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Comment by mytailorisrich | Hacker News Reader

The EU has received more than 62 million doses (of all vaccines) and has more than 10 million doses in stock.

They've also created problems to the AZ vaccine at every turn. So much so that now some people simply refuse it.

So if they hadn't shipped 8 million doses to the UK (where that vaccine was developed with public funds) there is no guarantee at all that they would have vaccinated 8 million more people.

Edit with non-UK source (as of 2 weeks ago):

"Millions of Vaccines in EU Unused (March 11, 10:00 a.m. ET) More than 11.5 million Covid vaccine doses that have been delivered to European Union countries have not yet been used, according to Bloomberg. The number of shots sent by manufacturers now totals 54.2 million, compared to 46 million a week previously. The data covers the week to March 7. [1]

[1] https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/31024-coronavirus-...

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I believe several EU Countries have still not cleared AZ for use on (false?) fears of blood clots. And then there is the problem of distribution - not so easy in a place as large as the EU.

First some countries refused to give the AZ vaccine to people over 65, then they recklessly suspended it altogether, now some countries refuse to give it to people under 55. That's ridiculous.

Distribution is no more a problem than in the UK. The EU has probably the best infrastructure in the world and vast resources, while being smaller than the US.

That's ridiculous.

No vaccination for ages over 65 while there is insufficient data on efficacy in those groups, briefly suspend vaccination with new drug while evaluating reports of unexpected side effects, release of the vaccine to age groups that are least effected by those side effects.

I agree that all three decisions are wrong, but I don't think they're ridiculous. Just overly cautious.

The side effects, which are still not proven afaik, are less likely than dying in a car crash during any given year. The EMA never raised issues or suggested that the vaccine was problematic.

It was indeed ridiculous to suspend the vaccine whatever spin they tried to give that decision. The two other points are equally ridiculous.

What seems to be the case is that some people try to essentially sabotage that vaccine.

They are keeping some as a reserve to deliver the second dose according to the recommended regimen since they cannot rely on the manufacturer sticking to the negotiated shipment rates.

Way to go on repeating UK media disinformation.

You keep repeating the same claim in this thread, a claim that runs counter to citations you are provided with and here you are, yet to provide any reliable sources of your own

Sure.

Here you go - https://www.france24.com/en/20200613-covid-19-france-italy-g...

The Vaccine Alliance did a contract with AstraZeneca before the UK. The Alliance was Germany, Italy, Netherlands and France.

AstraZeneca says this "doesn't count". I believe this was around 1 month before the UK agreement was signed.

Here's another article that goes over it https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-coronavirus-vaccine-s...

And here's the press release up on Reuters https://www.france24.com/en/20200613-covid-19-france-italy-g...

https://uk.ambafrance.org/Inclusive-Vaccines-Alliance-reache...

And in the French embassy..

You're being fed BS. AZ signed with the Alliance, that contract was turned over to the EU comission. AZ is most likely caught up in giving their vaccine to the UK first and they are lying constantly. See the controversy on their efficacy in the US.

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