Andy Richardson: 'There is a light at the end of the tunnel'
There have been times during the past nine months when many didn’t imagine they’d see the day.
There have been times where we thought our lives would be dominated by the errant goats of Llandudno, the High Street-invading pheasants of Shrewsbury or the bottlenose dolphins that swam along the Black Country canals. The last illusion is, of course, as probable as a trouble-free Brexit.
Today is the day to rejoice. We are in the era of a vaccine. Around the country, celebrities who might otherwise be instructing their PRs to compete for the next cover of Saga Magazine are instead rolling up their arms and telling their doctors to hit them up with a really sharp needle. Ahh. Bliss. Drug taking never felt so good.
In truth, it is utterly remarkable that the vaccine has arrived so quickly. And while Britain has fared so badly in so many league tables – from deaths to economic impact, from job losses to missing at penalties in World Cups – it’s good to see we’re not at the back of the queue for Covid jabs. Without rushing to the sort of Alan Partridge-esque histrionics of one Mr Gavin Williamson, Esq, we might reasonably say a polite, calm and measured ‘well done’ to the scientists who have delivered in our hour of greatest need. We salute every one of them.
We ought not to forget, either, the work ahead. As anti-vaxxers line up like Mini Donald Trumps, telling us all that black is white and day is night and the election was rigged, we might reasonably ponder the safety and security of the vaccine. Consider this. We live in a capitalist world where companies are actively competing against each other to make the safest jab on the planet. So on what basis might there be anything remotely dodgy about the vaccine? Hell, if we’re willing to eat hot dogs – and who knows what goes into those – then we might be brave enough to inoculate ourselves against the silent killer.
In doing so, consider all the things we can once more enjoy. Before we know it, we’ll be able to buy fruit from Tesco without needing to scurry home for a Deep Clean. We’ll no longer have to hoard tonnes of toilet roll. We will, however, be expected to hug our aunty, so it might not be all good.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s time to stay safe and not blow it now. Until Matt Hancock tells us otherwise, we’ve got to wash our hands 15 times a day. But it won’t be long, the cure is almost here.
