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/

Novavax has stated that they expect US EUA in May and are already manufacturing here.

One could hope that their decision to manufacture in the UK causes some reflection on the part of the EU, but it seems unlikely.

We're looking forward to having the fourth approved vaccine here. My DD will be home from uni in May and I'm really hoping to get her and her older brother vaccinated at that point.

2 more sites for vaccines related stuff, are also in the pipeline for later in the year.

quote from the FT I linked to earlier in the thread. article dated 10 feb, but still a good source of information.

^Novavax of the US is making its adjuvanted protein vaccine at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’s contract manufacturing site at Billingham on Teesside. The task force has ordered 60m doses and provided production assistance.
The Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre in Oxfordshire © Stuart March/VMIC^

In addition to these plants dedicated to the manufacture of specific products, the government has funded the construction of two flexible plants owned by non-profit public companies that could be used to make any vaccine needed urgently in an emergency

The VMIC project at Harwell, for which the government originally allocated £65m in 2018, is being accelerated towards completion with an injection of a further £93m

We are looking to have the facility available by the summer and then to begin a phased opening, to become fully operational in 2022,” said Matthew Duchars, VMIC chief executive

The other facility is the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree, Essex on which the government is spending about £130m. CG MIC, as it is known, is being converted from a former animal vaccines plant

It's really interesting about the additional locations being set up. I'm aware of another location that has suddenly had security and then builders out recently. Oddly the company isn't even identified on Googlemaps. I wonder if they are moving things from the other locations, or if it's a spare of the spares...

I'm sure there are lots of young adults out there who would be interested in training up to work in new facilities, I hope they extend the scheme further. 8bn people, 2 doses plus boosters in many cases... We can turn these facilities to anything in 2 years time, but it's certainly the time to make more vaccines. The EC are telling the world that the UK is already their pharmaceutical manufacturing equal, time to make it happen!

wow

So now Canada pausing AZ

@LimitIsUp

wow

So now Canada pausing AZ

“I do want to say this is a pause while we wait for more information to better understand what we are seeing in Europe," Dr Reimer said.

She said the rare type of blood clot typically happens between four and 20 days after getting the shot and the symptoms can mirror a stroke or heart attack.

Dr Reimer said medics have not seen any of these cases in Canada.

So the new vaccines are going to be made in the UK, and distributed here - and the world leaders are coming together for the biggest collaboration since world war one and two. Okay.....

So to translate.

The UK would like it if the EU were more friendly, and a return to normal diplomacy is welcome.
But we are unsure how genuine the EU olive branch is, so we will cover our backs to be sure (ie ensure the vaccines are made here in future)

Well played.

@Itsalonghaul

So the new vaccines are going to be made in the UK, and distributed here - and the world leaders are coming together for the biggest collaboration since world war one and two. Okay.....

So to translate.

The UK would like it if the EU were more friendly, and a return to normal diplomacy is welcome.
But we are unsure how genuine the EU olive branch is, so we will cover our backs to be sure (ie ensure the vaccines are made here in future)

Well played.

I just knew something was going on behind the scenes. Our governments seemed just too calm and quiet they normally love playing role of goadly gloating fecker. Also matt Hancock is worst liar and open book really reading his mood which has been strangely upbeat. There was no real reason to announce novavax yesterday other than to wind up the EU who how think we have even more vaccines oven ready that we not sharing.

Odd decision from Canada given they short on vaccines Biden sending them az now they restricting who they give it to.
I thought the EMA had settled safety issues last week.
Another blow for the company.

As far as I can make out, the Canadian vaccine advisory group (National Advisory Committee on Immunization) has recommended that provinces pause the program for AstraZeneca vaccine. Health is a provincial juristiction, so each province or territory can decide for themselves. So far some provinces have paused the use of the vaccine for under 65 year old (the cases of severe side effects have been in the younger population, not in those over 65).

The Astrazeneca vaccine used in Canada has been manufactured in India and in the US, not in Europe. Canada has already been using the Moderna vaccine and is about to receive a further 3+ million doses this week with more orders on the way, plus Pfizer and BioNTech.

Please keep things in perspective; Canada has had just about 23,000 deaths from Covid, compared to the what is it now, 150,000 in the UK?

@QwertyGirly

Please keep things in perspective; Canada has had just about 23,000 deaths from Covid, compared to the what is it now, 150,000 in the UK?

Thats great Canada doing so well. Last I read was they were worried they didn't have enough vaccines. So its great they have 3 Moderna/pfizer and AZ to choose from.

Is the Canadian USA border still shut?
Also any new varients in Canada?

They a independent country they can do what they like.
We know south Africa and USA vhas issues with AZ.
Just anyone in uk or Europe with any doubts will read this news as worrying.
It just reinforces the narrative that az is not as effective or more risky than pfizer or moderna.
Another negative black mark.
Feels like the company can never catch a break.
No wonder morale is bit low.

