Vaccine rollout in the UK

[shpalman]

Not very reassuring that even NHS employees don't seem to understand how the vaccine works. I hope they don't say anything to patients that encourages them to "naively think they're safe".

Well my 85 and 87 year old in laws were told at their GP practice while getting the first dose of the AZ vaccine last week that it would work within 2 weeks and they'd be 70% protected.
Luckily they seem to be listening to us and won't be relying on that - but who knows who else has been told that and will believe it.
And this is in Galloway, which is just coming out of a horrendous spike in infections, so there's plenty of virus around to catch if they stopped shielding next week!

Don't know where they got that ridiculous dangerous advice from oh wait yes I do it's the JCVI.

Short-term efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is around 90%, says the JCVI, while 70% is given for AstraZeneca’s.

[tom p]

Local newspaper finds a couple of NHS workers who caught covid after getting the first dose of the vaccine because it takes time and two doses to get the full effect and even then the efficacy is not perfect

A nurse, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims she caught the virus three days after [her] first jab.

A GP receptionist says she caught the virus almost three weeks after receiving her first injection. "... at the time I naively thought I was safe."

Not very reassuring that even NHS employees don't seem to understand how the vaccine works. I hope they don't say anything to patients that encourages them to "naively think they're safe".

GP receptionists aren't, in the main, NHS employees. They also aren't anything even close to medically trained.

[Martin Y]

Vulnerable Mrs Y just got her invitation. So that's nice. Booked for Saturday.

[shpalman]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

[bagpuss]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

Mondays seem to be low for some reason - that was still higher than the previous Monday. Plus snow & ice still on the ground in many places on Monday will have put some elderly people off going for their appt, especially if they were reliant on public transport to get there.

[snoozeofreason]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

Both Sunday and Monday were snowy here in the UK, so that might have slowed the pace of vaccination.

[shpalman]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

Both Sunday and Monday were snowy here in the UK, so that might have slowed the pace of vaccination.

Yesterday's number has come in: 311,060 first doses, 1,710 second doses.

[jdc]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

We're getting our AZ doses from the UK manufacturing facility and apparently we get first dibs per the agreement. The EU are getting their AZ from Belgium, where AZ haven't got up to speed yet.

I think I read we were getting our Pfizer from Belgium but I can't remember if we were included in their temporary slowdown (I assumed so at the time and couldn't be arsed to check this at any point).

[Herainestold]

The data from Monday indicates about 280,000 doses, which is a lot but not as many as the >490,000 doses given last Friday (which is roughly the number of Pfizer doses delivered to Italy in a week). Yesterday's data doesn't seem to be in yet.

Given that everyone else is having to slow down, is the UK slowing down too or where are they getting their Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses from since both of those companies are indicating reduced production in one way or another.

We're getting our AZ doses from the UK manufacturing facility and apparently we get first dibs per the agreement. The EU are getting their AZ from Belgium, where AZ haven't got up to speed yet.

I think I read we were getting our Pfizer from Belgium but I can't remember if we were included in their temporary slowdown (I assumed so at the time and couldn't be arsed to check this at any point).

Pfizer has only two facilities going as of now, America and Belgium. America is ramping up production and Belgium is slowing down in order to ramp up later. The shortfalls from Europe are being allocated according to some arcane formula , where everybody feels they are getting the short end of the stick.
They have additional facilities in Europe and the US where more vaccine could be produced.

[shpalman]

to be fair, I think the UK does have first dibs on the AstraZeneca vaccine being produced in the UK thanks to having signed the contract three months before the EU did

[jdc]

to be fair, I think the UK does have first dibs on the AstraZeneca vaccine being produced in the UK thanks to having signed the contract three months before the EU did

I was just coming here to post Leo Cendrowicz https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... strazeneca

The commission, negotiating for the first time on vital medicines, felt that EU countries would demand value for money, so it dragged out the talks to secure better prices and product liability guarantees. That meant it signed the contracts with AstraZeneca in August, three months after the UK’s contract.

The EU’s joint approach may have secured lower prices and guarantees, but it came at the expense of speed – and at such a critical moment, it can only watch as the UK, which paid the full price, is benefiting from its early orders.

If they wanted the vaccine so badly, maybe they should have paid the full price instead of haggling. I say f.ck 'em.

[Herainestold]

This shows the value of countries producing their own covid vaccines. For smaller countries like Slovenia and Iceland the need to be part of a bigger market justifies the EU response, but really the bigger countries would be better off on their own. I don't know where the line should be drawn, but anyplace bigger than say, Australia should be making their own vaccines.

[Bird on a Fire]

to be fair, I think the UK does have first dibs on the AstraZeneca vaccine being produced in the UK thanks to having signed the contract three months before the EU did

I was just coming here to post Leo Cendrowicz https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... strazeneca

The commission, negotiating for the first time on vital medicines, felt that EU countries would demand value for money, so it dragged out the talks to secure better prices and product liability guarantees. That meant it signed the contracts with AstraZeneca in August, three months after the UK’s contract.

The EU’s joint approach may have secured lower prices and guarantees, but it came at the expense of speed – and at such a critical moment, it can only watch as the UK, which paid the full price, is benefiting from its early orders.

If they wanted the vaccine so badly, maybe they should have paid the full price instead of haggling. I say f.ck 'em.

Yeah, the EU is a slow and inefficient technocratic juggonaut, a lumbering Golem animated by regulatory overreach. The conflicting demands of member states have delivered a suboptimal outcome for all, while the UK - having Taken Back Control - is agile enough to pursue its own interests in the competitive and dynamic global marketplace. It's quite literally survival of the fittest, played out in a neoliberal-Darwinist landscape.

