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The big vaccine divide: The UK’s approach is politician led while the EU’s is run by its officers –

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  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    He won't no more than he will volunteer to pay extra tax even though what he believes in. All mouth no trousers
  • Options
    RazedabodeRazedabode Posts: 2,977
    Roger said:

    A day's respite for the English. Phew!

    A really smart move. Sir John Curtice on Ch4 News is describing him as a recruiting sergeant for the SNP.

    When the referendum was on I went up to Scotland to stay with relatives who were passionately anti independence. They are now pro which is extraordinary.

    Keep the old ship rolling Boris......

    They looked at the joy on the continent and thought “I’ll have some of that”.

    Thanks for the anecdote though
  • Options
    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,137
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Charles said:

    @Ishmael_X FPT

    Sorry just saw your question on the ethical difference between covered short selling and naked short selling.

    From a definition perspective, "naked short selling" is the sale of shares which cannot be proved to exist - i.e. (usually) where the short interest is >100% of the stock.

    That's illegal. Of course the law has nothing to do with ethics, but it's worth pointing out.

    On the difference between shorting when you have borrowed the stock and shorting when you haven't is one of risk. Usually the big institutions lend stock and earn an income from it. If you have to close your short then they will typically extend the contract if you can't buy in the market because they have an interest in an orderly market. (This doesn't mean they will allow you to make a profit if you mess up, but they won't drive you into bankruptcy).

    When you short without having borrowed you are taking much more risk because you are exposed to a short squeeze.

    The issues I have with this situation are:

    (a) Naked shorting is illegal
    (b) The hedge funds have been stupid and jumped on a bandwagon
    (c) Retail investors coordinating on a short squeeze are - in my view - engaging in market abuse

    No body comes out of this well.

    Someone else suggested it earlier, but I reckon the company should do a capital raise. But I doubt that any credible underwriters will run it for them.

    I've not been following this in detail, but I note that the business is a video games outfit. Are the legion of retail investors piling in mostly speculators hoping for a windfall, or game players rallying round their business? I know we can't really know for sure, but what sort of groups are pushing it?
    Early this morning, a failing chain of video game retailers, who is being beaten by Amazon and digital distribitution, which is loss making, and which is seeing its sales fall, reached a value that would have made it the sixth largest company in the FTSE100, ahead of Vodafone.

    Day traders on Robinhood discovered that if they acted in concert they could create a massive short squeeze. (GME was heavily shorted because... well, it's going to go out of business.) As the price ran, up hedge funds found that they had growing losses and were forced to close their positions by buying back stock. This sent the stock into the stratosphere.

    Smart daytraders (both of them) will have left the party at this point. Dumb ones will remain, and will lose all their money as their call options expire worthless on Feb 19, as the number of real buyers of GME stock at (checks price) $250 is... ummm.... zero.
    That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
    Hmmm.

    PC games are now almost entirely sold on-line - and Steam is the number one player there, and Epic a distant second. Where is GameStop?

    In consoles, Microsoft and Sony are now trying to get people paying monthly subscriptions (and are succeeding). Physical console game sales will - inevitably - be more expensive those delivered directly over the Internet.

    And then there are products like Stadia and GeForce Now and Amazon's game streaming service.

    Right now, GameStop is briefly benefiting from the launch of new consoles. But what's their long term competitive advantage? Especially as they are already loss making, and can't match the investments made by other players.

    They're Radio Shack.

    I have no love or loathing for short sellers. But I struggle to see a long term winning strategy for GameStop.
    Do a huge rights issue. Buy Steam...
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I don't live in all countries - I live in this one. Sorry to go all crude on you, but once those first nine priority groups in this country have been protected, anyone who gets in the way of my vaccination will get my foot in their arse.
    tie a plank around your waist so you dont fall in
  • Options
    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,882

    Anyone notice the huge testing number ?

    Over 771k yesterday plus 46k anti-body tests:

    https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing

    The media never mentions covid testing now?
  • Options
    Andy_JS said:

    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.

    Doug Ford.

    Rob Ford, he dead.
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    GIN1138 said:

    Anyone notice the huge testing number ?

    Over 771k yesterday plus 46k anti-body tests:

    https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing

    The media never mentions covid testing now?
    They got bored dildo is still crap
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,610
    edited January 2021
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not funding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
  • Options
    YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:



    " ...designed by Britons ...."

    That is nonsense. Prof Sarah Gilbert is British, but her team in Oxford includes scientists & postdocs from all over the world.

    It is very nice that AZ are making this available at cost to the world. But, it is also a reflection of the international nature of modern science.

    The vaccine was not "designed by Britons", it was designed by a team of scientists (led by a Briton). At least 2 of the scientists in the team are Irish.

    OK, designed by a team led by a Briton working at a British university. WTF is the difference to my point?
    From their web-page:

    "This study is a collaborative project which would not have been possible without the support of our partners. This work receives funding from the rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR have also provided funding for the set-up of the project through the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The study has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as part of an urgent call to expand the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Funding has also been received from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Science (CIFMS). The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’ (Principal Investigator Prof. S. S. Vasan) is led by Australia’s science agency CSIRO for ‘High Containment Studies to Support Product Development’ for CEPI.

    Preclinical testing of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is being conducted in collaboration with our partners: Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH/NIAID); The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’; Public Health England; The Pirbright Institute; Prof. Dr. Stephen Becker at the Institut für Virologie, Philipps University, Marburg. Manufacturing for the current and future clinical trials is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, Advent Srl (Italy) and SGS Vitrology (Glasgow). Development and scale-up of manufacturing to produce millions of doses is being carried out in partnership with the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (Oxford), Pall Biotech (Portsmouth), Cobra Biologics (Staffordshire), Halix BV (Netherlands), and Oxford Biomedica."

