Vaccine supply about to significantly reduce

[DareIask]

Looks like Europe may have got their way

I also think the very pro EU, not massive fans of UK , bit talk a lot about us, whilst saying how bad our press is (ok that bit is justified) like O'Leary really should start turning their attention to the US. Its the US that is the problem here. Why is everyone to scared to say it?

The problem is, VDL is piss poor at her job and that is very clear from her handling if these situations.

Must be a terrible frustration to someone as competent and organised as Boris Johnson, I admit.

With regards to NL manufacturing site, my understanding is that it was initially contracted with OX before AZ came on board and before OX realised that they would really need to convert to larger scale manufacturing to be able to meet demand (that was successful).
I understand the conversion was maybe announced late last year. Prior to that it was only to distribute to the UK.

It may explain why its not approved yet if there have been issues

Also it may be that if deliveries came from there previously they were manufactured at an earlier date and there had been no EU money invested.

I understand why people really want to have the security of the vaccine sooner, but I think at least the UK have vaccinated nine of the most vulnerable groups. Many many countries are nowhere near that.

So if there are issues in raw materials and supply, at the very least we know we can end the lockdown, yes we will still need to be careful, and maybe it won't be party central this summer, but we should be able to at least enjoy a decent and healthy summer if we are careful. We are not facing another wave, and are unlikely to any time soon.

A sense of perspective is important, it is a short delay thats all. We are doing so very well, at this stage I think we need to be thankful that we are up to nearly 27 million and counting, and the people that have been vaccinated are by the far the most likely to die/be seriously ill/need hospital treatment.

I can't help wondering if we were offered by the Government as guinea pigs to mass test the new vaccines. That might explain why we were given access so quickly to all of them.

Now they've tested them on humans, the vaccines are harder to come by.

Must be a terrible frustration to someone as competent and organised as Boris Johnson, I admit.

We're not talking about BJ here............

I can't help wondering if we were offered by the Government as guinea pigs to mass test the new vaccines. That might explain why we were given access so quickly to all of them.

No, we have access because we ordered on time.

Vaccines are not tested on the population, the tests are done prior to their approval by the medical authorities.

tanith If that were true no one touch a vaccine for another ten or twenty years and would want to see the long term results.

@middleager
Can't you see our experiences are different?

Yes, I can, and I acknowledged that in my post and can understand your concerns. But it is not a given that you will catch Covid, you haven't to date although it must be worrying that it came so close. And 80% of your DC's secondary school haven't caught it (or did so but were unaware of it).

I would really step away from watching all the rates and trying to second guess vaccine dates. The original dates still stand and the fact that the roll out was ahead of schedule should benefit all of us in terms of community spread compared to last Autumn. If nothing else, the constant stress will not be helping your immune system!

@Tanith

I can't help wondering if we were offered by the Government as guinea pigs to mass test the new vaccines. That might explain why we were given access so quickly to all of them.

Now they've tested them on humans, the vaccines are harder to come by.

Offered to who?

What is the 12 week Pfizer second dose regimen that's never been done before if not an experiment?

I think its quite clear that the EU are saying to J&J, we will destroy your reputation too if you do not deliver to us.

If they are saying that to J&J then they really are doing their job badly!!!

It is a legal ban signed off by President Biden. J&J can not export illegally.

I would hope the EU were directing their point in the correct direction...

[quote Unmellowbirds]@middleager
Can't you see our experiences are different?

Yes, I can, and I acknowledged that in my post and can understand your concerns. But it is not a given that you will catch Covid, you haven't to date although it must be worrying that it came so close. And 80% of your DC's secondary school haven't caught it (or did so but were unaware of it).

I would really step away from watching all the rates and trying to second guess vaccine dates. The original dates still stand and the fact that the roll out was ahead of schedule should benefit all of us in terms of community spread compared to last Autumn. If nothing else, the constant stress will not be helping your immune system![/quote]
We have been WFH, haven't been to a shop this year or seen anybody much of last year too, and with the kids off for so long, and also not mixing, this contributes greatly to not having caught Covid. But now we are due back in work and kids are back in schools that had frequent disruption.
I work with schools that have several cases, so I'm not looking for the figures, they are part of my daily life.

The lengths we went to when one teen caught Covid were extreme.

I'm sure if my children had had minimal disruption and few cases then I might be more relaxed too.

