Lingering lockdown but hope on the horizon

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement in the Scottish Parliament during her Covid-19 update on Tuesday will hardly come as a surprise to anyone.

With infections rates in North Ayrshire skyrocketing to the second highest in Scotland, Clackmannanshire having the highest rate, it was almost inevitable that lockdown would be extended into February, if not further.

If there is any consolation for Arran residents, other than the fact that we are geographically separated from the rest of North Ayrshire and that we live with semi-rural wilderness right on our doorsteps, it is that approximately 100,000 people are being vaccinated per week and that health teams are on track to increase that to 400,000 per week by the end of February.

Vaccinations on Arran have also picked up pace since the initial offering late last year and the approval of two other vaccines that do not require special transportation requirements will further boost the vaccination programme that starts this weekend at Arran High School.

And while precise vaccine supply figures from the government are difficult to come by, as are infection figures for Arran specifically, at least we can all take solace in the fact that hope in the form of vaccines is now visible on the horizon.

There are tentative signs of infection rates dropping and, just as we have learned to continually adapt to constant change, we need to endure for just that little bit longer.