    In Leon-speak, it is British.
    Is it me, or is there a distinct lack of Welsh names there?
    How can you tell ?

    Is Brian Josephson a Welsh name ?

    "Josephson is the only Welshman to have won a Nobel Prize in Physics." (wiki)
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not finding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    you forgot to mention matching ever 4$ contributed to another dollar from us up to a max of 250 million
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927
    edited January 2021
    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.
  • Options
    sarissasarissa Posts: 1,799
    Carnyx said:

    Some HYUFDesque guff emanating from this prospective Con candidate.

    https://twitter.com/CJCHowarth/status/1354854355426533379?s=20

    Hmm, Mr J doesn't seem to have gone to any fishing ports for a nice photo op with some crabs and a fridge nearby. Or have I missed anything?
    Police presence at the new Scottish Office premises in central Edinburgh make me think that is also on the itinerary. The presence of cement mixer deliveries is presumably not related....
  • Options
    MattWMattW Posts: 18,671
    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,610

    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Charles said:

    @Ishmael_X FPT

    Sorry just saw your question on the ethical difference between covered short selling and naked short selling.

    From a definition perspective, "naked short selling" is the sale of shares which cannot be proved to exist - i.e. (usually) where the short interest is >100% of the stock.

    That's illegal. Of course the law has nothing to do with ethics, but it's worth pointing out.

    On the difference between shorting when you have borrowed the stock and shorting when you haven't is one of risk. Usually the big institutions lend stock and earn an income from it. If you have to close your short then they will typically extend the contract if you can't buy in the market because they have an interest in an orderly market. (This doesn't mean they will allow you to make a profit if you mess up, but they won't drive you into bankruptcy).

    When you short without having borrowed you are taking much more risk because you are exposed to a short squeeze.

    The issues I have with this situation are:

    (a) Naked shorting is illegal
    (b) The hedge funds have been stupid and jumped on a bandwagon
    (c) Retail investors coordinating on a short squeeze are - in my view - engaging in market abuse

    No body comes out of this well.

    Someone else suggested it earlier, but I reckon the company should do a capital raise. But I doubt that any credible underwriters will run it for them.

    I've not been following this in detail, but I note that the business is a video games outfit. Are the legion of retail investors piling in mostly speculators hoping for a windfall, or game players rallying round their business? I know we can't really know for sure, but what sort of groups are pushing it?
    Early this morning, a failing chain of video game retailers, who is being beaten by Amazon and digital distribitution, which is loss making, and which is seeing its sales fall, reached a value that would have made it the sixth largest company in the FTSE100, ahead of Vodafone.

    Day traders on Robinhood discovered that if they acted in concert they could create a massive short squeeze. (GME was heavily shorted because... well, it's going to go out of business.) As the price ran, up hedge funds found that they had growing losses and were forced to close their positions by buying back stock. This sent the stock into the stratosphere.

    Smart daytraders (both of them) will have left the party at this point. Dumb ones will remain, and will lose all their money as their call options expire worthless on Feb 19, as the number of real buyers of GME stock at (checks price) $250 is... ummm.... zero.
    That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
    Hmmm.

    PC games are now almost entirely sold on-line - and Steam is the number one player there, and Epic a distant second. Where is GameStop?

    In consoles, Microsoft and Sony are now trying to get people paying monthly subscriptions (and are succeeding). Physical console game sales will - inevitably - be more expensive those delivered directly over the Internet.

    And then there are products like Stadia and GeForce Now and Amazon's game streaming service.

    Right now, GameStop is briefly benefiting from the launch of new consoles. But what's their long term competitive advantage? Especially as they are already loss making, and can't match the investments made by other players.

    They're Radio Shack.

    I have no love or loathing for short sellers. But I struggle to see a long term winning strategy for GameStop.
    Do a huge rights issue. Buy Steam...
    Don't think Gabe would sell.
  • Options
    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Hopefully as this gets rolled out all countries end up on that list. Then it can be a case of starting to remove countries that are safe and offer direct flights (so probably not NZ).
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
  • Options
    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    Hopefully being locked up will encourage them to "influence" their followers not to fucking needlessly travel.
  • Options
    kinabalukinabalu Posts: 39,310

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    No, quite the opposite.

    We should be aiming to be 'zero Covid, zero restrictions' - domestically at least. We know that vaccinating yourself not just helps you but helps build herd immunity to protect others.

    Once the vaccine program here is complete we can start to rebuild and move on, and be able to afford to help others with our aid and generosity.

    Only doing half a job will make us more vulnerable to a third wave and set everything back as well as risking those vulnerable who either can't get the vaccine or for whom it doesn't take.
    This is not the view of the professionals in the field.
    *citation required*

    (and Bodie and Doyle will not do....)
    I cite a far more impressive duo. Daltrey and Townshend. The WHO.
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,610
    Pagan2 said:

    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not finding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    you forgot to mention matching ever 4$ contributed to another dollar from us up to a max of 250 million
    Yes, that helped secure an extra $1bn in commitments.

