Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Tamas]

I swear, the US VP lady should start a pro-gun campaign. In a month the GOP and supporters would be screaming for gun control.

[Caliga]

Meanwhile, in the old Kentucky home:

Don't look at me, guys.  I'm a Democrat.

[Sheilbh]

There's issues with vaccine passports - especially if they're mandatory - but fucking hell

[Syt]

https://www.politico.eu/article/sebastian-kurz-austria-threatens-to-block-eu-option-to-buy-100-million-coronavirus-vaccine-doses-in-fight-over-distribution/

Austria threatens to halt EU's 100M vaccine buy until it gets greater share of jabs

Austrian wants more than its allotted doses, even though data show it is not among the countries in greatest need.

Austria is threatening to block the European Commission from securing another 100 million BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine doses unless Vienna gets a bigger slice of the delivery, according to diplomats from three EU countries.

The move is the latest escalatory tactic from Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who has been agitating for his country to receive a greater share of EU vaccines — even though data show Austria isn't among the countries in greatest need. And it's an ultimatum some fear could imperil a critically needed shipment of jabs as the EU desperately looks for ways to increase vaccine production and supplies.

The fight centers on an upcoming delivery from BioNTech/Pfizer.

The EU in the coming months can get 10 million doses from BioNTech/Pfizer as part of a second contract with the German-American manufacturer to purchase an additional 100 million vaccines — on top of the 500 million already ordered.

Those 100 million doses were originally expected to be delivered toward the end of 2021, but the company has said it can deliver 10 million shots before June 30. The announcement has set off a fight among EU countries over the population-based formula for allocating vaccines.

The fight dominated an EU leaders' video summit on Thursday, with Kurz reiterating his demand for extra doses. While the summit ended with leaders reaffirming the population-based "allocation key," the leaders also tasked EU ambassadors to deal with the 10 million dose issue, leaving open a possibility that nations in greatest need would get more.

Austria didn't wait around for the ambassadors to even have a discussion before upping the pressure.

In a meeting of the EU's vaccine steering board on Friday morning, Austria once again demanded additional doses, this time with a threat: It would block the Commission from exercising its option on the larger 100 million-dose purchase unless Vienna got its way.

Diplomats from several EU countries expressed outrage over Austria's threat — and the possibility that the EU could lose the 100 million doses if the purchase option isn't exercised by a mid-April deadline.

One EU diplomat expressed fury that Austria is blocking the 10 million doses to member states "in dire need of them, like Latvia and Bulgaria."

"This shows Kurz is willing to jeopardize the lives of 50 million Europeans to get something he does not even need," the diplomat said.

Another diplomat said Austria had shown little regard for other countries' needs. "Solidarity is a one way street to Vienna — no one else matters in the end game," the second diplomat said.

Numerous EU countries have pointed out that Austria is faring better than most of the 27 in both vaccine distribution and in coronavirus cases. While lagging behind initially, Austria has consistently been among the fastest 10 countries with its vaccine rollout over the previous weeks, whether in daily administered doses, total administered doses per 100 citizens or share of people who have received at least one vaccine dose.

In total cases since March 2020 adjusted per capita, Austria is still ranking in the lower half of EU countries, while daily case numbers sit slightly below the EU average.

Asked about the allegations from member states, an Austrian government official didn't deny that Kurz's government is threatening to scuttle the 100 million-dose purchase option.

"Austria hopes for a swift solution of this issue in order to be able for the Commission to move forward as soon as possible on the contract of the additional 100 million Pfizer doses," the official said in a statement sent from Vienna. The official cited the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia and Bulgaria as EU countries supporting Austria's efforts.

Austria is basing its threat on the argument that the new Pfizer purchase needs unanimous sign-off from EU countries. According to Austria, that's because the contract requires Emergency Support Instrument funds and legal approval from the EU's vaccine steering board, which operates on the basis of intergovernmental consensus.

Many others, however, reject Austria's rationale.

Several other EU countries and the Commission have said that Austria doesn't have legal grounds to prevent the purchase, as it has already approved the larger, overall contract with BioNTech/Pfizer and the EU's vaccine strategy.

