Vaccine finally taken seriously

The long lines at Covid testing centres – and at some vaccination centres – show that the omicron variant is scaring many people. And rightly so.

This version of the coronavirus is already showing that it is probably the most infectious yet, given how the rate of positive cases is rising faster than at a comparable stage in the previous waves of the pandemic.

While that is worrying, there is a glimmer of hope. Firstly, early indications are that this variant of the disease may not be as deadly, in a clinical sense, as were the previous ones.

This is one of the inferences to be drawn from the fact that hospitalisations and deaths are not tracking the stratospheric rise in case numbers.

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However, it is still early days and hospitalisations and deaths always lag behind case figures.

There is also the possibility that the vaccines may be having a positive effect, notwithstanding the possibility that the new variant is able to evade some vaccine defences.

Already, 42% of the adult population in this country has been fully vaccinated. This is a long way from the target of 80%, but it must have an effect.

But we cannot relax until this is finally beaten.