to your words. If you meant something else than the words you wrote down, then say that instead. Instead of expecting to guess what it is you're incoherently trying to say...

I think what you meant to write there is

"Sorry, I didn't realise what you meant, I shouldn't have assumed that you're a vaccine refuser and told you that me and my front line colleagues would be fucked off with you if we have to treat you"

But I guess you're a bit too stubborn and reluctant to admit when you're wrong for that? You twisted my words!

[quote MaxNormal]@Perfect28 you've misunderstood my post somewhat.

I'm suggesting that all those who spent the last year calling others selfish for daring to look after their own needs should at least admit that they're just as selfish in their sharp-elbowed dash to the front of the global vaccine queue.[/quote]
It was entirely predictable. People are worried about people they know, not some granny in Addis, and they always have been - it lends the lie to all the bollocks about community spirit. Human nature is selfish. Doesn't mean we can't try, but recognising our flaws would be a good start, and would prevent some of the cruel finger pointing. He who is without sin etc....

@Perfect28

Well, if we have a vaccinated work force making vaccines, our forces are not needed at home so are available to handle logistics not to mention the military doctors and nurses, if our trained vaccinators are free to travel abroad (and without fear of contracting the virus) and we have the Money to fund it, we could be doing every step of the vaccine process in other counties. We can also donate surplus vaccines.

Also, the better funded our own vaccination programmes are, the more research we will be funding for better more effective vaccines, vaccines that might work if there are new strains, and the more money we have to fund vaccines for others.

The BBC has gone mad. We’re global baddies for our vaccination programme, and alongside that on the website, “I felt violated when my depop account was hacked”.

Well, I feel violated by the hypocrisy of the WHO.