magneze
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Isn't it also the case that this is the first time the EU is having much to do with health policy? Normally that's member states responsibility.
Judging by how well it's all going, I suspect it'll remain member states responsibility.
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Judging by how well it's all going, I suspect it'll remain member states responsibility.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Normally if you don't want to be labelled the' bad guy here' you would think you might avoid threatening legal action, or vaccine export restrictions or come out with statements like AZ failing to live up to their “contractual, societal and moral obligations” or "We reject the logic of first come, first served. That may work at the neighbourhood butchers but not in contracts and not in our advance purchase agreements.”
There may be a compromise but probably just some face saving words. The EU for all its bluster hasn't got much wriggle room, aside from the fact that some of the money allocated to be paid up front hasnt yet gone to AZ , as litigation by the EU would take years and do nothing to resolve the delivery issue.
As for Johnson yes he might stick his oar in but at the moment his only words on the matter have been 'The matter in question is for our friends in the EU and AstraZeneca. '
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
andysays
Love and solidarity
I think it's possibly both, TBH.
If they can get their hands on some more vaccine that relieves them from some of the political pressures resulting from having cocked it up originally, and if that also re-enforces the idea that work inhas a block is better and gets some revenge against Johnson and the Brits, that's all good too.
kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
Two things can be true at the same time - the UK mitigation response to C19 has been woeful, while it's rollout of the vaccine has been excellent.
The EU cornered the market in C19 testing kits early on - which enabled test and trace, while the UK simply couldn't be get its hands on them for love nor money because it waited too long, which fucked test and trace. However the EU procurement and rollout of vaccine has looked like a man with no hands trying to fuck a dog with wet spaghetti.
These issues were faced here too but as production started earlier, they've been ironed out. They'll be ironed out in Belgium
too in time.
Meanwhile demanding supplies that another entity has bought, of a vaccine that you still haven't approved, are diverted to you... Is a bit special.
It's not like the UK are hoarding (the other one.)
From an epidemiological viewpoint of course, the sooner the whole world is vaccinated, the better. But the EU aren't on the moral high ground with this stance.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i have. but there's also some argument over when i should get my popcorn and deckchair as discussion boards in france, germany and hungary are demanding theirs first. very unhappy.
bimble
floofy
i don’t think it’s as simple as that sounds.EU did bung in 336 million euros to AZ last summer.
EU pays 336 million euros to secure AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine
The European Commission has made a 336 million euro ($396 million) downpayment to British drug maker AstraZeneca <AZN.L> to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesman said on Thursday.
www.reuters.com
kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
did you read your article?i don’t think it’s as simple as that sounds.EU did bung in 336 million euros to AZ last summer.
EU pays 336 million euros to secure AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine
The European Commission has made a 336 million euro ($396 million) downpayment to British drug maker AstraZeneca <AZN.L> to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesman said on Thursday.
'already agreed' surely means 'there's a queue'
bimble
floofy
Yes I read it. Doesn’t say , AZ has already agreed that America and the uk would get all their vaccines before the eu gets any, does it.
Raheem
Well-Known Member
Not necessarily. The UK and Belgian supplies are identical, so the EU case we "we bought X million doses of vaccine, we don't see it matters where they come from".
The real scandal is that drug manufacturers appear to be in complete control, even given the circumstances, and so it is all about Aztrazeneca's interests and a regular contract dispute, without any consideration for where the vaccine is needed (even, though, admittedly, that would still be likely to favour the UK).
Ax^
Silly Rabbit
think giving 12 billion to Tory MP mates had a bit to do with fucking up track and trace
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i didn't say it did.
you may care to read this Why has AstraZeneca reduced promised vaccine supply to EU and is UK affected? which explains that az have committed to providing the uk with vaccine from their uk plant.
Raheem
Well-Known Member
Surely all the vaccine should by rights be diverted to the US, then. Only seems fair.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
yeh. well the problem is the company have committed to supply the uk from the company's uk plant (see link in my last post). so there's a queue with the uk apparently ahead of the eu for supplies from the uk centre of manufacture.
