The EU are on a collision course with the UK over vaccines.

Ellianne

^Anyway, everyone please ignore me and my tendency to post facts rather than speculation.^
The thing is Alegrias this thread was put into chat and some people do just that, like we might over a coffee with no recourse to facts and figures. It's not worth getting stressed about.
If the odd bit of information gets misconstrued, that is understandable. Or shall we culprits line up now for the guillotine?

Chat does not = carte blanche to post any old gossip, lie, rumour, fake news, misinformation

Ellianne

Can I ask you about schools and tests in France please mokryna?
Do the pupils have to do weekly tests at home or in school?

I have GC in Paris and in Versailles. 1 nursery and 2 primary, 1 college and 1 lycée. Parents are on trust that they will report an outbreak at home and will not send the infected child to school. The infected family have to confine for 17 days and then have to test positive at a centre before going out for business/school.
None of the four younger ones have been tested in school. The whole lycée of 700 children were tested once because there was a cluster.
GD in college has been sent home today because of a contact either in class or at lunch. She has to stay at home a minimum of 7 days and can only go back with a negative test. This is the second time it has happened to her.
However, her sister still goes to school as does her mother -teacher in another school-. People and children can go for a ‘real’ test anytime, just queue.

Please don’t be rude, they are trying to keep the schools open as long as possible because it is for the good of the children. The rules are being changed quite regularly because the British variant has arrived down from Calais. When there is a cluster schools are closed.

The President will speak tomorrow and everyone is expecting stricter rules.

GD in lycée is at school one week in two

The figures are out there for anyone who wants to be up to date with their figures.

The UK have tested more than any other comparable sized country and it stands to reason that we’d have more positive tests on that basis. If France or Germany for instance had tested as many their positive figures would be higher.

There’s a lot to be said for not testing, except of course when ratios of negative/positive are involved.

Sorry got in a muddle. Test negative before going back to school

What percentage of people have died in Britain due to the blood clot issue after having the AZ vaccine?

Urmstongran

Off to bed now, delighted with today’s events!

This little Island and it’s cost price vaccines could be the saviour for so many poor countries around the globe.

Once we can, that is where our production capacity needs to be delivered. Not rich EU countries that would just take if they could.

We are playing on a global stage now so let’s bring the house down.

"cost price vaccines" - AZ (a British-Swedish firm) has committed to supply its vaccine on a not-for-profit basis for the rest of the pandemic, regardless of which country they're manufactured in.

We were "playing on the global stage" for 40+ years which, as part of the world's largest trading bloc, gave us a lot of influential power that has now been taken away, as a result of a vote by 37% of the British people.

"could be" being operative - how many vaccines has this country donated to third world countries?

I think I read that 5 people in the UK have sadly died Drew from intracranial blood clots out of 15,000,000 doses given.

SO, Putin must today be reflecting how well the plan is working. To have the two leading EU nations eating out of the palm of his hand is a remarkable coup for him.

The Sputnik jab has still not been licensed as safe for use by the European Medicines Agency, in contrast to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been.

?

Apparently Drew the UK does not currently have a surplus of vaccines, but when it does that surplus will be shared.

The UK, which has ordered 400 million vaccine doses and will have many left over, has said it will donate most of its surplus vaccine supply to poorer countries.

The lower income countries most likely to receive the first vaccines through COVAX include Afghanistan, Haiti, DR Congo, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Source: BBC website 3 days ago.

Well one bit of information I received from my French friend and posted was correct! Schools closed in France until April 26th.
I guess that isn't too bad considering they are going to revamp the school calendar.

One person in the UK has died, and four others have had clots in the UK out of 11 million or so who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine so far. There is not any proven relationship either.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56447367

I understand there will be staged opening for various age groups, but will check when the transcript is published.

"....in response to growing concerns hospitals in Paris will soon have to choose which patients to treat and let others die."

Horrendous choice for medics.

I hear there’s a Marseille variant now??

One week online learning, two weeks school holiday, primaries back 3rd week, secondaries another week online. Everyone limited to 10km for essential shopping, but further for essential visits (health etc) with self-declaration form. Non-essential shops closed, no inter-regional travel. Lasts a month. Over 60s vaccination start mid April, Over 50s from May. Huge increase in vaccinations.
Very clear and evidenced address from Macron. All seems very reasonable.

That had been rumoured, but denied Ug. Increased intensive care beds will be created for regions struggling (Paris and some other zones).

Over 60s vaccination start mid April, Over 50s from May. Huge increase in vaccinations.
Yes, Mamie he spoke a lot about vaccinations and if they can be achieved within the timescale that would be brilliant.

Do you know if he said, like Boris, that this would all be under review depending on how things progress?

Yes he did say that.
The "English" variant has caused huge increase in cases in schools as it did in the UK in December so hopefully closing schools will provide a firebreak and time for vaccine programme to kick in. The increase in doses is making the difference.

I think it was a very good speech.

While in Germany they are banning the AZ vaccine, and Macron is claiming it is not safe, in Walthamstow today they had some jabs left over and said anyone over the age of 50y could get the jab if they just turned up. The queues were huge as 2,000 people hurried along.

From the Guardian just now:

“On Tuesday, health authorities in France reported 569 new ICU patients in 24 hours, the highest number since April last year during the first wave of the pandemic. The death toll has also started to rise, averaging nearly 350 a day over the past seven days, compared with just under 250 last week.”

Oh -Macron is claiming it is not safe- I missed that bit. He did say more beds up to 10,000 instead of 7665 for Paris

Blimey! Where does he pull the support staff from to man over 2,000 extra beds at such short notice?? Impressive.

Please listen to the speech before saying anything YouTube
Confinement, fermetures d'écoles, vaccins... les annonces intégrales d'Emmanuel Macron

I’m happy to let the Guardian translate the salient parts for me ...