Britain approves Covid-19 vaccine

[-:Undertaker:-]

Britain approves Covid-19 vaccine

Country becomes first in world to approve a Covid-19 jab

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination.

Britain's medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out.

The first doses are already on their way to the UK, with 800,000 due in the coming days, Pfizer said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the NHS will contact people about jabs.

Elderly people in care homes and care home staff have been placed top of the priority list, followed by over-80s and health and care staff.

But because hospitals already have the facilities to store the vaccine at -70C, as required, the very first vaccinations are likely to take place there - for care home staff, NHS staff and patients - so none of the vaccine is wasted.

Thanks to Brexit and us no longer being in the European Medicines Agency - which we were threatened leaving would leave us without life saving drugs - Britain has been able to be the first country to approve the Covid-19 vaccine, ahead of our continental neighbours in Europe.

Changes to Human Medicine Regulations to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in October here... deliberate effort to get round being delayed by the EMA... Exactly what has happened today. https://t.co/jypK7kOdxD

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) December 2, 2020

Hamhock: "until earlier this year we were in the EMA, because of Brexit we've been able to make a decision to do this based on the UK regulator, a world-class regulator, and not go at the pace of the Europeans, who are moving a little bit more slowly."

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) December 2, 2020

It seems the EU took a collective decision to wait until full authorisation to prevent some countries going ahead early to maintain "solidarity" https://t.co/kOWOBXGFZJ

— Bruno Waterfield (@BrunoBrussels) December 2, 2020

A great day for British science and British independence!

[dbgtz]

The regulator seems to disagree with Hancock.

Matt Hancock - “Because we’ve left the EU, we’ve been able to move faster."

Dr June Raine(Boss, MHRA) - “We’ve been able to authorise supply of this vaccine using provisions under European law which exist until January 1st.” pic.twitter.com/QmZR4TqdmE

— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) December 2, 2020

Until the end of December 2020, EU legislation requires biotechnological medicines (which would include candidate COVID-19 vaccines) to be authorised via the European Medicines Agency, and a marketing authorisation granted by them would automatically be valid in the UK. From January 2021, the UK’s licensing authority will have new powers to license all medicines, including vaccines. However, if there is a compelling case, on public health grounds, for using a vaccine before it is given a product licence, given the nature of the threat we face, the JCVI may take the very unusual step of advising the UK government to use a tested, unlicensed vaccine against COVID-19, and we need to make sure that the right legislative measures are in place to deal with that scenario.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consul...id-19-vaccines

[-:Undertaker:-]

The German Health Minister seems to disagree with the regulator.

https://order-order.com/2020/12/02/g...ccine-rollout/

The EU is behind because it is following a "common European approach". Britain on the other hand broke free of those and enacted emergency legislation.

[dbgtz]

that article concludes that we couldnt have done this if we were a full member because other members chose to take a common approach. we are still subject to EU regulations so if the provision wasnt there in the first place, then we wouldnt have been able to do this and your argument would have been sound, but it isnt. and it isnt "emergency legislation", its provisions already laid out in the european regulations



i find it very ironic that you choose to trust a german minister who had no hand in our approval process over MHRA, no doubt if said german minister said the opposite you would have ignored him

[-:Undertaker:-]

that article concludes that we couldnt have done this if we were a full member because other members chose to take a common approach. we are still subject to EU regulations so if the provision wasnt there in the first place, then we wouldnt have been able to do this and your argument would have been sound, but it isnt. and it isnt "emergency legislation", its provisions already laid out in the european regulations

i find it very ironic that you choose to trust a german minister who had no hand in our approval process over MHRA, no doubt if said german minister said the opposite you would have ignored him

So thank God we're out of an organisation that seeks to put some mythical and ideological consideration of "European unity" ahead of public health and the economy. It goes to show just how deep this pan-Europeanism virus has infected the body politic across Europe, although thankfully no longer in Britain.

I'm surprised you think that we're even capable of a vaccine. Wasn't Brexit supposed to have led to even diabetics not being able to access life-saving medicines? Indeed, I very well remember when Farage was on a debate during the referendum (he vs the audience after Cameron) quite an aggressive man claimed all terrible things would happen in regards to medicines not being able to reach us. The man himself claimed he worked for a medicines agency (European, I think). An 'expert' and Farage was right, huh.

[dbgtz]

So thank God we're out of an organisation that seeks to put some mythical and ideological consideration of "European unity" ahead of public health and the economy. It goes to show just how deep this pan-Europeanism virus has infected the body politic across Europe, although thankfully no longer in Britain.

you can huff and puff about how bad the eu is but it doesnt mean youre right, the provisions are there and we chose to use it as we are still subject to eu regs. other states chose not to, it's as simple as that. (almost like they were exercising sovereignty)

I'm surprised you think that we're even capable of a vaccine. Wasn't Brexit supposed to have led to even diabetics not being able to access life-saving medicines? Indeed, I very well remember when Farage was on a debate during the referendum (he vs the audience after Cameron) quite an aggressive man claimed all terrible things would happen in regards to medicines not being able to reach us. The man himself claimed he worked for a medicines agency (European, I think). An 'expert' and Farage was right, huh.

i dont understand how dense you can be. the borders don't become enforced until after the transition period, i.e. 1st january. it's at that point when everything is going to be delayed, and there's simply no way a border with checks on goods is going to be as smooth as a border without them. good thing we're not importing a vaccine from belgium because the company just closed their UK operations

use a little bit of critical thought

[-:Undertaker:-]

you can huff and puff about how bad the eu is but it doesnt mean youre right, the provisions are there and we chose to use it as we are still subject to eu regs. other states chose not to, it's as simple as that. (almost like they were exercising sovereignty)

Do you think holding back a vaccination in the name of "European unity" is a good or a bad thing?

i dont understand how dense you can be. the borders don't become enforced until after the transition period, i.e. 1st january. it's at that point when everything is going to be delayed, and there's simply no way a border with checks on goods is going to be as smooth as a border without them. good thing we're not importing a vaccine from belgium because the company just closed their UK operations

use a little bit of critical thought

Are you predicting that life saving medicines for the likes of diabetes are going to cease on the 1st January 2021?

[dbgtz]

discussing anything with you is pointless as you just make up counter arguments with no relevance or just make up things others say

[-:Undertaker:-]

discussing anything with you is pointless as you just make up counter arguments with no relevance or just make up things others say

Not at all. The European Union decided collectively not to enact emergency legislation and decided to postpone a vaccination in the name of European unity. Britain on the other hand decided to ignore this and enact emergency legislation. My question to you is, had Britain still been an EU member would it have been right to do things independently in regards to the vaccination or to wait as the other 27 have in the name of "European unity"?

Because a key criticism of Remainers was always that Britain did not "play its part" and was always "detatched" from the European project.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Update on this.

Germany, fed up with EU incompetence with the vaccine, has binned "European solidarity" and just gone and done its own thing.

Germany has gone round the back of the EU to gain 30 million extra doses of vaccine. True solidarity.

— Alan Sked (@profsked) January 11, 2021