Coronavirus

[Danza91]

I personally think it'll be a hybrid. WFH more will probably benefit those with kids, however the younger generation I personally believe are better off in an office more often than not. Speaking from experience, it's a better way of learning, learning from others, sharing ideas, communication is easier, and you get the added benefits of a social life with work, the chance to meet new people.

There's pros and cons for both. I've been WFH since 2014 and although it's saved me a load of time and cash, I do feel like I've missed out a lot on the social side of things.

I'd expect most employers to give people the choice as not everyone will be in a position to permanently work from home due to their living arrangements and mental health.

 

[Craig]

Good news! Results (not yet peer reviewed) from the US trial of the AZ vaccine confirm safety and effectiveness. In over 32,000 volunteers the vaccine was 79% effective against stopping symptomatic Covid disease and 100% effective at preventing people from falling seriously ill.

Bad news! The EU are now threatening to block AZ vaccine export from the Netherlands to the UK. Sounds like they want to keep all doses produced at this factory in the EU. However the EU signed their contract with AZ after the UK did, which is why the EU have had more supply issues. The article also states that if the EU were to block all vaccine exports to the UK it could stop us from completing the first doserollout by the end of July as planned. I get the impression that some EU leaders would be quite happy with this.

Strange news! After initially not allowing the AZ vaccine to be given to those over 65, France are now not allowing it to be given to anyone under 55! You couldn't make it up. Next up, France only authorises AZ vaccine to be given to people aged 57 who's name begins with the letter 'z'.

I do not mean to come across as anti-EU in any of my posts, as I am very much pro-EU and anti-Brexit. However I do belive there has been some right polictical tosh from the EU over vaccination all driven by panic over their own mistakes.

The drop in confidence on the AZ vaccine following the idiotic comments from a lot of higher ups in European countries has had a really damaging effect. A recent YouGov survey compared to one carried out in February is frankly terrifying for the EU. It's no exaggeration to say the poor handling of the situation will result in many more deaths and hospitalisations that could've been easily avoided.

For example, just 23% consider the vaccine safe in France, while a massive 61% think it's unsafe. Just 36% in Italy think it's safe and only 38% in Spain. The graphic below demonstrates just how badly things have fell (purple line), even having a small effect in the UK:

As a relatively new technology, mRNA vaccines are notoriously more difficult to produce than the more traditional AZ vaccine, so having trust in the AZ vaccine is an essential tool in the rollout in the EU. To have the reputation of it damaged so badly, despite a real world example of how well it's performing just across the pond here in the UK is inexcusable really. When many countries are already sceptical of vaccines, it's clear that they've seriously hampered their recovery.

 

[jon81uk]

I think almost all office based staff will be working from home more often from now on, so in the future if you are feeling slightly under the weather then it will be simply a case of working from home and therefore avoid spreading germs in the office.

Although of course office workers (in general) had better sick pay arrangements anyway and could take a couple of days off when feeling under the weather. But I agree many will probably work from home now on days too ill to get to the office but still well enough to work.

Its the low paid who will lose out as usual.

 

[Rob]

The drop in confidence on the AZ vaccine following the idiotic comments from a lot of higher ups in European countries has had a really damaging effect. A recent YouGov survey compared to one carried out in February is frankly terrifying for the EU. It's no exaggeration to say the poor handling of the situation will result in many more deaths and hospitalisations that could've been easily avoided.

For example, just 23% consider the vaccine safe in France, while a massive 61% think it's unsafe. Just 36% in Italy think it's safe and only 38% in Spain. The graphic below demonstrates just how badly things have fell (purple line), even having a small effect in the UK:

As a relatively new technology, mRNA vaccines are notoriously more difficult to produce than the more traditional AZ vaccine, so having trust in the AZ vaccine is an essential tool in the rollout in the EU. To have the reputation of it damaged so badly, despite a real world example of how well it's performing just across the pond here in the UK is inexcusable really. When many countries are already sceptical of vaccines, it's clear that they've seriously hampered their recovery.

Wow, that really is quite shocking. But not suprising, for some reason senior officials or leaders in certain European countries have continiously found ways to portray the AZ vaccine in a negative light with no real evidence. Politicians should not be overruling experts and regulators when it comes to these matters.

My mum was vaccinated last month, just after it came out that many EU countries would not be authorising the AZ vacccine for over 65s due to concerns over a lack of data. This in turn did make my mum more wary of receiving the AZ vaccine and she wanted to try and get the Pfizer (which my dad had already received). In the end she knew it was best to just book a slot and get a vaccine but it shows how decions such as those that have been made across the channel can have a real impact of vaccine scepticism that is not at all helpful.

 

[Tibble]

My mum raised her concerns with me about the AZ before having it. I reassured her and told her that that there is a higher chance of blood clots from contraceptive pills than the AZ vaccination to which she then seemed less concerned.

