The changeable weather in Brentwood and Ongar last week seemed reflect the uncertainty on whether the country will be able to open up fully on 21 June. Some days the outlook was terrific – others it was less sunny. The new Delta/Indian variant which is now affecting much of the world has been shown to be highly transmissible – about 40% more so than the Alpha/Kent variant which hit our area so hard before Christmas. But the good news is that our vaccines appear to be effective against it. So far, hospitalisations have not seen the sudden uptick which would place the NHS in danger. The next few days’ data, however, will be crucial.
I know how frustrating the uncertainty is for many constituents who have written to me asking if their August wedding will be able to go ahead, or whether they will be able to go on holiday abroad over the summer. I am afraid that at the moment we cannot be sure.
The next few weeks and months will see a race to vaccinate so that we can minimise the risk the Delta variant poses to the country. The Government has even partnered with leading dating apps to boost vaccine uptake among young people, encouraging users to show their support for the vaccine on their dating profiles (a YouGov poll recently suggested that over a quarter of people would not date someone who was not vaccinated).
We also now have millions of lateral flow tests, which are simple and easy to use, and people get the result fast. The majority of over 40s in Brentwood and Ongar have now had a single or double dose of the vaccine and the number of cases in the constituency remains low.
The case for getting vaccinated is very clear. When you get the call, please get the jab so together we can keep everyone safe and reopen the economy in full for the summer.
