EU threatens to block exports of Pfizer Covid vaccine

[tomtomagain]

It looks like the upcoming fight on vaccines demonstrates that the UK's strategy will be torpedoed because it isn't co-operating with the EU.

I wouldn't expect so, Pfizer will still be legally obliged to supply the UK, they would need to use some of their US-based facilities to meet the requirements. Blocking the exports of company X because company Y has had a problem is a dangerous game to play. Likely to backfire very badly.

Remember how outraged we all were when President Trump tried to buy out some small German bio-techs and grab the entire vaccine supply for himself? It's not a good look trying to prevent other countries accessing medicines because your own politicians have screwed up badly.

Perhaps it would be better to have a more co-ordinated approach?

Perhaps. In that case, since the EU is clearly not in a position to run a competent vaccine programme yet, it will be in a couple of months I have no doubt, it makes sense to send all your vaccines to the UK, as the UK is in a position to push out loads more. When the EU is ready, I'm sure we'll be happy to divert our supplies to the EU.

[darmstadt]

Well drug manufacturing companies are money grabbing bastards anyway:

Sweden has stopped vaccine payments to Pfizer amid a disagreement over the number of doses of vaccine in each vial delivered by the drug company, according to a report in the Swedish press. Reuters has the story:

Sweden is seeking clarification on the number of doses it has been billed after Pfizer charged for six doses in each vial. It originally was thought only five doses could be extracted from each vial and Sweden now want the EU Commission and Pfizer to reach an agreement on how many doses there are in each vial.

“Until then, we have told the company that we must wait with the invoices that are available until we get clarity on what applies,” chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told Dagens Nyheter.

Pfizer Sweden declined to comment on the report.

[vetran]

Hmmm..puts tinfoil hat on...The EU invested heavily in this company for both development and for them to up production as they knew there would be a big call for it, now suddenly the EU can't get a return on their investment but the UK can....

Are you suggesting the EU gave state aid to AZ? The EU are late to the party, they haven't approved it yet. They have however placed an advanced order with a foreign owned supplier long after other orders. The Supplier has indicated there are issues producing vaccine in one of their countries. The sensible response should be let us help you producing vaccine, not we will grab anything we want for ourselves.

Germany and others have already grabbed vaccine unilaterally. Yet are backing export controls.

EU chief warns members cannot negotiate separate vaccine deals | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera

European Union member states will not be permitted to negotiate separate vaccine deals with pharmaceutical companies, in parallel to the bloc’s efforts as a whole, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
She told reporters at the EU’s headquarters in Brussels that the 27-member bloc would continue to work as one to secure vaccine doses from suppliers.

Von der Leyen’s comments came amid reports that some EU countries have tried to secure separate deals with vaccine manufacturers and as she announced the European Commission – the EU’s executive branch – had reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.

[vetran]

It looks like the upcoming fight on vaccines demonstrates that the UK's strategy will be torpedoed because it isn't obeying the EU.

Perhaps it would be better to have a more co-ordinated approach?

FTFY.

[tomtomagain]

Maybe the UK has only got its finger out with the vaccine because it let the virus get out of control.

I doubt the vaccine rollout would have had the same sense of urgency if they'd contained the pandemic.

Really? I think it was always in "The Plan". I have a mate who's been working on the logistics for this roll-out, he's been on it for a long time.

I think you are deliberately avoiding admitting that the EU has not made a good fist of the vaccine programme.

Most of Europe is in some sort of lockdown today. As are large parts of the world. Just because the UK has had a particularly bad pandemic doesn't mean that everyone else has been great.

It's estimated that one life is saved for every 250 doses of the vaccine. So that's about 24k lives saved by the UK response to-date. If the UK continues at the rate it is currently going, and there are no major hold-ups or problems or vacine-proof variants, then we should, hopefully, reduce our death rate by 90% in the next 2 - 3 months.

[BlasterBates]

Maybe the UK has only got its finger out with the vaccine because it let the virus get out of control.

I doubt the vaccine rollout would have had the same sense of urgency if they'd contained the pandemic.

Indeed the number of cases in the EU is far lower than in the UK so there is no need to rush the approval of vaccines. The point is once the vaccines have been approved because of the superior health service in the EU they will rapidly catch up with the UK.

Whether the vaccinations have been completed by August of September makes little difference other than for pro-Brexiteers to beat their chests.

[Mordac]

Indeed the number of cases in the EU is far lower than in the UK so there is no need to rush the approval of vaccines. The point is once the vaccines have been approved because of the superior health service in the EU they will rapidly catch up with the UK.

Whether the vaccinations have been completed by August of September makes little difference other than for pro-Brexiteers to beat their chests.

Really?

As of week 2021-2, 17 906 888 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA
As of week 2021-2, 425 618 deaths have been reported in the EU/EEA

From COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA, as of week 2 2021

Similar data for the UK: Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country - BBC News

3,647,463 Cases
97,939 Deaths

If you take the deaths per million rate, the top 5 worldwide are Belgium, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Bosnia* and Italy. Coronavirus: COVID-19 infections and deaths - latest data | Euronews

*Not in the EU

[Whorty]

It's started...

EU threatens to block exports of Pfizer Covid vaccine

You should be pleased. This is what you voted for ... to not be part of the uncaring EU ....

[Whorty]

Britain has been independent of the EU for less than a year.

It's had the best part of 4 1/2 years to plan for this ... to start now to put in place processes/resources seems a little poor.

But then ... that's this government for ya eh?

[DealorNoDeal]

Really? I think it was always in "The Plan". I have a mate who's been working on the logistics for this roll-out, he's been on it for a long time.

I think you are deliberately avoiding admitting that the EU has not made a good fist of the vaccine programme.

Most of Europe is in some sort of lockdown today. As are large parts of the world. Just because the UK has had a particularly bad pandemic doesn't mean that everyone else has been great.

It's estimated that one life is saved for every 250 doses of the vaccine. So that's about 24k lives saved by the UK response to-date. If the UK continues at the rate it is currently going, and there are no major hold-ups or problems or vacine-proof variants, then we should, hopefully, reduce our death rate by 90% in the next 2 - 3 months.

Happy to stand corrected. It sounds like the Government are leaving this to people who can actually organise a piss-up in a brewery.