I would hope the EU were directing their point in the correct direction...

Normally I would agree, but messaging coming out of EU, commission has been absolutely awful.

You may be right about J&J though, as they wouldn't get away with it the same as US company.

But whatever possessed them to sign up for a deal where the finishing is done in USA? Complete madness.

@SerendipityJane

The problem is, VDL is piss poor at her job and that is very clear from her handling if these situations.

Must be a terrible frustration to someone as competent and organised as Boris Johnson, I admit.

Both can be true and still not prevent someone commenting on just one of them at any given time!

@wintertravel1980 But group 6 for asthma is very narrow, and excludes some who would be classed as severe. I would call mild asthma just having a ventolin inhaler for occasional emergency use, rather than being permanently on a steroid inhaler.
Plus whilst the qcovid stuff shows the risk of death isn’t increased (though results may have been influenced by many asthmatics being very careful during the first wave), there does seem to be an increased risk of hospitalisation and long Covid for asthmatics

@middleager I too work with schools, so know rates vary even within a small area; however, the pace of the vaccine rollout programme and speculative dates are not things that tend to be widely discussed in the schools I work with(aside from for teachers).

If it gives you some comfort, whilst I WFH, staying home has not been an option for a year with 4DC to feed (the longer they are in the house, the more they seem to eat). I've had to go out at least twice a week to shop. We have stayed within the rules but they were still able to attend football/rugby/tennis etc when it was permitted in the Autumn. Other mingling was curtailed by the tiers/rule of 6 (not great when you are a family of 6) but we did manage to travel to another part of the country for five days last summer to see my parents.

We have all been fine. It is not a given that you will catch Covid. Nor that you will be seriously ill if you do, and I sincerely hope you and your family remain well. And the vaccine roll out remains as envisaged in/aligned to the Roadmap.

On the subject with work, need to go and do some now.

Hancock says he wants to clear up some rumours circulating.

He says there will be no weeks in April when people will not be getting first doses.

He says there will be no cancelled appointments.

And he says second doses will go ahead as planned.

He says there has been a delay caused by the need to retest 1.7m doses.

The Telegraph says the Indian government is temporarily holding up exports because of a concern about rising cases in the country.

@EasterIssland

Hancock says he wants to clear up some rumours circulating.

He says there will be no weeks in April when people will not be getting first doses.

He says there will be no cancelled appointments.

And he says second doses will go ahead as planned.

He says there has been a delay caused by the need to retest 1.7m doses.

The Telegraph says the Indian government is temporarily holding up exports because of a concern about rising cases in the country.

Ok thanks for this. By re-test does he mean batch test?

@EasterIssland, and did you hear him say that Gibraltar has become the first place to vacinate all of its adult population.

It's not surprising this government gets away with murder when people just have this attitude of 'it's fine' as long as they personally aren't affected.

I just simply don't understand why people aren't angrier at the avoidable deaths and the avoidable cases of long covid and all the children who are affected by this. I know quite a few parents who have long covid and their lives - and the lives of their children - post covid are so different to beforehand. If there had been proper safety measures in schools, or better test and trace, if people had been paid to isolate, they may very well have avoided this life changing illness.

Apart from anything else, if there isn't some anger about the failures and lies then we're going to be the worst hit nation the next pandemic that rolls around too.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/bereaved-families-issue-legal-ultimatum-to-boris-johnson-over-covid-inquiry

[quote MuddlingMackem]@EasterIssland, and did you hear him say that Gibraltar has become the first place to vacinate all of its adult population. [/quote]
yes actually I read that as well as I've friends with families in La Linea (the town in spain that borders with Gibraltar) and few months ago they were worried as Gibraltar had one of the highest cases (2k/100k) so it was affecting the Spanish area. So I've sent them that bit

I hadn't realised that about Gibraltar's infection rates, so it's even better news than I first though.

I just simply don't understand why people aren't angrier at the avoidable deaths and the avoidable cases of long covid and all the children who are affected by this.

Maybe they are. How would anyone know ?

As an major aside I really hope one thing this all debate and discussion does is finally lay to rest all the raised eyebrows over flights arriving at British airports ...and the occasional cries that the borders should be closed to everybody, including "essential workers"...

How do people think pharmaceuticals/pharmaceuticals constituents going to or from the likes of India, the US or elsewhere get into the country?