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

[quote MissConductUS]@3asAbird This has gotten OT and I don't want to beat it to death, but I think the newspapers you read have a very superficial understanding of Joe Biden. He's a deeply religious man with no ill will towards anyone. He's been so successful politically because he puts aside differences to work with others. He's one of the few genuinely nice people in high-level American politics. It borders on paranoia to think that he's concealing some sort of vendetta against the UK.[/quote]
Yes dident mean to derail either.
Personally I like Biden his record seems good of working cross party .
The issue i raise us usa had plenty to say about brexit yet this year EU making all sorts of threats and silence.
The UK is a small nation.
American maybe could use their power and influence to try and talk some sense into udvl and the commission.
I doubt us residents care about uk / eu to be honest in so fed up of the squabbling I thought us leaving would draw a line.
But covid coming in the middle of brexit means the 2 things are muddled for some leaders.
It not i fear just about vaccines.
Its about uk doing better outside the block.
Some have a tough anti uk sentiment.
The smear campaign around Oxford AZ been really unfortunate and political point scoring nationally.
Uk and usa had thier election recently so another 4 years.
Europe has elections this year and next so yes vaccines and being shirty to the brits macron seems think is a winner.

I don't tend to buy many British papers most of them are crap.
Lot of what I read just comes up on news feed on phone or linked here.

I hope we can work thorough this.
But our media today including our state TV BBC normally pro eu is acting like blocking vaccines is full gone conclusion.
I don't know what ratio out of 27 will vote to stop exports.

Hilarious

I am not sure I share your hilarity about the deaths of tens of thousands of people rouge

I think this will all blow over in a couple of weeks as there are so many vaccines coming onto the market, which will take the pressure of AZ but the reputation of the EU has been damaged enormously, it will take while for the EU to redeem itself.

I very much hope you are right baileys

I fear the EU have crossed a red line now. VDL is completely out of her depth, and the EU still have years more to go with her at the helm. If she has messed this up so badly, what is coming next? She doesn't suddenly become a competent diplomatic leader just because we have a few more vaccines. I fear the problems are much, much deeper than the vaccines.

I do think VDL should be sacked, whether she will or not who knows

@RougeNoirSquoval

Hilarious

People dying unnecessarily, on both sides of the channel Cross-channel relationships worsening Confidence in one of the more practical and cheap vaccines undermined Trust in the EU's respect for the rule of law diminished The prospect of a vaccine trade war diminishing supplies for everyone

No, not hilarious. None of it.

We should add the rise in popularity of Marine Le Pen on the shitlist of unintended consequences of a piss poor EU vaccine effort that made a fool of Macron.

Yes, indeed. Also pushing Eastern Europe into a closer relationship with Russia.

@Motorina

Yes, indeed. Also pushing Eastern Europe into a closer relationship with Russia.

I've read that they've annoyed russia EU has said that they might have immunity by 14th July and that they'd no need the Russian vaccine. apparently Putin hasn't liked that comment and said they're disparaging the vaccine

@NoseinBook3

What help did our political neighbours give us during our last wave?

The French closed the borders. Remember all those Lorries that couldn’t get home and were stranded? Then after that the Commission decided to trigger article 16. They rubbished the AZ vaccine too.

Lots of acts of hostility. You could send them all of the AZ supply for the U.K. and they still wouldn’t be happy. They’ve destroyed faith of the AZ vaccine in Europe for political play so who is going to want it?

I often think things would have been much different if they had simply picked up the telephone and asked for some help. It really didn’t need to be this way. The U.K. is simply being made into the scape goat for their own incompetence.

The problem with bullies is that the moment you give in they escalate their behaviour anyway.

Precisely

As so often the virtue signalling on here is nauseating, but while nobody wants others to die, anyone who thinks we'd get any thanks for an altruistic approach is scampering along the margins of the surreal. The EU doesn't negotiate in any meaningful way, far less does it "ask nicely" - it demands, and if it doesn't get its way we see the results we're witnessing right now

And how interesting that the "Let's give it away" posters never respond to the point that the EU's sitting on a stockpile of perfectly good but unused vaccines ...

Well it looks like Boris is going to offer the EU a couple of million AZ doses to keep the peace, which I do think is a good idea, I just hope they get used.

@Baileysforchristmas

Well it looks like Boris is going to offer the EU a couple of million AZ doses to keep the peace, which I do think is a good idea, I just hope they get used.

Oh my days that just seems like we been blackmailed all we can offer is az. This won't play well with 40 to 50s right now.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9387989/Boris-Johnson-call-EU-leaders-defuse-threats-blocking-Covid-vaccines.html

@Baileysforchristmas

Well it looks like Boris is going to offer the EU a couple of million AZ doses to keep the peace, which I do think is a good idea, I just hope they get used.

Can you imagne the PR boost he'd get of those confidence %s don't rise and the vaccines still sit, unused?

All in all it's a weird shit show and some politicians have done themselves, their countries and the world no favours whatsoever.

I'll say it yet again - when a politician manages to make Johnson and The Goviot look even vaguely statesmanlike you know they have fucked up!

