The E.U. And AstraZeneca row.

Welshwife I have not got an appointment for a second dose. I suspect that now that a lot more vaccinations centres are opening it may not be 12 weeks. It is not about supply of vaccine but manpower to issue it.

The reason the second dose is being delayed has been explained several times by the government. Their reasoning is that as the first dose does give some protection it’s better for more people to be protected against severe illness than a percentage being totally protected. I understand why.

I was told that it’ll be ‘about’ 12 weeks before my 2nd dose.
Just happy to have had the first.

Have you read the link Mamie put up? - tells what Israel has found with the doses.

Second vaccine dose timing

Has the above thread somehow been subsumed into this one, or has all there is to say about the AZ/EU debacle been said then?

PS Bravo !la Suisse?? ??

I heard on telly this morning that UK is shipping bulk vaccine to Germany for them to put it in phials and return it. This may have been going on for a long time. Can anyone confirm or refute this for me, please?

Welshwife subsequent to the post from Mamie sorry, I can’t do links.

Yes Kim it’s the AZ vaccine made here and ‘finished’ by either a biotech firm in Wrexham or in Germany. It’s what they are contracted to do by the firm.Because the product is finished there doesn’t mean that another country can commandeer it.That’s what I heard on radio 4 this morning.

There is a lot of different opinions then - the Israelis found that one dose gave something like 33% protection so the article I read today said.
But it still begs the question that the U.K. are doing well and have plenty of vaccine so why are they still waiting 12 weeks to do the second dose?

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis said Friday it had signed an initial agreement to help produce the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19, as countries scramble to boost supplies.

Oh, wonderful! I am pleased.

I know that Novartis also outsource the production of their medicines so perhaps they may start production in other countries too.
Good news.

Welshwife

There is a lot of different opinions then - the Israelis found that one dose gave something like 33% protection so the article I read today said.
But it still begs the question that the U.K. are doing well and have plenty of vaccine so why are they still waiting 12 weeks to do the second dose?

The 33% has been completely debunked.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55734257

If you’re wondering what the whole EU vaccine row is all about, this is my understanding of the whole EU, Ireland, vaccine thing explained in pizza terms for the simple minded:-

New pizza restaurant opens;

?- Who wants ??

??- Yep, please, pepperoni and shed loads of it!!

?- Ok, ??, while I’m making the ?? order, do you want anything?

??- Yes please but hold on! Everyone what are we having?

??- Pepperoni
??- Plain cheese
??- Anchovies
??- Mushroom
??- Pineapple ?

????????- Who the f —- invited ??? We are NOT having pineapple you heathens!!

?- Well while you decide we’ll crack on with the ?? order ?.

(Some hours later)

??- We too shall have pepperoni!

?- Great we’re just dealing with the ?? order but will start yours ASAP! All ovens fired and we’re cracking on.

??- No! We have ordered!! You shall deliver to us NOW!!!

?- Well, you can have a few but we really do have an obligation to deliver ?? theirs first.

??- Fine, then we shall block the garden path to the ??. No more pizza for them until we get ours!!!!

??- Who left the side gate open?! ?? ffs why haven’t you shut your gate?

??- You said we could keep it open so we can still go and see next door and take them stuff. You said it was a good thing.

??- We said that to try and strong arm the UK into not leaving us!!

??- But........

??- (Mutes ??) It’s ok we have the key, just lock it anyway.

Sinn Fein- I focken dare yous to touch our gate!!!!

??- ??? Erm...we’ve talked to the ?? and decided NOT to lock the gate. We shall wait patiently in line for our ? and see if there is a calm & rational way to speed up production.

QED

Just bumping this up -not original, a friend got it off Facebook but I think it sums it up rather well

Thanks Lemon. My mind is going into overdrive.

Nemesia
Absolutely brilliant. I've shared it with everyone I know.
That's why it took 9 years for them to tie up a deal with Canada but not before the Walloons put a spanner in the works and changed their mind from pepperoni to Anchovies.
They were told to take what your given. ?

Nemesia That was brilliant, thanks for sharing!

Nemesia very good...

Nemesia loving your mind

Ursula von der Leyen has made such a mess of the EU’s vaccine procurement programme that it is hard to imagine EU citizens voting to re-elect her for a second term as president of the European Commission.

Helpfully, however, Mrs Von der Leyen does not have a popular mandate for her job and never will require one. She was rubber-stamped for the post by the European Parliament, but that is hardly the same as having to make a case to the people and defend your past record!

‘Just as the time had come for evaluations, she had already climbed to the next rung on her career ladder’

Upon her appointment as commission president, jaws dropped among opposition politicians and even Christian Democrat party colleagues. Rupert Scholz, who, like Mrs Von der Leyen, served as defence minister, blamed her for causing the army to fall into a “catastrophic” condition. Fellow German Eurocrat Martin Schulz described her as “the weakest member” of Angela Merkel’s government. It was rather as if Gavin Williamson had just been appointed prime minister without the public having a say.

If Johnson resigns tomorrow then the Conservative party could make Gavin Williamson Prime Minister without the public having a say.

Von der Leyen was elected by the members of the European Parliament. We used to send elected members to the European Parliament when we were members. of the EU.

Why would they choose Gavin Williamson when they could have Chris Grayling?

??? varian

....Except the Conservatives would never choose Gavin Williamson in a million years.
Nemesia ?that gave me a much needed laugh this morning so a big thank you for posting it.

Canada and Japan amongst others are angry with the EU now,
Bet they wished they had never thought up those bully boy ideas, they’re probably all blaming each other in the Commission now as to who thought it up ( stand up Ursula!)

Seriously though, the EU have dealt themselves a real blow by their actions, which, as they are seeing, have consequences.