Yesterday’s new lockdown measures delivered the prospect of a very tough January.
But it also brought a beacon of hope.
Nicola Sturgeon said there’s a plan to vaccinate 2.5million Scots by May – the over 50s and the vulnerable.
That could mean – could – that May is the month we return to something resembling the normal life we all once knew.
But there’s a long and difficult road ahead until we get to that much talked about “light at the end of the tunnel”.
The First Minister yesterday compared it to a race.
In one lane we have the vaccines but in the other lane is the virus which – as a result of this new variant – has just learned to run much faster.
The new variant already accounts for almost half of all new cases in Scotland.
In the week over Christmas, the seven-day incidence of cases per 100,000 of the population increased by 65 per cent – from 136 to 225.
In terms of hospital beds, NHS Ayrshire and Arran is currently at 96 per cent of its Covid capacity, and three other health boards, including Greater Glasgow, are above 60 per cent of their capacity.
Tougher lockdown restrictions are a no-brainer.
We must now put our faith in the power of the vaccines.
The sooner we get the vast majority of the population vaccinated – particularly older and more vulnerable Scots – the quicker we can return to a better standard of life.
It’s going to be a tough journey to May.
But it’s vital we win this race against the virus.
