Vaccine Euphoria

Understandably, the approval of the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine has provided some cheer after the darkening mood of recent months as the government's dithering over introducing lockdowns, the failure to stock PPE and then to commission products at excessive cost from dubious sources, the total failure of testing and tracing and the lack of transparency about the tiered structures have created a huge mistrust in the government's handling of the pandemic. 

It should have been a joyous day but Matt Hancock claimed Britain was the first to approve the vaccine through the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and that this was a result of leaving Europe. The vaccine was created in Europe by a collaboration between Turkish scientists and a German company and approved under provisions set by the EU. Matt Hancock, the needy and nerdy health minister, merely reminded us of his propensity to turn every silver lining into a bilious boast that usually results in despair at the dishonesty that pervades government announcements. The fact that his claims have been repeated by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Gavin Williamson simply confirms the lethargy, understanding of facts or diplomacy by this cabal of cabinet ministers,

The broadcasters then began to unpack the announcement and its implications. There will only be sufficient vaccines for 400,000 people initially and because the vaccine has to be kept at -70°C and comes in batches of 975 doses that cannot be split into smaller batches for dispensing in community settings, it can only be stored and administered in hospitals. 

The possibility of vaccinating the most vulnerable in care homes, the carers and those over 80 will have to be deferred and the first recipients will be NHS staff and those patients already in a hospital. The 95% efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine means that it will be the sought-after vaccine by everyone. Already the Oxford vaccine with a 62% efficacy for the two-stage full dose is seen as the one most likely to be used in community settings because there are no storage difficulties and the government has bought 100 million doses. It is not just the anti-vaxxers who will be rejecting this option but the great, the well connected and the professional sports teams who already have acquired a disproportionate share of the Covid tests to date. Levelling up is not for COVID-19 vaccines.

The early rhetoric of both the scientists and pharmaceutical companies was that the distribution of vaccines would be equitable across all countries of the world. A noble intention but the danger is real in the UK that vaccines could become a market commodity. This would not be a world-beating example any more than the dozen or so other mistakes that have been made since the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Amidst all the other adages about Christmas, the one present we would really like is to be able to trust the government to just do it right!