Coronavirus - Part Two.

[El Cid 220]

2 hours ago, tinfoilhat said:

Can you categorically prove we wouldn't have gone our own way if we had stayed in the EU? We opted out of all sorts of EU things.

And yes, the government has done super job getting a jab in people's arms. The facts are there. Id be happier if there wasn't such a big gap between jabs though.

That last time I looked, we were the 2nd fastest country on vaccinations, Israel are way in front. So yes, any country could have done that, well done Boris. 

[petemcewan 27]

Mister M,

Back in the day there was plenty of HIV denialists.

Swayne is the Cov-19 equivalent.

The organisation Act Up (I was a member) came up with a slogan aimed at the denialists. "It's the virus stupid".

 

Similarly for Swanye: "It's the virus stupid".

[Becky B 31]

4 hours ago, West 77 said:

It's embarrassing that pro EU remain voters all don't have the good grace to acknowledge the UK's  covid vaccine program benefited hugely as a consequence of Leave winning the EU referendum vote.  The EU vaccine program is a shambles and the EU are behaving badly by trying to bully AstraZenaca because of the production problems in factories based in the EU.  They are treating AstraZeneca most unfairly given the fact because of their own bureaucracy failings they still haven't even approved the use of that vaccine yet.  The UK and AstraZeneca  to their huge credit have done their best throughout the vaccine program to make cheap vaccines available throughout the World which will be particular beneficial to the poorer nations. The EU should lean much from the UK Government on how to behave in a dignified  unselfish manner.

Yet the government have decided again not to follow the science with the vaccine, and have a longer gap between the two doses than has been tested in clinical trials.  So it's all guesswork. 

Johnson has been indecisive from the start, making decisions then gauging public opinion before deciding if it was a good idea or not. 

If we'd done a proper lockdown from the start and used similar strategies on international travel as, say, Australia and New Zealand have, we wouldn't be in this situation now.  It's going to drag on for more weeks and months. because of an incompetent, self-serving cronyist government.

Regarding Brexit, there are massive problems for businesses who are trying to trade, red tape enough to engulf them,  long queues at ferry ports, all to regain our "sovereignty" - can anyone explain what that actually means?

So excuse me if I don't acknowledge any supposed benefit of the UK vaccine programme as a consequence of Leave. Who knows if it's actually going to protect anyone.  We're going to be stuck in this **** for years yet.

[Westie1889 0]

2 minutes ago, Becky B said:

Yet the government have decided again not to follow the science with the vaccine, and have a longer gap between the two doses than has been tested in clinical trials.  So it's all guesswork. 

Johnson has been indecisive from the start, making decisions then gauging public opinion before deciding if it was a good idea or not. 

If we'd done a proper lockdown from the start and used similar strategies on international travel as, say, Australia and New Zealand have, we wouldn't be in this situation now.  It's going to drag on for more weeks and months. because of an incompetent, self-serving cronyist government.

Regarding Brexit, there are massive problems for businesses who are trying to trade, red tape enough to engulf them,  long queues at ferry ports, all to regain our "sovereignty" - can anyone explain what that actually means?

So excuse me if I don't acknowledge any supposed benefit of the UK vaccine programme as a consequence of Leave. Who knows if it's actually going to protect anyone.  We're going to be stuck in this **** for years yet.

The government is following the science - from its own scientists. Chris Witty explained very clearly this week why they want to wait 12 weeks and the benefits it will give.

Ultimately they believe it will give even stronger immunity than the 3 week gap as most if not all vaccines behave in this way.

The trials didn’t test 12 weeks as they wanted fast results, using other learnings you can forecast how it will behave.

On the age issue they didn’t test it in many over 50’s or chronically ill people initially due to the risk if it didn’t work, in normal times that would be trialed at a later stage but again due to timings a small test was carried out on this age group on 200 people without issues.

Again using knowledge from previous vaccines they can predict with good accuracy that it will be as good if not better in the older age groups.

 

The UK government has chosen to take legal responsibility for any issues in order to get the virus out quickly and save lives, the EU went down the route of having the Vaccine companies take responsibility for any issues but this means they do not have the freedom we do to deviate from the manufacturers guidance.

 

The manufacturers are not saying it won’t work after 3 weeks, they are saying that based on their trials they can only guarantee it for the period it was trialed. 

Basically they are covering themselves legally due to the liability route the EU went down.

 

The CEO of AZ has said himself there is no issue with 12 weeks.

 

The AZ CEO explained that it takes upto 3 months to get the manufacturing process to produce the correct amount of anti-bodies and the EU were told this could prove an issue and effect supply.

 

The UK production is now producing 3 times the amount of antibodies than it did at the start and the EU factories have to go through the same process to get there which involves things like

tweaking filtration systems until you get the right result.

 

The EU have rubbished the Oxford vaccine from the start, and only signed up for it when it was showing promise - make you own minds up why that was.

 

Their biggest purchase is the Pfizer vaccine which they have lauded as being the best, maybe they should concentrate on getting that production up and running which I assume is within their control as they have 600m doses ordered.

