13901

The bottom line of UVdL’s comment (and we’ve built quite the castle on that one liner, I must admit) is indeed to find ways to provide vaccines to Europe. And we can point out at inefficiencies as much as we like, but I doubt that AZ is 60% off the target because they can’t sign the boxes out the warehouse fast enough.

We act all outraged about the EU threatening to stop vaccines but... if the tables were turned and the UK exported 9m vaccines yo, say, Italy while their national programme was 10m short, would our press, our politicians behave any differently?

KARFA

with all due respect this isn’t just one line. It is multiple examples of things said and done since the start of the year all along this same theme, and also false information from the commission such as claiming the UK and US had export bans on vaccines to justify their own actions, claims subsequently retracted.

And if that had occurred you would agree it would be unacceptable - just as it is when the EU threatens to do it, and actually does it in the case of Italy.

Silver Fox

And threatening to do it to a country that has one of the worst death rates is low, very low.

13901

Though not exactly a ban, this provision (copied from the Guardian) smells a lot like one...

Would it? Imagine the UK was in the EU's position. Imagine having pharma companies failing to deliver badly (see the numbers above) while, at the same time, exporting 34m doses abroad. Do you really think anyone - The Sun, The Daily Mail, Boris' backbenchers, Boris himself - will consider stopping exports to be unacceptable?

KARFA

Well I think that relates to two questions:

1. do you think drug companies are deliberately short supplying the EU in order to ensure supplies to other countries?

2. would you think that stopping exports is acceptable - bearing in mind you can’t just use vaccine made for another country for your own consumption? The vaccine made for Australia and stopped by the Italians is in fact of no use to them whatsover.

13901

Hang on; before we go into this rabbit hole, which I'm sure will be moderated into oblivion, my point in the original reply to C-W-S was to say that UvdL is trying to do what the EC needs to do, i.e. ensure that the most jabs go into European arms. Sure they've ballsed up the contract; sure, there's enraging idiocy in the vaccine delivery, from France to Germany... but my point was that ensuring that Pharma companies deliver according to contract is key. And that the UK would be doing the same if in a similar situation. And actually, based again on that Guardian article I've linked, is already doing it.

KARFA

Hence question 1 above. You can of course read the contract as the Commission published it, and see that numbers were not guaranteed anyway. Also supply is not interchangeable so you can't just divert supplies meant for export for your own use. If there are short falls in EU supply then you are correct in pointing to the issues in agreeing contracts last year. The earlier you sign the sooner companies can set up manufacturing and work through all the problems involved in complex vaccine manufacture and supply. A lot of the issues around supply for the EU are due to the much later point where contracts were signed and therefore the delay for the companies starting that work. The solution is not to ban exports, it doesn't actually solve the problem whatsoever. It is not a constructive approach.

On your other point, there is no UK ban, the Commission agreed that was the case in the end.

I am sure you must agree this is not a useful route for any country to go down, vaccine nationalism is not something which actually solves the problems of limited supply and only serves to stir up animosity between countries - something which is not helpful in the time of a global pandemic when working together is precisely what we should be doing.

DaveS

Today's data:
People vaccinated up to and including 16 March 2021
First dose: 25,273,226
Second dose: 1,759,445

Cases 5,758 (5,926 last week)
Deaths 141 (190)

BBC:

13901

What is a UK-first clause but for a ban in drag?

The fact is... we are going the nationalist road. The EU is, the UK is, the US is. I'm an idealist, but if it were down me the patents on C-19 vaccines would've been waived. Médecins Sans Frontičres, the WHO, India and South Africa have been advocating for the waiver but we are opposing it.

HB7

About 527k doses today (first and second) - which I think is the highest Tuesday to date, so that is encouraging.

Kgmm77

Somewhat semantics and wordplay. Both the EU and UK have methods to enforce their contracts. The UK protected its supply chain via contract (down to ingredient level), the EU appear not to have negotiated a particularly water tight contract so are seeking to enforce via supplementary legislation. The UK approach is clearly better thought out, but both achieve the same objectives.

HB7

A bit of bad news coming in. Laura Kuenssberg (BBC) has just tweeted: "NHS has written to local health organisations warning of a 'significant reduction in weekly supply' of the vaccine from week beginning March 29th for a month".

PxC

Great, so the “ramping up to 4-5m a week” is going to last all of two weeks

Dan1113

And there goes the preliminary lockdown exit dates with it, I imagine...

KSVVZ2015

Yes, so it looks like the below 50s who aren't amongst the few lucky ones to get in the next few weeks are going to be pushed to May. Apparently all unfilled first dose appointments in April are supposed to be closed.