MIKE HILL: Praise is due to ‘The Jab Army’

Putting arguments aside, however, over whether or not there was an actual slow down here in the North East and North Yorkshire to allow other parts of the country to receive greater supplies and to catch up, those aged 70+ are now able to book online or by calling 119, marking the beginning of stage two.

To give credit where it’s due the vaccination programme so far has been a great success. More than 12 million people have received their first dose across the UK, which is staggering and a testimony to the health workers delivering it through our GP practices. Testimony also to the ranks of volunteers helping out; the unsung heroes dubbed ‘The Jab Army’. My thanks go to everyone involved in this gargantuan task of keeping our people safe.

Hopefully those over 70s who do start booking their jabs online won’t encounter the same problem faced by constituents over the last fortnight. I had to intervene when several people contacted me to complain that the website was directing them as far afield as York. To give them their due, local health bosses reacted quickly in moving to clarify the position. They admitted that the online booking letter caused confusion, amended it and guaranteed that folk could be vaccinated locally as a first choice; a good outcome for all.

In other news, the ridiculous suggestion that pubs reopen in April without being able to sell alcohol was quickly dropped. It was almost a parody of the Government’s desperation to squirm out of paying grants and loans that they would even suggest this in any way. But as a joke, it certainly wasn’t funny to those publicans who have been struggling for almost a year now under the weight of this crisis. They must start to show us that they take the day-to-day struggles of small businesses seriously.