Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine approved

[Phoenix]

Don’t panic!

Extracts: “A coronavirus "variant of concern" first detected in Brazil has now been found in the UK.
Three cases have been detected in England and separately three in Scotland. In England, officials are still trying to track down one of those who tested positive for the new variant. The three Scottish residents had flown to north-east Scotland from Brazil via Paris and London, the Scottish government said. Experts believe this variant (P1) - first detected in travellers to Japan from Manaus in northern Brazil in January - could be more contagious.

There are also concerns vaccines may not be as effective against it - but NHS England's Prof Stephen Powis said vaccines could be "rapidly adapted”.

The Brazil variant is something officials are worried about because it shares similar mutations to the South Africa variant of concern. Both have undergone genetic changes that could make them more contagious and perhaps less easy to stop with our current vaccines. The coronavirus jabs being given to people now were designed around earlier versions of the pandemic virus, not these new variants. Scientists believe they should still protect, although perhaps not quite as well.
Work is already under way to redesign or tweak the vaccines to make them a better match for some of these new "variants of concern".

All

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56233038

[weeksy]

This virus isn’t giving up easily is it.

I doubt it's sitting there plotting our demise and taking over the world step by step...

but no... it's not

I'm more wondering about the selfishness of people who are travelling through known terrible countries then flying as indirectly as possible to beat the systems in place. Granted this was just before the hotel system, but still, they must have known it was a bloody daft idea.

[weeksy]

As to your second point, I agree, but I’m equally as miffed with the people not adhering to lockdowns because they think it doesn’t apply to what they’re doing.

I think some/many have peaked in some ways. Some of it is down to perception, some is down to peoples own thoughts.

You could easily argue we'd broken the rules at the weekend being out in the woods with 3 extra people... But did we.... Hmmmm maybe. In terms of distancing, i'd argue NO we didn't. But we did ride somewhere together and all played in the same area of woods. So could easily be argued we did break them... HAnging offence, i'd say no... but i can see how some would say yes.

6' isn't a big gap, so you can all be 6' apart and seem all quite close together as a 'group'. So, its a tricky one as to what's right and wrong.

[Noggin]

I'm struggling a bit up here. Yes I meet with friends but usually open air and and always people that basically only see the same group of people - kinda like a bubble of brits!! And, we are not in lockdown!

However, there is a rule that we must all wear masks in resort. Many of the tourists don't (ok, some of the local French don't, but many more tourists don't)

Today I went to sit in the sun and found an empty bench. At one point a girl asked if she could sit on the other end of it and i said yes - so we weren't 2m apart but were masked and pretty much looking in opposite directions!!

After she'd gone, two ladies came and sat down. No masks and they shuffled up as close as they could get to me, to leave space for a 3rd person to join. No masks (The benches seat 3 people comfortably and 4 at a squish. They were definitely going for the squish version )

I got up to go and they said no we can leave more space. I pointed out that they had no masks on and it was too close. Couldn't be bothered to stick around for a discussion


I'm not in an 'at risk' group but if I want to keep meeting with my friends, I need to take care about what I do. It's the second time something along these lines has happened - I find a quiet spot to chill, read, relax, whatever and some group of tourists take up residence with no distance and apparently no care. Maybe they think that a person on their own doesn't have the same rights to space as a group on holiday



Hopefully next week will be quieter, but we still have a week of French holidays to get through. I won't leave my bit of resort in the afternoon anymore as the buses are packed. If the commune wants tourists then the least they could do is put more buses on or regulate how many are allowed on. Although I accept that with the mentality of tourists, however many buses they put on would probably be filled anyway

[wheelnut]

Like vaccines, the lockdown rules are meant to work on populations, not on individuals. We can all find ways to rationalise our behaviour but the cumulative effect of all our rationalisations helps propagate the virus.

[irie]

Get a cheap light folding chair.

[Supermofo]

Cracking news.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56240220

[Noggin]

Get a cheap light folding chair.

Me?

Have you seen what would happen to a folding chair, on snow when a lump like me sits in it!! Everyone else would And then I'd have to extricate myself, one handed!! LOL

I'll just have to limit myself to times when less people are likely to be around I guess!!

[irie]

France approves AstraZeneca vaccine for over-65s.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56242617

Will ze Germans follow?

But still not for those over 75.

