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Old 17-04-2020, 12:32 PM #1
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Default UK spent $20 million on Corona Tests that didn’t work

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The two Chinese companies were offering a risky proposition: two million home test kits said to detect antibodies for the coronavirus for at least $20 million, take it or leave it.

The asking price was high, the technology was unproven and the money had to be paid upfront. And the buyer would be required to pick up the crate loads of test kits from a facility in China.

Yet British officials took the deal, according to a senior civil servant involved, then confidently promised tests would be available at pharmacies in as little as two weeks. “As simple as a pregnancy test,” gushed Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “It has the potential to be a total game changer.”

There was one problem, however. The tests did not work.

Found to be insufficiently accurate by a laboratory at Oxford University, half a million of the tests are now gathering dust in storage. Another 1.5 million bought at a similar price from other sources have also gone unused. The fiasco has left embarrassed British officials scrambling to get back at least some of the money.
Full story: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.n...st-uk.amp.html

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Old 17-04-2020, 12:34 PM #2
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Yes bad luck
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Old 17-04-2020, 12:56 PM #3
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20 million is pocket change in terms of government budgets though. It sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn't.
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Old 17-04-2020, 12:58 PM #4
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It’s a new virus and a pandemic. Had they not taken the risk/opportunity the exact same people would say they were stupid/careless and endangering people’s lives by not acting
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:01 PM #5
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*UK spent $20 million on corona test that didn’t work.
*Trump halts WHO funding over handling of corona
*Figures now predict UK will pass Italy in total covid deaths
*Government DELIBERATELY did not take part in EU Coronavirus scheme
*Government ignored advice to set up emergency alert system

I'm going to guess that Smithy is a glass half empty kinda guy.

Last edited by Livia; 17-04-2020 at 01:01 PM.
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:02 PM #6
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People are still moaning about the testing abilities.
It would be far worse if no risks were taken in finding them.
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:43 PM #7
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Originally Posted by Toy Soldier View Post
20 million is pocket change in terms of government budgets though. It sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn't.

Yes just another bad day
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:45 PM #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livia View Post
*UK spent $20 million on corona test that didn’t work.
*Trump halts WHO funding over handling of corona
*Figures now predict UK will pass Italy in total covid deaths
*Government DELIBERATELY did not take part in EU Coronavirus scheme
*Government ignored advice to set up emergency alert system

I'm going to guess that Smithy is a glass half empty kinda guy.
He is Trying to stay sharp.
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:56 PM #9
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Originally Posted by Toy Soldier View Post
20 million is pocket change in terms of government budgets though. It sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn't.
Is that the only response you have to such a mishandling of public funds?.. This is not pocket change, it's not their own private stash it's dedicated funding that has been wasted on snake oil.
How many ventilators would that have bought, how many peices of PPE?

Sorry to make an issue of your comment but excusing the govt of a gaffe like that is honestly Priti Patel level explanation.
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Old 17-04-2020, 01:58 PM #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livia View Post
*UK spent $20 million on corona test that didn’t work.
*Trump halts WHO funding over handling of corona
*Figures now predict UK will pass Italy in total covid deaths
*Government DELIBERATELY did not take part in EU Coronavirus scheme
*Government ignored advice to set up emergency alert system

I'm going to guess that Smithy is a glass half empty kinda guy.
I'm gonna guess that you haven't contributed anything to any of those threads that isn't a personal snipe.
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:28 PM #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livia View Post
*UK spent $20 million on corona test that didn’t work.
*Trump halts WHO funding over handling of corona
*Figures now predict UK will pass Italy in total covid deaths
*Government DELIBERATELY did not take part in EU Coronavirus scheme
*Government ignored advice to set up emergency alert system

I'm going to guess that Smithy is a glass half empty kinda guy.
As soon as we start getting some good news I’ll post it
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:30 PM #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier View Post
20 million is pocket change in terms of government budgets though. It sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn't.
20 million would make a massive difference to some NHS services that don’t even have basic PPE...
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:35 PM #13
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Originally Posted by Kizzy View Post
Is that the only response you have to such a mishandling of public funds?.. This is not pocket change, it's not their own private stash it's dedicated funding that has been wasted on snake oil.

How many ventilators would that have bought, how many peices of PPE?



Sorry to make an issue of your comment but excusing the govt of a gaffe like that is honestly Priti Patel level explanation.
It's not a mishandling though, they didn't know the tests were crap until after they had them, so it was a gamble that didn't pay off. A very small gamble that seems worth the risk.

Again, the problem with ventilators and PPE is not the cost, it's how quickly it can be produced and distributed. I know there are celebrities throwing money at it and expecting that to solve the problem, because people are used to money solving problems, but in this case it really isn't about how much is being spent.

I'm obviously not mr-defend-the-government... They should have had stockpiles of things like PPE ready to go in an emergency... But they didn't, and now the problem is not how much they're willing to spend on it. It isn't there to buy.
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:35 PM #14
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20 million would make a massive difference to some NHS services that don’t even have basic PPE...
No it wouldn't.
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:48 PM #15
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It's not a mishandling though, they didn't know the tests were crap until after they had them, so it was a gamble that didn't pay off. A very small gamble that seems worth the risk.