[Bird on a Fire]

My new year's resolution is to experiment with different political ideologies.

How am I doing?

[Bird on a Fire]

This shows the value of countries producing their own covid vaccines. For smaller countries like Slovenia and Iceland the need to be part of a bigger market justifies the EU response, but really the bigger countries would be better off on their own. I don't know where the line should be drawn, but anyplace bigger than say, Australia should be making their own vaccines.

But who will the rich EU countries make money off if the poor EU countries are still mired in crisis?

Thinking even medium-term it's in their interest to maintain goodwill amidst growing Euroscepticism, and to keep their cash cows afloat.

It's just like cattle farming, really.

[raven]

You'd think these companies could license other company's factories to produce their vaccines, given the scale we need to ramp up to and the pressing need for it. AZ in particular, given they're all about doing this as close to cost as possible and distributing it all fairly.

I think AZ did something like that in India. Why not in Europe too?

[jdc]

You'd think these companies could license other company's factories to produce their vaccines, given the scale we need to ramp up to and the pressing need for it. AZ in particular, given they're all about doing this as close to cost as possible and distributing it all fairly.

I think AZ did something like that in India. Why not in Europe too?

It's a cracking idea and it looks like it's going to happen. Maybe not with AZ, but Sanofi/Pfizer have made some agreement. This here says so: https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/sano ... ne/594004/

Sanofi will help manufacture more than 125 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, agreeing to lend spare production capacity to the partner companies after setbacks and delays in the development of its own vaccine candidates.

The additional doses will be used only for supplying European Union countries, a company spokesperson confirmed to BioPharma Dive, with initial deliveries expected by August. Sanofi will use a plant in Frankfurt, Germany, to fill and package vials of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine.

[jdc]

My new year's resolution is to experiment with different political ideologies.

How am I doing?

I don't like it. Change back please.

[Bird on a Fire]

The marketplace of ideas has spoken!

[raven]

It's a cracking idea and it looks like it's going to happen. Maybe not with AZ, but Sanofi/Pfizer have made some agreement. This here says so: https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/sano ... ne/594004/

Sanofi will help manufacture more than 125 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, agreeing to lend spare production capacity to the partner companies after setbacks and delays in the development of its own vaccine candidates.

The additional doses will be used only for supplying European Union countries, a company spokesperson confirmed to BioPharma Dive, with initial deliveries expected by August. Sanofi will use a plant in Frankfurt, Germany, to fill and package vials of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine.

That's good, nice to see some co-operation. Now, if Pfizer, Moderna and AZ could just get something like that going for the rest of the world....

[shpalman]

EU could block millions of Covid vaccine doses from entering UK

The development will raise concerns over the continued flow of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, for which the UK has a 40m-dose order.

...

The extraordinary development came as Belgian regulators were sent in to AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine production site near Brussels at the request of the Ecommission...

The investigation was requested by the EU’s executive branch owing to doubts over AstraZeneca’s explanation for its expected shortfall in deliveries. While deliveries to the EU have been put in doubt, AstraZeneca has been able to assure Downing Street that it will be able to produce 2m doses a week for the UK in order to fulfil an order of 100m jabs.

The commission wants to know whether doses produced on EU territory have been diverted to the UK in recent weeks.

[jdc]

It's a cracking idea and it looks like it's going to happen. Maybe not with AZ, but Sanofi/Pfizer have made some agreement. This here says so: https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/sano ... ne/594004/

Sanofi will help manufacture more than 125 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, agreeing to lend spare production capacity to the partner companies after setbacks and delays in the development of its own vaccine candidates.

The additional doses will be used only for supplying European Union countries, a company spokesperson confirmed to BioPharma Dive, with initial deliveries expected by August. Sanofi will use a plant in Frankfurt, Germany, to fill and package vials of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine.

That's good, nice to see some co-operation. Now, if Pfizer, Moderna and AZ could just get something like that going for the rest of the world....

It's a shame Sanofi aren't making AZ's vaccine really. That might have calmed things down a touch. Mind you, the EMA haven't approved it yet. Think they're due to give a decision tomorrow.

I wouldn't worry about the rest of the world just yet. I'm fairly sure the UK and EU aren't...

[jdc]

EU could block millions of Covid vaccine doses from entering UK

The development will raise concerns over the continued flow of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, for which the UK has a 40m-dose order.

...

The extraordinary development came as Belgian regulators were sent in to AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine production site near Brussels at the request of the Ecommission...

The investigation was requested by the EU’s executive branch owing to doubts over AstraZeneca’s explanation for its expected shortfall in deliveries. While deliveries to the EU have been put in doubt, AstraZeneca has been able to assure Downing Street that it will be able to produce 2m doses a week for the UK in order to fulfil an order of 100m jabs.

The commission wants to know whether doses produced on EU territory have been diverted to the UK in recent weeks.

Claim from an MEP that they were bottling AZ's vaccine in Dessau and sending it to the UK "until a few days ago" appears in this factcheck: https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-is-ast ... a-56360480

[shpalman]

It's not like the EU even particularly wants the AZ vaccine. Not for the age range currently being given priority anyway.

[nezumi]

Well my gran (87) has had her first jab and a friend in his 40's who has one kidney has an appointment. Maybe a couple more weeks for mine? I'll at least be able to relax in my own home and not stress as much but I won't suddenly stop shielding. I don't trust this government not to imminently f*** everything up. Besides, I'm still enjoying it the vast majority of the time.

I am a little worried that the more people get their first jabs the more lax everyone will be. It's already reportedly quite chaotic so I think I'll just hibernate into spring.