Coronavirus

[Chillidoggy]

1 minute ago, C8RKH said:

EU = "Empire Unelected" might be more appropriate.

 

[march]

Whilst popping in for lunch I have just watched the Sky news presenter interview a German (I think) MEP about the Corona vaccine situation, it was hilarious (if it's available online you must watch it). It can only be best described as a combination of Yes Minister and 'Allo 'Allo! even the presenter failed to keep a straight face.  The MEP's answers were pitiful but basically Astrazenica are a bad company who don't play fair, no the EU will not move its stock piles of Vaccine they have that is not being used to the areas that need it, and who would buy from Astrazenica anyway as they don't do anything properly especially testing (but they want it anyway). Oh and he didn't believe they were doing it at cost as claimed - but around £3.00 per dose compared to Pfizer at £27.00 (IIRC) sort of says it all.

If it was a comedy it would be up for an award.

[SFO]

MEPs are windbags of the worst kind. They tend to be of low ability, with little experience of the world outside politics and are mostly failed politicians from whichever country they represent. 

They are essentially free loaders with no responsibility or anything useful or worthwhile to do. 

[SFO]

Was never a fan of Juncker, but he speaks sense on vaccines. From The Telegraph:

Jean-Claude Juncker attacks Ursula von der Leyen for 'stupid' vaccines trade war with UK

Former European Commission president attacked EU vaccination strategy as penny-pinching and too cautious.

Mr Juncker led the EU executive from 2014-2019 before Mrs von der Leyen took over.  

Jean-Claude Juncker has attacked Ursula von der Leyen, his successor as European Commission president, for starting a “stupid vaccine war” with Britain. 

Mr Juncker said he was “not a fan” of Mrs von der Leyen’s threat of imposing an export ban on EU manufactured jabs to the UK and warned it would “create major reputational damage” for the bloc.

“We used to be the world's free trade champion," he said as EU leaders meet for a summit to discuss the potential ban, "We have to pull back from a vaccine war.”

Mr Juncker also criticised the EU for being too slow in approving and buying vaccines, branding the bloc as “too cautious” and “budget conscious” in an interview with BBC’s HardTalk.

The veteran politician led the commission from 2014 to 2019, which included the period after the Brexit referendum. 

"We have special relations with Britain, there's room for dialogue [...] nobody in Britain, nobody in Europe understands why we are witnessing such a stupid vaccine war,” Mr Juncker said. 

“What the EU is asking for cannot be dealt with in a war atmosphere. We are not in war and we are not enemies - we are allies."

The former prime minister of Luxembourg added: "I don't understand this [EU] temptation to fight against Britain, and the British temptation to fight against the EU. Let's discuss it amongst adult people. What is the image we're giving?'"

The EU summit, forced online because of the third wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe, is being held as new trade rules come into force which allow Brussels to target countries, like Britain, with higher vaccination rates than the EU. 

The commission has already threatened to block the export of millions of AstraZeneca vaccines from the company's Halix plant in Leiden, the Netherlands. It wants the UK to forego its first refusal on supplies from AstraZeneca’s two British plants so they can supply the bloc.

Divided EU leaders are expected to withhold explicit backing for a ban amid fears it could spark a vaccines trade war.

But the pressure on Britain is expected to build because France, Germany and Italy all support Mrs von der Leyen’s plan to threaten bans targeted at AstraZeneca.

[PaulCP]

This just illustrates what has been a big problem in the EU for years and was evident during the brexit negotiations. Too many so called diplomats (although mainly French) who think they are entitled to give their views to the press

Coronavirus: France accuses UK of 'blackmail' over vaccine exports https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56540149

[Colin P]

This got pointed out to me at work (work related):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-56538653

My response, It's probably French and full of Vaccines.

Forgot I was speaking to an Austrian married to a Frenchman. 

[Colin P]

Also infuriating that they refer to the strain as the "British variant", you mean the one that Britain were able to identify as being a new strain, which Europe were in blissful ignorance of and which stated in the UK in those towns with ports, but mainly Dover.... 

[LotusFella]

Totally agree.  

[SFO]

1 hour ago, PaulCP said:

This just illustrates what has been a big problem in the EU for years and was evident during the brexit negotiations. Too many so called diplomats (although mainly French) who think they are entitled to give their views to the press

Coronavirus: France accuses UK of 'blackmail' over vaccine exports https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56540149

Talk about utter perversion of the truth. It's the French Government which has been backing Von der Lying's export bans, "fairness" and "reciprocity" - that is actual blackmail, wrapped up with a bow.

