A mighty step towards 'normal ' - but we 're not there yet
Last week I received the call I have been waiting for.
No, it wasn 't the National Lottery, so that new Aston Martin will just have to wait. But something even better. It was a call from my GP 's surgery offering me the opportunity to have my COVID-19 jab.
Within a couple of hours I was in the car heading to my local vaccination centre and by mid-afternoon I 'd had my first dose and back home.
It was quick, easy and painless. I 've read lots of different things about how people have reacted emotionally to the experience. For me I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the scientists, the NHS, the MHRA and whoever in government had the foresight to put this ambitious programme into effect. I also felt very humble in the presence of all the amazing volunteers working at the centre who, jab by jab, are fighting back against this dreadful virus.
At the time of writing this article, I am now one of 17,254,844 people vaccinated in England according to provisional NHS England data. This is a remarkable achievement by any standards and means that very shortly everyone in the first seven groups will have been offered a jab, with people aged between 50 and 60 next in line.
The news last week that just one shot of the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can reduce the risk of being admitted to hospital by more than 90 per cent shows how important it is that everyone who is offered a jab should take it.
It is extremely worrying that misinformation about the vaccines means that some people especially in black and ethnic minority groups are hesitating getting the vaccine particularly as they are disproportionately affected by the virus. I therefore welcome all initiatives to encourage take up including from our own Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.
With spring in the air and the publication last week of the government 's road map to ending the lockdown, there is at last a feeling of optimism that things may slowly get back to normal, whatever the new 'normal ' might be. But, we are not there yet.
Last week I chaired a Zoom meeting of regional business leaders and some of our local politicians.
It gave them the opportunity to speak directly to those key decision makers about the continuing problems their businesses face as a result of current lockdown restrictions. It was by no means a pretty picture with many businesses struggling to survive with cash flow continuing to be a major problem. Many thousands of jobs remain at risk.
This is particularly the case for indoor hospitality and events which cannot open before at least 17 May, if all goes well. At least the news that non-essential retail may open after 12 April is a welcome boost to our regional city and town centres.
The message I took from the meeting was that it is essential that all current business support schemes must be extended in order that businesses can make it to the finish line and to give them a fighting chance to recover.
By the time you read this article we will know the outcome of the Chancellor 's Budget on 3 March. Here at the Chamber we have been lobbying hard to ensure that government support remains in place for as long as business needs it and highlighting those areas where we feel gaps remain which need addressing. I hope that the Chancellor takes these and other representations on board.
Last week, we witnessed the remarkable feat of NASA 's Perseverance Rover land on Mars. Encoded in its parachute was the motto 'Dare mighty things '.
Who would have dared to have hoped over 12 months ago that our scientists would have developed vaccines that could be rolled out so quickly and would give us so much hope for the future? We 're not there yet and there 's still some way to go but the end of our Covid-19 lockdown is in sight - a mighty thing indeed.
Steve Allen
President, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
Head of Birmingham office of Mills & Reeve LLP