Coronavirus

[Flem]

No news is good news. My shares in Andrex have just gone down the pan ....

I hope you'll forgive me if I'm wrong, Moss Dog, but I assume you were joking when talking about Andrex going down the pan. However, share prices and the level of stock markets are serious matters and not really something to be joked about. Fortunately, many people who (either through good fortune or savvy investing) held shares in Pfizer will be very pleased today. The share price of Pfizer (developers of the vaccine in question, as well as certain little blue pills) shot straight upwards this morning, and I can't see it softening any time soon.

[Flem]

Apparently shares in Zoom have fallen 17%

I think they're still about 600% above where they were about 12 months ago, though!

[molehill]

Mmmh. I once spent a summer working for Pfizer at their factory in Sandwich - surely ex-employees are first in line?

You should start pushing your point immediately, get yourself down to Sandwich and stand outside the factory gates with a banner. Seems to be the thing to do these days.

If by chance there's a "buy one get one free" offer, may I be your best mate? Please.

[Graham Breeze]

You should start pushing your point immediately, get yourself down to Sandwich and stand outside the factory gates with a banner. Seems to be the thing to do these days.

If by chance there's a "buy one get one free" offer, may I be your best mate? Please.

Well obviously I would have done, but, alas, some years ago Pfizer left these shores and the massive factory was demolished. They were THE employers in East Kent (after the four coal mines and associated power station closed), my parents used to get stuffers through the letter box saying "We will buy your house". Nothing has replaced Pfizer and much of their old site became a vast storeage area for imported cars.

[anthonykay]

Well obviously I would have done, but, alas, some years ago Pfizer left these shores and the massive factory was demolished. They were THE employers in East Kent (after the four coal mines and associated power station closed), my parents used to get stuffers through the letter box saying "We will buy your house". Nothing has replaced Pfizer and much of their old site became a vast storeage area for imported cars.

Better move those imported cars out of the way quickly, So close to Dover, they will need all that space for delayed lorries after the no-deal Brexit.

[Mossdog]

I hope you'll forgive me if I'm wrong, Moss Dog, but I assume you were joking when talking about Andrex going down the pan.. and not really something to be joked about.

No worries Flem. It was a coronavirus joke....it can take up to two weeks to get it! Boom Boom

[JohnK]

I think I will wait and see what the longer term outcomes of the vaccine are before I will consider it.

[Witton Park]

I think I will wait and see what the longer term outcomes of the vaccine are before I will consider it.

so about 10 years then?

[Mike T]

The news about the Pfizer vaccine has certainly caught the attention of the media - but storage at minus 80 C might be tricky - how many trucks and GP surgeries can do this? Maybe they can and I just don't know what I don't know.

[Fellbeast]

There was a great article in the New York Times a couple of months ago talking about the logistics of transporting and storing a potential vaccine at minus 80c and, for sure, the US was gearing up for all of this at the time. Dry ice is also an issue and because it’s apparently a by product of ethanol and with reduced gasoline demand during the pandemic there’s less ethanol and therefore less dry ice. Also special freeze resistant glass for the vaccine viles has also been thought of.

It’s only the Pfizer vaccine that needs this low temperature by the way. Two other leading contenders both still strong possibilities don’t need such low temperatures

So the logistics of it all have been known for ages and have been worked out (in the US at least)