Jump to content
Fuzzar

Corona Virus main thread

Recommended Posts

6 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Still haven't  had my notification yet. Will be 10 weeks Saturday. 

Mrs R had the AZ and had notification today and appt on April 17th.

Brought forward today by my GP surgery

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks to all for the advice and views. I took the Moderna in the hand, as it were, rather than the Pfizer in the bush.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
25 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Thanks to all for the advice and views. I took the Moderna in the hand, as it were, rather than the Pfizer in the bush.

Beware the Brazilian

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Van wink said:

Just had notification that my second jab has been brought forward, dont know if this is related to supply issues 

interesting... I believe we were in a similar boat. How far forward has it been brought? Did you have a 2nd appointment already?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 minutes ago, Tetteys Jig said:

interesting... I believe we were in a similar boat. How far forward has it been brought? Did you have a 2nd appointment already?

Yes I did, which was made at the time of my first jab, its been brought forward by a couple of weeks AZ

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, ricardo said:

50k positives in France today.

If only they'd  had some warning.

only 64k tests, worrying stats

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, Van wink said:

Yes I did, which was made at the time of my first jab, its been brought forward by a couple of weeks AZ

I had mine the same day as yous as I recall Jan 23rd, but wasnt given a second date, just told to await instructions from NHS. Mine was Pfizer.

Edited by ricardo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, ricardo said:

I had mine the same day as yous as I recall Jan 23rd, but wasnt given a second date, just told to await instructions from NHS. Mine was Pfizer.

Yep 23rd, I'm getting my second one next Friday now. Oddly I hadn't been made aware the date had changed, I happened to log on to my GP online account this morning and noticed there was a new forthcoming appointment for my second jab, so I rang them and they said it had been changed. Good job I looked but they did say they were in the process of notifying people.

Edited by Van wink

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, Van wink said:

Yep 23rd, I'm getting my second one next Friday now. Oddly I hadn't been made aware the date had changed, I happened to log on to my GP online account this morning and noticed there was a new forthcoming appointment for my second jab, so I rang them and they said it had been changed. Good job I looked but they did say they were in the process of notifying people.

Mrs R had the AZ at our surgery and her appt will make it 11 weeks so that has been brought forward.

Our surgery doesn't  do Pfizer so I had mine at one of the designated health centres in Norwich. I guess they will eventually contact me as promised. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
23 minutes ago, Van wink said:

Yes I did, which was made at the time of my first jab, its been brought forward by a couple of weeks AZ

ah, I'm pfizer but no 2nd appointment given... got another 7 weeks until its 12 though

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Mrs R had the AZ at our surgery and her appt will make it 11 weeks so that has been brought forward.

Our surgery doesn't  do Pfizer so I had mine at one of the designated health centres in Norwich. I guess they will eventually contact me as promised. 

 

I'm reading that GP's have been advised to stop administering first doses this month and focus on second doses, also reading that the UK put £21 million into the Dutch Helix factory where AZ is being produced!

 

 

"British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money – reported to be in the region of £21 million – was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations. 

A leaked letter revealed that Oxford scientists urged a major EU nation to invest in the Halix factory alongside the UK last April, but the deal was never signed. 

The European Union would have been likely to have secured millions of AstraZeneca doses had the Dutch government acted more decisively, sources suggested. An EU official admitted the bloc had yet to contribute a single euro towards the Halix plant.

MPs suggested on Thursday night that Downing Street should ask for its money back. Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, said: "We invested in this plant. We have contractual entitlements to vaccines. If the EU disagrees with those entitlements, they have the option of going to court.

"Even in my worst Eurosceptic moments, I would never have dreamt the EU would behave like this." 

The news that Britain funded the very vaccine factory now at the centre of the EU blockade comes as a major shortfall in AstraZeneca supplies threatens to disrupt the successful UK rollout.

GPs have been told to stop administering first doses this month and focus their vaccine resources primarily on those awaiting their second jabs. Downing Street says the UK remains on target to vaccinate all adults by July."

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, Van wink said:

I'm reading that GP's have been advised to stop administering first doses this month and focus on second doses, also reading that the UK put £21 million into the Dutch Helix factory where AZ is being produced!

 

 

"British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money – reported to be in the region of £21 million – was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations. 

A leaked letter revealed that Oxford scientists urged a major EU nation to invest in the Halix factory alongside the UK last April, but the deal was never signed. 

