[Cherie]

Promising early data out of Israel regarding the vaccine reducing transmission by 60%

[Vanessa]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Promising early data out of Israel regarding the vaccine reducing transmission by 60%

Thats very good. We should see the effects from middle February.

[Vanessa]

The vaccination programme is going so well.
We're definitely going to meet the target!

[Nicky91]

Netherlands: 3 weeks after first vaccination, same person who got the first jab, also got her second jab now the 39 yr old care worker Sanna Elkadiri

[MTVN]

[arista]

Yes MTVN
Tit for Tat

They do not get the big AstraZeneca order
only 31,000

So do we get supply of our Paid EU Pfizer stock?

[arista]

[Nicky91]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55836463

EU and AstraZeneca seek to resolve vaccine crisis

The EU and the UK-based Covid vaccine maker AstraZeneca have vowed to work together to resolve a bitter row over supply shortages to the 27-member bloc.

This comes after crisis talks which both sides described as "constructive".

AstraZeneca earlier said it could deliver only a fraction of the doses it promised in January-March, blaming production issues at European plants.

But the EU said the firm must honour its commitments and deliver the jabs by diverting stock from the UK.

The contract between the EU and AstraZeneca contains a confidentiality clause - but the EU has asked the company to release the details nevertheless.

Reports said last week the EU would get 60% fewer vaccine doses - about 50 million jabs - than promised in the first quarter of the year.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, has not yet been approved by the EU, although this is expected on Friday.

The EU - which has been criticised for the slow rollout of its inoculations - is also facing delays with supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The bloc has a much bigger deal with the US-German vaccine-maker.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I'm confident of our supplies and we'll keep rolling out vaccines as fast we possibly can. I am very pleased at the moment that we have the fastest rollout of vaccines in Europe by some way."

After Wednesday's crisis talks, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides expressed regret over the "continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule".

"We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens," she tweeted.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said the company had "committed to even closer co-ordination to jointly chart a path for the delivery of our vaccine over the coming months".

Ms Kyriakides stressed before the talks that UK factories, which have not experienced production problems, were part of its deal with the company and had to deliver.

"The 27 European Union member states are united that AstraZeneca needs to deliver on its commitments in our agreements," she said.

In an interview on Tuesday with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the contract compelled it to make its "best effort", rather than obliging it to meet a set deadline for delivery of the vaccines.

Ms Kyriakides said this characterisation of the deal was "not correct or acceptable".

She added that the EU rejected "the logic of first-come first-serve".

"That may work at the neighbourhood butcher's but not in contracts, and not in our advanced purchase agreements."

Ms Kyriakides appeared to be responding to Mr Soriot, who said that the UK had signed its contract with AstraZeneca three months before the EU and that this extra time had been used to "fix all the glitches we experienced" regarding the UK.

What are the supply problems?
The EU signed a deal with AstraZeneca in August for 300 million doses, with an option for 100 million more, but the UK-Swedish company has reported production delays at two plants, one in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.

Mr Soriot said production was "basically two months behind where we wanted to be".

Italy was among the countries threatening to sue over the delays.

EU and vaccines
448mEU population

8.4mPeople received vaccine so far (1.9%)

2.3bnDoses ordered overall

400mDoses ordered from AstraZeneca (Not yet EMA approved) - 17% of total

The EU had hoped that, as soon as approval was given, delivery would start straight away, with some 80 million doses arriving in the 27 nations by March.

Officials have not confirmed publicly how big the shortfall will be, but Reuters news agency reported that deliveries would be reduced to 31 million in the first quarter of this year.

The EU has also ordered 2.3 billion doses of vaccines from four other companies, of which only those of Pfizer/BioNTech (600 million) and Moderna (160 million) have been approved.

[AnnieK]

My Dad had the AstraZeneca injection at 8.30 this morning. He said it was very well organised and he was in and out in just over 15 minutes as he had to wait to check for any immediate side effects/reactions. Back in 12 weeks for second dose.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

My Dad had the AstraZeneca injection at 8.30 this morning. He said it was very well organised and he was in and out in just over 15 minutes as he had to wait to check for any immediate side effects/reactions. Back in 12 weeks for second dose.

...for Annie’s dad...




.....

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

My Dad had the AstraZeneca injection at 8.30 this morning. He said it was very well organised and he was in and out in just over 15 minutes as he had to wait to check for any immediate side effects/reactions. Back in 12 weeks for second dose.

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by Ammi

...for Annie’s dad...




.....