Again, the problem with ventilators and PPE is not the cost, it's how quickly it can be produced and distributed. I know there are celebrities throwing money at it and expecting that to solve the problem, because people are used to money solving problems, but in this case it really isn't about how much is being spent.

I'm obviously not mr-defend-the-government... They should have had stockpiles of things like PPE ready to go in an emergency... But they didn't, and now the problem is not how much they're willing to spend on it. It isn't there to buy.
It was not a small gamble it was a stupid misinformed, ill judged and incompetent mistake. All the advise surrounding these antigen tests at the time said they were not effective and we bought them anyway. In what universe is that worth the risk?
There is PPE to buy TS, i dont agree sorry how that detracts from the useless tests I don't know, it's like sending a kid to a shop for stock cubes for gran and they come back with durex!
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Old 17-04-2020, 02:52 PM #16
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No it wouldn't.
It would, ask the carers in homes where there have been up to 15 deaths if they would appreciate a proportion of that to protect themselves.
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Old 17-04-2020, 03:24 PM #17
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No it wouldn't.
I don’t think you’re in any position to say that, the people on the front line would definitely feel differently
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Old 17-04-2020, 03:27 PM #18
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So, would spending money paying for researching a vaccine also be a complete waste of money if it didn't pan out with a result?

We invested in several anti body tests, it turns out that none of them work. Every country around the world has been buying the same or similar tests, none of them work, so i guess they are all bad guys too
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Old 17-04-2020, 03:39 PM #19
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Its not like they spent 20 mil knowing they didn't work, they took a gamble which would have paid off if it did work...onwards and upwards
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Old 17-04-2020, 03:41 PM #20
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Quote:
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I don’t think you’re in any position to say that, the people on the front line would definitely feel differently
The point TS is making is that its not a lack of money, its a lack of the equipment, bit like you heading out for Toilet roll a few weeks ago, you had the cash but there was none to be found, hence the need to include companies like Burberry in the making of gowns and masks
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Old 17-04-2020, 04:56 PM #21
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It’s a new virus and a pandemic. Had they not taken the risk/opportunity the exact same people would say they were stupid/careless and endangering people’s lives by not acting
Exactly Douglas,they cant do right for doing wrong.
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Old 17-04-2020, 05:03 PM #22
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I don’t think you’re in any position to say that, the people on the front line would definitely feel differently
I am in a position to say that; my wife works in the NHS. They have money to buy PPE, they have orders in for PPE, there is such a high demand for PPE that they can't supply it fast enough to meet demand. That is the current situation. There is nowhere that's going without PPE "because they can't afford it".

Cherie has given the best allegory really. A month ago you could have gone to Tesco with £1000 in your pocket - you still weren't leaving with a 9 pack of Andrex, because they didn't have any. You could have gone with a million pounds. The problem is supply.

Like I said I think people are just very used to being able to solve all sorts of things by throwing money at the problem... We're used to living in a world of abundant supply. We're not used to scarcity and what that means.

It sort of reminds me of the scene in Titanic where Cal tries to buy his way onto a lifeboat and can't understand when his money suddenly doesn't mean anything.
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Old 17-04-2020, 05:43 PM #23
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we did not buy it...

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" it was only 20 million, ffs this government are WORSE than the Third Reich and are responsible for everyone who died in the world since Jesus"

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Old 17-04-2020, 05:50 PM #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier View Post
I am in a position to say that; my wife works in the NHS. They have money to buy PPE, they have orders in for PPE, there is such a high demand for PPE that they can't supply it fast enough to meet demand. That is the current situation. There is nowhere that's going without PPE "because they can't afford it".

Cherie has given the best allegory really. A month ago you could have gone to Tesco with £1000 in your pocket - you still weren't leaving with a 9 pack of Andrex, because they didn't have any. You could have gone with a million pounds. The problem is supply.

Like I said I think people are just very used to being able to solve all sorts of things by throwing money at the problem... We're used to living in a world of abundant supply. We're not used to scarcity and what that means.

It sort of reminds me of the scene in Titanic where Cal tries to buy his way onto a lifeboat and can't understand when his money suddenly doesn't mean anything.

Not our Most Loved trying to escape TiBB on a life raft
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Old 17-04-2020, 05:53 PM #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier View Post
I am in a position to say that; my wife works in the NHS. They have money to buy PPE, they have orders in for PPE, there is such a high demand for PPE that they can't supply it fast enough to meet demand. That is the current situation. There is nowhere that's going without PPE "because they can't afford it".

Cherie has given the best allegory really. A month ago you could have gone to Tesco with £1000 in your pocket - you still weren't leaving with a 9 pack of Andrex, because they didn't have any. You could have gone with a million pounds. The problem is supply.

Like I said I think people are just very used to being able to solve all sorts of things by throwing money at the problem... We're used to living in a world of abundant supply. We're not used to scarcity and what that means.

It sort of reminds me of the scene in Titanic where Cal tries to buy his way onto a lifeboat and can't understand when his money suddenly doesn't mean anything.
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