Great article demonstrating why for once we should be proud of our government

[mootymoo]

(And it pains me to praise them!)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-55916020. (At 10.26)

Basically the U.K. government unlike most European governments is proactively engaging with pharmaceutical companies and offering r&d money at risk. This French company has received nothing from their own government. The EU approach has seriously failed.

I'm pro remain and actually any eu country was free to take the same approach as the U.K. but followed like sheep thinking buying power in bulk was the key factor when actually it was fast and flexible.

Bit of a stats nerd here so looking at the figures is fascinating me, sad I know

That was a bit tricky to find so I am copying and pasting the text op;

The French media is asking questions about why a French pharma firm has promised 100 million doses of its in-development Covid vaccine to the UK, when not a single order has yet been placed by France or the EU.

The Franco-Austrian Valneva - based near Nantes - has had substantial UK government financial aid of £14m to scale up its production site at Livingston in Scotland.

It also had UK help to roll out phase one and two trials of its viral vector vaccine. Results of these are due in the coming weeks and it’s hoped production could start in late summer.

Valneva director general Franck Grimaud said on BFMTV: "When we announced that we were developing our vaccine last April, we contacted several governments and institutions. It was the UK which was the first to give a comprehensive response, and we signed a pre-accord with them in July."

"It’s a failure for France. It hurts to see this beautiful business taking off for the UK," says Christelle Morancais, president of the Pays de la Loire region, who says she alerted the French government last June. "This company had solutions. [French President Emmanuel] Macron says we are at war - well in war you need different methods from our bureaucratic, technocratic form-filling."

Les Echos financial daily says: "Why has the French government not expressed interest in the Valneva project, leaving it to the British government to offer financial support and - logically therefore - reap the benefits a privileged partner?"

Anyway, yes I guess you are right, though it is difficult to be positive about them at all

I think that Hancock has done brilliantly on vaccines and made a significant global impact. Definitely had the right policy. I believe the tactic to spend on lots of things in the hope some came good was endorsed by Cummings, which goes to show even he had some redeeming skills.

However the fact remains that there are countries doing well without a vaccine, we've got the highest death rate in the world and that is partly down to spectacular leadership failures. Even now only 22% of people with symptoms are isolating and the borders are open.

This is all thanks to Kate Bingham whom I remember at the start of this was supposedly one of Boris's 'chums put in high places'.
It is unclear how Johnson came to appoint Bingham, because there was no formal process
According to the Guardian in November.

OMG -thank goodness he did - she is going to get us out of this as fast as is possible.

As much as it pains me to admit it (and I’d still never vote for them), I think they’ve done really well with the vaccine. It’s digging them out of a shit show of their own making, let’s not forget that. However, credit where credit’s due.

Yes they have done well with the roll out (contrary to all expectations and thanks to KB), however (i) still unclear whether AZ (which we've bought most of) is effective re new variants and (ii) recent reports that Pfizer is NOT effective after a single dose, calling into question the 12 week gap at least as far as Pfizer concerned. So too early for them to be patting themselves on the back to quite the extent we've seen recently!

As well as Kate Bingham's smart moves I totally support the government's policy of 'leave nothing on the table' and 'no regrets' ie offer generously to support companies producing vaccines to get the world out of this mess and don't self-recriminate over those that fail. I simply cannot understand the EU's priority of getting the cheapest possible deals - and the criticism of many people in the UK until recently for 'paying too much' by comparison.

I thought Pfizer has pretty effective 21 days after the first dose? Is that not correct?

@CrackOpenTheGin

I thought Pfizer has pretty effective 21 days after the first dose? Is that not correct?

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-delaying-second-dose-of-pfizer-jab-may-leave-elderly-at-risk-new-study-suggests-12206375

There were similar reports from Israel a couple of weeks back.

Looks like the 12 week gap works well for AZ but not for Pfizer where a 2nd dose is definitely needed.

"The Cambridge researchers tested blood samples from 26 people, 15 of them over 80, who had received one dose of the Pfizer jab against synthetic versions of both variants."