Raheem
Well-Known Member
I don't actually see that written anywhere in the article you linked to. It just says that AZ has committed to supply the UK 100 million doses or whatever.
In any event, I don't think I'd be saying "well that's fair enough then", were I Italian.
(ETA: cos, obviously, if I were Italian it would be "thassa fair enough".)
i don’t think it’s as simple as that sounds.EU did bung in 336 million euros to AZ last summer.
EU pays 336 million euros to secure AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine
The European Commission has made a 336 million euro ($396 million) downpayment to British drug maker AstraZeneca <AZN.L> to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesman said on Thursday.
But on a best effort delivery according to AZ.
And that was after the UK had already signed a contract.
Party A signs a contract to preorder for N units of Superstuff in May.
Party B signs a contract for N units in August.
A approves Superstuff for use and starts distributing it in December.
Problems with Superstuff supply mean only N% is viable of the current production run by January.
B demands some of the viable batch of Superstuff A has already contracted for and are using when B hasn't even approved it for use in their domain yet.
A bit rich no?
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Full list of contracts agreed :
AstraZeneca (400 million doses)
Sanofi-GSK (300 million doses),
Johnson and Johnson (400 million doses )
BioNTech-Pfizer 600 million
CureVac (405 million doses)
Moderna (160 million doses).
plus exploratory talks with Novavax 200 million doses and Valneva 60 million doses.
Price list (alleged) as leaked by Belgium MEP :
- Oxford/AstraZeneca: €1.78 (£1.61).
- Johnson & Johnson: $8.50 (£6.30).
- Sanofi/GSK: €7.56. (£6.69)
- Pfizer/BioNTech: €12. (£10.63)
- CureVac: €10. (£8.85)
- Moderna: $18. (£13.17)
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
it helps if you read and don't just look at the words
the belgian site being the site supplying the eu
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The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
What could replace the private interests of European drug manufacturers that would be within the EUs fair competition rules ?
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
after johnson's deriding such a thing when there was the russian hacking going on last year
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
Meanwhile Johnson engages in mass murder!
Raheem
Well-Known Member
Come on, this is Key Stage 2 English comprehension. It doesn't say there's any agreement that UK-manufactured doses can only go to the UK, or that Belgian doses can only go to the EU. That's also not what Aztrazeneca are saying. They are basically saying it's a case of first come, first served. Which happens to be the most convenient, least expensive thing for them.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Its estimated that the UK might be happily vaccinating non priority groups at the end of this year, which gives the EU plenty of time to roll out its 2.3 billion vaccine contract. The current delays to vaccinating the elderly and health staff within the EU are to do with delays in delivery and production issue by Pfizer .
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kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
It would, but it's not a zero sum game - there's a fall out for IR if the EU starts trying to through its weight around because it has manifestly fucked its own procured programme. There would also be a political fall out if the UK decided to stop vaccinations at age 60 or whatever in order to help out the EU - and it wouldn't be 'yay forrin's, let's rejoin the EU...'.
Personally, I think that if we were vaccinating our pet rabbits and dartboards while huge numbers were dying in Europe then there would be a compelling moral case for diverting supplies of vaccine, but (for me) that point isn't reached until we've got down to the over 40's and anyone with a co-morbidity.
It's also worth remembering that the reason the EU member states decided to use the EU structures to buy the vaccine is that they wanted to use the EU's market share and political clout to strong arm their way to the front of the queue and get the best price.
They are not victims, merely ineffective bullies.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
I didn't say UK made stuff could only go to the UK. I said that the UK were before the EU in the queue, which you have decided to now agree with. The company are committed to supplying the UK 2m doses a week, which are coming from their UK plant and which is it seems the plant's capacity. I don't know why you seem so keen to find a difference between what I'm saying and what the article's saying.
Raheem
Well-Known Member
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