It feels to me anyway that the UK is plowing ahead no matter what, and if I were in Finland or Canada or Iceland I'd feel reassure that the authorities would pause the rollout to check on vaccine safety.

The rollout in Canada has been patchy for different reasons - firstly, they had to include in their plan that Trump may win the elections and would take a protectionist approach to the manufacturing of the vaccines and wouldn't export to Canada. So their purchasing contracts had to not rely on their closest neighbour. After Biden was elected there was a sigh of relief, but Biden also took a protectionist approach which left Canada in a bit of a ditch.

Canada started extremely well, they purchased (like the UK) early on a massive amount of vaccine doses. However, they relied mostly on Novavax, which will be produced in Canada, but the approval process has been slower in Canada than in other countries. So their vaccine program was slow off the block but will catch up at some point.

Yes the morale is low in countries such as Canada, but they will catch up hopefully very soon.

The country has committed months ago to passing on any over-ordered vaccines to developing countries, as in real numbers Canada has ordered enough doses to vaccine each citizen 4 times.

Oh for crissakes - its SAFE

!It feels to me anyway that the UK is plowing ahead no matter what"

@QwertyGirly

Please keep things in perspective; Canada has had just about 23,000 deaths from Covid, compared to the what is it now, 150,000 in the UK?

That’s great.

Imo Canada can do as it wishes as long as we keep going as fast as we can with AZ and other

Each country can do what it wants, if a country wishes to pause a life saving vaccine for no good reason and not even a single case in their own country, then it can. What it can't do is bad mouth the vaccine around the world without conclusive evidence and proof. As far as I can see Canada have not done this, and I am chill either way.

I still find it incredible that other vaccines have the same issues, but none so far paused. I find it disturbing how misinformation spreads so quickly around the world, without any evidence whatsoever. I expect Canada to restart soon enough, and hopefully not too many people will die in the meantime.

Canada has been very slow with the roll out - my 90 year old cousin only received her first dose 2 last week. So this sounds like rather a setback to me.

Canada has had a slightly different order of vaccination. They vaccinated all healthcare workers (including those working in care for the elderly and disabled people) first, then elderly people in care homes, then those over 80 at home, then 70-80. Some provinces are now calling for those between 60-70 now for their first dose.

Healthcare workers have received their second dose or will do so shortly.

And yes, other countries are slower on their vaccination program. I seems to me that some posters are viewing this as a badge of honor somehow.

@QwertyGirly

And yes, other countries are slower on their vaccination program. I seems to me that some posters are viewing this as a badge of honor somehow.

The red badge of umbrage.

AstraZeneca vaccine - was it really worth it?
"It's appalling the way AstraZeneca has been treated. I wouldn't blame them if they were thoroughly fed up and decided to bow out of the covid vaccine business."
That was the view from one of the biggest institutional investors in the UK.... BBC Report

Meanwhile, BBC Live reporting at 9.38 this morning:
GSK-Novavax deal 'not profit-generating'
The boss of British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine division tells the BBC the company’s not intending to make a profit from its tie-up with the vaccine developer Novavax.

Roger Connor, president of GSK Global Vaccines, tells Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money programme: "Our deal with Novavax… this is not a commercial venture for GSK.

“We are doing this because it is the right thing to do, but this is not going to generate any significant commercial return for us. This is not a profit-generating mechanism."

He adds: “Any profit that we generate from our adjuvant partnerships or other partnerships where we’re developing vaccines, we’re going to redeploy that into pandemic preparedness investments.” link

The sooner we self sufficient the better

www.politico.eu/article/sebastian-kurz-austria-threatens-to-block-eu-option-to-buy-100-million-coronavirus-vaccine-doses-in-fight-over-distribution/

[quote Baileysforchristmas]The sooner we self sufficient the better

www.politico.eu/article/sebastian-kurz-austria-threatens-to-block-eu-option-to-buy-100-million-coronavirus-vaccine-doses-in-fight-over-distribution/[/quote]
This is more the issue than the U.K. should have been.

I am trying to understand - you seem to be saying that some posters see it as a badge of honour to be slower on their vaccination programme??, but I think you mean that they see it as a badge of honour to be ahead? I've read your post several times now and I am still none the wiser

I don't give a rats arse how slowly / quickly Canada are vaccinating, but I do judge unsubstantiated inferences about the safety of AZ and falling for the guff from some politicians in the EU

I also take exception to you saying that the UK is 'ploughing on no matter what' as if our vaccination programme is reckless. I am surprised that other posters appear to be giving you a pass on that

It doesn't sound like the hands around the world meeting is going very well today.

'Unsubstantiated inferences about the safety of AZ ' are seen as others as scientific rigour. Finland and Iceland don't strike me as countries in hysterics.

Canada isn't in the EU as far as I know...