So thankful that vaccine is here
The news that a vaccine for COVID has been approved, has been such welcome news to everyone.
The update that the first supplies had arrived at the weekend builds that confidence and it was a joy to see the first vaccines administered on Tuesday. It was such a welcome sight.
The administration of the COVID vaccine programme will be an immensely demanding logistical exercise. In fact it will be the largest vaccination programme in a generation. But I can assure everyone that all the necessary focus, resources and commitment are being applied to make sure this can be achieved. There has been a huge amount of detailed planning undertaken to make sure we were ready to distribute the vaccine when it was developed.
There are a range of vaccines expected to be available and there will of course be many uncertainties about just how much of the vaccine will be available and when.
We are clear about the prioritisation that is required within the population to make sure that those who are most at risk of contracting COVID get the vaccine first.
That clarity will help us in the administration of the vaccine.
We are working to reach as many people as people as early as we can and hope to be able to vaccinate all of the over 50s by the summer.
Welcome though the news of the vaccine is, we cannot afford to let up in our efforts to suppress the virus.
We are still seeing the spread of the virus at a high level and above the rate that the World Health Organisation believes can be defined as under control.
Although the average across Scotland has fallen, the level across Perth and Kinross remains at a stubbornly high level.
I would encourage everyone to follow all of the guidance to ensure we reduce the prevalence of the virus.
As a consequence of virus rates remaining high, Perth and Kinross remains in level three restrictions.
As we all begin to turn our minds to Christmas, one of the ways we can perhaps reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread is by limiting the travel we undertake for Christmas shopping.
That means that we could all spend a bit more time shopping within our own community and there are many great opportunities to do that.
Last Saturday was Small Business Saturday, a day in which we celebrate the high quality of the local business community.
We are really fortunate across Perth city and all of our towns in Perthshire to have many businesses that offer a range of goods and services that could be ideal for our Christmas shopping.
As many of us have become accustomed to working from home, and spending welcome amounts of time in our local community, I would hope one of the positive things to have emerged from the difficulties of COVID is a renewed commitment to the areas in which we live.
The Scottish Government is keen to make sure that we try to create 20 minute communities, where we live, work, shop and exercise much closer to home.
Supporting our small business community this Christmas is one way of turning that into a practical reality. hot air balloons have been grounded this year. PilotPeter Forster, below right, cannot wait to get back up in the air