Vaccine priorities - Page 2

No, I just wondered if any expats have had their jab yet or if the Spanish are prioritising Spanish citizens first. 

From what I’ve seen they are following a prioritisation plan like any country that is vaccinating. Nationality doesn’t come into it, although it looks like people with private health insurance have to go through a different system, which might go at a different pace. 

As of tonight Spain has vaccinated 1,673,054 people. 

Dinnerout, that is good news. Let us all hope and pray that the EU finally gets its act together in authorising and ordering sufficient vaccines and doses to protect all their citizens as quickly as possible. Reports in the British press today suggest that not only Hungary but now Germany have/or are about to, order the sputnik vaccine from Russia if they can get it approved for use in the EU. There is also a great deal of annoyance that Mons. Macron has once again expressed an opinion that the AstraZeneca vaccine is unsuitable for over 60's without providing one shred of evidence to back up his assertion. The assumption is that this is a tactic to deflect criticism of the EU's vaccine roll out. I am afraid, not a very friendly act.

The point is that there is now very convincing evidence that the UK had al but gotten the virus under control last summer but we then imported it in large volumes via foreign travel and our crazy desire to get back to normal without considering the science. There is no point being vaccinated if nobody can travel in or out of the country or trade abroad in person. As long as there are countries around the world with high infection rates no country is safe. In addition if we ignore poorer countries then the virus will mutate exponentially meaning nobody would be safe. 

I am trying very hard not to get drawn into Them v Us arguments in regard to who is "winning" who is "whining most" etc etc

It's really unhelpful. 

If you want to read an interesting review of where Spain is up to on procurement it's in el Pais (in English also) today.

I'll add the link here

El Pais article

There are other interesting Covid articles on the el Pais home page. Eg Spain will not use Astra Zeneca on over 80's

Steve

Dinnerout. I have no desire to start a them an us discussion on this issue. However it is most unhelpful when leaders come out with statements which have little or no scientific basis to denigrate the efforts of others.  In the fight against the virus only those who are safe win. If countries choose one vaccine against another it is their right to take that course, but it is encumbent upon them to stick to the scientific facts when discussing the merits or de merits of each vaccine in statements issued to the general public to dampen any concerns which they might or might not have.

Dagurney this is precisely the point I believe messers  Johnston, Truss and Hancock were alluding to when they made their island quote and confirmed that excess vaccines which the UK had pre purchased would be made available to other countries,

UK will probably Give surplus to country’s in need without vaccines as part of our UK international aid fund and I for one think this would be a spiffin idea

Of course they could also offer them to the EU in exchange for stopping the pettiness holding up exports to and from the EU. They would also use it to sweeten the EU into agreeing compatability for UK banks in the EU. I find it troubling that the EU have granted this to American banks but not those of the UK who were part of the EU banking system less than 2 months ago.