I think we will see higher cases and unfortunately more deaths across Europe as people decide not to take the vaccines. For places which have high tourism from the UK it must be frustrating as (for once) we seem to be getting ahead of the curve and they can't open up because of their countries unneeded blocks of the vaccines

 

[rob666]

I always used to have about 3 days off every year when I was perfectly well, and I would actually go into the office if I was feeling unwell ( why waste a sick day being off when you are actually sick )

However I have now become a much more upstanding member of society and haven't had a single day off sick (fake or real) in the 11 years I have been working for the council. This may of course be something to do with the ridiculous holiday entitlement and flexi time system they have.

One thing that covid has probably changed for ever is home working (at least for office based staff). I have only been into the office once in the last 12 months and I cannot see me ever going back in more than once or twice a week even when everything returns to normal.

I think almost all office based staff will be working from home more often from now on, so in the future if you are feeling slightly under the weather then it will be simply a case of working from home and therefore avoid spreading germs in the office.

I don't like to give praise to Yorkshiremen, but fair credit to shakey.
I tell him to throw a sickie and join us for a weekday afternoon in the company of dippy and our rick on a weekly basis through the summer, and he has refused every last time.
Miserable tyke.

 

[Matt N]

In terms of vaccines; if we do end up falling into problems with the EU with regard to supplies of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, I reckon a good alternative could be Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. It has been proven to have very high levels of efficacy and can be stored at regular temperature, so it offers a lot of flexibility as well as phenomenal efficacy!

Besides, we should also have doses from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax coming online before too long, which won’t even need to go through the EU, so they should help ease the burden. I believe Moderna’s first shipment is on its way to Britain now!

 

[Thameslink Rail]

In terms of vaccines; if we do end up falling into problems with the EU with regard to supplies of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, I reckon a good alternative could be Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. It has been proven to have very high levels of efficacy and can be stored at regular temperature, so it offers a lot of flexibility as well as phenomenal efficacy!

Besides, we should also have doses from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax coming online before too long, which won’t even need to go through the EU, so they should help ease the burden. I believe Moderna’s first shipment is on its way to Britain now!

The problem with Sputnik V is that many people (including the British government) still don't trust Russia. I'm not sure if it would be possible to get the public to trust Russia.

 

[AT86]

The Russian vaccine would have the same if not worse of a public imagine problem in the UK as the AZ one has in France.

 

[Matt N]

The Russian vaccine would have the same if not worse of a public imagine problem in the UK as the AZ one has in France.

How come? It’s incredibly effective (I think it was 92% in efficacy trials, which were peer-reviewed in the Lancet and approved by the WHO), and numerous other countries have ordered doses; even Germany was said to be looking into it!

I know that Russia has a bit of a reputation over here, but I genuinely think that Sputnik V would be an excellent bolster to our vaccine lineup here in the UK.

 

[AT86]

I know that Russia has a bit of a reputation over here,

Just over three years ago the Russian government arranged a nerve agent poisoning in the UK. Incidents like that don’t exactly help matters when it comes to injecting people with the ‘Russian vaccine’.

Big image problem.

 

[Alsty]

Remember also the Russian government approved the Sputnik V vaccine before it had even passed clinical trials. I don't know about you but that doesn't fill me with confidence. Even the Russians don't trust it (only 30% willing to receive it).

I'm aware recent tests are favourable but it just feels like corners were cut and that's caused reputational damage as a result.

 

[BigT]

The rumour is that the Russian vaccine is a copy of the AZ one and it was basically stolen in an IT hack of Oxford uni last year.

 

[rob666]

There was an attempted hack of the Oxford system that didn't get past the firewall, remember the news story from last year, can't give a formal source, probably the Observer.
The Russians paid to copy the Oxford vaccine...why bother if they had already stolen it?

 

[Rob]

Yeah, I can't see the UK government procuring that Sputnik V vaccine for a whole host of reasons. There would be very little public confidence in it for a start largely due to recent tensiosn between the UK and Russia. Also I cannot find where I saw this now but the Russian media have been having a field day with what has been going on with the AZ vaccine, portraying it in a very bad light.

 

[GaryH]

The US has still not yet been able to approve the AZ vaccine now quoting out of date approval data being provided

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ven-outdated-details-on-vaccine-says-u-s-body

 

[Brad97]

The US are doing really well with their vaccine rollout at the moment, I imagine this isn't a huge setback for them.

 

[Skyscraper]

Just a heads-up, there's a national minutes silence at 12pm to remember the UK's Covid victims. Today is one year since the first lockdown began in March 2020.

 

[Matt N]

Out of interest, have we heard anything about the approval of the Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines in the UK?

These could really add some extra ammunition to our rollout, especially the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; that one removes any need for second doses. I believe Novavax is also the one that Britain has the second most doses of behind AZ, and it’s being manufactured in Stockton-on-Tees, so that should help too.

 

[Dave]

Out of interest, have we heard anything about the approval of the Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines in the UK?

These could really add some extra ammunition to our rollout, especially the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; that one removes any need for second doses. I believe Novavax is also the one that Britain has the second most doses of behind AZ, and it’s being manufactured in Stockton-on-Tees, so that should help too.

Likely April for Novovax but supply won’t start until closer to summer regardless.