Covid vaccine: UK supply hit by India delivery delay

[masterchief_mirza]

Covid vaccine: UK supply hit by India delivery delay

It is understood a shipment of five million AstraZeneca doses to the UK has been held up by four weeks.

www.bbc.co.uk

Covid vaccine: UK supply hit by India delivery delay
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• Coronavirus pandemic

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An expected reduction in the UK's Covid vaccine supply in April is partly due to a delay in a delivery from India of five million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses.
The shipment, produced by the Serum Institute of India, has been held up by four weeks, the BBC has been told.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said neither a single factory nor a country was responsible for supply issues.
The Department of Health insists it is still on track to offer a first dose to all adults by the end of July.
NHS England warned of a reduction in supply in April in a letter to local health organisations on Wednesday.
The Scottish government said it was"seeking clarity" from the UK Vaccine Taskforce on future supplies, while the governments in Wales and Northern Ireland said they were examining how their own vaccine programmes could be affected.
A spokesperson for the Serum Institute said: "Five million doses had been delivered a few weeks ago to the UK and we will try to supply more later, based on the current situation and the requirement for the government immunisation programme in India."
A source told the BBC that although the original aim had been to deliver the next five million in March, there was not a stipulated time for the delivery of the doses.

• Why are India's vaccine makers struggling to meet demand?
• What is the Serum Institute of India?
• When will it be my turn to be vaccinated?

Mr Jenrick told the BBC that the government had learned of vaccine supply issues "in the last few days".
He said the UK had less supply of the vaccine "than we might have hoped for in the coming weeks but we expect it to increase again through the course of April".
The vaccine rollout would be "slightly slower than we might have hoped but not slower than the target we had set ourselves" of offering a first dose to all people aged over 50 by 15 April, and all adults by the end of July, he said.
Anyone with an appointment for a second jab "should have complete confidence" that they will go ahead, he said, adding: "The month of April will be different - and it was always going to be - because I think this will be the month that second jabs exceed first jabs."
Under-50s 'will have to wait'
On Monday NHS sources said there would be a big increase in the number of people being offered vaccinations in the coming days after the UK received the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India.
Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said over the next two weeks the NHS would be pushing on with vaccinating over-50s and vulnerable people while it had a "bumper supply".
He said the announcement of a shortage was "disappointing" news and it would impact "the group we were hoping to start on in April which is the people under the age of 50 without any pre-existing conditions" who would now have to wait until May.
More than 25 million people in the UK have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine, while around 1.7 million have had a second jab.
After opening up appointments to all over-50s on Wednesday, the NHS in England was then told not to offer jabs to younger age groups throughout April.
Prof Adam Finn, a member of the government's Joint Committee for Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI), said the disruption to supply meant the UK's rollout would be going from "extremely fast to somewhat less fast", rather than "juddering to a halt".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the supply issues could affect infection rates but should not have an impact on hospital admissions, as those who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 were being prioritised for the jab.

media captionHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said vaccine supply is "always lumpy, but we're on course"
The Serum Institute of India is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines and is making one billion doses of the AstraZeneca jab this year for low and middle-income countries.
Its chief executive, Adar Poonawalla, has previously called for patience over global vaccine deliveries, saying the company has been "directed to prioritise the huge needs of India".
He has also raised concerns about raw material shortages, attributing this to US export bans on specific items needed to make vaccines, such as specialised bags and filters.
Earlier this month, it agreed to supply 10 million doses for the UK, but only half of these will arrive this month with the rest delayed for several weeks.
The rest of the UK's AstraZeneca doses are being produced domestically and the company says there are no supply issues.
Pfizer, which produces its vaccine in Belgium, says its deliveries to the NHS are also on track.
The UK has also approved a third vaccine - Moderna, which is due to start being rolled out in late spring.
More than 400 million doses of Covid vaccines have been ordered by the UK,including jabs made by Valneva, GlaxoSmithKline, Novavax and Janssen, which are yet to be approved.

