EU threaten to cut off vaccine supply to the UK 2

[Baileysforchristmas]

As the other thread is full

www.politico.eu/article/commission-proposes-six-week-vaccine-export-ban-amid-fears-of-trade-war/

So am I right in saying that even if the EU does ban exports to the UK, it doesn’t actually matter because:

1. We already have all the Pfizer here that we ordered/need
2. We only have another 1 million doses of AZ coming from the EU plant
3. We produce 2 million doses a week of AZ in the UK and are also being supplied by India

Is that right and if so, what is causing the slowdown in the rollout next month?

@nonono1 it will effect the UK it not as much as it will effect Europe. It will slow it down here, not so much AZ but we still have 20 million doses from Pfizer to come, more from the BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56529868

It's what's known as an EU fudge.
With vaccine supplies still low and Covid infection rates soaring in much of mainland Europe, EU leaders wanted to be seen to be taking action at their summit. But they stopped short of explicitly backing controversial proposals by the European Commission to expand vaccine exports that could have applied to the UK.
The tougher restrictions are now at EU leaders' disposal - in theory.
But in practice, leader after leader has said they would rather not use them. Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo described them an option of last resort. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was important to protect global supply chains. Meanwhile, Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, said an agreement with the UK over components of AstraZeneca jabs produced at a site in the Netherlands could be announced this weekend

Just posting to moan that on BBC breakfast, the voice over on the clip about EU decision yesterday, said the EU had exported 21mil AZ to UK.......

WTF BBC?

its actually
20mil Pfizer
1mil AZ

I think it must be that the slow down refers to new doses. 10m Pfizer and our a/z production won't exceed the demand for second doses and so the vaccine roll out
for phasee 1 has been delayed in a way that now doesn't meet the high expectations of the general population.

@Dongdingdong

I'm not sure if this is the right thread for this or not. One of the ongoing criticisms of the UK vaccine rollout has been 'The UK has done loads of vaccines, but is miles behind EU countries in properly vaccinating people.'

According to Our World in Data, the UK has just now overtaken France on that metric, and it on course to overtake the EU within the next couple of days.

Thank goodness. That should put a stop to all the idiotic posters who insist on defending the EU’s shambolic handling of the rollout by saying they have “fully vaccinated” more people than the UK.

Actually we'll have done more than Germany tomorrow latest too, passing the EU average next week sometime.

Thanks Baileys - I got it completely wrong then (I think!)

[quote Baileysforchristmas]@nonono1 it will effect the UK it not as much as it will effect Europe. It will slow it down here, not so much AZ but we still have 20 million doses from Pfizer to come, more from the BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56529868

It's what's known as an EU fudge.
With vaccine supplies still low and Covid infection rates soaring in much of mainland Europe, EU leaders wanted to be seen to be taking action at their summit. But they stopped short of explicitly backing controversial proposals by the European Commission to expand vaccine exports that could have applied to the UK.
The tougher restrictions are now at EU leaders' disposal - in theory.
But in practice, leader after leader has said they would rather not use them. Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo described them an option of last resort. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was important to protect global supply chains. Meanwhile, Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, said an agreement with the UK over components of AstraZeneca jabs produced at a site in the Netherlands could be announced this weekend[/quote]
Why didn't the media high light we only received 1 million az
20million pfizer surprised about as that's half of what we ordered in total 40million.
Pfizer is a totally different company and contract and has treated eu well.
What's this 10million extra bonus vaccines they on about?
Like piggies in the trough arguing.
The Austrian leader is angry as they using fact his country got less infection and vaccinated more people as a measure not to give his country any more allocation.
Didn't he and Denmark pm meet Israel try to buy up their unused doses.
Doesn't sound like they even resolved their own internal dispute let alone tackled a serious plan to get more supply.
The threat of this export ban looms over any 3rd country awaiting a order from Europe.
Its not gone away. If Italy deicide ban export then commission will agree.
Thankfully France not a major player yet with current vaccines.
Whats the detail about component of az thought halix in Netherlands made complete vaccines then sent them Italy for fill and finish.
I think our slow down is due to less az than we need and delays to moderna and probably janson which were both due April.
Also India not sending any more.
If halix is ours then they should be exporting to uk but doubt eu allow that.
They want to punish az therefore punish uk.

They want to punish az therefore punish uk.

I honestly can’t believe how they’re behaving - it’s appalling. I would say like to say that I hope they feel the economic fallout of these decisions for years to come (and we benefit) but I do feel sorry for their citizens.

Is it even legal to block exports??

I would say like to say that I hope they feel the economic fallout of these decisions for years to come

Gee thanks.......

I see you chose not to quote the second half of my sentence @notimagain.

The EU’s handling of this is threatening my livelihood by causing problems for our rollout and therefore potentially delaying reopening. I’m livid.

The difficulty with Austria is that they chose not to take their full allocation (not ready to vaccinate), now they want to top up what they missed but other EU countries believe they just get a new pro rata each time doses turn up. I have a little sympathy with Austria's position in wanting to catch up, except that:

1. the contracts with suppliers clearly follow the other EU countries' position on this, saying doses not taken up can then be offered to the other countries, so they knew at the time they declined doses what would happen; and
2. I think it's criminally negligent of them to have not been prepared to vaccinate.

