A call to arms
THERE is no reason for panic over rising Covid statistics. But we MUST turbo-charge our jabs programme.
The case surge is mainly fuelled by unvaccinated teenagers. Most victims in hospital are unvaccinated too.
So Health Secretary Sajid Javid is right to make it easier for teens to get jabbed — and urge older folk to get their shots, or a booster if they’ve had them already.
Infections, hospitalisations and deaths are still just a fraction of what they once were.
Shackling Britain with restrictions at this stage would be absurd.
But we must ALL urgently maximise our protection to ensure it does not come to that this winter.
This is what “living with Covid” means.
We will probably never see the virus off. Regular boosters will be part of life.
Kiwis bear fruit
KIWIS are among our best friends in the world. It is fantastic to sign a trade deal with them.
Their sense of betrayal when we joined the Common Market in the 1970s was huge.
Thanks to our Brexit independence we can finally make up for it.
For us, it means cheaper New Zealand wine and honey . . . and more of their delicious lamb.
Our exporters of clothes, shoes and vehicles can ship them there with zero tariffs.
Movement between our workers will be easier too.
No, it won’t vastly improve our GDP. But it’s early days for Brexit — and just the start of the benefits we can expect.
Let’s see some more.
NHS own goal
HOW can it be right for an NHS patient to be given Chelsea tickets on the taxpayer? Or a PlayStation or National Trust passes?
People with long-term conditions of course have our sympathy.
But are health chiefs really suggesting those cannot be eased without spending a fortune on pricey luxuries of dubious merit?
It makes it far harder to justify the clamour to pump billions more into an NHS apparently on its knees.
Most people will grimly accept a National Insurance rise given Covid’s dire effect on waiting lists, and the social care crisis.
That support won’t last long if vital funds are thrown around so casually.
Reign check
IF we ever reach 95, vanishingly few of us will still be working flat-out. The Queen is.
After a packed Tuesday she was on her feet for an hour at an evening do. No wonder she’s cream-crackered.
Scrapping a trip will upset her. But her docs are right. And we say this to her: Ma’am, we know Harry and Meghan bailed . . . and Andrew’s not available.
But put your feet up for a bit. No one will blame you for slowing down a little.