    Not only did the EU cheap out in procuring vaccines for its own population, they're also short-changing developing nations who can't afford to buy vaccines for all of their people. On vaccines it has been such a poor performance that everyone will pay for one way or another.
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Hopefully as this gets rolled out all countries end up on that list. Then it can be a case of starting to remove countries that are safe and offer direct flights (so probably not NZ).
    Agreed they’re doing it the wrong way round. Should have made a list of safe countries rather than a list of unsafe ones.

    Yes, direct flights from Aus and NZ are a nightmare as they need a tech stop. You’d need to have a safe room at the stop airport, with no-one allowed to board the plane other than at the origin, and will all crew quarantined there beforehand. Expensive, but cheaper than 10 days in an hotel for everyone.
  • Options
    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    We should offer our expertise, not our vaccines.

    Send them Kate Bingham. Let them get their chequebooks out and let her help get to the bottom of how to build up production where it is possible and needed.
  • Options
    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
  • Options
    JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts
  • Options
    MrEdMrEd Posts: 5,578

    Reuters reckons Wall Street losses from short selling could be USD70bn....

    Sorry, that is hilarious.
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    MaxPB said:

    Pagan2 said:

    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not finding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    you forgot to mention matching ever 4$ contributed to another dollar from us up to a max of 250 million
    Yes, that helped secure an extra $1bn in commitments.

    Not only did the EU cheap out in procuring vaccines for its own population, they're also short-changing developing nations who can't afford to buy vaccines for all of their people. On vaccines it has been such a poor performance that everyone will pay for one way or another.
    Well the eu have always been bigots
  • Options
    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not funding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    *Raises hand*

    We must be fair to the EU in this case. It really isn't half as tight as it appears from this partial quoting of figures. That €500m people have recently taken to bandying about is a cumulative total for various contributions and guarantees funded centrally by the European Commission. It doesn't include individual member state contributions.
  • Options
    Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,825
    edited January 2021

    Andy_JS said:

    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.

    Doug Ford.

    Rob Ford, he dead.
    This chap:

    https://twitter.com/robfordmancs
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927
    edited January 2021

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    Hopefully being locked up will encourage them to "influence" their followers not to fucking needlessly travel.
    Guess when the British tourists started turning up?

    Yes,that’s a huge jump yesterday, right at the end. 3966 cases (UK equivalent to about 25k by population).


  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,610

    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not funding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    *Raises hand*

    We must be fair to the EU in this case. It really isn't half as tight as it appears from this partial quoting of figures. That €500m people have recently taken to bandying about is a cumulative total for various contributions and guarantees funded centrally by the European Commission. It doesn't include individual member state contributions.
    Individual member state contributions are tiny.
  • Options
    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688

    Andy_JS said:

    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.

    Given that the German regulator expressly hasn't said "It's poison - don't use it!" the likelihood of such damage appears limited.

    Beyond that, we'll have the necessary data on efficacy in the olds in the near future which, unless it really does reveal the jab to be useless (which logic dictates is somewhat unlikely,) should help matters.
    It's just another example of ludicrous EU red tape.

    Basically, 'we don't have the data to show it works well in over 65's therefore don't use it.'

    Which is myopic stupidity and grotesque bureaucratic bungling.

    1. We know the AZ vaccine is safe, so that's not an issue.

    2. We also know that it works and seems to work very well in those younger groups who were trialled.

    3. We also know that those trials were not exactly best practice.

    But jumping from 3 to 4:

    4. therefore we won't use it on the older groups until we get proof it works on them

    ... is a staggering non sequitur which may, probably will, cost some older Germans their lives.
  • Options
    Andy_JS said:

    Andy_JS said:

    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.

    Doug Ford.

    Rob Ford, he dead.
    This chap:

    https://twitter.com/robfordmancs
    Ah, a different Ford.

    Pologies.
  • Options
    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    edited January 2021
    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.

    Edit. Ah, just saw those UAE stats. Ouch. Not good.
  • Options
    BluestBlueBluestBlue Posts: 4,556
    Scott_xP said:
    Well, Crace would be the expert in being completely and utterly non-essential...
  • Options
    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,785
    edited January 2021
    Austria and France start going backwards, possibly over-reporting yesterday.....

    https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    if the eu continues to fuck us over maybye we do them a favour and nuke strasbourg and brussels it gets rid of the stupid
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not funding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    *Raises hand*

    We must be fair to the EU in this case. It really isn't half as tight as it appears from this partial quoting of figures. That €500m people have recently taken to bandying about is a cumulative total for various contributions and guarantees funded centrally by the European Commission. It doesn't include individual member state contributions.
    The 500 mill is what we contributed, germany contributed 100 mill
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,328
    MrEd said:

    Reuters reckons Wall Street losses from short selling could be USD70bn....

    Sorry, that is hilarious.
    Especially as every loss has someone on the other side of the trade
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,948
    edited January 2021
    JonathanD said:

    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts

    Sounds concerning, particularly in how a breach of contract to the EU could force them to reneogtiate its supply to the UK, an entirely separate contract.

    Still not sure if there's been anything to substantiate allegations they've diverted supply though.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,328
    edited January 2021
    Brady opens the debate, arguing that there isn’t any evidence lockdowns actually work, the detail of the UK government restrictions don’t make logical sense, and their consequences for the economy, mental health and well-being are extremely serious. And that the government doesn’t (or shouldnt) have the right to deny fundamental freedoms from innocent people.
  • Options

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    Seriously, though, we should immediately get on with vaccinating the rest of the CTA before we bother anywhere else. Would Dublin accept our help if that broke EU rules?
  • Options

    I have to admit, these 'Influencers' are very effective in what they do.

    One trip to Dubai and you can influence 30 million people into thinking that you are a total arsehole.