The European Union would have been likely to have secured millions of AstraZeneca doses had the Dutch government acted more decisively, sources suggested. An EU official admitted the bloc had yet to contribute a single euro towards the Halix plant.

MPs suggested on Thursday night that Downing Street should ask for its money back. Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, said: "We invested in this plant. We have contractual entitlements to vaccines. If the EU disagrees with those entitlements, they have the option of going to court.

"Even in my worst Eurosceptic moments, I would never have dreamt the EU would behave like this." 

The news that Britain funded the very vaccine factory now at the centre of the EU blockade comes as a major shortfall in AstraZeneca supplies threatens to disrupt the successful UK rollout.

GPs have been told to stop administering first doses this month and focus their vaccine resources primarily on those awaiting their second jabs. Downing Street says the UK remains on target to vaccinate all adults by July."

 

 

If only they had put their money where their mouth is.

Anyone remember all the gloating about how they got it cheaper while we paid through the nose?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, ricardo said:

If only they had put their money where their mouth is.

Anyone remember all the gloating about how they got it cheaper while we paid through the nose?

We still haven't got to the bottom of what was actually paid.   As far as I know no one  outside of AZ has actually seen the two rates.

Regardless of the politics though looking at recent figures I cannot help but think the humane thing to do is to give up some for the greater good ( if anyone still wants the AZ vaccine )

Edited by Barbe bleu

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

More good news from ONS

"Covid infections have fallen again despite the return of millions of pupils to the classroom, raising hopes for a smooth easing of restrictions.

Random sampling of the population by the Office for National Statistics estimated that 148,100 people in England had the virus in the last week of March, down from 162,500 the week before, with no signs that cases were taking off in teenagers."

Also good to see cases drop below 4000 on the Zoe survey today, first time I have seen that for many months.

Edited by Van wink

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Problems with a lack of ventilators in Poland as well. Friends in Warsaw have been telling me this and are gravely concerned. Seems - just like the UK - to be a hefty dose of government nepotism involved in some of the measures for combatting it.

If they have a lack of ventilators I sincerely hope we can supply them with some. We have a lot standing idle now and I would much rather they find a way to use them in a country that needs them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Van wink said:

Beware the Brazilian

I will, and I will feel happier after my second dose, in four weeks' time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

100s at a beach party in Newquay. New neighbours from Coventry and the family have come down en masse because Cornwall is the place to be on Bank Holidays.

Excuses range from "I thought they meant" to "I have had the jab".

I thought education was free at source in this country but obviously you have to queue nowadays.

Our new cases are very low and in clusters so we do not need these idiots being backed up by giving time to deniers in the media.

Free speech is a prerequisite of a democracy but allowing liars to influence the weak minded publicly is not.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

100s at a beach party in Newquay. New neighbours from Coventry and the family have come down en masse because Cornwall is the place to be on Bank Holidays.

Excuses range from "I thought they meant" to "I have had the jab".

I thought education was free at source in this country but obviously you have to queue nowadays.

Our new cases are very low and in clusters so we do not need these idiots being backed up by giving time to deniers in the media.

Free speech is a prerequisite of a democracy but allowing liars to influence the weak minded publicly is not.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
12 hours ago, Van wink said:

I'm reading that GP's have been advised to stop administering first doses this month and focus on second doses, also reading that the UK put £21 million into the Dutch Helix factory where AZ is being produced!

 

 

"British taxpayers have invested millions of pounds into a Dutch vaccine factory at the centre of a threatened blockade by the European Commission, The Telegraph can disclose.

The Halix factory in Leiden was equipped to produce doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, approved a major investment last April.

The money – reported to be in the region of £21 million – was meant to secure vital shipments to the UK. But Brussels has threatened to ban exports and on Thursday vowed there would be "no negotiation" with Downing Street, insisting that the doses should be diverted to European nations. 

A leaked letter revealed that Oxford scientists urged a major EU nation to invest in the Halix factory alongside the UK last April, but the deal was never signed. 

The European Union would have been likely to have secured millions of AstraZeneca doses had the Dutch government acted more decisively, sources suggested. An EU official admitted the bloc had yet to contribute a single euro towards the Halix plant.

MPs suggested on Thursday night that Downing Street should ask for its money back. Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, said: "We invested in this plant. We have contractual entitlements to vaccines. If the EU disagrees with those entitlements, they have the option of going to court.