I can’t help but feel that politicians are creating mischief as they have been too slow to sign-up to vaccine programs and know there is a backlash coming from their citizens.

 

[Becky B 31]

Well clearly die-hard Tories are going to believe that this ****-show of a government have done good.

 

I'm sorry.  Maybe I'm not being rational.  I'm tired.  I'm tired of watching people die.  I'm tired of having to wear a mask all day, every day.  I'm tired of getting changed up to 10 times a day to move between areas at work.  I'm tired of having to wrap myself up in plastic every time I need to see someone. I'm tired of the barriers that mean people can't hear/understand me easily.

 

I'm tired of having very little release from all of this (I may have been indulging in chocolate and alcohol this evening, apologies if I'm less than coherent).

I think I should go to bed and see if I can sleep tonight...

[Westie1889 0]

15 minutes ago, Becky B said:

Well clearly die-hard Tories are going to believe that this ****-show of a government have done good.

 

I'm sorry.  Maybe I'm not being rational.  I'm tired.  I'm tired of watching people die.  I'm tired of having to wear a mask all day, every day.  I'm tired of getting changed up to 10 times a day to move between areas at work.  I'm tired of having to wrap myself up in plastic every time I need to see someone. I'm tired of the barriers that mean people can't hear/understand me easily.

 

I'm tired of having very little release from all of this (I may have been indulging in chocolate and alcohol this evening, apologies if I'm less than coherent).

I think I should go to bed and see if I can sleep tonight...

You are going through more than me Becky so deserve your chocolate and alcohol.

Im struggling with home schooling never mind the conditions you are having to work in so I take

my hat off to you and thankyou for everything that you are doing.

We will get through this and things should look different by Summer but this does feel like the toughest time of the pandemic and it’s understandable you and many others feel this way as I think we all do to some degree.

Stay safe.

 

 

 

[FIRETHORN1 58]

My mum is 83. She is a double amputee, with both legs amputated above the knee. She is housebound, wheelchair-bound & also suffers from COPD. She has been assessed as being "extremely clinically vulnerable" & has Carers visit 3 times a day to look after her needs. I am very concerned that she has not yet been offered the Covid vaccine. She has not even been contacted. I called her GP surgery (Far Lane, S6), who told me that she would be contacted in "due course" and offered an appointment -  then she would be expected to go to the Sheffield Arena to get her jab!  When I explained that travelling to the Sheffield Arena would be impossible for her, because she's housebound, I was told that I would have to contact the District Nurse service. I contacted the District Nurse service, who told me that they are not doing the jabs ....and that I should call her GP surgery. I called the Far Lane surgery again.....and was told to contact the District Nursing service...again! Basically, we are just being pushed from pillar to post!    

 

In the meantime, a couple of my mum's friends, who live in Mosborough,  are still in their 70's and who are fit and well and have no underlying health issues, were invited to have their jabs at their local GP surgery. They have now already had their first jabs and have got confirmed appointment dates for their 2nd jabs.    

 

Surely this is unfair? I'm glad that my mum's Mosborough mates have had their jabs - good luck to them - but  how come that two perfectly healthy people in their 70's can get their jabs quickly and easily in Mosborough, but an extremely disabled and clinically vulnerable person in her 80's can't even get her first jab in Hillsborough? Is it that there is just a much higher demographic of old and sick people in Hillsborough - or is it just a post-code lottery? 

[DameClara 12]

How about contacting her MP given this run around ?

[lobster 54]

I think it is more about which GP's surgery , Mine has regular updates on its Website and states that they have arranged visits for housebound patients

[Baron99 797]

Regarding the delay & argument of vaccines to  Europe. 

 

Just watching the BBC news & the BBC reporter showed that the EU, as a collective, only decided to buy the AstraZeneca vaccine some 3 months after the UK. 

 

The report showed empty vaccination centres in Germany & one in Spain, where they are now running out of vaccines & won't be supplied again for at least a fortnight. 

 

The BBC also interviewed a German MEP who is now demanding answers as to which MEP`s & EU Commissioners caused this delay, rather than being proactive & obtaining the vaccines at the first opportunity, just like the UK? 

 

Clearly an MEP who realises & recognises, that it's some of  her MEP colleagues in Brussels / the EU Commission who have caused the problems on the Continent & the blame is not with those that some politicians are trying to blame, the hard working, dedicated manufactures of the vaccines

 

Politicians playing a loosing game with peoples' lives, now found out & trying to pass the blame. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Baron99

[catmiss 12]

The latest statement from Germany that the Astra Zeneca vaccine is not proven to be effective for over 65s, reported to be at odds with the imminent EU evaluation, seems to be another example of Baron99’s argument. 

[El Cid 220]

6 hours ago, catmiss said:

The latest statement from Germany that the Astra Zeneca vaccine is not proven to be effective for over 65s, reported to be at odds with the imminent EU evaluation, seems to be another example of Baron99’s argument. 

Germany dont have much supply of the Astra Zeneca vaccine, so its much easier for them to be critical.