Originally Posted by Cherie

Thank you

[MTVN]

Great news Annie

My 93 year old Grandma has had her first jab this morning too. She lives in the Isle of Man so it's been a bit slower to get to her but they're pretty much Covid free there anyway. They've transformed the airport into a vaccination centre and she was adament she would drive there and back herself but has eventually relented and let my cousin drive her in case her arm was sore afterwards or anything, just as well because she's an awful driver at the best of times

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Great news Annie

My 93 year old Grandma has had her first jab this morning too. She lives in the Isle of Man so it's been a bit slower to get to her but they're pretty much Covid free there anyway. They've transformed the airport into a vaccination centre and she was adament she would drive there and back herself but has eventually relented and let my cousin drive her in case her arm was sore afterwards or anything, just as well because she's an awful driver at the best of times

[Cherie]

Controversy over the number of doses in the Pfizer vials



https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/...-pfizer-doses/

How many doses?

Until recently, each vial of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine was considered to officially contain five doses.

After being thawed, the contents of each vial are diluted with 1.8ml of saline solution, creating a total of 2.25ml of injectable solution. With each dose 0.3ml, in theory there are just over seven doses.

But theory and practice are different. Medical personnel are unable to measure so precisely the doses to get seven doses they can inject into people.

But the found they could - with the right equipment - reliably get six doses out of the vials.

Both EU and US regulators now consider that the vials contain six doses and have authorised the use of the sixth dose.

However the European Medicines Agency noted that this sixth dose depends on the availability of specific syringes.

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Great news Annie

My 93 year old Grandma has had her first jab this morning too. She lives in the Isle of Man so it's been a bit slower to get to her but they're pretty much Covid free there anyway. They've transformed the airport into a vaccination centre and she was adament she would drive there and back herself but has eventually relented and let my cousin drive her in case her arm was sore afterwards or anything, just as well because she's an awful driver at the best of times

Great news she's vaccinated.

[Cherie]

Britain raced ahead in the battle to secure vaccine supplies by announcing bulk manufacturing of up to 60 million doses of a new jab.
A vaccine created by French firm Valneva will start large-scale production at a plant in Livingston, Scotland.
If the Valneva jab gets full authorisation it will mean the UK has hopes for an astonishing 200 million jabs, more than enough for all its citizens to get both doses required with some left over.
It is an “inactivated whole virus” vaccine, using particles that stimulate an antibody response.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: “The Valneva vaccine will be another vital tool in our fight against the virus if approved.” He said the Scottish production was “another fantastic example of the strength of our Union”.
Under the national plan for vaccinations, the UK has portfolio of 100 million Oxford/AstraZeneca doses, 40 million of the Pfizer jab, and 17 million of the Moderna vaccine, in addition to 60 million planned from Valneva.

However, the European Union last night stepped up its demands to be given some of the UK-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca batches after plants in Europe failed to produce adequate yields to fulfil its contracts with the company.
Boris Johnson will use a visit to Scotland later today to argue that the Union has been integral in administering the coronavirus vaccine, providing Covid testing and giving economic support north of the border during the pandemic.
The Prime Minister spoke about the "great benefits of co-operation" to beat the coronavirus crisis, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the UK.
The visit comes as calls grow for a second independence vote for Scotland.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Johnson's visit to Scotland is "not essential" during the current lockdown.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/u...a-b906243.html

[bots]

The EU are angry because the UK have shown we can set up a better vaccine deal, faster now that they are out of the EU. It's about the only thing we have done better

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

The EU are angry because the UK have shown we can set up a better vaccine deal, faster now that they are out of the EU. It's about the only thing we have done better

I think they also have a problem in that Italy, Germany, France and Spain wanted to use emergency powers to approve vaccines but were talked down by Brussels who wanted the bloc to move together

[Denver]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

The EU are angry because the UK have shown we can set up a better vaccine deal, faster now that they are out of the EU. It's about the only thing we have done better

It shows their true colours threatening to block exports of vaccines already paid for because they are clueless

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Denver

It shows their true colours threatening to block exports of vaccines already paid for because they are clueless

we cannot vaccinate right now all because of you guys

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

we cannot vaccinate right now all because of you guys

No blame yourself we brought a large number of doses so they are legally not allowed to stop that plus wasn't France against buying a large number number of vaccines because they wanted to use their own? Then throw a paddy when theirs was postponed by a year

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

we cannot vaccinate right now all because of you guys

AZ has not been approved by the EMA so if you cannot vaccinate with AZ so any lack of vaccination must currently be due to Pfizer issues which is the vaccine the EU has approved?

[arista]

[arista]