They are tying themselves up in knots on this and are close to having to admit Covid is no risk to people under 60 if a one in a million chance of a fatal blood clot stops vaccine roll out
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This is the area that really bugs me.
NIAC’s remit seems to look at the vaccine and weigh up the risk as a whole based on statistics of those who are likely to die from the blood clots from AZ versus those likely to die from COVID without having the AZ, with categorisations around age
No mention on society as a whole, and as you alluded to, the crucial situation with cancer treatment much more likely to actually kill people, and the fact that delay a vaccine roll out could well impact this, probably more likely that anyone dying from a blood clot.
This advice is passed then to the CMO and to the Minister for Health, No one seems to be asking the right questions and take NIAC’s word as is (within the narrow confines of their terms of reference), unable or unwilling to challenge it.
Also, it appears that NIAC reports to the CMO office. Tony nicely sidestepped this question before when he said that NIAC reports to the Minister for Health.
The governance of this is all over the place. NIAC was set up around the vaccination roll out time, kind of linked to NPHET and kind of reporting to the CMO, but not really. These issues are now really beginning to come home to roost.
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By my calculations.
At the start of this week, before any vaccinations had been given out yesterday. They had the following stock levels sitting in a fridge
Pfizer - 83k (delivery >100k probably received today or yesterday)
AZ - 120k
Moderna - 95k
Hard to see in excess of 140k this week now as AZ are the vaccine with the most doses to play with at present.
In business parlance it would be a series of dotted line reporting and relationships with no real joined up thinking or accountability. It is a very dysfunctional and only serves to protect self interest first. NPHET are happy to roll with the advice from NIAC because they can use the blunt instrument of lockdown without any push back from government. Meanwhile society continues to suffer.
Just had a look at some other European countries.
Belgium did 114k one day last week. Irish equivalent (49k)
Germany did 720k. Irish equivalent (42k)
Austria did 70k. Irish equivalent (39k)
France did 490k. Irish equivalent (36k)
I think the max Ireland have done in a day is slightly over 30k. Now that supply is no longer a constraint this is where the HSE and govt get found out.
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I see Si Harris has said that vaccinated people shouldn’t be in hotel quarantine, he’s some man for a publicity stroke.
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That’s quite a few FG reps gone rogue on it now.
He’s right
FG need to collapse the Government
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I’ve posted this before but if you look at the membership of NIAC, they first name on the list is the Deputy CMO. It’s basically a similar make up as NPHET, top officials from D/Health the CMOs office and the HSE with a few independents thrown in.
It’s essentially senior officials from the same organisations that work with each other day in day out sitting on two different committees. The notion that they operate independently of each other is a nonsense.
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didnt tony overrule NIAC back in february, again on AZ?
The J&J one has been some gamechanger alright.
I did call it months back tbf.
The US decision is probably calculated though as supplies were down 88% this week due to that cock up in the Baltimore factory. Probably as good a time to halt it until they can build up their supplies again.
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It’s like when Jarry said that the SF leadership with consult with the Army Council
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Ah bollox.
Is J & J vaccine same technology as AZ vaccine ?
The J&J decision to halt this in the US is no coincidence. They are allowing this to build up a supply buffer on it again.