COVID: mixed news

The UK Government met its target, which was plucked out of the air apparently, to finish vaccinating the four most at risk groups by the middle of February.

The first jab.

Make no mistake, this is a spectacular achievement by the NHS and care systems, nationwide.

But.

There's always a but. The UK is lagging behind most of Europe, Germany and Denmark for example, in both doses having been given. And these will need to be done to the 15 million who have received the first dose, all in the next 12 weeks, whilst rolling out more of the first jab to the next two high risk groups. Which included Jools and myself, of course.

In the meantime, 1,500,000 additonal peple have been told that they are a high risk group and should be shielding. This is after analysis of data by scientists.

Both the UK Government and Scottish Assembly are looking to start unlocking next week, but with most beginning on March 1st.

What happens then will decide how well the rest of the year pans out. And the papers have banner headlines today of the planned timetable with large hotels being among the first to reopen.

I have said it before, so I'll say it again, the Government has made the same mistakes three times in being late with lockdowns, so they have had to be harsher and for longer, and they unlocked too soon last spring and allowed lots of infection spread, coupled with the "eat out to help out" scheme.

I want my old life back.

I want to go on holiday in December.

But I don't want to see any more people die.

799 died yesterday, and today's figures show a further 738 have died, briing the total using the Government's criteria to 118, 993.

I have no words. So much death, so much life wasted.