    But as long as people are talking about them and looking at their accounts its a win for them.
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    Pagan2 said:

    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I'm sorry to badger on this @kinabalu, you avoided the question. If, as you rightly say, we're all in this together as one planet then why is the EU not funding COVAX properly? The UK has funded it to the tune of £548m alone, Biden has had Congress set aside $4bn for funding, the EU has only funded €500m. Why is the EU short-changing the world's poorest? Isn't that morally outrageous while they talk about a "fair share for Europe" and other such inflammatory language?

    I'll take your non answer as agreement if you choose to ignore it again.
    *Raises hand*

    We must be fair to the EU in this case. It really isn't half as tight as it appears from this partial quoting of figures. That €500m people have recently taken to bandying about is a cumulative total for various contributions and guarantees funded centrally by the European Commission. It doesn't include individual member state contributions.
    The 500 mill is what we contributed, germany contributed 100 mill
    The United Kingdom pledged up to £ 500 million (approximately US$ 640 million) to the Gavi COVAX AMC. This commitment includes £1 in matched funding for every US$ 4 committed by others, to an amount up to £250 million. This is in addition to an earlier US$ 61 million pledged by the United Kingdom for the COVAX AMC at the Global Vaccine Summit on June 4, bringing the total contribution to US$ 701 million.
    quote from source
    https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/countries-pledge-nearly-us-1-billion-support-equitable-access-covid-19-vaccines#:~:text=Canada pledged CAD 220 million,contribution to US$ 191 million.
    further quotes same source

    Germany confirmed that the EUR 100m (approximately US$ 120 million) pledged at the Global Vaccine Summit on June 4, as special funds for Gavi to combat COVID-19, will go towards the Gavi COVAX AMC.
    Italy pledged EUR 20 million (approximately US$ 23 million) to the Gavi COVAX AMC. This is amount is in addition to the US$ 79 million pledged by Italy for the COVAX AMC at the Global Vaccine Summit on June 4, bringing the total contribution to US$ 102 million.
    Sweden pledged SEK 100 million (approximately US$ 12 million) to the Gavi COVAX AMC.
  • Options
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    if the eu continues to fuck us over maybye we do them a favour and nuke strasbourg and brussels it gets rid of the stupid
    Other than leaving us fewer EU citizens needing vaccinating, I'm not entirely sure how that would help!!
  • Options
    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,882

    Austria and France start going backwards, possibly over-reporting yesterday.....

    https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/

    Those numbers are absolutely terrible for the EU. No wonder UVL has hit the panic button...
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
  • Options
    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    JonathanD said:

    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts

    Interesting read, but pure conjecture until we actually get to the bottom of the terms of the respective contracts. Three simple observations:

    1. If this does imperil AZ supply to the UK, then hopefully the court cases or arbitrations will take long enough to work their way through that we've taken delivery of most of the doses needed to get phase 1 completed by the time it concludes. We ought certainly to be OK for the first milestone target in mid-February, as there are widespread reports of the 70-74s and shielders receiving jabs in recent days
    2. With luck, by the time this is all sorted out Pfizer will have got their shit together, in which case the UK Government can use its share from them to help plug any deficiencies in AZ supply if they're forced to give ground to the Commission; however...
    3. If the EU both wrings concessions from AZ and goes nuts and starts slapping export bans on Pfizer, the UK Government could justifiably act in kind and keep the supply from the British AZ plants to cover its needs. Under those circumstances we'd be a bit slower getting all adults vaccinated, but that would disproportionately impact the younger, less vulnerable recipients and we ought still to be done in September, i.e. before the cold, wet weather returns, according to latest estimates

    I'm therefore feeling reasonably confident that the ongoing fallout from the EU's procurement woes ought not to cause serious damage to the UK vaccination programme. Good news for all of us.
  • Options
    OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,796

    I have to admit, these 'Influencers' are very effective in what they do.

    One trip to Dubai and you can influence 30 million people into thinking that you are a total arsehole.

    You like having the tan though? Hey, and where are the postcards!
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    if the eu continues to fuck us over maybye we do them a favour and nuke strasbourg and brussels it gets rid of the stupid
    Other than leaving us fewer EU citizens needing vaccinating, I'm not entirely sure how that would help!!
    Well would get rid of the useless politicians that gave europe their covid solution for a start
  • Options
    kinabalukinabalu Posts: 39,310

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I don't live in all countries - I live in this one. Sorry to go all crude on you, but once those first nine priority groups in this country have been protected, anyone who gets in the way of my vaccination will get my foot in their arse.
    Understandable urge. I have it too. But policy should not driven by our urges.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,985
    kle4 said:

    JonathanD said:

    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts

    Sounds concerning, particularly in how a breach of contract to the EU could force them to reneogtiate its supply to the UK, an entirely separate contract.

    Still not sure if there's been anything to substantiate allegations they've diverted supply though.
    The article is basically saying "if they breached their contract, they breached their contract". It adds no new information.
  • Options
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    if the eu continues to fuck us over maybye we do them a favour and nuke strasbourg and brussels it gets rid of the stupid
    Other than leaving us fewer EU citizens needing vaccinating, I'm not entirely sure how that would help!!
    Well would get rid of the useless politicians that gave europe their covid solution for a start
    The downsides might somewhat outweigh the benefit accrued there..
  • Options
    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,137
    Scott_xP said:
    Scott_P's retweets prove essential to nobody......
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,328

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    Seriously, though, we should immediately get on with vaccinating the rest of the CTA before we bother anywhere else. Would Dublin accept our help if that broke EU rules?
    We could just drive them over some supply at night in the boot of a Ford Cortina?
  • Options
    kle4 said:

    JonathanD said:

    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts

    Sounds concerning, particularly in how a breach of contract to the EU could force them to reneogtiate its supply to the UK, an entirely separate contract.

