United Kingdom VII: Taking Pride in Your Success

[wheelaa]

So, was this diplomatic issue an attempt to deflect from the ineffectual UvdL or to pander to a petty (and ineffectual) Macron? Nice to see the usual suspects calling the EU shots haha.

Interesting article, albeit a little out of date on the events of the last few hours.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/europe-s-vaccine-disaster-commission-president-ursula-von-der-leyen-seeking-to-duck-responsibility-a-1197547d-6219-4438-9d69-b76e64701802

Crap domestic politician runs off to unelected Euro position and is still crap. Shocker.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Good article from the guardian about the UK vaccine. I had no idea about any of this. Paints the UK in a good light.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/29/we-had-to-go-it-alone-how-the-uk-got-ahead-in-the-covid-vaccine-race?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Blobcat]

Apart from us all wanting the 2nd jab sooner than 12 weeks, the main blip we are dealing with in UK dentistry is days before the latest lockdown, dentists were instructed to allow/ rapidly increase their exams and check ups to bring the money in for the NHS. I'm spammed with posts online about petitions and demands to write to your MP about it.

In theory yes we would love to have more people in, our phones keep getting clogged with people calling when they can book despite recieving newsletters specifically asking them NOT to. Obviously it brings money to the practice too and we have targets to meet with the NHS which covid has just decimated.

But we can only have so many people in our receptions with social distancing, only so many allowed to wait at the desks, leaving many waiting outside, not to mention encouraging people to leave their homes and risk exposure to come in for a check up rather than a problem during a pandemic is just crazy. We spend longer setting up and cleaning up with the new rules and regs when it comes to treatments and just seeing more is nearly impossible. Yesterday was the first day that we saw LOADS of check ups, mainly as family groups so being in their 'bubble' helped us see more but still we don't know if anyone is infected with no symptoms.

Oh well, maybe that's why they are giving us these tests to take twice a week now, start mine tomorrow.

[wheelaa]

And to think that a couple of people here were exceedingly critical of Oxford. Even at the time that seemed off. Dolts.

I'll let the general upset re the UK not joining the EU procurement process slide...although even a small amount of common sense / knowledge would have foreseen all the issues that that joke system had / has.

[MartyG]

The only criticality of Oxford, IIRC, was towards Sunetra Gupta and her team, who has absolutely nothing to do with the vaccine or vaccine research, rather she's a theoretical epidemiology who still believes that the majority of country have already been infected (proved wrong) and that it would have been better to infect everyone to gain herd immunity, rather than having a lockdown to protect the vulnarable. Imagine the death rates if her advice had been followed.

[wheelaa]

I must have seen abuse directed at the actual vaccine team elsewhere, making me the dolt.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/30/who-urges-britain-to-pause-covid-jabs-after-treating-vulnerable

The World Health Organisation has urged the Tory leaders to halt UK vaccinations once the vulnerable groups are done so that vaccine supplies can go to other countries saying it's 'clearly the moral thing to do'

Moral... Tories...

*Peers through No.10's window*

Johnson:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jan/30/coronavirus-live-news-eu-vaccine-export-shortages-brexit-astrazeneca-pfizer-european-union-vaccination-uk-australia?page=with:block-60158e9d8f0880635da00b94#block-60158e9d8f0880635da00b94

According to Gove the UK-EU position on vaccines has been reset as the EU abandons its stance and threat to restrict vaccine exports after the blowback it recieved.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/30/uk-to-apply-to-join-free-trade-pact-with-nations-on-other-side-of-world

And the UK is to apply to join a free trade pact with Australia, Chile, Brunei, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

[Cepp]

WHO have been such a cluster**** throughout all of this, why even make a statement like that?.

There isn't a nation on this planet that would do what they're asking, let alone the island with one of the worst infection/death rates.

I'm sure Johnson will appreciate the bump in popularity when he pushes back though.

[Anpanman]

WHO have been such a cluster**** throughout all of this, why even make a statement like that?.

Yep they didn't get into the ribs of China at the start of this.
Part of me wishes that Taiwan developed the first and best vaccine - a place that they don't recognise.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52088167

[MartyG]

WHO have been such a cluster**** throughout all of this, why even make a statement like that?

Because it's morally the right thing to do and the world should have united as one to create a vaccine that was distributed to all the vulnerable first?

Of course the UK won't - Johnson has turned it into a nationalistic issue and it's working (the EU gave Johnson a leg up too) - however, the pandemic is worldwide.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Because it's morally the right thing to do and the world should have united as one to create a vaccine that was distributed to all the vulnerable first?

Of course the UK won't - Johnson has turned it into a nationalistic issue and it's working (the EU gave Johnson a leg up too) - however, the pandemic is worldwide.

To be honest we are just ahead of the curve. We ordered an EU vaccine, just like the other EU members did. And we also made our own. We are using those vaccines to vaccinate our country, as is our first priority.

[Cepp]

Because it's morally the right thing to do and the world should have united as one to create a vaccine that was distributed to all the vulnerable first?

Of course the UK won't - Johnson has turned it into a nationalistic issue and it's working (the EU gave Johnson a leg up too) - however, the pandemic is worldwide.

They're asking for a level of altruism that doesn't exist. I hate Johnson but no leader/party would do what they're asking. It'd be political suicide.

[MartyG]

They're asking for a level of altruism that doesn't exist. I hate Johnson but no leader/party would do what they're asking. It'd be political suicide.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/india-donates-500000-doses-vaccine-sri-lanka-75532989

I personally wouldn't have an issue with ensuring people more vulnerable than I am jumped the queue, even if that meant I'd have to wait a little longer, I see ensuring that particularly the world's health workers really need that protection more than I.

If the situation was reversed, the UK and its media would be screaming for other countires to give them up for just this reason and who knows what events in the future may reverse that fortune, leaving us in that shadow.

[Dogg Thang]

Yep. And honestly when I look at the UK and right here in Ireland, I can’t help wonder if we’ve even earned it. I realise that’s not really a factor but saying we need it more because our infection rates are terrible is rewarding incompetence. Anyway, this is not a time to get selfish, whether that’s the EU, UK or anyone else.

[wheelaa]

Yeah, I have no issue with waiting until 2022 or beyond for a jab.

I am slightly confused. Is this new WHO request just a restating / confirmation / drive as regards the Covax Facility? Or a newer plea? Not that it really matters I suppose.

At least on Covax and the wider ACT, the UK has stumped up a decent amount, so we're not total notes. If anyone has a more recent chart for the second link, please post!

https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/funding-tracker

https://www.gavi.org/sites/default/files/covid/covax/COVAX-AMC-Donors-Table.pdf