Three ways you can help our NHS heroes see us all to safety

WE CAN see the way out of this pandemic.we are nearly on the home straight.

After months of detailed preparations, rigorous scientific scrutiny and an extraordinary amount of patience, we are rolling out two highly effective vaccines, with a third coming in spring and others progressing through clinical trials.

We’re rolling it out to as many vulnerable people as possible and we expect tens of millions of people to be vaccinated by the spring.

This has only been made possible by the heroes across our NHS who have already vaccinated over three million people – more than double the number of vaccines per person per day than any other country in Europe.

We have worked with the NHS to make sure no one is more than 10 miles from a vaccination site, except for a very small number of highly rural areas, where the vaccine will be brought to you by a mobile team.

The NHS has now vaccinated around 45 per cent of people aged 80 and over. Over a million have been invited to book their jab at one of the NHS vaccination centres. A fantastic achievement.

We’ve all been waiting for this. Now we can all play our part in this great national effort – the largest vaccination programme in British history.

There are three things you can do to support: help out, sign up and stay informed.

First, you can help out by supporting the remaining over-80s to get their jabs. For example, you could help a grandparent book their appointment, or – if you live with them, or are in their support bubble – drive them to their vaccination site.

You can also help out by delivering food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours. Second, people can sign up to one of our renowned clinical trials for new Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.

It is a chance to play a key role in some of this country’s pioneering life-saving efforts.

The third thing you can do is to stay informed. By keeping the latest information from the NHS at your fingertips, you can be the knowledgeable friend or family member that people need. I encourage everyone to go to gov.uk/coronavirus.

And, of course, everyone can play their part by following the rules and staying at home. However you can get involved, your choices can potentially save lives. As our heroes work to get vaccines to everyone in the UK, you can play a part in this effort: protecting your loved ones, your community and your country.