Looks like it, but in terms of medicines at least there is huge variation between what is available, and who has access for it, and how it is paid for in different EU countries, even if they all take the EMA regulatory approval. In normal times regulatory approval is just the first step in setting prices and access levels on a country by country basis, even within the EU. It’s not a single unified bloc in this area. The EU itself has nothing to do with the negotiation, purchase and distribution of medicines, even vaccines, and man it shows now. The negotiations which happen after regulatory approval is a big part of my job, though from a bit of a distance nowadays.
A good piece from the BBC comparing Wales's Covid response to that of New Zealand. Kiwi - you and your fellow countrymen are the envy of us. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55840277
Cheers 4ever Was amazing how everyone abided by the lockdown without too many grumbles Hopefully the virus won't get too far past the isolation hotels
Good news - reduced international travel, a very high uptake of the flu vaccine, / overall better hygiene and distancing have contributed to a 95% fall in the number of influenza cases this winter. Thank goodness. There is, of course, a downside. So few cases make it very difficult to design a vaccine for next years flu jab. You can’t ****ing win, can you?
Some kind of deadly virus/bug must be the favourite to be the thing that wipes out, or greatly reduces mankind. Seems to only be a matter of time.
Father in law went for his jab yesterday, over 35 people in a winding que, all given the same 10.15am appointment!
Where? My parents went on Friday, given appointments six minutes apart, hardly any queue....but they do live in a rural area so no idea how busy the surgery would normally be.
According to a survey in the Sunday Times there is very little belief amongst the public that the lockdown will finish by ‘late spring’ (whenever that is, perhaps when the larks start rising?), but when it does 62% would like life to return to exactly the way it was before the pandemic. Well, their choice I suppose. I would like to have a health service and public health system prepared for a pandemic though, which would be a new thing. And that’s just the beginning of a pretty long list.... could be a meteor mate! Fiery and quick! Or a massive climate induced famine!
Probably a poorly worded survey designed to generate a certain response. Everyone would like to be restriction-free but it ain’t happening for many months and certain things probably shouldn’t go back to how they were. People schlepping on **** crowded public transport for three hours a day, five days a week to sit at a desk with a laptop, for example.
Many businesses have seen the benefits of working from home, and I can see this being a major change. Smaller offices with hot-desks, staff only having to come in a couple of times a month. Reduced stress on their staff as they no longer have horendous commutes, which then aids those us who can't work from home with less traffic on the roads. The days of offices rammed with staff are over I think. People will be more likely to think twice about coming to work if they've got a slight cough or the sniffles as those about them will rightly feel that the should have stayed at home. I'd like to think personal hygiene will stay high on most peoples lists of things to do - hand sanitiser etc at the doors to premises and so on. Large scale events probably won't return until next year.
Have a look at it, generally people wanted much tougher lockdown rules and enforcement, and the newspapers analysis was the opposite of mine ‘only’ 62% want a return to the same pre pandemic, whereas I thought that was a lot. Pretty soft on the government as a whole, but Johnson and Hancock don’t get much respect. Everyone would prefer Jacinda Ardern to be our dear leader, or failing that the Sturgeon. In terms of handling the virus at least.