Predicting what supply is available in the future is difficult. Vaccine production is a biological process so manufacturers can never absolutely guarantee how much will be available.
When you are relying on supplies from abroad there's an added element of complexity.
The UK only has two plants that are currently producing an approved vaccine - both make the AstraZeneca jab. Stocks of Pfizer come from Belgium. Both these supply routes are currently delivering what has been forecast.
A deal was done with India to supply 10 million doses. But it was always made clear the exact date of shipment could not be absolutely guaranteed.
The government had understood the full shipment would arrive in time for mid-March and felt it needed to get vaccination clinics ready to do extra doses. They have now had to be stood down.
It comes after expectations were ramped up at the weekend after briefing to the media that the target to offer all adults a jab by the end of July could be hit a month early.
Those hopes now seem to have been dashed. Another reminder of just how fragile supply is.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to give a statement to MPs in the Commons later on Thursday.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth tweeted that people "across the country" would be "anxious and worried" about news of delays.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is due on Thursday to release the findings of an investigation into cases of blood clots in a handful of Oxford-AstraZeneca jab recipients.
Several European countries have paused the use of the vaccine but the regulator has said there was "no indication" it caused the clots.
The World Health Organization has urged countries not to halt vaccinations.
A further 141 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive test, according to figures updated on Wednesday from the UK government. A further 5,758 people have tested positive.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

Nepal and Bangladesh have little chance if even the UK struggles to see a simple contract through in a timely fashion with this chit-stamping family-run corner shop cooperative running the Indian vaccine cabal. I've seen pictures of SII technicians failing to even wear disposable gloves while prepping their products. The Amateuristan national circus is back in town folks.

 

[Rollno21]

Nepal and Bangladesh have little chance if even the UK struggles to see a simple contract through in a timely fashion with this chit-stamping family-run corner shop cooperative running the Indian vaccine cabal. I've seen pictures of SII technicians failing to even wear disposable gloves while prepping their products. The Amateuristan national circus is back in town folks.

Tell that to millions of Pakistanies waiting for the vaccine to arrive from India .people don't realize it's a world pandemic and everyone needs them,delays are bound to happen.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

,delays are bound to happen.

Yesshaar. Vee are jusht kornerr shop shaar.

In India, we spend tax money on thishh alternative shaar! Please to be accepting in lieu of baxine shaar.

 

[313ghazi]

This is what happens when you outsource everything in the pursuit of profits. Just see the state of British manufacturing Vs German manufacturing for example.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

This is what happens when you outsource everything in the pursuit of profits. Just see the state of British manufacturing Vs German manufacturing for example.

The bigger problem is the loss of EU safeguards which guaranteed certain standards when outsourcing critical industry. The British public has taken these safeguards for granted for decades. Now you may as well contract to whoever your mate is overseas.

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"existing rules on public procurement have sufficient flexibility for emergencies. Yet, like many other provisions inherited from the UK’s EU membership, the government has expressed a wish to diverge or, as the prime minister put it, “fundamentally change” them. Given the evidence of abuses, and not just in relation to PPE, this is something we should be concerned about."

Mark Steel: Want a multimillion PPE contract from the government? Just befriend a Tory MP

After seeing the details of the National Audit Office’s report, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that a yogic guru had been given £50m to contact the spirit of coronavirus

www.google.com

More mature capitalism at play.

 

[Imran Khan]

UK can take stock of 9 countries whom suspended oxford vaccine

 

[nang2]

This is what happens when you outsource everything in the pursuit of profits. Just see the state of British manufacturing Vs German manufacturing for example.

The pursuit of profits is not the cause of outsourcing everything. The prevention of the pursuit of profits at home is. If you can make a decent profit at home, why would you give up on a country that you are familiar with and go to a strange country?

When a government and labor unions want to do good to the working men and women by increasing the labor cost beyond what the market commands, the profit rate on the capital drops. Then some champions of globalization encourage the free flow of capital so the capital leaves and the labor got stuck where they are. Where are the champions of globalization of labor? The same do-gooders are certainly hostile to that idea. So, the labor is still stuck until their cost drops back to the level where the capital is encouraged to come back.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

The same do-gooders are certainly hostile to that idea

All the do-gooders really want is the elimination of croneyism though. So, what's the problem there champ?

Your pathetic lot is also in-line for the same vaccines...why didn't you take daddy china's help and completely go for sinopharm!!

It may shock you to learn that Pakistan is acquiring vaccines through an internationally sponsored program called Covax, sponsored by Gavi. India hasn't decided to give Pakistan anything, because India and filthy little Indians like you hold no jurisdiction on the matter.

