Australia’s medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for use.
Pfizer’s jab will be rolled out from late next month, after being given provisional approval.
The announcement was somewhat symbolic, occurring one year to the day the first COVID-19 cases were recorded in Australia.
If you are interested in the vaccine this is the most interesting and science based discussion of the vaccine trials, the mistakes, the effectiveness and the approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Also discusses what we have learned over the last year and the new strains.
Well worth watching, this doctor is a good communicator
On this evening’s news there was a short piece on other investigations and drugs in the fight against Covid and its treatment, particularly the effectiveness of already existing drugs.
After years on monthly blood tests checks for Warfarin, I can support some of what you say.
Nurses are usually very good at doling the blood tests.
Only the very new nurses have a few start up problems, usually in finding hard to find veins.
Doctors are a NO NO!
My advice - Don’t ever let a Doctor do a blood test!
Anyway, hopefully, the UK Vac programme will be allowed to continue , unabated, even if the EU do try to force their way up the queue to hide their booking incompetence!
I’ve known a few doctors be very good at blood tests but in general I agree.
The UK vaccination programme hopefully shouldn’t suffer too much despite the ruddy EU trying to make up for their self-imposed problems.
Ministers aren’t worried, but I accept that this doesn’t mean much.
We use mostly AstraZeneca though which is cheaper too, in total ordering 100 million of those compared to a total of 40 million of the Pfizer-Biontech that the EU are complaining about.
Some lucky bloke bought lots of AstraZeneca shares last year…:shock:
Share buying & selling is a risky game, though!
You have to pay expensive experts a lot of money to coach you through it.
When do you sell?
When should youi buy?
That’s the key.
After a few cancellations, my old mum’s vaccination can take place. I’m taking her to Boots Pharmacy in town this Friday. She’s been wittering on about it for weeks now, so maybe I’ll get a bit of peace. 
Aww… that good news Judd, I wish your Mum well and that everything goes straightforward for her.
Not surprised about the doctor tip. A bit like never letting a dentist clean your teeth. Leave it to the experts (hygienists).
My mum even has a favourite phlebotomist. Elderly Asian guy who always, let her jump the queue because of her age, had a nice chat with her, made her smile and could always find her vein. I can’t take her now because of Covid so it’s a PPE enrobed district nurse home visit, but those were the days like a social outing.
That’s great news Judd. Be sure to both wear a mask and a face visor. With this latest variant you can’t take any chances.
I must agree with you too. I had to go for a blood test today at one of the local pathology places and, as usual, the nurse was almost painless and very efficient. I was in and out in about 10 minutes.
Mind you that is basically all they do all day. There is always a rush at 7.00am because people haven’t eaten for 12hrs (ish) I always wait until after 8am for the mob to disperse.
Trouble at t’mill!
It seems AstraZenica and Pfizer are not keeping up their end of the bargain.
Nah Brucie, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.
It’s the incompetent EU who have messed up all on their own.
Their own potential preferred suppliers like the Pasteur Institute and Sanofi have failed to provide what the EU eventually decided that they wanted so that the delayed approval of the AstraZeneca jab has now become more important to them.
Also Sanofi are going to be licensed to make the hugely more expensive Pfizer jab, to boost production within the bloc so that the EU will be able to at last start vaccinating in decent numbers.
Have a read of this to gain a better understanding.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/the-eu-should-beware-vaccine-envy-e2-80-94-this-is-one-thing-the-uk-got-right/ar-BB1d8uqv
ETA:
From another thread it seems that AZ’s contact with the EU states "“no fixed deliverables”.
At this rate, even if we do get our first jab, we’ll be lucky to get the second one too.
AstraZeneca alone are contracted for 100 million dose Mups.
That’s 2 jabs for 50 million people.
The Pfizer/Biontech as ordered if given twice is enough for another 20 million people.
So with those two alone there is more than enough to vaccinate the whole UK population even if every single person accepts the vaccination.
That is what they have said Zaphod and I am hopeful that is what will happen.
I believe the Pfizer vaccine is the one that will cause problems as it must be difficult to keep the vaccine at such low temperatures whilst moving it around the country.
I am surprised that the Pfizer vaccine wasn’t kept at hospitals,where the staff & patients could have been injected without having to move them or the vaccine outside the hospital! I am sure the hospitals would have the equipment to maintain the low temperatures.
Perhaps there was some logical reason for not doing that!
According to earlier reports in Australia the AstraZenica vaccine was never tested on older people during its trial now the German regulators are questioning its use in older people.
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine should only be given to people aged between 18 and 64, Germany’s vaccine committee said in a draft recommendation, a day ahead of a decision by European regulators on whether to approve the drugmaker’s shot.
“There are currently insufficient data available to assess the vaccine efficacy from 65 years of age,” the committee, also known as Stiko, said in a draft resolution made available by the German health ministry on Thursday.
“The AstraZeneca vaccine, unlike the mRNA vaccines, should only be offered to people aged 18-64 years at each stage,” it added.
Don’t you bother reading the other side of the story Brucie?
Okay, I will help you out:
“Reports that the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine efficacy is low in adults over 65 years are not an accurate reflection of the totality of the data. The latest analyses support efficacy in this age group, which we expect to be published by the EMA in the coming days.”
’ Dr June Raine, the chief executive of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said: “Current evidence does not suggest any lack of protection against Covid-19 in people aged 65 or over. The data we have shows that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over-65s.” ’
The suggestions that AZ’s vaccine isn’t so good are just German sour grapes, and not for the first time either.
IMHO I think it’s a tactic to try and placate Germans who are extremely unhappy about how poorly their vaccination plan is going.
Very Interesting Zaphod!
This bit made me laugh…
Instead of haggling over the price for months like the EU Commission did, Netanyahu bravely grabbed the state wallet. According to insiders, Israel pays at least twice as much per dose of vaccine.
Perhaps the EU is now struggling without the financial input of the UK! 
Looks like Natanyahu cares more about his people than the EU did about their members!