    Still not sure if there's been anything to substantiate allegations they've diverted supply though.
    Knowing how long litigation takes we should have vaccinated most of our population anyway and caution, this is a Guardian story referring to another companies contract
  • Options
    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,882

    I have to admit, these 'Influencers' are very effective in what they do.

    One trip to Dubai and you can influence 30 million people into thinking that you are a total arsehole.

    Try Antigua (as well as being a pompous arse on breakfast telly every day) and the number will reach 60 million...
  • Options
    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
    Yes, crikey, I edited that subsequently after seeing today's stats. Not good.
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927
    GIN1138 said:

    Austria and France start going backwards, possibly over-reporting yesterday.....

    https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/

    Those numbers are absolutely terrible for the EU. No wonder UVL has hit the panic button...
    UK is still holding steady at 43% of the EU+UK total, even with numbers down week on week.
  • Options

    Austria and France start going backwards, possibly over-reporting yesterday.....

    https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/

    Perhaps someone put the number in the wrong war round.

    France is reported as 1,231,783 +47,273 here:

    https://covidtracker.fr/vaccintracker/
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    I don't live in all countries - I live in this one. Sorry to go all crude on you, but once those first nine priority groups in this country have been protected, anyone who gets in the way of my vaccination will get my foot in their arse.
    Understandable urge. I have it too. But policy should not driven by our urges.
    A governments first job is to protect the people that elected it. Your view seems to be that shouldnt be a thing
  • Options
    GIN1138 said:

    Austria and France start going backwards, possibly over-reporting yesterday.....

    https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/

    Those numbers are absolutely terrible for the EU. No wonder UVL has hit the panic button...
    Gone into hiding according to Euro news tonight
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    MattW said:

    It's a good question - if UK transferring surplus vaccines to others, is it better for preventing future pandemic to do one country, then another country - say all population or all vulnerables, to hit areas completely. Is it less effective to do each country slowly and all at the same level in parallel?

    EU policy will prevent them from hitting hotspots (eg Portugal at present), as they are committed to a bit-at-a-time-everywhere method?

    IF we are passing some surplus to European countries after a time, so we do not have that constraint.

    Given EU policy currently we should give then nothing
    Our excess should go to the third world
    If the EU continues to try to fuck us over then we should piss them right off by also helping, say, Portugal. England's oldest ally.
    if the eu continues to fuck us over maybye we do them a favour and nuke strasbourg and brussels it gets rid of the stupid
    Other than leaving us fewer EU citizens needing vaccinating, I'm not entirely sure how that would help!!
    Well would get rid of the useless politicians that gave europe their covid solution for a start
    The downsides might somewhat outweigh the benefit accrued there..
    Most of brussels and strastburg is either mep's or lobbyists. Less use to the race that the telephone sanistisers on the b ark I would suggest. We would neither miss nor mourn them
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 33,097

    Scott_P

    Gives you something to talk about...
  • Options
    kinabalukinabalu Posts: 39,310

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    Can we assume you would steal a jab from a penniless 85 year old Arabian nomad?
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,328
    Laura Spinney (science journalist and novelist) opens for the opposition, pointing to the success of the Chinese in combatting the initial outbreak, arguing that ‘lockdown’ has lots of meanings and can be tailored to local circumstances, and that the early and tighter lockdowns were effective around the world. Adds that many people adopt lockdown behaviour with or without regulations, through fear, rather than chafing against the restrictions.
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195
    TRUCKWATCH - on the way to fathers funeral traffic on A12 / M25 / M23 examined - lots of foreign registered trucks on the roads
  • Options
    contrariancontrarian Posts: 5,818
    Floater said:

    The EU seems to be working on the principle is that all must fail equally rather than allowing those best prepared to succeed.

    That;s the whole point of globalism, isn;t it?

    If everybody moves in a convey, failing policies cannot be exposed. People do not get to compare.
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    Can we assume you would steal a jab from a penniless 85 year old Arabian nomad?
    Off course he should you doofus, the first responsibility is to get our country functioning again then we can make the money needed to help a lot more arabian nomads....stop virtue signalling and thing pragmatically for fucking once
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    Can we assume you would steal a jab from a penniless 85 year old Arabian nomad?
    Unlike you we would prioritize the poor nations over those rich EU nations
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195
    Scott_xP said:

    Scott_P

    Gives you something to talk about...
    Laugh at - I think you mean
  • Options
    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Scott_xP said:
    BREAKING: Guardian rubbishes Boris Johnson.

    In other news...

    - Grizzly seen defecating in forest
    - Jorge Bergoglio reported to be adherent of Roman church
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    Floater said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    Can we assume you would steal a jab from a penniless 85 year old Arabian nomad?
    Unlike you we would prioritize the poor nations over those rich EU nations
    Did you not realise Kinablu was a bigot before this and that white europeans count more?
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,927
    edited January 2021

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
    Yes, crikey, I edited that subsequently after seeing today's stats. Not good.
    From the sandpit view, there’s a certain ‘type’ of tourist who’s turned up this year, and they don’t like following strict rules observed by citizens and residents.

