Our fearless Queen shows us the way

THROUGHOUTthe dark days of the pandemic there is one figure who has been a point of unity and a guiding light as we struggle to make our way through the Covid nightmare – the Queen.

It was Her Majesty who gave the inspirational address to the nation at the start of the crisis which stiffened our resolve to fight the disease.

She has been a beacon of common sense and fortitude.

Now the Queen is leading the way with the vaccine. True to say, a number of celebrities have lined up before to have the jab but none of them inspire the same confidence as the Queen or her husband Prince Philip.

As they are in their 90s they are both entitled to have the jab as people potentially vulnerable to this deadly disease.

But the message they give, especially against the conspiracy theorists and the anti-vaxxers, is profound and necessary.

This intervention and announcement have been part of a weekend of good news.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is right to say that “we are in safe hands”, with the military and NHS rolling out the jab and seven new mass vaccine centres due to open.

The increase in testing for people who do not have the symptoms but have the disease and are effectively carriers is also vital so that we can get on top of it and stop the spread.

We should have confidence that the tide will start to turn by mid-february and the beginning of March and normality can cautiously begin to return.

It is essential now that the Government meets its ambitious targets and that the public follows the example of the Queen.