The Corona Pandemic

We don’t know what the contract said. @Kopstar has provided a link to another EU contract which is available publically on CureVac. This mentions Best Case (i.e company will do it’s best, but not guarantee delivery). AZ have referenced this phrase in their public comments. They have also referenced the separation of supply chains as to why they can’t make up the shortfall from other production chains - hence why EU is going strong on where vaccines made in the EU have gone.

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I see your point but the full amount of the contract ( or order) is not being supplied all at once so they should be able to spread deliveries and be fair to all . To deliver over 60% short on one order while others are getting 100 % seems wrong to me.

I guess of course the best scenario is everyone gets some rather than someone gets all and someone gets none. And if that is not possible, there must be an issue with the details of the contract. So if the company insist on not spreading or re-routing other supplies, then the affected parties should reserve the right to take whatever legal action that is available. So maybe beyond what I believe about rules of law, the best scenario in this case is for everyone to get some supplies to start their vaccination going. But that will surely take some ‘giving in’ from the relevant parties.

This is a false headline. They increased border control with Norway and Sweden. It’s the same we have had with Sweden since a very long time ago.
Borders between Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia are more complicated and less straight forward. Citizens living on the borders have special dispensation to travel with few restrictions back and forth between the countries. This dispensation is now restricted on the Finnish side, but border is not closed. Border control isn’t the same as closed.

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Not necessarily.

it depends what was in the contract. If they signed up to providing X by a date of Y then they are contractually obliged to meet that.

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If they can work it out a win win for everyone that would be good but if not, then the only recourse for the EU I guess is a legal one then?

Oh right, okay, thanks for the update.

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Yes if that is in the contract and is not fulfilled then the affected party reserves all rights to take legal recourse then.

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How do you know? They have said that they are not able to deliver the numbers of vaccines that was expected but if their APA is like the Curevac one and their explanations are valid then they’re not in breach of their obligations. That’s not even allowing for the fact that any obligations they have only actually kick in after regulatory approval which the EU has not yet even given.

Yes. However, I think the EU’s route if unhappy will be to favour other companies on future deals over AZ, as the contract probably isn’t as watertight as the EU would have liked (or believed?). This will probably be a bigger motivation to AZ for reaching a compromise with the EU.

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Yeah, impossible for you to know. I am very critical of their headline. But if you open the story, it says that essential workers, transport and so on will get through. The same regime we have had with Sweden for a year basically. No tourists though or people who want to go on a polar picknick ! :smiley:

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I am hoping one day, I will go up to Nordic countries to see the Northern Lights. It is my dream.

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Astra Zenica just withdrew from a scheduled meeeting with the EU where they were supposed to explain their production failure (and so on). Seems to be recent news.

80% of over 80s have been vaccinated. Taking my dad for his boxing lesson this afternoon. Left arm jab…

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It can be magical. It really can. Problem is to be there and know when it happens. There are apps and such you can use (i have a lot of foreign student friends, they use the apps) but a bit hard if you need to order plane tickets months in advance. Best place to be to be sure you get to see it would be north of the polar circle, so northern Norway, north Finland and north Sweden

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I saw Sanofi has agreed to allow Pfizer to use one of their EU facilities to produce their vaccine. That should help to ease EU vaccine supplies? If it is approved of course and wow, allowing their facility to be used for a traditional competitor. Good for them.

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Yes, but I don’t think the supply produced by Sanofi will start to appear until later in the year. the EU’s concern is around supplies it was expecting to come in Feb & March.

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Ya saw they are expecting only in summer

AZ is apparently denying that.

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Thanks for the tip Magnus. :+1:

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