classic33
Leg End Member
Why is it a "Drive In" test centre for cyclists. Wouldn't they be on bikes/cycles when visiting?
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roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
Remember how much better than the EU our vaccine investment, procurement and programme is?
The EU is currently vaccinating more people than we are, and at the same time exporting half of its vaccine production (half of ours is imported). Cases and deaths are both falling across almost all member states, although only Portugal has rates as low as ours. It is not a coincidence that Portugal had a very hard lockdown, as we did.
Still, the narrative is what matters, right?
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/10/industrial-policy-saved-europes-vaccine-drive/
By now, criticism of EU vaccine procurement has almost stopped. Vaccination rates have accelerated everywhere. Apart from Hungary and Malta, which are ahead, and Croatia, Latvia, and Bulgaria, which lag behind, most participants are moving ahead at the same speed. This common pace was the idea behind common procurement.
Member states obtained 14 million doses in January, 28 million in February, 60 million in March, and 105 million in April. The commission expects 125 million doses in May and 200 million in June, putting the bloc on track to have an annual capacity of 3 billion to 4 billion doses. Even when new vaccines become available, Breton said, Europe doesn’t need them. There are now 53 manufacturing sites in Europe, up from barely a dozen in January. According to Breton, “We should be proud of Europe’s industrial capacity.” His boss, von der Leyen, said Europe has used this crisis to reinvent itself and become stronger, as happened repeatedly in the past. She called Europe, still exporting almost half of its vaccine output, “the pharmacy of the world.”
The EU is currently vaccinating more people than we are, and at the same time exporting half of its vaccine production (half of ours is imported). Cases and deaths are both falling across almost all member states, although only Portugal has rates as low as ours. It is not a coincidence that Portugal had a very hard lockdown, as we did.
Still, the narrative is what matters, right?
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/10/industrial-policy-saved-europes-vaccine-drive/
By now, criticism of EU vaccine procurement has almost stopped. Vaccination rates have accelerated everywhere. Apart from Hungary and Malta, which are ahead, and Croatia, Latvia, and Bulgaria, which lag behind, most participants are moving ahead at the same speed. This common pace was the idea behind common procurement.
Member states obtained 14 million doses in January, 28 million in February, 60 million in March, and 105 million in April. The commission expects 125 million doses in May and 200 million in June, putting the bloc on track to have an annual capacity of 3 billion to 4 billion doses. Even when new vaccines become available, Breton said, Europe doesn’t need them. There are now 53 manufacturing sites in Europe, up from barely a dozen in January. According to Breton, “We should be proud of Europe’s industrial capacity.” His boss, von der Leyen, said Europe has used this crisis to reinvent itself and become stronger, as happened repeatedly in the past. She called Europe, still exporting almost half of its vaccine output, “the pharmacy of the world.”
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Please share the "narrative what matters" to which you refer.
Wrong thread, maybe?
Wrong thread, maybe?
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
I refer to the "Britain is best and it's Brexit wot won it" narrative.
I don't have a link for that
That was well spotted, it does seem a bit anachronistic doesn't it!
I think it will be understood simply to mean you don't have to have an appointment, you just turn up.
@roubaixtuesday The number vaccinated on Wednesday was 1,353,453, a record so far. Down to just over 400 000 yesterday, but was a bank holiday, which of course are sacrosanct!
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
I thought the focus was to be more local if any throttling back on restriction easing is required.
Imo it would be ludicrous to ease back on restrictions nationally at the current levels of Indian variant infection.
Not particularly Indian variant related but i wouldn't mind seeing the border rules tightened/retightened - I have a real problem with people being allowed to head off abroad for far from essential frolics in the sun.
newfhouse
Resolutely on topic
I’m sure someone will be along soon to tell us that international comparisons are not helpful...
kingrollo
Guru
Well I think local lockdowns will be pretty pointless in around a week. They sound like a sensible idea - but got farcical last time.
matticus
Guru
That was something I still can't get my head around; they *seem* like such a ... logical approach. What went wrong? Should they have been stricter? Too many exemptions?
I think other comparable nations used them last year.
Is there even such a thing as a local lockdown? As soon as you try it with town A going into lockdown the inhabitants of said town will all go to town B where things are still open. It would seem nigh on impossible trying to police this to prevent it.
Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
It is sad to see the vaccination programme continuing to be used as part of the Remain/Leave Brexit war. Like just about everything else people read into the statistics what they think supports their views of Brexit, and this post is no different.
There is only one thing that matters, which is how many lives have been saved as a result of the vaccination programmes, not whether one country started more quickly than others or whether others have now started to accelerate faster.
Here is one set of statistical charts that shows progress in vaccination programmes around the world to mid May. Statisticians fill-yer-boots
and use it to score more political points 
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
kingrollo
Guru
I don't think there is will or resources to enforce them. Policitally it's difficult they totally failed last time around - and the Indian variant is supposed to spread more easily.
Surge vaccination ? Well is it do able given that pockets of IV are pretty widespread - if we have the capacity to widespread surge, why are going through age groups...
No easy answers
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Seems 'celebrating' a title win trumps Coronavirus precautions for a large number of Scottish football fans.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57133503
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57133503
IaninSheffield
Veteran
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
'Scottish'? Or perhaps just football fans in general?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56324615
