We have the tools to tackle covid
Rising case numbers in Renfrewshire are a stark reminder that covid is still with us and new variants still represent a risk to our health, the reopening of our economy and the way we go about our lives.
Hard decisions are being made every week – not just by government, but by businesses working out how to survive, families trying to keep in touch, parents balancing home working with childcare and catching up on lost learning.
The difference between now and those earliest lockdowns is that now we have tools to take on the virus.
Sixteen months on from the first lockdown and now we know much more about how this virus behaves, we have the means to deliver much more comprehensive testing in the hardest hit communities and, crucially, we are rollingout a vaccination programme at pace.
Of course, we have to remain vigilant. This is still a new and contagious virus. Face masks, physical distancing and strict public health guidance will be with us for some time yet. But the places hit hardest need extra support – not just a longer lockdown – and we have the means to give them that support.
That’s what Labour Leader Anas Sarwar argued should happen in Glasgow, when case numbers jumped there and it’s what I’m arguing should be happening here in Renfrewshire.
My age group have now been called for the first dose of the covid vaccine. I’ll be getting mine this week.
Among older age groups, the roll-out of the second dose is progressing well.
To help the hardest hit communities and fight back against covid, the Scottish Government should accelerate the rollout of the vaccine in the places where we know covid is spreading to everyone over the age of 18.
Our objective remains the same – to fully vaccinate the country against coronavirus. But how we achieve it can be adjusted, prioritising those areas where there’s a spike in case numbers, alongside the oldest and the clinically vulnerable.
And where we do adjust our vaccination priorities, that should be clearly communicated to the public.
Our testing capacity has expanded massively since the onset of the crisis. So alongside a faster vaccine roll-out in the hardest hit places, we should provide surge testing.
We have the people, the technology and the know-how to ramp up testing where it’s needed most and we should do it without delay – door-to-door if necessary.
And finally, to keep the recovery on track, we have to provide extra support to the businesses affected by a spike in local cases. That means clear communication about what changing guidelines mean for them and allocating covid support wisely to help get local economies moving again.
We have lost too many to covid in Renfrewshire. We suffered when governments made the wrong calls earlier in the crisis and when lockdown plunged our economy into crisis.
Our aspiration must be to open up Paisley and Renfrewshire again, to breathe new life into a crisis-hit town centre, to get furloughed workers and people made redundant back to work, to restart vital industries like aerospace and aviation – and to get it all done as safely as we can.
For the good of our health, our economy and our community’s future, we have to confront this surge in cases with a surge in vaccinations, a surge in testing and a surge in government support for the hardest hit places.