EU threatening to cut off supply of vaccines to UK

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

Because they've not got enough apparently (despite the fact that they've got a shit load of AZ stockpiled because they've mostly stopped using it)

This is really starting to piss me off now, and has someone who is due 2nd Pfizer jab in 8 weeks in starting to worry I won't get it!

They're threatening to stop supply to USA too.

Wankers

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ursula-von-der-leyen-threatens-cut-off-covid-exports-uk-b924652.html

@MythicalBiologicalFennel

Also when did people come 'remainders' as opposed to 'remainers'

I've noticed it seems to be the mark of a certain kind of poster IYSWIM

Do you mean one who doesn't reread their post to see if autocorrect has made any bloopers?

@itsalonghaul
The European press is not generally criticising Britain for keeping its vaccine, they are blaming the commission, who are clearly trying to pass off blame.
There is a massive anti vax movement in Italy and France. I think a lot of the caution is political in that sense, wanting to show caution so as to avoid conspiracy theories of cover ups.
The AZ thromboses have been reported in all the European press today as most likely being a specific type of cranial thrombosis, not thromboses in general, which is indeed caused as a side effect of an antibody being produced after being vaccinated, which they are hoping can be controlled with antiglobulin. It is however extremely rare, and therefore deemed "worth the risk". This has been widely reported everywhere except the BBC website for some reason.

m.bild.de/politik/international/politik-inland/with-this-letter-by-jens-spahn-the-vaccine-disaster-in-the-eu-begann-74736986,view=amp.bildMobile.html?__twitter_impression=true

Thanks truely.... in return

www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/l-ue-menace-de-bloquer-les-exportations-d-astrazeneca-si-les-livraisons-prevues-ne-sont-pas-effectuees-20210320

Hopefully the comments section alone will persuade the likes of itsalonghaul that they are mistaken if they think the "the europeans" aren't expressing displeasure or engaging in discussion about the role of the commission ..in fact in places the comments section almost reads like it could be from the "Courrier quotidien"

The commissioner always reminds me of star wars. She just needs a dark hooded cloak

Merkel is getting a lot of flak about her vaccine buying decisions. Her party recently lost a local election and they need to be seen to take hold of the situation. Other countries leaders are under similar scrutiny. I can't decide if they are wanting to be seen to be taking action or if they actually are going to try and stop exports. Diverting the blame a bit is obviously helpful too. Boris would definitely try that one himself.

@Dongdingdong

The variant 1st discovered in Kent! There corrected that for you.......

This. And what a coincidence that it was discovered in Kent - the nearest point in the UK to... the EU.

The new victim of it is Papua New Guinea who have a COVID surge. Australia is trying to help by donating AZ vaccine but of course their 1million dose order was seized by Italy/the EU - who haven't answered their request for it to be sent to PNG. They've appealed to AZ directly now.

Appalling.

Yet its only now that the EU is experiencing the uk variant of CV.... weeks after it swept through the UK.... it started here because we allowed CV to run riot.

Italy is going through a CV surge that is worse than last March.... as is Poland, Germany, France - everyday '000s die in mainland europe, ours was 95 yesterday.

So why aren't you wanting UK AZ doses to go to PNG ? but expect a country experiencing an horrific outbreak to forego its vaccine instead.

plum The BBC do not need to cover the obvious (ie that the AZ vaccine is safe and that the clots are in line with normal expectations for the size of the population)

The BBC have spent all week covering the subject at length - mainly to reassure the British that the vaccine is actually safe. So just because it has finally dawned on the EU that the AZ is safe after all, that is not news here!
(In fact, most of us believe that the EU decision to suspend was purely political, given they did not suspend Pjizer - despite more clots being present)

jasjas Because Australia ordered them from AZ perhaps? And Az are fulfilling their orders in line with their contracts, and Australia are entitled to have what they ordered, and to use the vaccines however they see fit!

There seems to be some great confusion from the EU understanding that just because something (ie the vaccine) is produced on the continent by a private company does mean it is 'state owned' and can be seized at will, regardless of the size of the covid outbreak. Global trade simply does not work like that.

The EU is not China, with everything controlled by the state, the EU is SUPPOSED to be a free trade and business friendly economic area that supports private companies and business. Crisis or no crisis you don't just abandon the rule of law because you screwed up your contracts!

Seriously can you at least not see how dangerous that is jas?

