Vaccine war with EU

[Unicorn]

Oooooooooh!!!!!

[katy]

Financial Times was the first to break the story. Some interesting comments below.

https://www.ft.com/content/bed655ac-928 ... 15284798c8

[fincalospinos]

News readers across the UK are dreading the day the Welsh NHS announce the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch variant

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Speaking of variants. The UK has found another variant of concern that originated in the UK

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... cases-data

This brings the UK originated variants to 4 now. I can't help but wonder if this is related to the delayed vaccine policies. The UK were warned that delaying the second shot of vaccine could lead to mutations and give the virus a chance to become vaccine resistant.

It was a huge gamble with only short term upside and massive long term downside. I am not quite sure how the risk managers let them take this chance. You would think they would have learned from the herd immunity attempt that blew up in their face

[katy]

A few countries are mulling over extending the period between doses. Various Scientists in the EU have been clamouring for countries like Germany to adopt the UK strategy. Doubt it will happen now as it will mean admitting they may have thousands of deaths on their hands.

Meanwhile two thirds of the AZ is sitting in EU fridges because they have trashed it so much no one wants it.

https://www.dw.com/en/covid-vaccines-wi ... a-56722478

[DannyB]

The number of variants found in the UK may have something to do with the fact that the UK does half of all the genome testing in the world. Its hard to find new variants if you aren't looking. In the EU only Denmark has a scheme and they are doing about 3% of the totak

[katy]

Well the row continues. "Our good friends" cannot stop smearing and politicising Astra Zeneca and now accusing the UK of refusing to export stocks. I am not sure stocks are all that plentiful in the UK as they don't seem to be jabbing as many per day this last week. One MP said Vaccs would speed up by the middle of March and our Health Centre stopped jabs one week for lack of supplies. They are still doing well though, just had my second after 6 weeks. They are now calling in 50s and over. My Friend missed a call yesterday (54) and she has been told to book online to go to Brighton or wait until next week.

[costakid]

Brexit is done, Covid will be under control hopefully in a few months and then the EU will attack us in another way. They cant help themselves.

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Well the row continues. "Our good friends" cannot stop smearing and politicising Astra Zeneca and now accusing the UK of refusing to export stocks. I am not sure stocks are all that plentiful in the UK as they don't seem to be jabbing as many per day this last week. One MP said Vaccs would speed up by the middle of March and our Health Centre stopped jabs one week for lack of supplies. They are still doing well though, just had my second after 6 weeks. They are now calling in 50s and over. My Friend missed a call yesterday (54) and she has been told to book online to go to Brighton or wait until next week.

It's interesting that AstraZeneca is refusing to supply the EU with production from the UK. Supplying with production from the UK was part of the contract the AZ signed. I am pretty sure AZ will suffer for this long term once their Covid party trick is no longer required.

The stock market agrees with me. The AZ share price is 18% down on where it was in early November and by coincidence the FTSE is up 18% in the same time frame. To put it another way, if I put 100 GBP in the FTSE I would now be 44% better off than if you bought AZ on the same date. That is a rubbish performance at the best of times but even more amazing given that AZ has invented the elixir or life.

Basically AZ might win a battle...but they lost the war and signed their own death sentence and almost the whole world knows it.

[katy]

Of course AZ is suffering. Any company would after being smeared by Politicians like Macron and Merkel. Ironic seeing as they are the only company not making a profit. The EU seems to be swinging towards the Sputnik now, Mutti has always swung that way anyway.

Many tipsters are say buy AZ whilst low, they have other things in development.

[katy]

Brexit is done, Covid will be under control hopefully in a few months and then the EU will attack us in another way. They cant help themselves.

Don't forget the EU also accused the US of hoarding vaccines too. Von de lie en got into a hole but still digging.

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Of course AZ is suffering. Any company would after being smeared by Politicians like Macron and Merkel. Ironic seeing as they are the only company not making a profit. The EU seems to be swinging towards the Sputnik now, Mutti has always swung that way anyway.

Yes and AZ are doubling down and digging the hole deeper. It's amazing the shareholders are not yet calling for heads to roll. So my guess is management will get kicked out or the management will see sense and start supplying the EU as agreed in their contract.

[katy]

I have been mulling over if I should buy AZ for a couple of weeks. Lots of investment sites this week are recommending. I have done very well investing in companies that fell after the start of the covid panic, especially the banks. Our new "Covid" portfolio is up 86% in 10 months.

[katy]

Just another thing. very soon there will be more jabs than the world needs. many more coming on the market this year.

[Paddy Pumpkin]

I have been mulling over if I should buy AZ for a couple of weeks. Lots of investment sites this week are recommending. I have done very well investing in companies that fell after the start of the covid panic, especially the banks. Our new "Covid" portfolio is up 86% in 10 months.

I would be very weary of the long term viability of a portfolio with the amount of VAR that produces that level of performance.

[markwilding]

Brexit is done, Covid will be under control hopefully in a few months and then the EU will attack us in another way. They cant help themselves.

Brexit is not done.
The EU have their position to protect. I'm surprised you are surprised that this stupidity is happening. It was all predicted by many during the referendum but we were told it was project fear. The UK rushed through a treaty when most told them one would take years and this is the consequence.

For the EU, the integrity of the single market is important so Boris made a deal, which just a few months earlier, he said he couldn't contemplate by putting a border down the Irish sea but now he already wants to break international law and break the treaty. It was obvious that it was going to cause problems but he signed and now is blaming the EU for not being happy about his dismissing something he agreed to.

Why do you think Boris and co only want to talk about the vaccine rollout.? Obviously, because they want to hide one of the highest death rates, the worst performing economy and only talk about the part where they gambled and got lucky.

[costakid]

How is Brexit not done? I never said i was surprised at their stupidity, its history repeating itself but in a different way, check out Charles de Gaule. And with the gamble on buying millions of vaccine, well what a time to back a winner.

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Brexit is done....but the treaty on what the relationship between the EU and UK looks like is not done.

The EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is a free trade agreement signed on 30 December 2020, between the European Union (EU), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the United Kingdom (UK). It has been applied provisionally since 1 January 2021, when the Brexit transition period ended, and extended until 30 April 2021

On 4 March 2021, the European Parliament postponed its ratification decision, which had been planned for 25 March. The EU accused the UK of proposing for a second time to break international law, after UK ministers announced the unilateral extension of the grace period on certain checks on trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.[

The agreement on Gibraltar is not completed. The UK are already trying to wriggle out of the Northern Ireland protocol, even though the UK has ratified the treaty. That is not forgetting that the treaty contains various review processes within it that can change what the EU UK relationship looks like.

So yes Brexit is done, but what it means for the UK and the EU is far from done.

BJ is playing the short term gain game (like he did in March 2020 with his herd immunity effort). Once the world sees that the UK can't be trusted with a written agreement nobody will sign a trade agreement with the UK. AstraZeneca and Boris Johnson appear to be bosom buddies in their short term view of long term situations.

[Beachcomber]

Brexit discussion is off topic. Further posts regarding Brexit will be deleted.

[katy]

I have been mulling over if I should buy AZ for a couple of weeks. Lots of investment sites this week are recommending. I have done very well investing in companies that fell after the start of the covid panic, especially the banks. Our new "Covid" portfolio is up 86% in 10 months.

I would be very weary of the long term viability of a portfolio with the amount of VAR that produces that level of performance.

Most investors have done well since the crash last year. Our biggest gain has been from Barclays Bank.