@nonono1

They want to punish az therefore punish uk.

I honestly can’t believe how they’re behaving - it’s appalling. I would say like to say that I hope they feel the economic fallout of these decisions for years to come (and we benefit) but I do feel sorry for their citizens.

Is it even legal to block exports??

WOW.

Probably the nastiest thing I've read on here.

Itsalonghaul Thank you, again : ) You are a voice of reason.

@nonono1

So am I right in saying that even if the EU does ban exports to the UK, it doesn’t actually matter because:

1. We already have all the Pfizer here that we ordered/need
2. We only have another 1 million doses of AZ coming from the EU plant
3. We produce 2 million doses a week of AZ in the UK and are also being supplied by India

Is that right and if so, what is causing the slowdown in the rollout next month?

I think this is right but more so that threats to stop AZ supply aren’t as stressing to me

Esp that we have more Pfizer when I thought it half

Although can EC force AZ U.K. production to divert?

@nonono1

I see you chose not to quote the second half of my sentence *@notimagain*.

The EU’s handling of this is threatening my livelihood by causing problems for our rollout and therefore potentially delaying reopening. I’m livid.

OK

" (and we benefit) but I do feel sorry for their citizens.

So you hope to benefit (I'm a bit sure how you would given the other info you've now mentioned)... but do feel a bit sorry about it?

BTW, with regard to the "their citizens" bit many people in the EU are Brits...

Listening now on R4 UDvL talking about extra powers but member states sound more reluctant

Merkel talking about importance of supply chains

There’s a BBC video on what happens in a vaccine bottling factory at www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-56450968

It is a bit jingoistic (I kept expecting Spitfires) but I found it interesting.

Motorina

yes I saw that, it really was overdone, and cringey, getting staff to pose in superman poses.

still annoyed they didn't get the figures correct on how many AZ have come from EU though. in the other clip this morning.

@MarshaBradyo

Listening now on R4 UDvL talking about extra powers but member states sound more reluctant

Merkel talking about importance of supply chains

Thank you for highlighting this - just listening now. If anyone else wants to the time stamp is 07:17.

I just want point out any negativity on here is towards the leaders and the commission.
Not the citizens of the member states themselves.
Brits love Europe enough if is move there ir go on holiday every year or have family within the eu

The last year since covid hit every country in uk and Europe has suffered a tragic loss of life and economic slowdowns due to lockdowns.

Vaccines help countries unlock..
Reduce hospital admissions and deaths.
For some in uk the increased manufacturing is boost to jobs and gdp of the country.
As Boris said trying scare pharmaceutical company's away is foolish economically long term.
Short term we all want same things. Not get covid, see freinds and loved ones, jobs and freedom/ life back.

Probably the nastiest thing I've read on here.

@QuentinInQuarantino I don’t care a dime what you think. I’ve lost almost everything I’ve worked for thanks to the pandemic and now the EU’s actions are making things even worse. And I did say I wouldn’t actually wish that!

Oh and if the pharmaceutical companies do desert the EU after this, then who can blame them?! If you want to talk about nasty, their actions have already caused AZ to say they wouldn’t produce a vaccine at cost price again.

@nonono1

Probably the nastiest thing I've read on here.

@QuentinInQuarantino I don’t care a dime what you think. I’ve lost almost everything I’ve worked for thanks to the pandemic and now the EU’s actions are making things even worse. And I did say I wouldn’t actually wish that!

I think it’s hard to get the stress these threats bring about

But I’m hoping we’ll be ok with supply Nono

From that Politici article. UvdL is making sure that AZ get another knocking, without mentioning them by name, of course.

Von der Leyen on Thursday night reflected on what might have been, had the bloc just gotten what it thought it was promised.

"We know we could have been much faster if all pharmaceutical companies had fulfilled their contracts,” she said.

Even if you ignore all the ideas of reciprocity ther EU contract is for however many million doses (300mill?) "by the end of the econd quarter." It isn't the end of the first quarter yet!

With every new manufacturing site having teething issues, all manufacturers, all countries, with AZ/Oxford staff at the problem AZ sites trying to get them up to full speed, you'd think that, rather than repeat the "Oh poor me" speeches, she'd realise the benefit of shouting about the joint working parties, the speed with which this has all been set up, is getting doses out across the world, "Look what we are part of"

As for the internal fighting over proportional dispersal!!! Words almost fail me!

@nonono1

So am I right in saying that even if the EU does ban exports to the UK, it doesn’t actually matter because:

1. We already have all the Pfizer here that we ordered/need
2. We only have another 1 million doses of AZ coming from the EU plant
3. We produce 2 million doses a week of AZ in the UK and are also being supplied by India

Is that right and if so, what is causing the slowdown in the rollout next month?

They shouldn’t ban pfizer. They’ve never had problems with Pfizer. They’ve had delays but tend to catch up so why block something if the company is fulfilling their contract ? Also , pfizer has already highlighted to the Eu that they’re worried about an export ban to the uk could really impact them and not being able to follow the Eu’s contract as the uk could ban ingredients. Moderna an j&j. So based on this , only a narrow blinded person would ban the export of these brands to the uk