Still, the move sent EU lawyers scrambling to determine if Austria's threat has any legal merits. The Commission is generally reluctant to get in the middle of fights between EU member states, and so far the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU hasn't intervened to adjudicate the matter.

The hard-nose tactic shows Kurz's willingness to up the stakes in his so-far unsuccessful push to get Austria more of the 10 million BioNTech/Pfizer doses than its original, population-based allocation. And some diplomats suggested the brazen move would eventually be rewarded, because leaders simply don't want a protracted fight.

In the meantime, however, other diplomats said that the Commission would likely have little choice but to push ahead, rather than risk losing the extra doses. One diplomat said Austria is powerless to stop the purchase option, but added that Vienna was welcome to drop out of the joint vaccine procurement program entirely.

"It is an empty threat as Austria can't block the joint procurement scheme," the diplomat said. "But if Vienna doesn't want to participate in the joint procurement scheme any longer, it will surely get its way. Other member states would certainly be ready to step in and buy up the Austrian share."

Despite the thin justification for his demand, Kurz has had some initial success. In addition to dominating the leaders' summit, he got the EU's vaccine steering board stripped of its authority to divide up the 10 million doses. The decision will now rest with EU diplomats, who will begin discussing the matter Tuesday.

Normally, the heads of state and government are called on to solve problems too complicated for diplomats in Brussels. One diplomat said it was the first time ambassadors were officially tasked by leaders to solve a problem. The Portuguese presidency of the Council is expected to issue a proposal at a meeting on Wednesday.

It's unclear if Austria would resort to legal measures to stop the Commission from exercising the purchase option. Some diplomats warned that such a move could result in the EU losing the 100 million doses altogether.

So far, EU countries generally seem to agree that 1 to 2 million of the 10 million doses in the advance delivery should be given to countries in greater need of vaccines, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, and possibly Slovakia and Estonia. Some countries, led by Poland, do not want to give any additional doses beyond the pro-rata allocation, according to two diplomats.

When asked about Warsaw's position, a Polish diplomat said that "we are still waiting for concrete proposals and distribution key which must appear on the table. Poland consistently supports the solidarity."

The EU's pro-rata formula gives countries the option to purchase vaccines according to their population size. If a country declines to purchase its full allotment, those doses are made available to others.

Diplomats have said Kurz's push is a cover-up for the fact that Austria didn't initially buy all of the BioNTech/Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses made available to it under the pro-rata allocation.

Countries aren't expecting to get their first Johnson & Johnson doses until the end of April, as the vaccine substance has to be put into vials in the U.S. Washington won't allow the export of those vaccines until the American market is supplied.

Two EU diplomats confirmed that the first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines is substantially less than what was expected, although the company should meet its obligation to supply the EU with 55 million doses by the end of the second quarter.

If the EU doesn't get any Johnson & Johnson doses for a while, one of those diplomats said Austria could continue to speed ahead of other countries relying more on the American one-shot vaccine to reach their vaccination targets.

"We still haven't received them," the diplomat said. "We have seen from past experience all sorts of things can go wrong."

[Tamas]

jesus f christ

[alfred russel]

Meanwhile, in the old Kentucky home:

Now that you mention it, vaccine records that you present at immigration are on yellow cards...

[alfred russel]

There's issues with vaccine passports - especially if they're mandatory - but fucking hell

Vaccine passports are a phenomenal idea. A great way to encourage people to get vaccinated, and forcing people to keep dealing with bullshit after vaccination is anti-science.

[Sheilbh]

Vaccine passports are a phenomenal idea. A great way to encourage people to get vaccinated, and forcing people to keep dealing with bullshit after vaccination is anti-science.

I can see the argument for them as a temporary measure until the vaccine roll-out is complete, or as part of international travel. And I think the argument could be different if there's significant reluctance to take the vaccine. But I'm not convinced there should be any measures, including vaccine passports after the vaccine's been rolled out.

