EU threaten to cut off vaccine supply to the UK 3

[EasterIssland]

Thread 2 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4200959-EU-threaten-to-cut-off-vaccine-supply-to-the-UK-2?pg=1

Well yes I’d probably say no if Villanelle or a heavyset man in a black suit offered it to me on a park bench behind a newspaper...

But the Russian pharmaceutical industry is huge and the chances are that we’ve all taken an over the counter pill developed there. We may not expect Russia to care for British lives but I hope we can expect that of the British government and its agencies. We either trust our own country and it’s experts to investigate and accept reliable medicines, or we don’t and don’t take medicines.

Sorry wrong copy paste!
Wonder whether we'd see this in the EU ii.e. because of the banned Australian exports
Yesterday the Serum Institute of India appealed for financial assistance from the Indian government, saying that a curb on exporting vaccine doses was preventing it from bringing in revenue that would allow it to invest in ramping up production.

Those import curbs are beginning to have an impact in the wider vaccine market, with the African Union saying today that it has dropped plans to buy Covid-19 vaccines from the institute, and is instead exploring options with Johnson & Johnson

Reuters report that the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John Nkengasong, told reporters the institute will still supply the AstraZeneca vaccine to Africa through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, but the African Union would now seek additional supplies from Johnson & Johnson.

I can't get past my own lack of trust for Sputnik or the Sino vaccine, and would not even consider having one even if I were CEV and my chances of surviving covid were very slim.

China has the most appalling track record for contamination. I can't forget the hideous baby milk scandals, or the poisoning of normal food chains with chemicals. They simply do not have the infrastructure or the policies in place yet for the standards we expect in the west.

I have many friends from China - through my dc - and they don't even trust their own products in some cases, and source them here in London.

Are we really expected to conveniently forget so easily the poisoning in Salisbury etc - using bio weapons here in our town from the Russians? And yet their vaccines are suddenly safe and we trust them? Of course not.
They poisoned their own opposition, an innocent man - Alexei Navalny just a few months ago for heavens sake! So of course they have a massive creditability problem, reputation damage that will last for decades across the world. You can't walk around as a state poisoning innocent people and expect to be trusted.

qz.com/1323471/ten-years-after-chinas-melamine-laced-infant-milk-tragedy-deep-distrust-remains/

www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/07/chinas-food-safety-issues-are-worse-than-you-thought/

Ok @Baileysforchristmas I guess it doesn’t matter though if countries meet targets sooner, it’s only a problem if they go slower and then you’re faced with the awkwardness of trying to stop one Schengen-country from traveling when travel does resume. This is why Gibraltar is now vaccinating Spaniards on its border.

Mines due early June @Itsalonghaul ... argh!

Yes I don’t particularly understand the travel restrictions either and wonder if there’s information about variants that’s being kept from people, but if that’s the case, is that it? Nobody leaves the island again? What’s the endgame strategy?

WRT your friends, I think they’ll get bookings. The state of alarm lifts in may so the Spanish can travel - tbh I think this will spread it more than tourists as we are big on huge inter-generational family gatherings. Arrivals from Britain are no longer specifically banned (as when the first variant emerged) but just part of a blanket - no one from without the EU - policy that will presumably lift for more vaccinated countries before long - already some exceptions. I know there have been talks with Matt Hancock (not seen them reported in in news but have been here) but no outcome published.

“ Are we really expected to conveniently forget so easily the poisoning in Salisbury etc - using bio weapons here in our town from the Russians? And yet their vaccines are suddenly safe and we trust them? Of course not.”

But do you trust the MHRA? There’s a big list on Wikipedia of Russian drugs used in the UK - have you checked to make sure you haven’t taken one? It’s difficult to check because of course they get marketed differently here but it’s an extensive list and worth checking if you want to make sure you are avoiding Russian made medicines.

Not sure of already mentioned here!

It seems the UK does not have a defacto export ban despite the EU constantly saying we're bannig exports

The 700k AZ doses In Oz, in fact came from UK!

Not one single dose of AZ has been exported from EU to Oz.

Link here

twitter.com/smh/status/1379898580429897731?s=19

What was in the deleted post, was it a personal attack?

That's interesting Wakeupin2022 - pity it is not more widely known

@LimitIsUp

What was in the deleted post, was it a personal attack?

no, first of all it says requested at posters request(so I have reported my own comment) second of all, if you read the comment below it says sorry wrong copy paste... so ... I pasted the wrong thing, hit post and realised that's not what I wanted to paste so I've reported my own comment for that reason...