    The whole ‘influencer culture’ thing is totally fake. They lie about where they stay, who they’re with and why they’re here. They give the impression of living lavish lifestyles that they don’t. There’s very, very few people making sufficient money from social media to afford a trip here. Most are either plugging other ‘business’ they’re doing, here for genuine work assignments, or on holiday against the rules in the UK. Sadly, too many young kids are taken in by the fakery.

    From the UK view, I can well understand why the politicians want to say we are all in this together as a nation, and that view isn’t helped by a high profile bunch of idiots over-promoting themselves in sunny places.

    I’d give them all a compulsory trip back here - in August. :)
  • Options
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    Brom said:

    gealbhan said:

    “ Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated, assuming the timetable to vaccinate other adults by September stays on track. “

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/28/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-boris-johnson-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-vaccine-travel-quarantine-latest-updates

    Do it Boris. Don’t listen to the rabid anti Christian ravers on PB. Their only religion is frothed up hatred of EU, that’s not Brexit is it?

    Once vulnerable people in UK have been jabbed, share it Boris.

    Keep your religion in your church please.

    I think you'll find everyone here said that the EU getting doses once everyone in the UK has had it would be fair enough. You were saying to do it before vaccinations here are completed.
    Agreed. Once our over 60s and potentially then key workers are done I would understand if vaccines for the likes of myself were diverted to help priority groups in Europe.
    When I said completed I meant completed. Everyone done.
    Insisting on everyone in one country being done before the vulnerable elsewhere is exactly the sort of vaccine nationalism that will prolong the pandemic.
    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
    Can we assume you would steal a jab from a penniless 85 year old Arabian nomad?
    My question to you will be an actual situation within a few weeks.

    Your question to me will not be.
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,610
    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
    Yes, crikey, I edited that subsequently after seeing today's stats. Not good.
    From the sandpit view, there’s a certain ‘type’ of tourist who’s turned up this year, and they don’t like following strict rules observed by citizens and residents.

    The whole ‘influencer culture’ thing is totally fake. They lie about where they stay, who they’re with and why they’re here. They give the impression of living lavish lifestyles that they don’t. There’s very, very few people making sufficient money from social media to afford a trip here. Most are either plugging other ‘business’ they’re doing, here for genuine work assignments, or on holiday against the rules in the UK. Sadly, too many young kids are taken in by the fakery.
    Don't they just go there to be high rate prostitutes for oil sheikhs?
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
    Yes, crikey, I edited that subsequently after seeing today's stats. Not good.
    From the sandpit view, there’s a certain ‘type’ of tourist who’s turned up this year, and they don’t like following strict rules observed by citizens and residents.

    The whole ‘influencer culture’ thing is totally fake. They lie about where they stay, who they’re with and why they’re here. They give the impression of living lavish lifestyles that they don’t. There’s very, very few people making sufficient money from social media to afford a trip here. Most are either plugging other ‘business’ they’re doing, here for genuine work assignments, or on holiday against the rules in the UK. Sadly, too many young kids are taken in by the fakery.
    Don't they just go there to be high rate prostitutes for oil sheikhs?
    Well sheridan didnt unless rich oil sheiks have a penchant for chubby blondes
  • Options
    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Floater said:

    TRUCKWATCH - on the way to fathers funeral traffic on A12 / M25 / M23 examined - lots of foreign registered trucks on the roads

    Entirely unsurprising.

    Regardless of how tight border controls become, we're always going to be at some risk of importing Plague cases because we're too dependent on road haulage for trade (even if truckers are relatively low risk, given that they spend most of the time alone in their cabs.) An important issue to be addressed when this nightmare is finally over.

    Though it won't be addressed, of course.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,052

    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Charles said:

    @Ishmael_X FPT

    Sorry just saw your question on the ethical difference between covered short selling and naked short selling.

    From a definition perspective, "naked short selling" is the sale of shares which cannot be proved to exist - i.e. (usually) where the short interest is >100% of the stock.

    That's illegal. Of course the law has nothing to do with ethics, but it's worth pointing out.

    On the difference between shorting when you have borrowed the stock and shorting when you haven't is one of risk. Usually the big institutions lend stock and earn an income from it. If you have to close your short then they will typically extend the contract if you can't buy in the market because they have an interest in an orderly market. (This doesn't mean they will allow you to make a profit if you mess up, but they won't drive you into bankruptcy).

    When you short without having borrowed you are taking much more risk because you are exposed to a short squeeze.

    The issues I have with this situation are:

    (a) Naked shorting is illegal
    (b) The hedge funds have been stupid and jumped on a bandwagon
    (c) Retail investors coordinating on a short squeeze are - in my view - engaging in market abuse

    No body comes out of this well.

    Someone else suggested it earlier, but I reckon the company should do a capital raise. But I doubt that any credible underwriters will run it for them.

    I've not been following this in detail, but I note that the business is a video games outfit. Are the legion of retail investors piling in mostly speculators hoping for a windfall, or game players rallying round their business? I know we can't really know for sure, but what sort of groups are pushing it?
    Early this morning, a failing chain of video game retailers, who is being beaten by Amazon and digital distribitution, which is loss making, and which is seeing its sales fall, reached a value that would have made it the sixth largest company in the FTSE100, ahead of Vodafone.

    Day traders on Robinhood discovered that if they acted in concert they could create a massive short squeeze. (GME was heavily shorted because... well, it's going to go out of business.) As the price ran, up hedge funds found that they had growing losses and were forced to close their positions by buying back stock. This sent the stock into the stratosphere.