Those aged over 75 will still be offered either Pfizer or Moderna jabs in a vaccination centre, he [Olivier Véran] added.

In any case, vaccine take up in France is so low that it is unlikely make much difference to anything.

[Noggin]

France approves AstraZeneca vaccine for over-65s.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56242617

Will ze Germans follow?

But still not for those over 75.

Those aged over 75 will still be offered either Pfizer or Moderna jabs in a vaccination centre, he [Olivier Véran] added.

In any case, vaccine take up in France is so low that it is unlikely make much difference to anything.

But it might mean that those that DO want it can actually get it now!!

The French don't trust the government and the government historically (apparently) attempted to cover up issues with vaccines in the past - which is why a lot of French do not trust the vaccine now. Not sure how they 'get over' that, but I sort of understand the ingrained distrust. Just wish there was a magic wand we could wave to get them all to say yes to the vaccine.

[DefTrap]

In any case, vaccine take up in France is so low that it is unlikely make much difference to anything.

More like "availability" - you can't "take it up" if it isn't there. There's a dozen vacc centres in our department - you just can't get a booking.

[irie]

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-sin ... s-12232917

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalisation among the over 80s, according to Public Health England (PHE).

So much for France not offering AZ to the over 75s.

[irie]

In any case, vaccine take up in France is so low that it is unlikely make much difference to anything.

More like "availability" - you can't "take it up" if it isn't there. There's a dozen vacc centres in our department - you just can't get a booking.

I think I read that there are large stocks of AZ vaccine in France, Germany, and Italy, but it's not been taken up.

[weeksy]

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-sin ... s-12232917

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalisation among the over 80s, according to Public Health England (PHE).

So much for France not offering AZ to the over 75s.

YOu know things are allowed to change here ? Things are allowed to be fluid and based upon what we learn ? Decision on a Monday can change by a Friday based upon facts picked up that week. It's not all set in stone.

[irie]

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-sin ... s-12232917

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalisation among the over 80s, according to Public Health England (PHE).

So much for France not offering AZ to the over 75s.

YOu know things are allowed to change here ? Things are allowed to be fluid and based upon what we learn ? Decision on a Monday can change by a Friday based upon facts picked up that week. It's not all set in stone.

Of course.

But the truth is that this is a public health emergency. Waiting for certainty in these circumstances can result in a much higher disease body count than those theoretically resulting from vaccine complications. Which I am willing to take bets will now happen in France. Unfortunately for my father-in-law who lives in Cholet, Maine-et-Loire, I expect.

[DefTrap]

In any case, vaccine take up in France is so low that it is unlikely make much difference to anything.

More like "availability" - you can't "take it up" if it isn't there. There's a dozen vacc centres in our department - you just can't get a booking.

I think I read that there are large stocks of AZ vaccine in France, Germany, and Italy, but it's not been taken up.

Book a slot for me then. Dept17
https://www.sante.fr/cf/centres-vaccina ... tml#dep-17
Ta

[irie]

More like "availability" - you can't "take it up" if it isn't there. There's a dozen vacc centres in our department - you just can't get a booking.

I think I read that there are large stocks of AZ vaccine in France, Germany, and Italy, but it's not been taken up.

Book a slot for me then. Dept17
https://www.sante.fr/cf/centres-vaccina ... tml#dep-17
Ta

https://www.euractiv.com/section/corona ... e-germany/

Unused stocks of AstraZeneca vaccine pile up in France, Germany

Stocks of the vaccines from the British-Swedish firm are going unused in both countries despite the desire to end a pandemic that has sparked a social and economic calamity on a scale not seen since World War II.

Only 273,000 doses of the jab developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University have been administered in France out of 1.7 million received as of end-February, according to health ministry figures.

It's your call.

[DefTrap]

It's your call.

My on-the-ground experience flies in the face of what you want to believe.
That's all.

[Supermofo]

From what I've read it sounds like stuff is being stockpiled due to poor logistics as much as anything.

[DefTrap]

From what I've read it sounds like stuff is being stockpiled due to poor logistics as much as anything.

The Eurosceptic news doesn't say that, so it can't be true, or it's not as good a story.

They could bang on about poor logistics first - or poor supply, but they've already done that one - then when that improves they might have an opportunity to bang on about poor take-up.