And
@RAM I am keeping my booking to get the AZ vaccine.
Also remember how I gave a link here about the problems of the Dengue vaccine.The fatal side effects didn't become obvious for 3 years after it received it's initial authority for use.All the other vaccines still can't be said to be without dangerousc side effects which is why they have only been given Provisional authority for use.
Totally agree (are you sitting down?). Perhaps that is why it is not being publicised (widely, if much at all) that all the Phase 3 trials are still underway. Unfortunately a number of the participants in these trials (UK, South Africa, Brazil, US) have dropped out & requested to know if they got the trial vaccine or placebo to enable them to get an available vaccine if they'd been given the trial placebo.
Dangerous side effects yet to surface or be looked for is the very real issue facing the world - which would suggest in normal risk management protocols that you try & spread your population's vaccination bets across as many different potential vaccines as possible. Last night a discussion with the senior administrator in a head of speciality's team located in Sydney told us that the side effects were only being recorded if they lasted for longer than four days. Hopefully this is only an islolated approach.
The Federal Govt did not enter into any early stage agreements other than a vague expression of interest (as documented by AZ's August 18 refutation of the Federal Govt claimed contract). There was no quantity nor order in a queue, if successfully developed, mentioned at all just intent to discuss. Only after this embarassment was even a letter of intent to enter into contractual negotiations with AZ signed on August 19th.
www.astrazeneca.com.au
It was only after questions were repeatedly asked about that refutation that negotiations began (reported by AZ) which culminated with a contract signed on or about September 7th.
On the same date Sept 7th (I was wrong here - I thought there had been an earlier agreement signed but perhaps is/was along the incorrect AZ 'contract' announcement) the contract with Uni of Qld for 53m doses was announced and it was to be manufactured by CSL. Looking at the media releases at that time the are quite contradictory - the UQ one (by Fed Govt) clearly states it will be the first vaccine to be manufactured in Aust by CSL given its progress to date. But then the Fed Govt says that AZ will be only supply 3.8m possibly as early as January with the rest to be manufactured by CSL (some time) unspecified - implying only after the UQ vaccine production had been completed.
The Govt began to arrange any transportation contracts in December 2020.
You won't find the timing nor any of these dates on the Fed Govt web site about the vaccine deals though.
The Australian Government has invested a total of over $18 billion in Australia’s vaccine and COVID-19 treatment supply as part of the COVID-19 Health response. Learn more about our vaccine agreements.
www.health.gov.au
Nor do they provide any details of the various batch arrivals (that I can find) within the Health web site (if someone can point to a page
)
If only we followed the near full transparency of NZ for all things Covid....
NZ (population 5 million - reached March 2020) signed their first contract in July on a pooled basis which covered multiple possible vaccines to guarantee coverage for half NZ's population on a pooled basis if any +/or all of the candidates were successful. In addition they subsequently entered into separate supply contracts (with the some of the same suppliers).
"Minister for Covid 19 Response Chris Hipkins said about 230 vaccines are under development worldwide and New Zealand was talking to all of the companies."
Oct 12th - 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Germany’s BioNTech , with delivery potentially as early as the first quarter of 2021.
Nov 19th - 5 million single dose Janssen Pharmaceutica vaccines (owned by Johnson & Johnson)
Dec 17th - reported signed 2 additional deals -7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca -- enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax -- enough for 5.36 million people
Mar 8th - signed for additional 8.5 million Pfizer/BionNTech vaccines for delivery during Q4
NZ's approach has been to say all done by end of 2021 but only set specific targets for Group completion once the required doses have been received in NZ vs setting dates that get revised & revised & then disputed whether they were ever set.
NZ is supplying the vaccination program data diced & sliced in a myriad of ways but the full set is only updated weekly but revised daily within that timeframe as additional data is received for what is shown (eg: one area's figures contained an error in the date an ! instead of 1 - so nothing was updated until all the figures were re-checked):
About the Ministry of Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our long-term management strategy.
www.health.govt.nz
They show 1st doses, 2nd doses by location, age, sex, ethnicity, (tellingly) against plan.
NZ has a program where people can apply for early vaccination due to impending travel:
24 March 2021: Government announces criteria for early vaccinations.
Applying for an early vaccine for travel
NZ clearly set out the reasoning for their program as well as specific timing for each priority phase.
"After border workers and their families are vaccinated, the government will move to non-border frontline health workers. That group, with nurses, ambulance workers, surgeons and GPs, is about 57,000 people."
NZ ordered the specialised freezing units at the same time they started negotiating with Pfizer. The freezers arrived just after Dec 24th and were all installed by early January. NZ did not contract out the responsibility for distributing the vaccine, nor doing the injections, to the private sector. NZ received the Pfizer shipments on the same days (but several hours later in additon to time difference) as Australia (via SIA) but at 3x the relative rate as % contracted. One stumble by NZ has been their booking system not ready from day 1.
Australia NZ
Feb 15 142,000 60,000 (doses)
Feb 23 166,000 76,000
Mar 2 120.000 65,000
Initial order 10m 1.5m
% received 4.3% 13.4%
On Feb 19th the first 25 vaccines were delivered in NZ as a training exercise for 25 health professionals under supervision (each one vaccinated another). These 25 then went on to train another 775 health professionals across NZ over the following two weeks as well as vaccinating B&MIQ workers on-site. All up NZ is planning to expand the number of 'under supervision' training to another 2,000 to 3,000 depending on area need. Part of the 'training' focus is to ensure that they have 'on-site trained' health staff from all of the top 20 ethnicities in NZ.
vs Australia - out source 70% of delivery to a private company who's training is via an online video without any check to see if it had even been completed.
"All border & managed isolation and quarantine workers will be vaccinated at their workplaces by March 13, then all their household contacts will be vaccinated followed by all other medical & emergency services workers...."
By March 6th near 3/4 of B&MIQ staff had received their 1st dose, & the next phase (their household contacts/family) began earlier than projected by creating 'mass centres' in the major areas they live in - predominately South Auckland.
By March 12th nearly 12,700 of 15,000 border & Managed Isolation and Quarantine staff were vaccinated NZ wide with 21 refusing (moved to non-B&MIQ roles if they refused or their close contacts refused by 4th week of March). A further 7 refused by March 23rd. They are having 'issues' (including the security guard who caught CV) with people not turning up for multiple vaccination appointments. In the security guard's case he had missed two appointments (at his work place) for 'personal reasons'. Have the refusal numbers been released in Australia?
NZ did not achieve 100% by March 13th reportedly due to staff being on leave or casual workers not rostered by employers (hotels, airport etc) to work on any of the mulitple on-site vaccination days or they phoned in sick on those day. Not stated, but likely, a number would be females who are either currently, or intending to become, pregnant.
Before Easter around 90% of the NZ close contacts had their 1st dose, and most of the MIQ staff their second. Contrast with Australia where close contacts are not being vaccinated.
One friend (and her entire clinical team) at a major Sydney teaching hospital who has potential daily contact with CV patients - has still not been given a date for their immunisation whilst the administrators doing the bookings have all received their 2nd dose. Again, hopefully this is an isolated case.
Time for the Defence force logistics people to take over.