    Smart daytraders (both of them) will have left the party at this point. Dumb ones will remain, and will lose all their money as their call options expire worthless on Feb 19, as the number of real buyers of GME stock at (checks price) $250 is... ummm.... zero.
    That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
    Hmmm.

    PC games are now almost entirely sold on-line - and Steam is the number one player there, and Epic a distant second. Where is GameStop?

    In consoles, Microsoft and Sony are now trying to get people paying monthly subscriptions (and are succeeding). Physical console game sales will - inevitably - be more expensive those delivered directly over the Internet.

    And then there are products like Stadia and GeForce Now and Amazon's game streaming service.

    Right now, GameStop is briefly benefiting from the launch of new consoles. But what's their long term competitive advantage? Especially as they are already loss making, and can't match the investments made by other players.

    They're Radio Shack.

    I have no love or loathing for short sellers. But I struggle to see a long term winning strategy for GameStop.
    Do a huge rights issue. Buy Steam...
    Steam is probably worth $40bn, and Gabe won't sell.

    Plus, the moment you tried to do a big rights issue the price would collapse, as every short would be able to leave the party by buying directly from the company.
  • Options
    Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,825
    "UK experts back AstraZeneca jab amid Germany ruling"

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55847387
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    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,328
    Tice, in the middle spot for the proposers, argues that despite our lockdowns, our results are desperately bad. Places with looser approaches are not more badly affected. Points to the massive economic damage, especially for younger and poorer people, and the misery, particularly for children and students. Flags the excess non-COVID deaths due to not getting diagnosis or treatment. Says the nightingale hospitals were hardly used. Proposes shielding the elderly and letting everyone else continue their lives, closing the borders, and effective track and trace.
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,052

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:



    " ...designed by Britons ...."

    That is nonsense. Prof Sarah Gilbert is British, but her team in Oxford includes scientists & postdocs from all over the world.

    It is very nice that AZ are making this available at cost to the world. But, it is also a reflection of the international nature of modern science.

    The vaccine was not "designed by Britons", it was designed by a team of scientists (led by a Briton). At least 2 of the scientists in the team are Irish.

    OK, designed by a team led by a Briton working at a British university. WTF is the difference to my point?
    From their web-page:

    "This study is a collaborative project which would not have been possible without the support of our partners. This work receives funding from the rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR have also provided funding for the set-up of the project through the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The study has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as part of an urgent call to expand the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Funding has also been received from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Science (CIFMS). The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’ (Principal Investigator Prof. S. S. Vasan) is led by Australia’s science agency CSIRO for ‘High Containment Studies to Support Product Development’ for CEPI.

    Preclinical testing of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is being conducted in collaboration with our partners: Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH/NIAID); The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’; Public Health England; The Pirbright Institute; Prof. Dr. Stephen Becker at the Institut für Virologie, Philipps University, Marburg. Manufacturing for the current and future clinical trials is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, Advent Srl (Italy) and SGS Vitrology (Glasgow). Development and scale-up of manufacturing to produce millions of doses is being carried out in partnership with the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (Oxford), Pall Biotech (Portsmouth), Cobra Biologics (Staffordshire), Halix BV (Netherlands), and Oxford Biomedica."

    In Leon-speak, it is British.
    Is it me, or is there a distinct lack of Welsh names there?
    How can you tell ?

    Is Brian Josephson a Welsh name ?

    "Josephson is the only Welshman to have won a Nobel Prize in Physics." (wiki)
    I'm sorry, I was making a poor joke.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,948
    MaxPB said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    This will upset the ‘influencers’ - UAE added to UK quarantine ‘red list’ from tomorrow. Ban on direct flights between the two countries.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/34-countries-arrivals-could-face-stay-quarantine-hotel/

    Sounds from reports that a number of identified SA cases in the UK travelled through or from the Middle East. Qatar also added to the list, but not Bahrain or Oman.

    You do slightly have to wonder if indeed it has something to do with the number of influencers posting selfies from there, rather than the viral status of the country. Priti Patel, who has gone up in my estimation lately from an admittedly chthonic level, had them in her sights yesterday.
    Cases here have gone up lots and quickly, and restrictions are tightening. Live entertainment is cancelled and a lot of schools moving to remote learning.
    Yes, crikey, I edited that subsequently after seeing today's stats. Not good.
    From the sandpit view, there’s a certain ‘type’ of tourist who’s turned up this year, and they don’t like following strict rules observed by citizens and residents.

    The whole ‘influencer culture’ thing is totally fake. They lie about where they stay, who they’re with and why they’re here. They give the impression of living lavish lifestyles that they don’t. There’s very, very few people making sufficient money from social media to afford a trip here. Most are either plugging other ‘business’ they’re doing, here for genuine work assignments, or on holiday against the rules in the UK. Sadly, too many young kids are taken in by the fakery.
    Don't they just go there to be high rate prostitutes for oil sheikhs?
    I've had worse times.
  • Options
    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,951
    edited January 2021

    Floater said:

    TRUCKWATCH - on the way to fathers funeral traffic on A12 / M25 / M23 examined - lots of foreign registered trucks on the roads

    Entirely unsurprising.

    Regardless of how tight border controls become, we're always going to be at some risk of importing Plague cases because we're too dependent on road haulage for trade (even if truckers are relatively low risk, given that they spend most of the time alone in their cabs.) An important issue to be addressed when this nightmare is finally over.

    Though it won't be addressed, of course.
    TBH I can't see what real risk accompanied freight is.