French politicians are really not very good. Utter rubbish, you might say. Luckily no one in the UK will pay any attention. 

[Barrykearley]

I see novavax are actively delaying doing any deal with the eu now. 

[C8RKH]

Oh how I laughed at this. The EU could not have made this more of a public balls-up if they tried. No matter how hard they tried!  Not really funny as tragically people in the EU will suffer and die as a result of their unelected bureaucrats for sure. Apparently Cummings is going to go up for a look-see.

 

Boris rubs EU's nose in it: Novavax jabs to be made in Britain after Brussels snubbed

BORIS JOHNSON has confirmed 60 million doses of the Novavax coronavirus vaccine will be bottled in the UK - just days after the drugs company delayed signing a contract to supply jabs to the EU.

[SFO]

Apparently they were originally going to be bottled in Germany ..

[C8RKH]

21 minutes ago, SFO said:

Apparently they were originally going to be bottled in Germany ..

Cars, Vaccines. All of them "made" in the UK are better than their German equivalents!  

[100th_Idiot]

Hmm. Did Novavax bottle it?

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, 100th_Idiot said:

Hmm. Did Novavax bottle it?

No. They left all the hot air and liquid shit in the EU commissions offices and refused to bottle it! 

[100th_Idiot]

From the little I have read the UK ordered 60M Novavax vaccines. It is this that will be finished and bottled in the UK by GSK. Haven't found anything about them refusing to sign a contract with the EU.

[Barrykearley]

They haven’t refused. They have definitely delayed the process with the eu though.

[C8RKH]

@100th_Idiot 

http://www.pharmafile.com/news/573952/novavax-delays-100-million-vaccines-eu

[Neal H]

Ironically, the nhs Covid-19 self test kit I have received is made in China.

[exeterjeep]

So was the virus????????????

[Chillidoggy]

46 minutes ago, Neal H said:

Ironically, the nhs Covid-19 self test kit I have received is made in China.

Hope you can read Chinese.

[sailorbob]

Here's a nice example of the government's ineptitude. I took my mother for her 2nd Pfizer dose today only to be told when we got there that they had run out. They said they called her to reschedule the vaccination but she said she didn't get any such call (not surprising as she has Alzheimers). They also told me that quite a few people had been turning up for their 2nd dose only to be turned away too. It's quite unbelievable that the government is so obsessed with the number games and getting headline grabbing figures for 1st doses that they haven't kept enough in reserve for the second doses.

[C8RKH]

@sailorbob - what does this have to do with the Government?  The Government sets policy and makes funding available. The policy is then handed to responsible departments, in this instance, the NHS to action. You say they had called her to reschedule but she didn't recall it as she has Alzheimer's. So is that the Governments fault too? I thought the vaccinations were being handled / scheduled by GP surgeries in most parts of the UK. I assume her surgery knows she has Alzheimer's and so steps are in place with regards to contact etc?

Is the government perfect? No. Is it always the governments fault? No.

Tell you what, let's get the opposition to manage us through this pandemic and see how much better they do. That's assuming their leader can actually stumble out of bed and dress himself, he dithers and sways so much it must take him an hour just to decide which shirt to put on! 

The Government took decisive action and took a punt on the vaccine strategy. Their blindingly excellent decision was to create the Vaccine czar/division and give them the control to do what needed to be done. They invested in AZ. They invested in production facilities. They secured millions of doses. All before the EU had gotten out of bed.  You can criticise the government for lots of things, but I for one get pretty pissed off when they get criticised for taking action on such a scale to safeguard the UK's population. My mother is 76. Lives on her own. Has Parkinsons and other conditions. Has had both jabs and all went brilliantly. So we have one good case, one bad case!

Yes with hindsight they could have done some things better, but for pete's sake, really!  Oh and you might be interested in some facts - 2nd dosage numbers per week were increasing!

Here are the figures released so far on the government website, showing the cumulative doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines administered week by week:

[PaulCP]

Sounds like a local distribution problem rather than Govt ineptitude

[C8RKH]

Don't be silly Paul. It's that bastard muppet Bojo and the hateful Tory government who don't give a shit about anyone but their chums! Can you not see that? 

A Labour government would never do anything so underhand as to support their donors and mates would they?