EU’s vaccine woes

EU leaders met today for a video summit to discuss the bloc’s foundering vaccine programme. So far just 4 per cent of the EU’s 450 million citizens have had at least one jab.

All nations are struggling to speed up their rollouts though some are under more pressure than others. Denmark, Lithuania and Estonia have picked up the pace while France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are lagging behind.

The situation is France is particularly bleak. Experts at the Institut Pasteur in Paris have warned that the current pace of vaccine rollout – around 100,000 jabs a day – is too slow to prevent lockdown measures being needed to combat a third wave of severe infections, anticipated in April and May. Of the 7.7 million doses delivered, only half have been distributed to vaccination centres across France.

Bottlenecks in supply aren’t the only problem. Many people eligible for a jab are simply turning down the offer of a vaccine, particularly the AstraZeneca jab.

Vaccination centres across the continent are underused or lying empty. Belgium’s largest centre has the capacity for 5,000 jabs day. It’s only doing a few hundred. Even with the shortages, officials say they could still be doing a thousand a day.

Data from Scotland has debunked Macron’s claim the jab is “quasi-ineffective” in the elderly, showing that the vaccine cuts hospitalisations by a resounding 94 per cent. Yet 11 of the bloc’s 27 members are still advising against giving the jab the over 65s, against the advice of the EU’s own medicines regulator.

To make matters worse, Angela Merkel has said she will not have the AstraZeneca vaccine. “I am 66 years old and do not belong to the recommended group for AstraZeneca.” As if to reassure, she added: “All the authorities tell us that you can trust this vaccine.”

Even if her response is line with official advice, the optics are atrocious for a country desperate to persuade its citizens to get jabbed and where over a million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine sit untouched in storage. See Steffen Grimberg for more on Germany below.

Gotta make (up) the grade

Teachers will get sweeping powers to decide exam grades in England this year, Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, announced today. Under the new rules, students will only be graded on the parts of the syllabus they have covered.

In an attempt to avoid a repeat of last year’s chaos, algorithms will be ditched. Instead teachers will be asked to draw on a range of evidence to calculate grades, including coursework and the optional use of questions provided by exam boards.

Pupils will be able to appeal their grades for free and will have the chance to sit exams in the autumn if they are still unhappy with their marks.

However much the government emphasises the “fairness and flexibility” of the new rules, the lack of national guidelines has prompted fears of grade hyperinflation.

David Laws, chairman of The Education Policy Institute, said: “Without robust mechanisms in place which anchor overall results at a level consistent with previous years, there is a danger that the value and credibility of this year’s grades are seriously undermined”.

Sir Jon Coles, who advised Ofqual on 2021 GCSEs and A-levels, says the plan risks an outcome “much worse than last year”.

Any system is going to have flaws. Williamson will just be hoping that the plan amounts to, as Education Select Committee Chair, Robert Halfon described it, “the least worst option”.

GOP’s war on woke

The Conservative Political Action Conference, the GOP’s cherished annual jamboree, kicked off today, and the message is Donald Trump may have lost the election but it is still his Party. Trump will give his speech on Sunday when, rumour has it, he will announce his candidacy for 2024.

Polls show him dominating the field. His few remaining opponents within the Party – such as Liz Cheney who voted to impeach him – are facing determined attempts to drive them out. See Joseph Rachman for more below.

The title chosen for this year’s gathering – “America Uncancelled” – suggests Republicans are keen to stoke the war on woke. Yet focusing on “owning the libs” above all else has its costs. The fact that Lauren Boebert – a congresswoman infamous her association with the QAnon conspiracy theory – has snagged a coveted speaking spot and is seen as a rising conservative star, is pretty disturbing. The GOP is still a big tent, but one that now houses a circus, complete with freak show.

Mattie Brignal,
News Editor