The logistical mountain...

Sir Kent Woods, chief executive, MHRA, 2004-13; chairman, EMA, 2011-15; Leicester

The logistics of vaccinating the population are daunting, even if you ignore storage temperature and transport problems. The adult population of England and Wales is 46.78 million. Best estimates at the moment suggest that a million vaccinations a week might be possible. Allowing for the fact that all current vaccines require two shots, one will therefore need 93.56 million shots. These would take 93.5 weeks to administer.

Even if one only targets the 60-plus age group of 13.4 million people, the process would take six months. This doesn’t take into account the frontline staff and young, clinically vulnerable people who will need to be vaccinated as a priority. Combined with the negative impact on other healthcare provision while the focus is on vaccination, and the overall effect on our health and sanity can only be imagined. Dr Duncan Casson, Royston, Hertfordshire

The fisheries issue is far from new. When Newfoundland was transferred to British sovereignty in the Treaty of Utrecht three centuries ago, French obduracy led Britain to concede to the French retaining fishing rights off the coasts, including the right to dry the fish on selected beaches of the island. The reason for French insistence was usually given as the need of a Catholic people for a substantial fish diet. The French fishing industry is still stronger than ours, and so is likely to be their insistence on fishing in our waters.

There must be a better way of helping our fishing industry than harming the rest of our economy. The concessionary spirit of 1713 should be one of our guides.

Brian Hill, Norwich