Boris has made many mistakes but he and Matt Hancock cannot be faulted on this aspect of the pandemic as we have vaccinated more people than the whole of the EU put together.
But today is not a day for Vaccine Nationalism or bragging but it is a day for rejoicing and being proud to be British.
Let’s start by stopping slagging off the UK and start realising that having the vaccination is the way forward for us as individuals and as a country to get out of this dire situation.
New figures released just today show the number of deaths is falling and the amount of antibodies in the over eighties is going up which means that both the lockdown and the vaccine is working.
So, I can’t understand why we still have vaccine deniers and refuseniks all over social media spreading their dangerous lies.
We must be sensible and realise that these cranks are a minority, a vocal, usually foul-mouthed minority but the stats speak for themselves, as most people have accepted the offer of a vaccination.
Like Scoring a Condor
There was a constant flow of traffic to my drive-thru vaccine centre on a golf course in Warwickshire today. This drive-thru was more efficient than a Fast Food joint and the vaccine is certainly a lot healthier and more beneficial to you than junk food.
My wife drove up to the tent where the vaccinators were, I opened my car window, answered a few questions, date of birth etc and then a nurse stepped forward, asked me to roll up my sleeve and that was it! I didn’t even feel the needle go in!
A fifteen-minute wait in the car and then the ‘jab job’ was completed and now I feel FANTASTIC!
The organisation has been superb right from the moment that I received a text message on Saturday asking me if I wanted a vaccine? Which of course is like asking is the Pope a catholic! The booking-in system was simple on my phone and I even got a text yesterday reminding me of my appointment today.
Once I had the vaccination in a tent on a Golf course I felt elated as if I had just got a hole in one!
Afterwards, we went to the Butchers to get bacon and sausage for a slap-up celebratory brekkie and everyone in the shop who had also had the vax over the past few weeks expressed the same feelings of pride, joy and humility for receiving the vaccine from our brilliant NHS.
This is the real feeling of the Nation despite what you might read on social media, together we are beating and are going to beat this vicious unseen enemy.
Now that Boris is finally getting things right I am going to contradict myself.
For months I have been criticising him for dithering and delaying but TODAY I am calling for him not to dither but still to delay reopening the UK.
He should make a firm statement next Monday, not just on schools but on the whole economy and the road map.
However, the announcement has to be that he is delaying the re-opening not only of schools but the whole of the UK.
What is the point of opening schools for just two weeks before Easter? No point whatsoever, so he should err on the side of caution, as SAGE are advising and state that all schools should go back after the Easter break subject to no more outbreaks or variants.
The same should apply with the hospitality sector. What they want and need is a certainty to rebuild their businesses. Again, there is no point in opening up only to close again a few weeks later.
The people in my butchers' shop today have had enough of stop-start politics and they, like me, are more than willing to have a few more weeks, even months of lockdown, if that means we will have a permanent opening up of our society later.
No Vaxx – no Entry
Boris and his government should also stop vacillating over Covid passports. They are vital and necessary both for international travel and for domestic use.
We almost had passports when we had the ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme, you had to leave your name and address at every pub you drank in or had a meal in so why not just develop that?
Have the passport on your mobile and just scan it at the door to gain access to cinemas, theatres, pubs and restaurants.
We would all feel safer with a system in place like this. It’s not an infringement of civil liberties or 'Yuman' rights, it’s a practical way of combatting the spread of the virus.
There is talk of lateral testing but that will never work at a nightclub entrance or a football turnstile and the tests are not reliable so let’s cut to the chase and have electronic passports.
No vaxx. No entry. Simples!
Boris with his successful vaccination rollout has got the public on side again. He now needs to lead us with tough decisions and firm action but also promise us and deliver some of those sunny uplands that he talked about when he won the election with such a massive majority.
