Dear Editor

I have just had my first Covid vaccine and would like to thank all the staff and volunteers at Prices Mill and Beeches Green Surgeries for their brilliant efficiency, humour and kindness.

The vaccine roll out has been a rare Covid success for the UK and those involved in having the foresight to purchase the quantities of vaccine we need, as well as those working on the distribution and administration of it, deserve our heartfelt thanks.

However, we mustn’t forget that we have one of the highest infection rates and death rates per head of population in the World. I was incensed when Boris Johnson said that ‘we truly did everything we could to minimise the loss of life’ when we passed the 100,000 death figure.

As much as I appreciate how difficult responding to the Covid pandemic has been - and it has been a challenge for every Government, ours has handled it particularly badly. In the first wave, Boris Johnson didn’t lock down promptly when scientists were urging him to do so, didn’t close our borders, and didn’t protect our care homes. And he allowed Dominic Cummings to stay in his job when he broke the lockdown rules which undermined the stay at home message. The second wave, so clearly predicted, also led to delayed lock downs and procrastination. Boris Johnson says he takes full responsibility for the Government’s response to the pandemic and we should never forgive him.

Allison Hope

Nailsworth