It's a world crisis , FFS! Just do the Van Tam - gets jabs in arms!

@EasterIssland

European confidence in AstraZeneca vaccine safety sinks after blood clot scare (changes in last 2/3 weeks)

france safe 23% (-10) / unsafe 61% (+18)
italy safe 36% (-18) / unsafe 43% (+27)
Germany safe 32% (-11) / unsafe 55% (+15)
Spain safe 38% (-21) / unsafe 52% (+27)

This could end up being a far bigger problem than the current supply issues which should resolve as more vaccines come on stream.

Undermining confidence in vaccines in countries which already have relatively high vaccine hesitancy was exceptionally foolish.

Yep, absolutely it's blackmail but at least we aren't broadcasting anti-market inclinations to the world and blocking Pfizer material.

The recession that will follow this pandemic will require just as much grit and enterprise as we can muster and we could well do without shooting ourselves in the foot in advance. Open for Business needs to be our mantra.

America maybe could use their power and influence to try and talk some sense into udvl and the commission.

There was an article in the Irish Times which said that the EU had appealed to the US 'at t he highest level' to send it part of its unwanted AZ but the US said no - it is going to Canada and Mexico, their neighbours. The article also said that the US rejected the EU's criticisms of its own policy. So it read as if a message was sent.

This [vaccine confidence] could end up being a far bigger problem than the current supply issues which should resolve as more vaccines come on stream.

We learned that with the MMR vaccine. One bogus article in the Lancet and 20 years later the nutters are still going on that it causes autism. I don't know if AZ can wash away the stain at this point. The Russians have the same problem with Sputnik. Putin still hasn't had it.

The good news is that we have other vaccines available with more on the way.

Also the 'lets give it away' posters who are over 50 will still take their jab as soon as it's offered. They won't turn it down and wait until all the under 50s in the UK have been vaccinated and have theirs along with us. No, they'll take their shot and give away ours. I'd have more respect for their position if they were willing to put their money where their mouth is!

Putin is having it tomorrow
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/22/vladimir-putin-to-receive-covid-19-vaccine-on-tuesday

I can see the headlines now, the UK comes to rescue Europe again

Ah the ever-benevolent EU.

From BBC News:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-56481031

During a briefing, executive vice president at AstraZeneca, Ruud Dobber, said the UK did not receive any of its AstraZeneca vaccines or components from the EU.

Fellow executive vice president Mene Pangalos then clarified that one "tiny" batch which "hasn't been approved yet" had been sent to the UK from Halix, a plant in the Netherlands that has an agreement with AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.

Imported batches of vaccine have to be tested on arrival.

Halix was one of the University of Oxford's original partners for manufacturing the vaccine, Reuters reported.

The UK is mostly self-sufficient when it comes to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - and has ordered 100 million doses of the jab.

The EU is mainly being supplied with the AZ vaccine by the US and by a site in Belgium, the company confirmed.

[quote Baileysforchristmas]www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9387989/Boris-Johnson-call-EU-leaders-defuse-threats-blocking-Covid-vaccines.html[/quote]
Ahh don't you just love UK right wing tabloids bet they are loving this UK/ europe feud.
Sun also claiming to be in know

www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/14416930/uk-no-choice-but-to-block-vaccine-ingredients-eu-war/?utm_medium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly

Apparently todays guardian left wing media here trying dial the dispute down.

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/mar/22/coronavirus-live-news-global-covid-updates-germany-lockdown-chile-record-daily-cases

Actually enjoying the guardians covid coverage.

I think the media are speculating on how much of a stockpile halix has..
They think 5million.
We think Halix part of UK supply chain yet uk not bothered since Jan placing any orders as probably know get refused.
So if 5million which they say us just sat there waiting and we offer 2million or 2.5 mill thats extra doses we never expected to get a simply a drop in the ocean amount to what Europe needs.

Also the India situation how flexible is their potential export ban.
How much weight does the head of serum institute carry as 5million again tiny amount compared what India needs.
I see from Google he went to independent school in Canterbury then University of Westminster

The old boys network does stretch internationally.
Read before quite a few worlds leaders or royal families chose to send thier children to Britain to be educated.
Maybe Boris feels India can be persuaded as hes physically sending one if his right hand minions and hes just distinction g eu with Netherlands plant backstocks.

Looks like Ireland against export ban.
Egypt doing deal with Chinese which could see them manufacture there and send some to Africa.
Russia working on 2nd covid 19 vaccine.

I do feel sorry az ceo hes French lives in Australia .
I fear as others have said damage is done to confidence in the AZ vaccines within Europe supply a lesser issue as between then they have 12million stockpiled and modern and pfizer on tap.

Well it looks like Boris is going to offer the EU a couple of million AZ doses to keep the peace, which I do think is a good idea, I just hope they get used.

What? Why?! We’re about to experience a period of jabs shortages and we’re giving away the vaccine we do have? It looks like the EU’s bullying tactics have worked then. What is Boris thinking? I’m so disappointed by this.