Coronavirus

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

I was getting up to date with my recordings from the past couple of weeks of 'Morning Live', so it will have been the daily Coronavirus update from Dr Xand van Tulleken.

I saw that one - I think you may have misremembered/misunderstood.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Hugh

I saw that one - I think you may have misremembered/misunderstood.

Hopefully, as I like him as a doctor and how he explains things.

H was also talking about the flu vaccine, perhaps I was confusing it with that if that uses the actual virus to make people immune.

[tweetiepooh]

The system here is different. I was called by GP and agreed a slot, my wife had text (I think). She had her first dose yesterday, just turned up at the right time, they checked their list and in she went. She had to wait 15 mins or so afterwards to check for severe reaction, given a data sheet and a card with vaccine batch number and type.


I hope they don't work towards a digital "passport", that would be very expensive giving people some sort of device instead of a card, I don't have a phone so they can't use that and discriminating against those with out phones is discrimination.


Can't see point of a vaccine passport anyway, if you are vaccinated fine, if you can't have the vaccine they can't discriminate against you. It's thought that by April those in the groups that have made up 99% of the fatalities due to Covid will have had at least one dose of vaccine so by then it should be "safe" just to go about with more freedom. Those at risk who can't have the vaccine likely will not want to mix too much.

[denphone]

Over-40s next in line to get a Covid vaccine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56208674

The JCVI says the following groups should be prioritised, once all at-risk groups in phase one have been offered at least one dose of the vaccine (by mid-April):

all those aged 40-49 years
all those aged 30-39 years
all those aged 18-29 years

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

I hope they don't work towards a digital "passport", that would be very expensive giving people some sort of device instead of a card, I don't have a phone so they can't use that and discriminating against those with out phones is discrimination.

Can't see point of a vaccine passport anyway, if you are vaccinated fine, if you can't have the vaccine they can't discriminate against you. It's thought that by April those in the groups that have made up 99% of the fatalities due to Covid will have had at least one dose of vaccine so by then it should be "safe" just to go about with more freedom. Those at risk who can't have the vaccine likely will not want to mix too much.

Employers routinely discriminate against those who refuse certain vaccinations where they are relevant, as do plenty of countries at their borders. Whether the UK develops a full-on vaccine passport or not, the principle that people may be barred from doing certain things if they refuse to be vaccinated (or even if they can’t be) is well established, and objecting merely on the premise that it’s discrimination won’t fly.

Discrimination is something everybody does, every day. I think we forget that it is not a criminal or immoral act in itself just because campaigning types prefer to use it pejoratively. Discrimination against someone who doesn’t have a phone is not, for example, illegal in itself.

Canada approves Oxford/AZ vaccine

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...vaccine-471746

[Pierre]

Interesting post I have lifted from Quora. I have copied the links used at the bottom.





Is it really the truth that the UK or the US have contributed more funding to COVID-19 vaccine development than EU countries?

The US has spent a lot:-

The U.S. has already invested billions in potential coronavirus vaccines. Here's where the deals stand

“So far, the federal government has struck deals with a handful of pharmaceutical giants that have topped roughly $10.79 billion as part of Operation Warp Speed.

Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and BioNTech, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, Novavax and AstraZeneca have all received funding from the operation for their vaccines.”

Germany has spent a fair bit:-

Germany funded the development of Pfizer's COVID vaccine—not U.S.'s Operation Warp Speed

“The truth is that Pfizer didn’t receive any funding from Operation Warp Speed for the development, clinical trial and manufacturing of the vaccine. Rather, its partner, BioNTech SE, has received money -- from the German government.

Berlin gave the German company $445 million in an agreement in September to help accelerate the vaccine by building out manufacturing and development capacity in its home market.

What the U.S. did, meanwhile, was commit to buying hundreds of millions of vaccines in advance to ensure Americans were among the first in line if it clinches an emergency-use authorization or approval from the FDA. The Trump administration agreed in July to pay almost $2 billion for 100 million doses, with an option to acquire as many as 500 million more, once that clearance comes.”

But the UK’s commitment has been enormous:-

Subscribe to read | Financial Times

“The UK’s push to secure and administer hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines is estimated to have cost up to £11.7 billion ($15.97 billion) so far, according to the public spending watchdog.

The government has signed deals for five vaccines providing up to 267m doses at an expected cost of £2.9bn, with non-binding agreements with two other companies set to bring total provision to 357m doses, the National Audit Office said in a report published on Wednesday.

Additional costs including those associated with sponsoring trials, distributing and administering the vaccines lifted the total spend to £11.7bn.”

UK meets £250m match aid target into COVAX, the global vaccines facility.

“The UK has helped to raise $1 billion for the coronavirus COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) through match-funding other donors, which combined with the £548 million of UK aid pledged will help distribute one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.”

And the EU?:-

Press corner

“The European Union has supported the rapid development and production of several vaccines against COVID-19 with a total of €2.7 billion and it is important to protect the integrity of this substantial investment from the EU budget.

It is not our intention to restrict exports any more than absolutely necessary, and the Union remains fully committed to international solidarity and its international obligations.”

You can work it out yourself as to who, per capita, has contributed the most to the worldwide fight against Covid-19.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/the-...als-stand.html

https://fortune.com/2020/11/09/pfize...speed-germany/

https://www.ft.com/content/58b11945-...9-695e162642fb

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/u...%20this%20year

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pres...n/qanda_21_308

[papa smurf]

This lockdown is so hard

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/n...eather-5055881

For some

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

This lockdown is so hard

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/n...eather-5055881

For some

Not an issue though.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-17/...aches-mps-told

Originally Posted by Pierre

You can work it out yourself as to who, per capita, has contributed the most to the worldwide fight against Covid-19.