"Even in my worst Eurosceptic moments, I would never have dreamt the EU would behave like this." 

The news that Britain funded the very vaccine factory now at the centre of the EU blockade comes as a major shortfall in AstraZeneca supplies threatens to disrupt the successful UK rollout.

GPs have been told to stop administering first doses this month and focus their vaccine resources primarily on those awaiting their second jabs. Downing Street says the UK remains on target to vaccinate all adults by July."

 

 

I can only tell you what’s happening in the Midlands, but assume it is happening throughout the Country. Volunteers that work with 1st dose outlets, have in the main been stood down until the 14/4. No second doses are effected however our 1st second dose delivery ( Pfizer ) came 4 days early meaning 900 appointments had to be rearranged in a day.

The 21 million was over a year ago, before the pandemic, and part of investment of AstraZeneca. The link tries to give some figures, but does not include the €175 million given to Pfizer by the EU to study new variants. It also goes into slight detail about how the US are stopping contracts being fulfilled. 

When the request was made, at the start of the pandemic in April last year, the UK had already pumped more than £21m into the plant.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2021/03/25/has-the-uk-really-outperformed-the-eu-on-covid-19-vaccinations/

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Van wink said:

More good news from ONS

"Covid infections have fallen again despite the return of millions of pupils to the classroom, raising hopes for a smooth easing of restrictions.

Random sampling of the population by the Office for National Statistics estimated that 148,100 people in England had the virus in the last week of March, down from 162,500 the week before, with no signs that cases were taking off in teenagers."

Also good to see cases drop below 4000 on the Zoe survey today, first time I have seen that for many months.

Yes, very good news.  Worth mentioning also that the proportion of infections in the older, more vulnerable groups is down too. So whilst the rate of decline in overall infection rates has slowed we will probably see a disproportionately large decline in severe disease and death.

Note of caution though. Whilst the schools.going back hasn't seen this take off again we have known for a long time that transmission is limited in children so really we shouldn't be too surprised to see there has been  no great rise in numbers. The bigger test is probably going to be when the unvaccinated 35-49s start mixing more freely.

 

Edited by Barbe bleu

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
17 hours ago, Van wink said:

"The Pfizer vaccine produces an "off the scale" immune response that is likely to protect against the Brazilian variant of Covid-19, researchers say.

The biggest study on antibody and cellular immune factors to date suggests people are likely to be protected against the Wuhan, Kent and Brazilian types of coronavirus following two doses of the vaccine.

The research, led by the University of Birmingham and including Public Health England's Porton Down laboratory, found 98 per cent of people aged 80 or over who had two doses of the Pfizer jab had a strong antibody immune response.

Professor Paul Moss, from the University of Birmingham and leader of the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, told a briefing: "We've certainly seen in this paper that the antibody levels are so good, really after the first two weeks, that we are pretty confident that this should be very helpful against the Brazilian variant."

Pfizer looks like a good bet.....presuming you're over 80 😀

I always wanted AZ, but in the cold light of day I feel very fortunate to have 2 doses of Pfizer, based on reports on data from the US and Israel. I hope the AZ turns out to be as effective in the field, then we will have amazing protection.

It does not make it clear wether it is 12 weeks or 21 - 28 days, so here is praying that 12 weeks is as effective. I notice where I am appointments for Pfizer are being pulled forward as well for the next couple of weeks. I assume it’s because it’s here so we use it in case there is a problem, but I will ask next Thursday if there is a reason.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Today will see the world moving past the 600 million doses, you may remember last week we were going at 9 million doses a day it is now upto 15.7 million a day. At this rate of increase the first billion should be done in 2 - 3 weeks, but of course that will not equate to a billion people. Of course a lot of that is the big nations who are going at rates faster than the targets they set themselves, US were aiming for a million a day, now close to 3 million a day, China were aiming in a couple of weeks to get to 4 million a day in a week have gone from 300,000 to 5.25 million and India who were aiming for 1 million a day regularly get 2 million per day.

Johnson and Johnson are expecting to see mass deliveries commence 19/4 which will once again see another major movement in the figures as this is one dose.

