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EU threatening to cut off supply of vaccines to UK

999 replies

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 17/03/2021 13:24

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

OP posts:
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buffyp · 17/03/2021 14:03

@notrub

Still find it amazing how easily simpletons can be made to jump to a newspaper editor's tune.
Always a way to win a debate. By name calling
Marmaladeagain · 17/03/2021 14:06

yes the argument - "can't believe you believe that" you simpletons."

Yes wonder where they get their "facts" from - is it Twitter, or does Macron ring them up in person to tell them the latest updates? Not sure how they find the time to MN, what with all the world's news coming direct to them from the horse's mouths.

Explanation: we don't get it from one article, it's a range of sources and our own reading of events. Hope that helps clear up your "misunderstanding" that people "fall" for headlines.

mumsneedwine · 17/03/2021 14:06

Well VDL off again. Talking about bans and no exporting of vaccines. She really needs to check where the ingredients come from. It's an international chain and she can't get them made if she can't get the stuff. She is dangerous and could end up responsible for more deaths than Boris's idiotic decisions. No manufacturing - no one gets any vaccines. Stupid stupid stupid.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 17/03/2021 14:13

*I was under impression that all the Irish vaccine doses were UK exports.

"As of March 13th, a total of 451,589 people in the Republic of Ireland had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 164,345 had received their second dose."

Gee, so the UK has been very generous! A good 0.6 million there.

...Oh no, sorry, got that wrong. Seems like the Irish doses are coming straight from EU. UK not exporting after all.*

You know that ROI is an EU country right? So it would make sense that their vaccines are coming from the EU.

I'm not really sure what your point is. Several posters have said there's no data in what the UK have exported. It doesn't mean we haven't exported any. You yourself have said you can't find any data, yet you keep attempting to bash us over the head with your faux humour posting style.

Any exports being done so far are down to the companies (who had a contract 1st etc) not government's. The issue now is whether the EU and maybe USA will refuse to allow exports.

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LexMitior · 17/03/2021 14:13

@Lockheart

Don't be daft. Lots of our vaccines come from India or within the UK, the EU has no ability to "cut off" supplies.
They can’t. They can’t use vaccine that hasn’t been licensed for them. They would be placing a ban on vaccine they haven’t made yet!

Britain has its own chains of supply. It is the EU who doesn’t.

Parky04 · 17/03/2021 14:14

@ILookAtTheFloor

I've got my 2nd Pfizer on 19th April and I'm getting increasingly worried it won't happen!
I believe we have stockpiled to ensure all 2nd vaccines can happen. Our local vaccination Centre hasn't used Pfizer for quite a while.
FedUpAtHomeTroels · 17/03/2021 14:16

@Myalternate

Remember, it's not political...apparently.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and all that. They are turning out to be quite the bullies.
sneakysnoopysniper · 17/03/2021 14:17

Im glad we got out of this nest of vipers just in time. I foresee the EU imploding within 20 years.

LexMitior · 17/03/2021 14:17

@Alwaysandforeverhere

Does it matter how many each country has exported? The country themselves did not make the vaccine a company with contracts to honour to whoever made them in a factory there. The country does not own the vaccine the company does.

All this does is show that companies with factories exporting from the EU are not safe to order from because the EU will decide to just take and keep what they want regardless of if it belongs to them or someone else.

I think you will find that said companies are cutting out production in the EU for that reason. The supply chains for this vaccine will not engage more with the EU due to that.
Marmaladeagain · 17/03/2021 14:18

Yes, in my view - Pfizer 2nd supplies are in hand already - so Macron's plans to scare and scupper do make him look even more daft

FourTeaFallOut · 17/03/2021 14:19

I believe we have stockpiled to ensure all 2nd vaccines can happen. Our local vaccination Centre hasn't used Pfizer for quite a while

I hope this is the case. This isn't exactly a bolt out of the blue. Surely they have a back log for second doses?

Rosehip10 · 17/03/2021 14:19

Merkel acts like a dictator.

JS87 · 17/03/2021 14:21

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady

And from that quote itooks like she is throwing her toys out of the pram because she's not getting enough AZ supply coming from the UK

But since a lot of countries have banned it/refuse to use it on over 65s why does it matter?

Quite. I don't understand it at all. She is complaining we aren't shipping them enough AZ yet they don't want to use it at the moment anyway!
Marmaladeagain · 17/03/2021 14:23

I think first dose of Pfizer vaccines were given with second dose in mind already available.

TBH - what happened was when preparing last year our Gov thought Trump might be acting like a dick over things and planned a certain way to counter supply issues like this occurring. Turns out it's the EU acting like dicks, however I think they possibly thought that was a potential outcome too, hence I'm not worried about my 2nd dose of Pfizer in mid April.

Sorry Macron, you're still not scaring us.

GreyHairedGardener · 17/03/2021 14:23

The reason the UK has had the largest proportion of vaccines exported from the EU, is because the UK ordered a shitload of vaccines ahead of other countries. For once the UK did the right thing and it's vaccine procurement strategy has been spot on. Well doneGrin

Marmaladeagain · 17/03/2021 14:26

it's not just about ordering them though, it's investing heavily in research and development and then production. That's the difference between how the UK and EU approached it. They dithered and went for a better price that doesn't involve smoothing out early production issues.

