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As I understand, for example in Europe Pfizer is producing vaccines in single factory and not in sufficient number. Why production doesn't happen in more places? Couldn't they sell license to other European pharmaceutical companies to produce it? Is production process so unique it can't be replicated in other places?
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccines-...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The UK has (first-dose) vaccinated close to a quarter of the population now. Given the vast population difference between it and Israel it seems to be doing pretty well too.
Yes I agree, the UK is also doing very well considering. It just baffles me that no other country is even in the same category as israel in terms of readiness, despite nine months to prepare.
As I understand, for example in Europe Pfizer is producing vaccines in single factory and not in sufficient number. Why production doesn't happen in more places? Couldn't they sell license to other European pharmaceutical companies to produce it? Is production process so unique it can't be replicated in other places?
https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-det...
From their press release: "Facility will become one of the largest mRNA manufacturing sites in Europe and the third site in the BioNTech manufacturing network in Germany expected to produce BNT162 for global supply Expected to be fully operational in the first half 2021 with an annual production capacity up to 750 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine"
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been wondering this myself too. Lockdowns are so expensive that I'd assume every unconventional method to expand the production is taken into use. The situation is bad but not so bad that competitors could be forced to work together it seems. I expect that the amount of angry people in EU will peak in spring or early summer when UK, US, and Israel are mostly back to normal and we are not.
> The situation is bad but not so bad that competitors could be forced to work together it seems. And yet this should have been the plan from the very beginning. Considering the vast numbers needed in Europe and the whole world, forcing all available production facilities to produce vaccines should have been part of the plan.
The EU ordered too late and simply not enough. Now they are trying to blame everyone else for their failure.
As I understand, for example in Europe Pfizer is producing vaccines in single factory and not in sufficient number. Why production doesn't happen in more places? Couldn't they sell license to other European pharmaceutical companies to produce it? Is production process so unique it can't be replicated in other places?
Short answer: apparently, yes. The process is too unique and new to just be replicated in other factories. Derek Lowe has an in-depth and readable explanation: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/02/my...
At the very beginning of vaccination in Israel the demand was very high, since all those waiting for the vaccine rushed and went to get it asap. Now that most of the elderly are already vaccinated and the government is placing sanctions against people who are not vaccinated (can't go shopping for clothes, can't go to sport events, can't go to the gym, can't go to cultural events, etc...) the younger generation is much less anxious to get vaccinated. This is causing the vaccine centers stand mostly idle for the recent month.
The government and media in Israel have also started mentioning that they are anxiously waiting for Phizer to test the vaccines on children 12+yo and are preparing to vaccine children as soon as possible. Some speak out about vaccinating children even before the trials are complete.
At the same time, there is a little known "cure" that was developed in a Tel Aviv hospital that has been tried on 30 people who were in a severe condition due to covid. 29 of them went home after two days. All it took is a little bit of ventilation several times a day.
Israel feels like the only nation taking the importance and urgency of vaccination seriously. Here in Europe, articles are coming out complaining that the slow vaccination could be harming the economy which, well, fucking duh. ( https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/154626/c... ) Fast rollout. Involve pharmacies. Involve the army. Distribute widely and efficiently. Prepare for months before the vaccine…
I agree that in Belgium things are not as well organized as they should, as usual. They should for months they were preparing and plans would be ready and working by the beginning of January. But it turned out nothing was ready, debates about who to give the vaccine first were only starting instead of being started many months before. But at this point none of that really matters: it's simply not the bottleneck. Vaccination centers are ready for thousands of people per day, but only get 100 doses.
By the way I've read and heard about calls for volunteers for hospitals and vaccination centers. Vaccination centers don't really need many people now though because of the low supply.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The UK has (first-dose) vaccinated close to a quarter of the population now. Given the vast population difference between it and Israel it seems to be doing pretty well too.
Yes, currently the UK is vaccinating at rates of up to 600,000 per day. That's about 3x the top daily rate of, say, France.
I was very impressed. I am looking forward to seeing how it continues. If there is a way to improve supply I have no doubt they could go even faster.
As a side note; The side effects to the Oxford jab was less than ideal. Bad chills (on an already very cold day) and a cracking headache. Feel much better now but I wasn't expecting it to be so bad! I had had COVID before, although it was mild, and I've heard this can make the reaction a bit worse than normal. So maybe that was why.
That's wrong. BioNTech was the developer, Pfizer only was pulled in for manufacturing and clinical tests.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes I agree, the UK is also doing very well considering. It just baffles me that no other country is even in the same category as israel in terms of readiness, despite nine months to prepare.
There’s just not that many countries as rich as Israel who could be, though? UK and UAE are doing pretty well. All EU countries are subservient to the EU on this, America and Canada are geographically huge and of course America has Covid and medicine as an outsized political issue, Oz and NZ don’t need to rush it ... I guess maybe the Asian tigers are lagging a bit here?