US, EU and Israel will approve for emergency use the usage of Pfizer for 12-15 year olds in the next 10 days.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

BBC today reporting a legal challenge against

the government guidance, updated on 8 March, [saying] trips to see family or friends "should only be considered" for under-65s while national Covid restrictions apply because they increase the risk of bringing Covid into a home. Visits out for residents, whatever their age, "should be supported in exceptional circumstances such as a visit to a friend or relative at the end of their life", it adds - but on returning to the home, the resident must self-isolate for two weeks.

.... The campaigners also say the progress made on vaccinations and testing make the 14-day isolation rules unnecessary.

The legal letter sent to the Department of Health and Social Care by John's Campaign says the decision whether someone can go on a visit outside a care home should be based on individual risk assessments

The 440,000 people living in care homes include some who moved in through their own volition, with full mental capacity, never guessing that this simple freedom, enjoyed by everyone else in the population, apart from prisoners, could so easily be denied them”


 

To quote one poster on here, who whinges regularly about youngsters bemoaning the removal of their freedoms, “civil liberties, eh”. 

Edited by Aggy

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Well b back said:

I always wanted AZ, but in the cold light of day I feel very fortunate to have 2 doses of Pfizer, based on reports on data from the US and Israel. I hope the AZ turns out to be as effective in the field, then we will have amazing protection.

It does not make it clear wether it is 12 weeks or 21 - 28 days, so here is praying that 12 weeks is as effective. I notice where I am appointments for Pfizer are being pulled forward as well for the next couple of weeks. I assume it’s because it’s here so we use it in case there is a problem, but I will ask next Thursday if there is a reason.

As of 21 March 10.5 million Pfizer jabs had been given in the UK ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting)

At around this date  reports suggest 20 million Pfizer jabs had been exported to the UK.

If both are true (the guardian report I am  it too sure of given that 9 million was the figure given just over a week before) then we probably have a massive backlog of Pfizer to get through. Maybe this is part of the reason for the switch?

Interestingly it seems that domestic AZ production was at least 9 million by 21 March. Assuming  we are to believe that, of a total of 15.8 million AZ jabs  1million doses were exported from the EU and up to 5 million from India.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 minutes ago, Barbe bleu said:

As of 21 March 10.5 million Pfizer jabs had been given in the UK ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting)

At around this date  reports suggest 20 million Pfizer jabs had been exported to the UK.

If both are true (the guardian report I am  it too sure of given that 9 million was the figure given just over a week before) then we probably have a massive backlog of Pfizer to get through. Maybe this is part of the reason for the switch?

Interestingly it seems that domestic AZ production was at least 9 million by 21 March. Assuming  we are to believe that, of a total of 15.8 million AZ jabs  1million doses were exported from the EU and up to 5 million from India.

 

 

My guess is that we got more Pfizer in quickly to be certain of our 2nd dose needs (total 20M) and that we aren't quite as 'secure' with AZ as we'd like people to believe - both in terms of domestic production and imports (India & Halix issues). Is Moderna coming on line to help?

That why April is not a '1st' dose month.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Yellow Fever said:

My guess is that we got more Pfizer in quickly to be certain of our 2nd dose needs (total 20M) and that we aren't quite as 'secure' with AZ as we'd like people to believe - both in terms of domestic production and imports (India & Halix issues). Is Moderna coming on line to help?

That why April is not a '1st' dose month.

Yes,   if  the numbers are all correct we have enough Pfizer already in the country to give second doses to all that need one. Given a ban could still happen it makes sense that these are used up and that we don't over commit by giving them as first jabs.   

Domestic AZ production highly likely accounts for over half of all vaccines  given  and as you say other vaccines are coming  online. So as long as component supply lines are not cut the campaign will probably keep chugging long quite nicely whatever happens now with the EU, India and the US and certainly quick enough for us to be at or near HIT with good protection to all vulnerable groups by the time of the June grand re opening.

It's all about variants now though...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
21 minutes ago, Yellow Fever said:

My guess is that we got more Pfizer in quickly to be certain of our 2nd dose needs (total 20M) and that we aren't quite as 'secure' with AZ as we'd like people to believe - both in terms of domestic production and imports (India & Halix issues). Is Moderna coming on line to help?

That why April is not a '1st' dose month.

I can’t put on here the email we received, but it suggests there will be very few 1st doses in April, but fewer still in the next 2 weeks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Well b back said:

I can’t put on here the email we received, but it suggests there will be very few 1st doses in April, but fewer still in the next 2 weeks.

Yes. Understood.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...