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So, the Swine Flu Vaccine was a waste of money

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    So, the Swine Flu Vaccine was a waste of money

    What a surprise.

    The government is making plans to offload millions of doses of swine flu

    Officials are in discussion with manufacturer GSK over contracts for remaining doses purchased by the UK. Options include selling surplus vaccine and donating it to poorer countries.

    The UK bought 60m doses of swine flu vaccine from GSK and 30m from Baxter
    That's 24 million doses more than there are people, FFS.

    An official figure for the cost of the vaccine to the UK has never been given but it is likely to run into hundreds of millions.


    Around a third of those in initial priority groups have had the swine flu vaccine.
    That went well then. Not.

    Among healthcare workers, 37% have had the vaccine.
    Blimey. That is low.


    More taxpayer's money pissed up against the wall. Still, at least they've chosen to the worst time to sell:

    Last week France announced it was selling millions of doses of swine flu vaccine.
    My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, this is: BTW, a Dumpster is a brand of skip, I think.

    #2
    Cyberman's curtains must be relieved though

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by RichardCranium View Post
      What a surprise.

      That's 24 million doses more than there are people, FFS.



      That went well then. Not.

      Blimey. That is low.


      More taxpayer's money pissed up against the wall. Still, at least they've chosen to the worst time to sell:


      Would you be knocking it if the worst case scenario for swine flu had been realised?

      I think you would have been in the queue for your shot like the rest of us, and grateful for it too.

      They ordered so much because deliveries weren't guaranteed
      Confusion is a natural state of being

      Comment


        #4
        That's 24 million doses more than there are people, FFS.
        Often 2 shots of vaccine can be required to get immunity. Getting 30 mln from other manufacturer is also prudent thing to do just in case virus becomes resistant to primary vaccine.

        Comment


          #5
          Pfft every doctor I know didn't take the vaccine as it wasn't specifically keyed to swine flu anyway, just GSK's left over crap they really needed to sell before it passed its sell by date.

          At the end of the day Swine flu is no worse than normal flu and more poeple have died from normal flu in this country....

          Comment


            #6
            It would have been better if the disease was serious and they didn't spend the money to be prepared?
            Originally posted by MaryPoppins
            I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
            Originally posted by vetran
            Urine is quite nourishing

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Ardesco View Post
              At the end of the day Swine flu is no worse than normal flu and more poeple have died from normal flu in this country....
              Wrong. Don't let facts get in the way of your chance to (try to) sound clever though.
              Originally posted by MaryPoppins
              I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
              Originally posted by vetran
              Urine is quite nourishing

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by d000hg View Post
                It would have been better if the disease was serious and they didn't spend the money to be prepared?
                The WHO based their estimations on the high initial death rates in Mexico, had these rates been consistent during the spread of the flu, it would have become a disastrous pandemic, which would have also had severe economic repercussions do to the world already being in economic chaos

                How severe, you can probably imagine.
                Confusion is a natural state of being

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by RichardCranium View Post
                  What a surprise.

                  That's 24 million doses more than there are people, FFS.
                  There are several very good reasons for that.

                  Certain groups need a double dose, as opposed to the single shot. Underlying health issues warrant this. I needed 2 doses, 3 weeks apart.

                  There can be significant dose wastage due to patients not keeping appointments.

                  Eg, a tray of 10 vials is taken out of chilled storage (and cannot go back in). The tray is ready for the 10 booked appointments.
                  7 people show up.
                  The other 3 are wasted and destroyed.

                  Taking a large town and their approx 20 GP surgeries, a DNA (Did not Attend) rate of 1 in 3 is not uncommon. (And that's for ALL intended visits, not just swine flu clinics). That's why you can usually get an appointment even if you ring later in the afternoon, on occassion.
                  Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

                  C.S. Lewis

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by RichardCranium View Post
                    What a surprise.

                    Blimey. That is low.

                    I was on the 'first wave' of 'key people' in Denmark to be given the injection. I was surprised and was told that an awful lot of medical people had turned it down due to concerns about side-effects.

                    I wonder if medical people in the UK turned it down for the same reasons.
                    Insanity: repeating the same actions, but expecting different results.
                    threadeds website, and here's my blog.

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