Good news, but we must remain vigilant

We can breathe a sigh of relief that we appear to have evaded the South African Covid variant in Sunderland, but that’s no reason to relax.

Claims that the mutant virus, which is easier to spread within the community and renders vaccines less effective, has been detected in the city have been quashed by public health chief Gerry Taylor.

After all the hard work of the public and the tremendous strides being taken in the vaccination programme, it would have been disappointing to be told the more virulent strain was running rampant in the community.

Gerry Taylor told the Echo: “There is no current evidence of the South Africa variant in Sunderland and no wider actions are needed at present.

“However, we remain vigilant and follow up any cases of concern to ensure that all necessary public health measures continue to be kept in place.

“The most important thing is that people continue to follow the national guidance – limit the number of people you come into contact with, wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, keep your distance and cover your face.”

That the South African variant is not in our community may well be down to the vigilance of the Sunderland public in adhering to the guidelines. We certainly hope so.

And that’s why we echo the words of caution from our public health chief today.

The finishing line is in sight. We must continue to follow the rules to ensure we cross the finishing line sooner rather than later.

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