So it's about development and production investment, rather than just how many we ordered.

notimagain · 17/03/2021 14:28

Here we go again.....EU/those living there variously described as "wankers" and twats"...some of you folks really need to go on an anger management course...what next? "two world wars and one world cup"........very grown up.

Many of us in Europe acknowledge the UK has done a great job on the the vaccination program, other things, not so much but getting jabs into arms - good job..... The EU nation states haven't done anything like as well with their vaccination programs and the politicians will have to answer for that.

Trying to conflate all of this with Brexit, claiming it's a "win" TBH shows an utter lack of understanding of how the EU and the nations in it work...

But keep up the good work with the vaccines.

alreadytaken · 17/03/2021 14:29

The companies based in the EU, NOT the EU, have exported a lot of vaccines because the EU didnt place early orders and other countries did. I wonder where the profits made by those drug companies are going?

The main vaccine currently made in the UK is Astra Zeneca's vaccine. They set up plants in companies around the world to make vaccine on a not for profit basis for all the world. There was no plan to export masses of vaccines because it shouldnt have been necessary. The plants here were not designed to supply the EU and are incapable of making up the EU shortfall.

Unfortunately the EU wanted to squeeze costs and when you try to squeeze costs on a not for profit you get things like less experienced staff, plant that maybe is not of the same quality, you have to source cheaper materials. Sometimes you get away with it but vaccines are biological things and sometimes output is less than you wanted. I'm sure AZ - and every other drug company - will be more reluctant to invest in the EU from here on in.

Britain has sent vaccines to these countries

Ascension Island: deliveries began 15 February
Anguilla: deliveries began 4 February
Bermuda: deliveries began 8 January.
British Virgin Islands: deliveries began 4 February
Cayman Islands: deliveries began 5 January
Falkland Islands: deliveries began 1 February
Gibraltar: deliveries began 9 January
Montserrat: deliveries began 3 February
Pitcairn Islands: delivery being arranged
St Helena: deliveries began 11 January
Tristan da Cunha: delivery being arranged
Turks and Caicos Islands: deliveries began 7 January

and to Guernsey and maybe Jersey and Sark. Gibraltar will offer to vaccinate Spaniards working there.

The EU shot itself in one foot with it's incompetence in ordering vaccines, it shot itself in the other foot by threatening to ban exports and now it's shooting into its feet again with scaremongering and more threats.

Where are the profits of the EU based manufacturers going?

Itsalonghaul · 17/03/2021 14:36

I can't believe she is making the same mistake again!

Honestly, WTAH. Last time VDL had to row back and apologise for her mistake, and yet here we are a few weeks later and here she is back with swinging another threatening axe around at the international community. It didn't work last time, so they attempted to discredit AZ, then they took the begging bowl to US and they turned them down flat. Now she is back to threatening again.

All this for AZ vaccine that many of the countries have suspended anyway!!!!!!

Can you even make this up? Confused

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 17/03/2021 14:36

@notimagain

I was referring to the EU politicians as wankers, and I often refer to UK politicians as wankers.

Politicians, by an large, occasionally act like wankers.

I actually feel very sorry for EU citizens at the moment (and have never referred to them as wankers). I think they are being screwed over by their own leaders.

Oh and I think it's worth pointing out that not one single person on this thread l, or any other I've seen has mentioned anything to do with world wars or football...until you did!

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Callixte · 17/03/2021 14:37

They're threatening to stop supply to USA too.

This isn't correct. She said: "With the U.S. the reciprocity is given... There is a seamless flow back and forth of pre-products and raw materials and drug substance. We are still waiting for doses to come from the UK, so this is an invitation to show us that there are also doses from the UK coming to the European Union so that we have reciprocity."

She also - in answer to a direct question from the press - refused to rule out ever using emergency powers from Article 122 to seize production and suspend intellectual property rights for the vaccine(s). Which was the only way she could answer the question, as the EU has used these emergency powers before.

You can watch the full thing here: www.euronews.com/2021/03/17/european-commission-presents-plans-for-green-pass-for-freedom-of-travel-within-bloc

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/03/2021 14:38

Are they going to threaten to interfere with the Irish border again, or have they got over that one?? Wink

Itsalonghaul · 17/03/2021 14:39

The European Union has threatened to restrict vaccine exports to the UK to "make sure Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible".

Speaking on Wednesday Ursula von der Leyen, head of the bloc's executive arm, said "all options are on the table" to boost the EU's stuttering immunisation campaign, including moves to halt exports to countries which "have higher vaccination rates than us", including the UK.

Mrs von der Leyen suggested she wants EU leaders to discuss triggering Article 122, a clause used by Brussels once previously, during in the oil crisis in the 1970s. This would allow the EU to seize factories, waiving intellectual property and patents and impose export bans.

Itsalonghaul · 17/03/2021 14:43

So do we assume that Oxford AZ is going to restart tomorrow?
I think we can safely that is a given now she is back to bullying her neighbours again. What happened to the suspension?

They have a stockpile of 14.8 million AZ doses, of which only 7 million have been used, so perhaps they should just start to use the ones they have, start to vaccinate and see how they get on, rather than coming out with this aggressive and hostile announcement.

Maybe the lockdown has got to some people more than others. This seems bizarre and extremely damaging to the EU brand.