Happy New Year to you all and I hope you managed to spend some time with your family and friends.
This time last year, in my first article of 2021, I wrote about the vaccine rollout getting underway as we fought off a new strain of the virus. One year later, much is the same, except that we are in a much stronger position than just a year ago.
Today nine in ten people aged 12 and over have now received a first vaccine dose – and over 34 million people have received a booster which is more than any other country in Europe. This is a huge achievement and is thanks to a lot of hard work by many people, including our amazing NHS team and volunteers, to whom we all owe our heartfelt thanks.
It’s not just the vaccine that is saving lives, but also the treatment. The NHS is offering new antibody and antiviral treatments to people most vulnerable to becoming seriously ill. These treatments are highly important for people with conditions like Down’s syndrome, particular types of cancer, and certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Studies to find more early treatments are ongoing, so if you test positive and are over 50 or have a pre-existing health condition please consider signing up for the PANORAMIC clinical study: www.panoramictrial.org
Despite the pandemic continuing to disrupt our lives and livelihoods including the impact of growing absentee rates, we are supporting the fastest growing economy in the G7. Both the OECD and IMF expect the UK to achieve this for the second year in a row, predicting growth between 6.8 and 6.9 per cent this year building on the 5.7 per cent in the first three quarters of 2021.
Although our fight against the pandemic is far from over, we have made significant progress over the past year thanks to all of you for playing your part in our national mission. I urge anyone who is eligible to get a jab, whether it’s your first, second or your booster, to please come forward and book on www.nhs.uk. Wishing you and your families the very best for 2022.