I also think you need a practical solution for people who are not medically allowed/advised to get the vaccine such as pregnant women and people with allergies - and it needs to be better than the "I don't need to wear a mask" lanyard you can buy on eBay

And I'm not sure how vaccine passports would work after the initial roll-out when we're starting to have boosters. The NHS is apparently planning to start rolling out boosters in September and what's the position then? Are there restrictions on the people who haven't had the booster shot because they're not sufficiently high risk - and if not then what's the point of the passport? I feel like at best they'd be a helpful solution for about 6 months from now until autumn.

Even then especially as different vaccines are used they might not even be helpful in the context of international travel. So for example the EU is considering some form of vaccine passport scheme - and one of the issues is should it only apply to people who get a vaccine that's been approved for use across the EU: so yes to Pfizer, Moderna and AZ, but no to the Hungarians getting Sputnik or Sinopharm. Similarly if we're using it to re-open international travel I think we kind of have to be vaccine-neutral or its pointless but that might not be as safe as we'd like in an ideal world.

I'm not convinced they're as practical a solution as they seem and I think the better solution might be that we ultimately accept a level of risk. We need to roll-out the jabs and get booster shots going, but at that point I think the better option (with the exception of international borders where it's vaccine passport or mandatory quarantine) is to just accept a level of risk and rely on our vaccine programs.

[alfred russel]

Sheilbh, none of this is that hard. Want to come in to work or school? Have a validated vaccine card on file. Make it be up to date with whatever the current booster requirement is.

Want to get on a flight and/or not wear a mask the whole time? Present a card with your ID at check in.

There is a more challenging at places like restaurants but basically no one wears masks there anyway besides employees so that doesn't seem like a big deal. People can still wear masks at grocery stores until covid recedes.

[Sheilbh]

Okay - I think we're understanding them for very different purposes.

The entire debate in the UK is around using them to access pubs, restaurants, leisure/fun facilities. I've no issue with those venues choosing to require a vaccine card or a negative test - but I'm uncomfortable forcing them. Totally get it for international travel though.

Schools are open again here. They were closed from January to March due to the new variant but so far seem to be going okay. On current plans (which may change but the data so far looks promissing) all restrictions including on workplaces and to do with masks will be lifted in June/July. So I don't see a pressing need for vaccine passports for things like schools, which are already operating, or workplaces, which are 50/50 operating, will be re-opening in the next month or two and I think the nature of the workplace/expectations around that will change anyway.

I also think in the UK the position might be different around the booster - it might end up like flu vaccines where private companies buy it for their workforce. But I think this autumn it'll be run by the NHS and they are prioritising based on age so I don't see people being able to get the up to date booster until they're called up to get it, but that might be after a couple of months. I'm not sure they should be banned from working or school in that time - I think we probably have to accept that some low risk people might not have full immunity in that time period, but most of us will have some level of immunity.

I could be wrong but I think in the same way as we went into lockdown surprisingly quickly we will move out of restrictions surprisingly quickly, when it happens.

Edit: I suppose ultimately I think this ends up like flu - not like a domestic version of yellow fever.

[Valmy]

There's issues with vaccine passports - especially if they're mandatory - but fucking hell

Vaccine passports are a phenomenal idea. A great way to encourage people to get vaccinated, and forcing people to keep dealing with bullshit after vaccination is anti-science.

That I agree with. It is kind of funny how people have settled into their new routines though. It might be awhile for everybody stops wearing masks and shit even after we get our vaccines.

[mongers]

Brazil has reported more than 3,800 cov-19 deaths in a single day, the heads of the three armed services have resigned as a sign of support for their boss sacked by Bolsanaro.

[DGuller]

I never understood the logic of resigning as a protest or in support.  Would anyone ever at any time go "OMG, Bolsanaro, WTF did you do to piss off the three heads of armed forces, get them back now whatever the cost!"?  It seems like with Trump at least, any time someone resigned in protest or because they had enough, they were replaced by someone more damaging to the country.

[Sheilbh]

https://www.politico.eu/article/sebastian-kurz-austria-threatens-to-block-eu-option-to-buy-100-million-coronavirus-vaccine-doses-in-fight-over-distribution/

I see that Portugal has proposed giving 3 million Pfizer doses to countries based on need - which doesn't include Austria

[Josquius]

Really hoping vaccine passports come out soon. Would love it if flying becomes acceptible again