Off Topic Covid 19 restrictions have done one

I'm suprised that there weren't sufficient precautions in place to protect someone in such a vulnerable position.

 

An interesting read on what we know (and don't) about the coronavirus variants.

https://arstechnica.com/science/202...s-what-they-do-and-how-worried-you-should-be/

 

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summary of the EU state right now (I know its the Daily mail but they do seem to report chaos quite well lol)

Furious backlash across the EU over vaccine rollout fiasco | Daily Mail Online

 

The U.K. got it right last summer by opening the chequebook and ordering lots of vaccines from several companies. Effectively betting on every horse in the race. I’ve had many reservations about how we’ve been handling things so far, but fair play on this one, credit where it’s due. We’ve also promised lots of support for the WHO Covax scheme to donate to other countries. Which is not only the right humanitarian thing to do, but also a recognition that we’ll be wanting to travel and do business with those other countries and the sooner it’s safe for people to travel, the better.

To be fair, Pfizer and AstraZeneca have done miracles to get as many doses out as they have, considering the virus was only mapped a year ago. Ramping up a manufacturing process for a brand new medicine usually takes years, including pilot and validation batches. To go straight to full scale you take the risk that some batches won’t work as well and you’ll get a low yield. As has happened at the AZ Belgian plant. Or Pfizer scaling back temporarily so they can put the work in to do a bigger scale later. All normal. But it’s bad enough when you’re in the lab or on the factory floor trying something new and it doesn’t quite work and you’ve got the bosses breathing down your neck because they’ve got production schedules to manage. Having the worlds press commenting on it and then country leaders threatening to sue is, frankly, one of the more bizarre things I’ve heard in the last year, and it’s been a bloody weird 12 months!

I read in one of the papers today that apparently Macron was threatening to both sue and not buy any more vaccines from AZ. Not sure what that would achieve for the French. AZ are not making massive profits on it, they’re selling at cost until the pandemic is over (terms of the deal with the Oxford scientists). I’m sure AZ would just shrug and sell to another country on the waiting list instead - there a lot of people on this planet needing a vaccine.

 

The French Pasteur Institute was forced to scrap development of a vaccine after failed trials.

 

Failed trials usually ended up with the guillotine.

 

Failed trials usually ended up with the guillotine.

 

The French eh!!!!.... waiting for others to sort their mess out for them....and there won't be a thank you in sight...!!

 

Yeah, I’m sure that’s a factor too. Drug development really is a lottery, it’s not always obvious which ones will work and it’s not always the prestigious organisations who get the luck. The GlaxoSmithKline vaccine is lagging behind too and they’re vaccine specialists. AZ aren’t, but Oxford were needing big pharma and AZ have enough clout and expertise to get contracts, sub contracts and facilities up to speed quickly.

 

Very good points.

The U.K. government was quick to approve and support the vaccine producers. This is not the case in many other countries. Any manufacturer that has orders in advance of full production will supply first. Israel showed that early commitment can result in benefits.

 

The comparatively mild restrictions we have put in place in this country had one overwrought poster on here accusing Johnson of acting like a 19th century Czar. (Even though the poster doesn't live in this country) What would he have called him if we had been putter under immediate, strongly enforced lockdowns?

 

Who was that?

 

He lives in North America.

 

Been playing golf?

 

If you're talking about me, I live in the UK. And I said that the legislation gives the office of Prime Minister 'rule by decree' powers with little scrutiny, which is true.

 

We get first dabs on the French vaccine as well, possibly due next year

https://order-order.com/2021/02/01/...plains-to-eu-later-orders-get-later-delivery/

and never thought i'd feel jealous of any one living in the Isle of Man

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/uknew...er&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebarweb

 

Suppose it was only a matter of time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-55890168

 

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