Now, if you're whining about Pakistan taking on an Indian product per se, that's a different issue. Nevertheless, worms like you should be reminded that India also imports pharmaceutical products from Pakistan. Let me know of you want some figures (I have posted them in the past) and let Modi know if you lose any sleep over it.

 

[nang2]

All the do-gooders really want is the elimination of croneyism though. So, what's the problem there champ?

No they don't. They just want to replace the cronyism that they have no power with the cronyism that they control. Anyone who seeks governmental favor for his or his group's own benefit practices a type of cronyism, be he a capitalist or a labor union leader. They simply want something that they couldn't get without committing a crime. So they go to the government where the violent power is wielded legally.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

No they don't. They just want to replace the cronyism that they have no power with the cronyism that they control. Anyone who seeks governmental favor for his or his group's own benefit practices a type of cronyism, be he a capitalist or a labor union leader. They simply want something that they couldn't get without committing a crime. So they go to the government where the violent power is wielded legally.

That's odd. Where I live, trade unions are regulated and their dealings transparent, so that people may decide for themselves if they are engaged in croneyism. It's the multinationals and their executive boards who rather indulge in clandestine, unregulated back-scratching (please see my earlier linked articles) beyond the scope of the general public over here - the simple question is, why the cloaks and daggers if there's nothing to hide?

 

[nang2]

That's odd. Where I live, trade unions are regulated and their dealings transparent, so that people may decide for themselves if they are engaged in croneyism. It's the multinationals and their executive boards who rather indulge in clandestine, unregulated back-scratching (please see my earlier linked articles) beyond the scope of the general public over here - the simple question is, why the cloaks and daggers if there's nothing to hide?

You have a naive view of cronyism, as if only those practices that are illegal should be considered as cronyism. No, the vast majority of cronyism are LEGAL practices and often with high sounding purposes, particularly in democratic countries. Back in the 19th century, Frederic Bastiat gave it a perfect name and called it "legal plunder". Why would you risk being prosecuted when you can do it legally with people's praises?

 

[masterchief_mirza]

You have a naive view of cronyism, as if only those practices that are illegal should be considered as cronyism. No, the vast majority of cronyism are LEGAL practices and often with high sounding purposes, particularly in democratic countries. Back in the 19th century, Frederic Bastiat gave it a perfect name and called it "legal plunder". Why would you risk being prosecuted when you can do it legally with people's praises?

I agree with you, hence I referred to "mature capitalism" previously. This doesn't make it fair or transparent though. But you're right in that it isn't going to die out any time soon. Nevertheless, tighter regulation averts public health dramas in most cases.

 

[nang2]

I agree with you, hence I referred to "mature capitalism" previously. This doesn't make it fair or transparent though. But you're right in that it isn't going to die out any time soon. Nevertheless, tighter regulation averts public health dramas in most cases.

As a general rule, when the government intervenes in the issues that affect people lives and health, cronyism is less likely to rise. After all, being an agent for collective defense of people's lives is the government's primary purpose of existence. Any mishap could cause people's violent revolt.

Other issues, particularly with economics, are often the fertile ground of cronyism and how people would react to it depends on how much they would lose. A master "cronyist" would just use the government power to take just a little bit from everyone. Though the total sum is a giant amount, people are unlikely to react to it.

 

[313ghazi]

The pursuit of profits is not the cause of outsourcing everything. The prevention of the pursuit of profits at home is. If you can make a decent profit at home, why would you give up on a country that you are familiar with and go to a strange country?

When a government and labor unions want to do good to the working men and women by increasing the labor cost beyond what the market commands, the profit rate on the capital drops. Then some champions of globalization encourage the free flow of capital so the capital leaves and the labor got stuck where they are. Where are the champions of globalization of labor? The same do-gooders are certainly hostile to that idea. So, the labor is still stuck until their cost drops back to the level where the capital is encouraged to come back.

There is no stuck labour in the UK. Staff were reskilled and work in different roles. There is no high level of unemployment.

Labour laws in the UK are not any stricter than anywhere else in the EU, get Germany maintains a large manufacturing base.

The UK was a victim of the militant politicisation of unions and the Hardcore policies of Thatcher.