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New Blackmore Vale, December 24, 2021
blackmorevale.net
MPs’ round-up
We must work together to make booster jabs available Almost exactly a year ago, we all watched the exhilarating moment that 90 year-old Margaret Keenan received the very first covid19 jab as part of the mass-vaccination programme across the UK. As the first country in the world to begin its vaccination programme, few will forget the universal sense of relief and hope for the future the vaccine promised for us all. Twelve months later, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that our booster programme is not moving quite at the same pace as our vaccination programme up until now. Vaccinations remain our primary defence against covid and, in light of the new omicron variant, all the more important – as studies begin to suggest that three doses provide a similar level of antibodies against omicron to that of two doses against other variants. Certainly, a monumental amount of work has been
Somerton & Frome MP David Warburton done by local NHS services and providers to get jabs in as many arms as possible and I very sincerely thank staff, the NHS itself and our volunteers for their Herculean efforts. But there remain issues in our own part of Somerset – and indeed across the country – in getting those booster jabs to those who need them most. Many in rural areas, and particularly those who are housebound, have struggled to access the booster jabs they need so badly. Their frustration (and the anxiety of their loved ones who want
them properly protected) has been all too clear to me as they reach out for help. Put simply, our vaccination centres, when compared to the initial rollout of the vaccine, are too few and far between. There are over 2,500 vaccination locations across England including pharmacies, GPs, vaccine centres and hospital hubs. But only a small proportion of these centres are in rural areas. There are 431 locations to get the top-up jab in London and only 242 in the entire South West – an area with a population the size of Scotland. This, and the low number of home vaccination visits, has meant that two-thirds of housebound people remain un-boosted and underprotected. These people are perhaps the most vulnerable, most susceptible and therefore most in need of the additional defence offered by the booster.
More GPs and local pharmacies are needed in the effort to deliver as many boosters as possible to those who are housebound, so at Prime Minister’s Questions, on Wednesday, December 8, I asked the Prime Minister exactly what the Government is doing to improve rural access to the booster for those in need, and I’m continuing the discussion with Ministers from the Department for Health and Social Care next week to ensure my constituents are not disadvantaged. Somerset has enjoyed a tremendous vaccine programme until now, so I’ll certainly continue to press this vital issue and get us back on track. We must now work together towards a rapid solution and rekindle that glow of optimism we felt a year ago as we watched Margaret Keenan and the country lead the world and make history.
Doing the right thing is still the right thing to do A short article for this edition. I think we’ve all got enough on our plates without great diatribes or political lectures. So, just two points from me: Just to confirm I did not attend, or indeed was invited to, any parties (or nonparties) that took place in and around Westminster last Christmas. I was here in Dorset helping with the running of school testing sites and helping constituents where and when I could. I know, not just from my own inbox but from my own ethics compass that the one thing the British Public hates is political hypocrisy. Blood pressures rises when the fear of ‘do as I say not as I do’ looks to be real. People also
MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare hate being laughed at. The ‘Stratton Video’ was such a thing, and, you know what? It wasn’t funny. Folk across North Dorset and the country strove to do the right thing because they believed (and they were right to do so) that in so doing they were
protecting themselves, their communities and their loved ones. Many now feel played. Many have shared tear inducing stories of personal sacrifice for the greater good. Many just feel let down and mocked. What can I do? I think I can do two things: first, I have made my views known with a startling clarity to the powers that be at Westminster that my constituents of North Dorset do not deserve to be laughed and that the operation of Government needs to pull its socks up and pronto and; second I feel I should apologise. Not for anything I have done but for what those I call colleagues have done. There is no excuse. No ‘get
out of jail free card’ but I am sorry for the hurt, anger and frustration recent events have caused. Doing the right thing is still the right thing to do. Please continue to follow the rules. It’s hard to do so I know, but they are intended to protect you and those you love. May I wish each and every one of you a very happy, safe and healthy Christmas. Let the joy of the Christmas Story stir within us all and let the light of Christmas fill the dark days of winter. Might I also wish you all a great 2022 and that all that you hope for your loved ones and yourselves is within your grasp throughout the year. God bless and Happy Christmas!
