The E.U. And AstraZeneca row.

From the Guardian, just now:

‘The EU is investing €336m (£297m) in AstraZeneca in return for 400m doses. But not all of the money has been paid to the pharmaceutical company so EU lawyers are examining whether there has been a breach of contract.’

The development of the vaccine was a truly international affair, The U.K. got in quick which is good for us, but until other countries, particularly neighbouring ones catch up wit( the vaccination programme, which they undoubtedly will, we won’t be able to get back to normality in terms of travel, trade etc. so just crowing about how marvellous we are and how terrible everyone else is , perhaps we should just avoid stirring that pot.

Nationalism is alive and well for sure-

but not sure it will help with other matters. Forgotten the UK is an Island (well Islands). It could get very unpleasant indeed-win some, lose some.

The Wall Stret Journal say that the Novovax vaccine is 89% effective against C-19.

The news for the UK rollout just gets better. And wait till our new super-laboratory is up and running next year. The future looks bright!

60 million doses coming through soon for the UK of Novovax, manufactured on Teeside - just been approved for distribution.
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Totally agree with you PippaZ that the debacle over procurement of PPE made the government bullish about obtaining enough vaccine. At least they learnt from that mistake.

The UK did pay slightly more to AZ than the EU for vaccines. The huge buying power of the EU must have been very important in negotiating a price.

That said the UK played a blinder. Maybe luck had a hand but the result stands. We are all the beneficiaries over here and I for one am very grateful that this is going so well.

MaizieD

^I have no idea how that stands in law.^

I expect that David Allen Green might have a take on that

twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1354794491807465472

That's why they get paid big money and I don't Maizie . It will take a court to sort it out I would have thought.

Urmstongran, before you sing the praises of this government it is worth remembering that the reason they were so keen was because they made such a pigs ear of the PPE.

Also, I believe (but have not checked) they are paying more per dose than the UK not less. Sadly, we are being nationalistic about it - as are other countries - but at the end of the day no one is safe until everyone, or the vast proportion of the world's population, is safe so nationalism cannot last; we will have to work together.

I have no idea how that stands in law.

I expect that David Allen Green might have a take on that

twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1354794491807465472

LauraNorder

Good posts from Urms and PippaZ. Never thought I’d say that in the same sentence. Both showing the UK in a very good light for decisions made re vaccines.

Same here.

Thanks for the article Casdon

Just catching up with all the news/postings.

AstraZeneca is believed to have received an upfront payment of £298m when the 27-nation bloc sealed a supply deal with the company in August for at least 300 million doses.

Under advance purchase deals sealed during the pandemic, the EU makes down-payments to companies to secure doses, with the money expected to be mostly used to expand production capacity.

From Sky News.

But if you look back at the bit I quoted from the Spectator Maizie it sounds as if we hedged our bets by writing into the contract that vaccines made in Britain would be offered to Britain first. It seems the EU did not write in the same stipulation about vaccines made in the EU so AZ feels they are obliged to send at least some of those to us, to fulfil our contract, as we had an earlier agreement with them. At least I think that is what they are saying. I have no idea how that stands in law.

The EU are talking about stopping the doses made in the EU being exported. As it is I wonder on what legal grounds the EU would stop the exports?

The UK was still in the Brexit transition period last year when it was invited to join the EU’s joint procurement scheme for vaccines. The European Commission would negotiate on behalf of the bloc, which, by virtue of its size, would ensure cheaper prices.

Instead Britain moved alone, first and fast, to secure supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine – three months before the EU. Which many people who didn’t want Brexit howled about, saying we were Little Englanders, punching above our weight, jeopardising supplies. I remember reading all the articles last summer in the Guardian and The Times.

Prices per dose are confidential, although it is generally accepted that the UK paid more than the EU. Yet the speed at which the UK moved was to prove pivotal.

So where des the £298 million (was that £s or euros?) Z got from the EU come into this story Pippa?

help helped

I gather from what I have been hearing from interviews this afternoon, that we help establish the Oxford University ties with AZ. Originally it was going to work with an American Company but Matt Handcock (and others I imagine) wanted a more and closer control. As this was almost certainly well before we knew the outcome of the US election that sounds like a sensible move to me.

The agreement also meant that the AZ Oxford vaccine would be sold at a not for profit level. I also gathered, although I haven't verified this, that AZ was not a vaccine company previously which may be why they are have production problems although I think any company could be finding the level of production a challenge whatever their background.

Agree PippaZ we need the world to be vaccinated, I’m sure the EU will sort itself out. I’d like to see surplus going to the poorest countries, pretty sure we can all agree on that.

LauraNorder

Good posts from Urms and PippaZ. Never thought I’d say that in the same sentence. Both showing the UK in a very good light for decisions made re vaccines.

Thank you LauraNorder. Your "Never thought" sentence made me laugh so that's sanity for another day, isn't it?

On the downside this At the current rate of the rollout, it will be 2024 before most of Europe hits the 70 per cent inoculation level believed to be necessary to take a population to a critical level of immunity., does not bode well. However, this too will change I have no doubt, as other vaccines come on line.

Hey PippaZ ! ?

Just now on SKY news. Germany is sticking to its guns regarding not giving AZ for 65y and older. Even if the European Commission pass it.

Germany are on a hastily convened Plan B. Give the most vulnerable Pzifer and Moderna.

Then, when more supplies become available give AZ to the younger and less vulnerable groups.

Actually, it makes sense.

The emperor has been shown to have no clothes so he's probably feeling a little bit vulnerable ?

Good posts from Urms and PippaZ. Never thought I’d say that in the same sentence. Both showing the UK in a very good light for decisions made re vaccines.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202101/medium-367227-screenshot-20210128-143323-com-android-chrome.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202101/medium-116144-screenshot-20210128-143352-com-android-chrome.jpg

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11:21biba70

The front pages of the gutter press in the UK today are utterly shameful. And then they will wonder why the EU is not cooperating on this, and on oter matters to do with customs, imports, exports, etc. Truly disgusting.

Actually I copied the information from The Oxford University website.
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And this may clarify a little: (same article)

Britain, spooked by the battle to find plastic gloves and other PPE in the first wave, wrote into its contract with Oxford-AstraZeneca a stipulation that vaccines made in Britain would be offered to Britain first. We signed in May. The EU dithered for an extra three months and didn’t agree terms until the end of August. It failed to extract similar promises on delivery. It will now wish that it had.

From the Spectator (PW)

It turns out that deploying vaccines is harder than it looks. A quick glance at the league tables makes that clear. Israel has jabbed a remarkable 45 per cent of the population, by far the highest rate in the world. The United Arab Emirates has managed 26 per cent, partly with China’s Sinopharm shot. The UK has managed a very credible 10.5 per cent, and the United States 6.9 per cent. But the rest of Europe has been lamentable. Only 2.1 per cent of Germans have been inoculated, and less than 1.6 per cent of people in France — which lags behind Slovakia.

At the current rate of the rollout, it will be 2024 before most of Europe hits the 70 per cent inoculation level believed to be necessary to take a population to a critical level of immunity. Australia and Japan have not even started yet, while much of the developing world is being left to fend for itself. At this rate, of the major economies, only the United States and Britain will vaccinate themselves out of lockdown this year, and both countries may have to introduce strict travel restrictions to avoid importing new strains from abroad.

Cross post Urmstongran