18th July 2021

Is Boris right to abandon Covid restrictions from tomorrow? It’s ironic that, on the eve of restrictions lifting, the new Health Secretary has tested positive. The NHS is the same age as me, so who’s learned the most over the last 73 years? I get the feeling that GPs never want to return to face-to-face examinations, after months of dealing with the far easier practice of telephone consultations. After all, why should they have to physically examine an insalubrious old person? But, now that the nation’s been double vaccinated, the talk is all about herd immunity, and why not? Parents may no longer be giving their children ‘disease parties’ (as happened in the ‘40s) but today - unlike Israel or Holland - the Covid vaccine is not being offered to children because only two in a million of them have died from it. So, to all the nay-sayers, if not tomorrow, when? We’ll never be free of this Chinese virus and I note that double-vaccinated Mr Javid’s only mildly affected. So, at my grand old age, I say: vaccinate everyone, tell mild (vaccinated) sufferers to go to bed, get GPs physically examining patients again, stop sending children and teachers home from school, wear a mask if you want to, but above all - get back to work!