CNN reports the UK's contract with Astrazeneca was actually also signed in August - like the EU's just one day prior - and uses the same 'best efforts' language.
It goes against the reasoning for prioritising UK deliveries given by its CEO in an interview amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/02/17…
It helps us understand why the EU reacted so dramatically to that interview by Pascal Soriot. The contract also said EU factories would supply the UK, contrary to the claim of separate supply chains he put forth. But we still don't understand why Astrazeneca took this approach.
The EU is now working on new contracts for booster vaccines tweaked for Covid variants.
Pfizer and Moderna clearly first in line - mRNA can be updated fast, and von der Leyen said yesterday it makes sense to work with existing contractors and experience with "most" had been good.
Irish healthcare complain about receiving Astrazeneca -- the "least efficacious vaccine" -- and not Pfizer or Moderna
(PS they can give it to me, I'd have it) irishtimes.com/news/ireland/i…
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Research indicates mental health conditions are a major risk factor for Covid-19.
People with conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression with psychosis were seven times more likely to catch Covid-19, and had double the death rate. irishtimes.com/life-and-style…
This is reflected in vaccine priority in the UK, where severe mental illness such as schizophrenia is included as among the "underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality".
They are next in line for vaccines after the over-65s.
However, in Ireland's vaccine allocation groups, no mental illnesses are included among the listed medical conditions deemed to put people at high risk of severe disease. gov.ie/en/publication…
The level of ignorance in the republic about the North does stop me in my tracks sometimes
The main northern misunderstandings about the south are:
- assumption that Republic is poor when it's richer than the North
- exaggerated idea about difference between the NHS & HSE, ie lack of awareness of free healthcare for children, old, unemployed etc
There's an odd idea that the republic is unstable/a banana republic even though it's long been just another boring wealthy northern European country... I've experienced those assumptions over the border that I must be a slum dweller/peasant lol
What countries are doing best on fully vaccinating people?
A more complex picture than the UK-EU rivalry would suggest.
UK is bang on the EU average, outperformed by Denmark, Italy, Ireland.
Israel beats everyone; poor Canada, which bought and paid a tonne, is the laggard
You can play around with the data here.
UK is ahead on giving the maximum number of people a single shot.
It reflects different choices. EU countries broadly are going more by the book. The UK has taken more risks, they may pay off, we'll find out. ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinat…
Look we can do dumb nationalistic shouting or we can analyse policy choices. I know which one I would prefer.
Thread on something really important.
At the outset of the pandemic, @DrMikeRyan called on us to "break the chains of transmission".
We haven't. The chains now number over 100,000,000 people.
Why? A central measure is often overlooked: isolating those exposed to the virus.
The above graph by @Paul5cott compares policy measures around the world on isolation and quarantine.
A lot of focus has been on reducing the random seeding of new chains of transmission through travel.
That's important - but only one part of containing Covid-19 spread.
It sounds simple: if everyone who currently has the virus right now could be kept separate from other people for about two weeks, infections would drop to zero. Pandemic over.
But individuals cannot achieve it alone. Isolation only works within a system of support and enforcement
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has held discussions with Ursula von der Leyen amid deep unhappiness in the Irish government at the use of Article 16 -- seen as "completely unnecessary" with "explosive political implications" according to a government source irishtimes.com/news/health/eu…
UK government spokesman says Michael Gove has been in touch with EU Commission's Maros Sefcovic and that the British government is now "carefully considering next steps".
Hours since its publication, the European Commission's vaccine export control regulation has been unpublished from its website