Itsalonghaul

Nope, what i see as dangerous is a 3rd wave sweeping through europe, killing 10s of 000s of people, whilst the UK sits back smugly and says how well we've done (which we have of course)

That could see a variant that is immune to current vaccines and highly transmissible... back to square 1 :(

Oddly, we are treating India completely differently, even more bizarre is that the EU have just threatened a ban, India is doing it..... yet no criticism, just understanding......

The EU need to get vaccines in people’s arms not in fridges, they should be concentrating on putting faith back into AZ, then concentrate on getting vaccines made quicker in the EU

Nope treating India differently is not odd. India had similar contracts to us so it's not breaking any contracts and we had a similar (belated just order vaccines don't stump up for development, facilities, supply chains etc) contract with them as France has with az.

No reason for us to berate India and no reason for France to berate us.

They could of course ask for help and try diplomatic channels but have instead chosen to play war style politics at the expense of their own citizens

Why is it important for EU to get more AZ when they have extra sitting there unused?

Also agree with this -

Nope treating India differently is not odd. India had similar contracts to us so it's not breaking any contracts and we had a similar (belated just order vaccines don't stump up for development, facilities, supply chains etc) contract with them as France has with az.

No reason for us to berate India and no reason for France to berate us.

jas Unlike the EU commission the UK does its talking in private, which is precisely what is happening with India.

You won't see any minister berating India for delaying the shipments, what you will see is diplomacy, which is the one thing the EU have failed to do on numerous occasions.
Deranged, ill considered threatening public announcements are futile as VDL has shown us all (and Kim Jong-un among others)

I understand why you are worried being based in Italy, but you need to stop with the anger and direct it towards the people that are responsible for the shambles - mainly the EU commission and your own government.

We are rightly very proud of not just the taskforce that did a great job signing the right contracts. Also for producing a world class vaccine at cost price that does not need specialist storage so it can be used in very poor countries and world wide. Not forgetting the rollout and organisation here really has been breath taking and brilliant.

It is very difficult not to get a lump in your throat when you see how the country has pulled together, the volunteers giving up their time, the doctors working around the clock, the whole thing has been a total success thank god. To deprive us of this moment when things have come together, after such a horrendous first and second wave and 125,000 dead is really mean spirited of you. Maybe the suffering actually served to help us understand the importance of speed and efficiency. If you want to be cross, be cross with the people that have let you down, not us.

Oddly, we are treating India completely differently, even more bizarre is that the EU have just threatened a ban, India is doing it..... yet no criticism, just understanding

We were never meant to get vaccines from India........that's the difference.

The EU are trying to take the vaccines that are made in the UK, for the UK people. If they get their way then we will have no AZ vaccine at all.

But that's what you seem to want? Habe you been vaccinated? Or did you say- no don't vaccinate me, someone in EU needs it more?

You can’t just seize privately owned products from a company. If you did that in Tesco you would be arrested for stealing.

I don’t understand why that’s so tricky to understand.

My friend is in France. The situation is apparently utterly toxic over there as they are angry seeing that Brexit seems to be working from the U.K. when they were promised by Macron it wouldn't and we would suffer. All rubbish anyway given that no EU country had to job. The vaccine procurement scheme although I suppose they would have been pressured if they hadn't. Obviously the anger is also about not seeing any way out of it until the autumn as the rhetoric as been so anti AZ vaccine that many won't have it so hence the reserves unused.

I wouldn't be surprised if they cut supplies to the U.K. but not the USA..not wanting to fall out with Biden. However, many of our supplies are made in the U.K. but packaged in Belgium so not straightforward. Also a lot of the raw Ingredients come from the U.K. so if it really descended into this we could actually just cut off the means of making them..particularly apples to Pfizer.

No good will come out if it and apparently some cooler heads in the commission are urging caution....they just won't admit that it was a shit procurement process and a rubbish ck tract with AZ as AZ simply couldn't not sign up to cast iron deliveries

I think that we should all be sharing supplies , that said it is pointless to share with a country that has stockpiled and refusing to use them

It think we are looking for work around to reduce dependency outside the country to manage the fill and finish element of the vaccine production.

I read this in the telegraph this morning.

"The Government is also working with Wockhardt, one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the UK, to provide ‘fill and finish’ services as part of the effort to accelerate vaccine manufacturing in the UK."

