A vaccine would be the best Christmas present

WE ALL know that only a vaccine is going to get us and the rest of the world out of this dreadful crisis. We also know there’s been careless talk about how quickly a vaccine can be found – not least from President Trump, whose earlier predictions have been proved hopelessly unrealistic.

But when the UK’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van- Tam says that the NHS is perhaps preparing to introduce a coronavirus vaccine soon after Christmas, then we should take heart and pray that he is right.

Mr Van- Tam reportedly told MPs on two occasions last week that it was “not a totally unrealistic suggestion that we could deploy a vaccine” soon after 25 December, which would “have a significant impact on hospital admissions and deaths”.

We applaud those scientists in this country and elsewhere who are working tirelessly on clinical trials for a vaccine.

And we welcome the change in the law that will allow more health professionals to administer the drugs, including pharmacists, midwives, dentists and paramedics.

We are a long way from defeating Covid- 19 but we desperately want to take Mr Van- Tam at his word. It would be the greatest of starts for 2021.