Jab relief but we must be cautious
IT’S heartening to see all the 80 to 100 year olds blazing a trail in the mass vaccination programme. It puts the anti-vaxx brigade in their place. If these elderly and vulnerable people are willing to have the jab then surely everyone else should be too.
Yes, there might be some side effects but that is the case with most medicines and it’s a price worth paying so we can all get back to normality.
After nine months on the front line, our amazing NHS staff deserve the highest praise for organising the biggest mass immunisation programme in history. Well done to everyone involved in this national effort.
Alan Kelly, Newcastle
Ninety- year- old Margaret Keenan made history by becoming the first person to be injected with the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine. Wearing a Christmas top, she said it was the best early birthday present she could have received. But although the rollout of the vaccination programme is a turning point, scientists are warning that a return to normality may still be a long way off. Margaret has done her bit for the country and the world once again. We will remember this and mourn the lives lost for years to come.
Ashley Smith
March, Cambs
I hope and pray I’m wrong but I can’t help thinking that something will go wrong with the vaccination rollout. The Government’s calamitous management of the PPE
distribution that cost so many lives and its disastrous handling of its so- called “world- beating” test, trace and isolate system, which cost over £10billion, hardly inspires confidence.
The only difference between the PPE/test and trace fiascos and the vaccine programme is it will be the NHS and GP services who will be administering it and not some under-achieving private companies. At least that is cause for hope.
Len Goodwin Doncaster, South Yorks
Well done to all those who have helped to develop the vaccine, including volunteers who put their health at risk to participate in trials, and the NHS staff responsible for the implementation of the biggest immunisation programme in our history. It hopefully marks a turning urning point in n the battle against gainst this deadly eadly virus. M Tate
North orth London
Although I understand nderstand the
Government’s criteria behind which groups should be first to get the jab, would it not also make sense to provide these jabs based upon which tier they are in? For example, initially rolled out in all Tier 3 groups first, followed by Tier 2 and finally Tier 1. If the purpose is to slow down and stop infection rates surely this makes more sense? William O’Donnell, Cannock, Staffs
There can be no denying the existence of a North-South divide when you look at the list of 50 Covid vaccine hubs. There are 10 in London and surrounding areas while the nearest to Birmingham are Walsall or Coventry. There are few further North where the virus wreaks the most havoc.
D Dunbar, Sherburn Village Co Durham
The arrival of a Covid vaccine is the best C Christmas present but it’s likely to ta take months to roll out, so we must all al stick to the rules. A few more weeks week or months won’t hurt us after all we have been through.
Sam Cha Chase, Manchester