    Does explain how there don't seem to be any noticeable shortages at my supermarket though.
  • Options
    IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    JonathanD said:

    "AstraZeneca appears to be in danger of breaching its contract to supply the EU, and may have to renegotiate its contract to supply vaccines to the EU, the UK or both, legal experts have warned"

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/28/astrazeneca-may-have-to-renegotiate-covid-vaccine-contracts-warn-experts

    Interesting read, but pure conjecture until we actually get to the bottom of the terms of the respective contracts. Three simple observations:

    1. If this does imperil AZ supply to the UK, then hopefully the court cases or arbitrations will take long enough to work their way through that we've taken delivery of most of the doses needed to get phase 1 completed by the time it concludes. We ought certainly to be OK for the first milestone target in mid-February, as there are widespread reports of the 70-74s and shielders receiving jabs in recent days
    2. With luck, by the time this is all sorted out Pfizer will have got their shit together, in which case the UK Government can use its share from them to help plug any deficiencies in AZ supply if they're forced to give ground to the Commission; however...
    3. If the EU both wrings concessions from AZ and goes nuts and starts slapping export bans on Pfizer, the UK Government could justifiably act in kind and keep the supply from the British AZ plants to cover its needs. Under those circumstances we'd be a bit slower getting all adults vaccinated, but that would disproportionately impact the younger, less vulnerable recipients and we ought still to be done in September, i.e. before the cold, wet weather returns, according to latest estimates

    I'm therefore feeling reasonably confident that the ongoing fallout from the EU's procurement woes ought not to cause serious damage to the UK vaccination programme. Good news for all of us.
    LOL if the contract is English law and jurisdiction, like all good contracts.
  • Options
    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Floater said:
    Oh God.

    Scaled up to the size of the UK, that'd be the equivalent of us reporting almost two thousand fatalities and over a hundred thousand new cases. No wonder the Germans have sent army medics to help them.
  • Options
    Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 8,846
    IanB2 said:

    Tice, in the middle spot for the proposers, argues that despite our lockdowns, our results are desperately bad. Places with looser approaches are not more badly affected. Points to the massive economic damage, especially for younger and poorer people, and the misery, particularly for children and students. Flags the excess non-COVID deaths due to not getting diagnosis or treatment. Says the nightingale hospitals were hardly used. Proposes shielding the elderly and letting everyone else continue their lives, closing the borders, and effective track and trace.

    There can be no effective track and trace which is what people have told you from the start. For a start a lot of people (25%) dont have smart phones. Of those that do the number that will download it and keep it running are tiny
  • Options
    Given that we've invested enormously in the research and development compared to our beloved neighbours and almost anyone else, we're prepared to guinea pig our elderly to show the AZ vaccine works on them (there's zero evidence that it'll do any harm, there's plenty of evidence that it will help - as much as there was for Pfizer who had to make their PII trial top age group 56+ to hide how few over 65 and 75s they had, but which has now been guinea pigged by the Jews for the Germans; a rather unfortunate optic) I don't see why there should be any issue with us getting our economy back up and running again asap to recoup some of our crippling spending on this pandemic, even if at the expense of such speed for our friends - who we're constantly assured are far better off due to being in the amazing EU.
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195

    Floater said:

    TRUCKWATCH - on the way to fathers funeral traffic on A12 / M25 / M23 examined - lots of foreign registered trucks on the roads

    Entirely unsurprising.

    Regardless of how tight border controls become, we're always going to be at some risk of importing Plague cases because we're too dependent on road haulage for trade (even if truckers are relatively low risk, given that they spend most of the time alone in their cabs.) An important issue to be addressed when this nightmare is finally over.

    Though it won't be addressed, of course.
    I was taking the piss out of a poster who was claiming Brexit had led to a huge reduction in that type of traffic.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,425
    COOKING AT HOME?

    Marks and Spencer, at least in my part of N London, are now selliing Wagyu Beef Ribeye Steaks

    Not cheap: £15 a steak. But OMFG, One of the best steaks I have ever had. Much better than any Wagyu I have had in a restaurant (where it is always a bit dsappointing)

    I've noticed this is a developing niche: extreme high quality produce, to cook at home. With all restaurants shut, it makes total sense
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    New infections in Ireland have fallen dramatically:

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/ireland/

    Another example of extrapolating to infinity not happening.
  • Options
    alex_alex_ Posts: 7,518
    If it turns out that the EMA end up recommending that the AstraZen vaccine only gets given to the U65s then all the current arguments will seem even more political than they currently appear.
  • Options
    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,347
    edited January 2021

    Floater said:

    TRUCKWATCH - on the way to fathers funeral traffic on A12 / M25 / M23 examined - lots of foreign registered trucks on the roads

    Entirely unsurprising.

    Regardless of how tight border controls become, we're always going to be at some risk of importing Plague cases because we're too dependent on road haulage for trade (even if truckers are relatively low risk, given that they spend most of the time alone in their cabs.) An important issue to be addressed when this nightmare is finally over.

    Though it won't be addressed, of course.
    Each week since the 1st January our Asda order has been complete, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and our orders are larger than pre covid as we just do not go to the supermarket

    I have not experienced any shortages, and indeed everything has been delivered from Amazon without any issues

    I have no evidence that Brexit has had any effect
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195

    Floater said:
    Oh God.

    Scaled up to the size of the UK, that'd be the equivalent of us reporting almost two thousand fatalities and over a hundred thousand new cases. No wonder the Germans have sent army medics to help them.
    Good on the Germans - I had not heard that
This discussion has been closed.