Vaccine Progress

[ASFTSN]

Speaking of anti-vaxxers, haven't they been around 15 or more years now? Haven't they done studies that show there is no higher incidence of autism or whatever in vaccinated children than their little grotbags?

Doesn't really matter, grifters gonna grift

[Fambo Number Mive]

Something pandemic related goes wrong - government try to shift blame onto the people, talk of "Captain Hindsight/General Ditherer" etc, even when it is fully the government's fault

Something pandemic related goes right - government try to appropriate it for nationalistic and Brexit reasons, even when they have nothing to do with it.

Either way their base will spin themselves into all sorts of shapes trying to back them.

[jobotic]

BREXIT CURES COVID

[Bronzy]

Bad news lads. I bumped into Matt Hancock in Sainsbury's this morning, and he's awarded me the contract to oversee the rollout. I have no experience of this sort of thing and am generally lazy and incompetent.

[Cuellar]

'Not a football competition' - European commission rebukes British ministers boasting about rapid vaccine approval

And you can tell it's not because England have come first!!!!

LIKE AND RETWEET

[JamesTC]

Bad news lads. I bumped into Matt Hancock in Sainsbury's this morning, and he's awarded me the contract to oversee the rollout. I have no experience of this sort of thing and am generally lazy and incompetent.

Glad to see our robust tender system is providing us with the best people for the job.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Smackdown for Williamson:

One senior diplomat told me he was delighted Britons would soon be receiving the vaccine, but that "someone should remind Mr Williamson that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was created by a German company, founded by scientists of Turkish origin, in partnership with an American distributor, and is being manufactured in Belgium before being transported across France to reach the UK".

Perhaps Williamson should concentrate on his brief.

[olliebean]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does the vaccine only lessen the effects of the virus if you catch it? It won't actually stop you from getting it or passing it on to other people, asymptomatic or otherwise?

It lessens the chance of catching the virus (i.e., testing positive) by whatever the efficacy is (62% or 90% or whatever), and also lessens the effects if you do catch it.

[JamesTC]

They got claps. What more do the fuckers want.

Hospitals will instead begin by immunising care home staff, and inpatients and outpatients aged over 80. The change is likely to disappoint and worry health service staff, some of whom had already booked appointments to get immunised.

It isn't just the doctors and nurses who are fucked. They truly are pinning all hope on the Oxford vaccine.

Separately, NHS bosses said the 800,000 doses that comprise the UK's first consignment from Pfizer's manufacturing plant in Belgium may be "the only batch we receive for some time", raising questions about how soon further supplies will arrive.

[shiftwork2]

Being distributed according to clinical need as far as I can tell.  What's the specific problem?

[Zetetic]

Phase 1 is supposed to be care home residents and workers. You could probably just about do residents with 800k doses (at two doses each), particularly now we've killed a tonne of them off?

[shiftwork2]

Yes.  The JCVI's advice is being followed.  There are certain Trusts I know of (Hampshire, for example, you might be interested to learn) that have booked in staff for vaccinations next week.

[Zetetic]

We're explicitly saying that we won't be able to deliver it to all care homes (but that some of this is down to the challenges of storage and distribution).

[shiftwork2]

You don't need two doses each from the first 800k batch.  The second dose can come from a later batch.  That doubles capacity and can theoretically get everyone in the highest priority group on arrival, with the NHS mopping up the leftovers.

I had a strange idea that 'cold chain logistics' was being used as an excuse to vaccinate the NHS and crow about the excellent take-up rate among health professionals as a means to convince the general population to go for it.  But perhaps the much-vaunted logistics aren't as fearsome after all - stable for 5 days outside of -80 doesn't sound that hard to get out.

[JamesTC]

You don't need two doses each from the first 800k batch.  The second dose can come from a later batch.  That doubles capacity and can theoretically get everyone in the highest priority group on arrival, with the NHS mopping up the leftovers.

The NHS don't seem to know when the next shipment will be. How long can they conceivably wait between doses?

(hope that doesn't come across as abrupt or confrontational, genuinely just curious if it is logistically possible to use all doses on 800k people and wait for the next batch)

[shiftwork2]

Hancock (keep reading please) expects 'many millions' in December.  I'm making the assumption that this is at least a quarter correct.  On balance the risk is lower than keeping 400k sitting in a freezer (if that is even possible, I dunno) unused for three weeks.

Beyond my pay grade I'm happy to say lads.

[poo]

Pint of vaccine with a dash please mate

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Hancock (keep reading please) expects 'many millions' in December.

And you're sure he's not talking about a backhander?

[shiftwork2]

I haven't seen Have I Got News For You for 30 years.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Have I Poo For You, more like!!

[Jasha]

Pfizer announce production may only reach 50% of original output projection

[Cuellar]

😂😂😂

[jobotic]

Once again I struggle to see what's funny

[Cuellar]

Pfizer also say they're not sure if you can still transmit the virus once you've been vaccinated.

Bunch of chancers, the lot of them. Spivs.

[Uncle TechTip]

The trials just haven't been big or long enough, i accept that risk given the situation we are in but it doesn't diminish the fact that the UK front line of care home residents are simply part of a bigger trial.

[Cuellar]

USELESS

[JamesTC]

Pfizer also say they're not sure if you can still transmit the virus once you've been vaccinated.

Bunch of chancers, the lot of them. Spivs.

They didn't test for it in the trials so they just aren't saying for certain.

Even if you can still spread it after the vaccine, the fact that it lowers symptoms will lower transmission rates considerably.

[Cuellar]

If you can still catch it after being vaccinated, even if it reduces your symptoms or means you catch a 'mild' case, then forget it. Not going to bother. You can get massive organ damage from asymptomatic or mild cases.

Keep me in lockdown until there's a proper one please.

[Uncle TechTip]

Will private enterprise be responsible for transporting vaccines from hospital hubs to care homes or wherever? How many failed batches do we reckon, due to the difficult handling requirements etc.

[jobotic]

I have to go to work every fucking day whatever so I think I'd take it given the option if that's alright.