Based on those figures it would be thoroughly embarrassing to perform such a calculation, both in terms of our national modesty and the dubious behaviour of other wealthy nations.

Coupled with further data leaks in the Sunday Press today showing just how spectacularly effective the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is, even after a single dose, and our leadership in pushing for wealthy nations to give more to Covax, it is increasingly clear that we’re going to have done much more than our fair share to beat this pandemic.

Good thing too.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Not an issue though.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-17/...aches-mps-told

So nobody that has gone to a beach has caught COVID? If so hallelujah, there is a cure, ie go to a beach.

Originally Posted by nomadking

So nobody that has gone to a beach has caught COVID? If so hallelujah, there is a cure, ie go to a beach.

I can’t help wondering whether you bothered to read that link. If you did, the nuances of it have clearly gone over your head.

Here’s a choice quote:

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told the Science and Technology Committee: “Over the summer we were treated to all this on the television news and pictures of crowded beaches, and there was an outcry about this.

“There were no outbreaks linked to crowded beaches, there’s never been a Covid-19 outbreak linked to a beach ever anywhere in the world to the best of my knowledge.”

When an epidemiologist talks in terms of “outbreak” he’s thinking in terms of significant levels of transmission, not whether a single person has ever caught a particular infection in a particular location. I’d like to think you understood that and were being provocative for purposes of lively debate.

Catching it in the open air has always been a small chance, even more remote when you are simply passing by someone.

It always makes me laugh when Im out walking, and people cross the road, as if some big monster is going to jump out of me and attack them.

[jonbxx]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Interesting post I have lifted from Quora. I have copied the links used at the bottom.





Is it really the truth that the UK or the US have contributed more funding to COVID-19 vaccine development than EU countries?

The US has spent a lot:-

The U.S. has already invested billions in potential coronavirus vaccines. Here's where the deals stand

“So far, the federal government has struck deals with a handful of pharmaceutical giants that have topped roughly $10.79 billion as part of Operation Warp Speed.

Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and BioNTech, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, Novavax and AstraZeneca have all received funding from the operation for their vaccines.”

Germany has spent a fair bit:-

Germany funded the development of Pfizer's COVID vaccine—not U.S.'s Operation Warp Speed

“The truth is that Pfizer didn’t receive any funding from Operation Warp Speed for the development, clinical trial and manufacturing of the vaccine. Rather, its partner, BioNTech SE, has received money -- from the German government.

Berlin gave the German company $445 million in an agreement in September to help accelerate the vaccine by building out manufacturing and development capacity in its home market.

What the U.S. did, meanwhile, was commit to buying hundreds of millions of vaccines in advance to ensure Americans were among the first in line if it clinches an emergency-use authorization or approval from the FDA. The Trump administration agreed in July to pay almost $2 billion for 100 million doses, with an option to acquire as many as 500 million more, once that clearance comes.”

But the UK’s commitment has been enormous:-

Subscribe to read | Financial Times

“The UK’s push to secure and administer hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines is estimated to have cost up to £11.7 billion ($15.97 billion) so far, according to the public spending watchdog.

The government has signed deals for five vaccines providing up to 267m doses at an expected cost of £2.9bn, with non-binding agreements with two other companies set to bring total provision to 357m doses, the National Audit Office said in a report published on Wednesday.

Additional costs including those associated with sponsoring trials, distributing and administering the vaccines lifted the total spend to £11.7bn.”

UK meets £250m match aid target into COVAX, the global vaccines facility.

“The UK has helped to raise $1 billion for the coronavirus COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) through match-funding other donors, which combined with the £548 million of UK aid pledged will help distribute one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.”

And the EU?:-

Press corner

“The European Union has supported the rapid development and production of several vaccines against COVID-19 with a total of €2.7 billion and it is important to protect the integrity of this substantial investment from the EU budget.

It is not our intention to restrict exports any more than absolutely necessary, and the Union remains fully committed to international solidarity and its international obligations.”

You can work it out yourself as to who, per capita, has contributed the most to the worldwide fight against Covid-19.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/the-...als-stand.html

https://fortune.com/2020/11/09/pfize...speed-germany/

https://www.ft.com/content/58b11945-...9-695e162642fb

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/u...%20this%20year

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pres...n/qanda_21_308

Those numbers surprised me for the UK as the main government research councils involved here get the following levels of funding;

Medical Research Council (MRC) - around £800million
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - around £500million
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - around £900million

So even if all that government money went towards COVID, that's £2.2billion. Obviously, that isn't the case, there's plenty of other research going on. I do see that the Oxford Vaccine Group got a cool £65.5million extra from the government.

On top of that according to that FT article, we have spent £2.9billion on 267million vaccine doses which works out at £10 per dose. It looks like £6.2bilion is going to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for vaccine procurement and deployment with £519million of that on manufacturing capability for the UK.

The only reference I could find for €2.7billion for the EU was for the vaccine purchasing. There seem to be contracts for up to 2.3billion doses which works out at €1.17 per dose which seems low. Horizon 2020 are punting €1billion alone for COVID work.

I am not sure your figures are comparing like for like...

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Paul

Catching it in the open air has always been a small chance, even more remote when you are simply passing by someone.

It always makes me laugh when Im out walking, and people cross the road, as if some big monster is going to jump out of me and attack them.

Maybe not you - but I can think of at least one who might.

Meanwhile, this Brazilian variant is a worry as there is no published data as to risk for those already vaccinated.