There are grounds to think the worst of the pandemic is behind us, despite a steep rise in hospital cases.
Restrictions are still necessary yet a number of experts hesitantly hope that this winter – even with the rapid spread of Omicron – will not be as bad as the last.
Striking the right balance between living our lives and suppressing a potentially fatal virus is difficult. And it has not been helped by Boris Johnson, whose mistakes and persistent deadly dithering have let the bodies pile up.
The number in hospital with Covid in England rising to 9,546, up 38% in a week, is alarming but we are relieved the figure is expected to remain below previous peaks.
We all need to be careful and responsible, something the Prime Minister has never been.
Dire new year
Tax rises and higher energy bills powering a £1,200 hit on families from April will turn 2022 into a year of the squeeze.
Boris Johnson and his rich Cabinet, including wealthy Chancellor Rishi Sunak, do not seem to know or care that for those on middle and low incomes the pennies count.
Ignorance or lack of interest will not be a credible defence when voters realise the policies imposed by this Government, including having to pay 10% more National Insurance, will be emptying wallets and purses.
The £20 Universal Credit weekly cut in the autumn, the single biggest reduction in benefits ever imposed, was only a taste of what Johnson & Co have planned for the country.
The public backlash is why 2022 will deservedly be another terrible year for tired Tories.
Emotional Oti
Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse’s tears while meeting her mum for the first time in three years symbolises the emotional relief of reunited families the world over.
The Dancing on Ice judge flew to South Africa but even those having Christmas with folks who live nearby will know how she felt.