So hopefully we can move quickly on that.
As an aside, apparently the VMIC centre in Oxfordshire will be complete by October - so hopefully we will be far more self sufficient for our vaccine supplies at that point.

My understanding about the eu orders.
Is because they all unilaterally joined the scheme they couldn't vote extra purchases from supplies eu already had contracts with.
Germany, France and Italy could do deal without Russia or China and get theirs fairly. quickly but neither has EMA approval
I did read the issue with Russian one is not so much safety its stating to get peer reviews and trials.
Politically feels difficult but Russians don't seem have the pharmaceutical manufacturing capability to make large quantities fast.
I know Italy has said to Russia they can make the vaccines there.
Germany is surprising given its history considerin Russia occupied East Germany.
Think Merkel herself grew up in the East and speaks Russian.
But in recent years under putin we have seen poisonings and Russian hacking and trying to destabilise elections and referendum even.
Its quite possible Russia want to to destabilise Europe.

I think each member state gets allocated vaccines based in thier size.
As each member state right now some worse than others why can't the 27 member states send thier vaccines to worst affected member states?
As its been said before some sat on a lot of vaccines.
Thought Oxford az only had a short 6months shelf life.

India appears be additional orders for UK wasn't part of original plan.
Now Biden has said he help Canada and Mexico I think uk if eu did total export ban would help Australia and new Zealand.
We have already sent vaccines to British territories and I think we would help Ireland

The issue EU have is with AZ
So dragging pfizer into this is bonkers daily mail said if croda blocked raw ingredients from uk then within weeks no more pfizer vaccines able to be produced.
Daily mail was wrong about moderna yes its made in Switzerland but think bottled in Spain.
J and j will be made in Switzerland but bottled in USA.
Clearly Biden sees future issue hence why he's giving to Canada and Mexico bow which makes logical sense and how it should have been.
I don't know how quick pfizer could maybe move production and packaging outside of Europe.
Moderna just needs to find a new bottling plant outside EU as Switzerland is outside EU.

We know the UK task force sent a team to halix in Netherlands.
So baffled how much they producing and for who?
Why haven't ema authorised and vaccines coming from there why only 1 factory in Belgium.

Theres been no updated new if EU signed contracts with valneva or norovax they had not in jan.
Wonder how soon curevac Germany will be ready if Sanofi behind.
Why doesn't macron like French company valneva?
The EU are banking on extra moderne and pfizer being produced but mostly janson.
But janson already indicated delays and quantity revised downwards so they won't be able meet eu full orders by end of quarter 2 end June.
I can't see them getting any significant volume until quarter 3 or 4 so autumn/ winter.

Its scary someone can act so dangerously erratic and not be removed.
Australia are publicly being patient and diplomatic.

Hopefully if the export ban means the member state then the eu sign off will go in favour or can EU over rule the state.
As Belgium and the Netherlands will damage thier own economy if they did such a thing

After rubbishing the AZ vaccine for months and months, there seems very little point in VDL strong arming more supply, as they simply be left unused and be thrown out. The EU have successfully killed all trust in the vaccine now in the member states and have no chance of earning it back, after so many U turns and mixed messaging.

This is no longer about AZ, but about the abuse of power at the top of the EU and now they are damaging and killing their own people.

This is no longer about AZ, but about the abuse of power at the top of the EU and now they are damaging and killing their own people.

This ^^

Another thing that the EU might want to be careful about, before they ban exports of the AZ vaccine - every Pfizer box of vaccines goes out with a temperature and location sensor in it, to make sure the surrounding temperature is not too hot or too cold. If the sensor says the batch has the wrong temperature whilst being transported, it gets dumped. And every single one of those utterly essential sensors, in the whole world, is made in - England.

I know this, because they're a local copany.

This is no longer about AZ, but about the abuse of power at the top of the EU and now they are damaging and killing their own people

What absolute rubbish.

@Umbivalent

Another thing that the EU might want to be careful about, before they ban exports of the AZ vaccine - every Pfizer box of vaccines goes out with a temperature and location sensor in it, to make sure the surrounding temperature is not too hot or too cold. If the sensor says the batch has the wrong temperature whilst being transported, it gets dumped. And every single one of those utterly essential sensors, in the whole world, is made in - England.

I know this, because they're a local copany.

Do you want another european war?

what do you think would happen in a tit for tat exchange? Calais would be blocked....energy cut off.... then what?