Not the most compelling study I've ever seen. I'm not saying that the Pfizer vaccine is adequately effective after one dose (I don't know either way) but I don't think this is definitive evidence that it isn't.

How does this compare with in vitro studies conducted by Pfizer during vaccine development, for example?

I just looked up who Kate Bingham is and she's related to BoJo's BIL, Ivo who is married to Rachel. I'd been looking her up (she's on home cook atm) wondered who she was married to. Guy Dawnay links them both.

The EU’s response has been incredibly poor. The MN ‘give me one fucking good reason why we should leave the EU’ brigade are awfully quiet on the coronavirus board these days.

Just skimming, I've not read the article but it was Dominic Cummings who said to follow this stragety??

Dong, this is the first time the eu have made a mistake that everyone cares about and understands.

To me this is the tip of the iceberg, they've made so many mistakes and thrown so many under the bus it's just so many understand and care about covid because it directly affects, them.

Israel and UAE are ahead of U.K. as is Bahrain in terms of rates of vaccination. USA and China far ahead in terms of numbers vaccinated.

The numbers aren’t an accurate reflection of overall success because the start dates for programmes and availability varies but the EU nations are ramping up with much higher increases in vaccination rates.

There is also the rather serious issue of not adhering to manufacturing guidance around second doses. That may come back to bite us. One legged trousers are not the best protection from the cold.

As for EU, they rescinded their mistake within 6 hours. Our government forced our biggest mistake ever through and are trying to hide the consequences through deflection. We have worse Covid19 mortality rate in the world. We have the largest recession. Peace in NI is at risk. Give is asking for an extension despite pushing Brexit through and refusing extensions earlier.
Our industry is being shafted. Fishing, small cheese makers, Norton, shellfish, farming.....all in serious difficulties because of Brexit.
No I’m still not seeing a benefit.

As for EU, they rescinded their mistake within 6 hours

So that makes instating a hard border between NI and Ireland ok then - what? Have they been asleep for the last 4 years!!!

The government have had to act fast on vaccinations seeing as we have the highest death rate in the world, due to their absolute shambles in managing the pandemic.

Credit should be given to scientists developing the vaccine and the civil servants for all their hard work, not government ministers. The fact we have a very good pharmaceutical sector is in spite of the government, not because of it.

Not to mention all the medical and admin staff onnthe ground working flat out to organise everything and get everyone in for the jabs. Also it's far too early to count our chickens yet. We've been focusing on first doses to get in some superficially impressive numbers. Whereas as Italy have more people fully protected with both parts of the vaccine. Many people may not get their second dose in time to be effective.

Lol at the UK now being worried about a hard border between Ireland and NI.

And isn't the point of Article 16 that it avoids a hard border? It places restrictions on a single item while allowing everything else to continue moving across the border as it would normally. It was wrong to trigger it, but we're hardly in a position to be throwing stones here.

@PinkyParrot

As for EU, they rescinded their mistake within 6 hours

So that makes instating a hard border between NI and Ireland ok then - what? Have they been asleep for the last 4 years!!!

No need for rudeness- although telling from a Brexiteer. Very typical of the pro Brexit to see a problem brought about by their decision and blame someone else.

Gove and Johnson pushed through a hard border and now realises it was a Cataclysmic thing so is asking for an extension to something he refused an extension at an earlier stage when they wanted to ‘Get Brexit done’.

Let’s not forget Johnson telling the world there would be no papers to fill in and to send any paperwork to him. Give obviously hasn’t told Johnson about the border in the sea yet.....

Spot on CherryRoulade - it is ridiculous to see Brexiteers latching on to the vaccine roll out as retrospective validation of their poor choice.

Gove and Johson's border is not between NI and I it is between the UK and NI
Ursula von der Leyen and her team made a seriously embarrassing decision wanting to make a vaccine hard border.

They are business people that is what they do best

It's incredible.

(Tell me Boris Johnson isn't responsible or I'll have to find a hat to eat.)

The news coming from our vaccinations programme is amazing, i’m so glad we got organised, whatever you think of our government this is good news, I’m grateful my mum and Dad have been vaccinated, one less thing to worry about.