Express & Star comment: Let's get on with vaccinations

One thing is clear, however, we must all step up to the plate in the same way that our scientists have. The vaccine must be rolled out quickly. There must be urgency among bureaucrats and administrators to get the job done. The nation should be on a quasi-war footing, acting with as much speed and determination as possible. It is not sufficient to be passive as more than 1,000 people per day are tragically losing their lives while this virulent strain runs amok.

Covid-19 is very quickly turning into a preventable illness, providing immunisations are rolled out speedily.

The opening of mass vaccination centres moves things forward. There are others who now must step up and make sure that immunisations succeed as quickly as possible; that the operation doesn’t run into extra days – or weeks or months.

There are rumblings from within our health service that red tape, unhelpful rules and regulations are delaying a rollout that will save lives.

Let’s paint an analogy to see why this might be unhelpful.

If a firefighter is standing outside a burning building, he or she will not seek a drawing of the internal layout, request a report on recent fire safety inspections or other forms before making the decision whether or not to enter.

They will do whatever is necessary to prevent the loss of life.

The rollout of the vaccination is a huge project. The logistics of vaccinating so many people is an enormous headache – and the government faces an unenviable task in mobilising the operation if it is to meet its ambition of reaching 15 million people by mid-February.

Every day counts – and any delays will cost dearly. They cost closed businesses money in the till and, worse, they cost the lives of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents and more. There are no excuses or reasons for delay. The message is simple: Let’s get on with it.