Oh, I thought I'd missed some scandal

@LimitIsUp

Oh, I thought I'd missed some scandal

no it was an update on poland's death toll, so not something good :(

It sounds like the Russians have already broken EMA rules though

When asked about Sputnik V’s online tactics, he said: “I've never seen anything like it. It's just wildly populist.”

Russia’s aggressive approach — going after other vaccine makers while promoting positive coverage of its jab — is unique among the COVID-19 vaccines. Sputnik V’s active promotion of its vaccine, including buying advertising on Twitter to promote its content, may also fall afoul of Europe’s tough rules for drugmakers.

“What Sputnik does, you can argue, it's not following the rules,” Thejll-Moller added. “It doesn't feel like anything commercial. It feels like a political campaign.”

On Instagram, the country’s Sputnik V account urged people to send photos of themselves to win a trip to Russia. On YouTube, it posted regular updates — in the form of pseudo-news bulletins — on how many countries the Kremlin had signed up. On Twitter, the Russian vaccine took potshots at Western politicians who criticized Sputnik V.

Childish and shitty as that all is... and I’m not for one minute pro-Russian, the question is whether or not it’s safe and effective and the people I’d most like to answer that question are NOT the Russians or mumsnetters, but the scientists and experts appointed by the government responsible for my healthcare.

Do you think the government could be bullied or coerced into approving it despite having doubts over its safety and efficacy?

TBH I'd not be happy with the Russian one as of now, unless the EMA approves it, it's for a selfish reason but I guess everyone has a preference. Most of the countries in Europe without a pcr let you in as long as you've had a vaccine that is approved by EMA. Sputnik as of today isn't so I'd rather not have it, taking into account my family lives in spain if not approved there, then it'd be a problem for me . Same thing happens with Novavax at the moment, no contract with UE so EMA wont approve it for a long time

Personally I do think the EMA will or could come under huge pressure. It would be naive to think otherwise imo.
That’s why it’s better to avoid getting into that situation in the first place but it’s being almost forced on the EMA by member states using it without approval.
I guess the EMA could just leave to member state regulators to decide, maybe that is what they would prefer to do but Germany I think have already said they would use it if given EMA approval so it puts the regulator in a very difficult position. I’m just glad the U.K. does not need to get involved.
I do think it is probably a good vaccine as it is the same tech as AZ.

That would be a very valid reason not to take it @EasterIssland - I’d probably do the same.

So we think that the EMA - the one widely criticised for being over cautious when looking into the thrombolic events now found by the MHRA too - would be like “it’s fine, don’t mind that bit of novichok I’m sure it’s fine” because Germany wanted them to?

Germany briefing to the press that they would use Sputnik if approved by the EMA, IS political pressure on the EMA. It’s naive to think otherwise. Why make that statement at all. It’s to pass the buck and divert the attention/ pressure off them onto the EMA.
Everything politicians do is political. It’s in their job description. Medical regulators are independent of course but made up of human beings too.
I wouldn’t want the job of approving the Sputnik vaccine, who would!

The MRHA is now investigating 79 UK cases of blood clotting. I am alarmed - not because that is a large number, it isn't but alarmed because that number has shot up in a few days. Last week there were 7 cases reported (if my memory serves me right)

I get that we will have found more cases because we are looking for it, but why did it need flagging by other European countries before we began to notice? Is our yellow card system not working as well as it should?

@LimitIsUp who knows, at least it’s been looked into now. I’ve had AZ, 3 weeks ago, a 51 year old woman, I am not worried and will get my 2nd jab as soon as it’s offered. The numbers for Covid have dropped like a stone, we wouldn’t be coming out of lockdown without it.

I've also has AZ and will go on to have my second dose in June, but I am concerned that our monitoring for picking up adverse consequences might not be sufficiently rigorous

@LimitIsUp yes it is a bit worrying, i’m relieved it’s been approved by the EMA though and it is under great scrutiny from all angles, with so much gathered data, over 50 million people in the EU and UK have had it, it actually puts my mind at rest, I would be more worried about other vaccines to be honest.

@LimitIsUp

The MRHA is now investigating 79 UK cases of blood clotting. I am alarmed - not because that is a large number, it isn't but alarmed because that number has shot up in a few days. Last week there were 7 cases reported (if my memory serves me right)

I get that we will have found more cases because we are looking for it, but why did it need flagging by other European countries before we began to notice? Is our yellow card system not working as well as it should?

I think 7 was 2 weeks ago , still has shot up but also the last few weeks we've had millions of more doses given so it makes sense f so

the important thing tho is that stlll is a small number comparing with the amount of doses that have been given