“I regret, like many others, that we have had to enter Tier 4, but like most other people, I understand why this has had to happen.  Covid infections in southern Staffordshire were rising swiftly.  It’s clear from the experience in other areas that Tier 3 no longer works effectively in controlling the new strain of Covid 19 and the risk of overwhelming the NHS was becoming dangerously stark.

“It will take a few weeks for Tier 4 to halt the tide, but in the meantime, the roll out of the Astra Zeneca vaccine will be the cavalry riding to our rescue.  Within a week or so of the first injection, people will be sufficiently immune to ensure that if they do catch Covid, it will not lead to hospitalisation.  The second booster dose, injected up to 3 months later, will give far greater immunity to the virus.

“I am hoping that the vaccine will be rolled out more widely in Lichfield District from January.

“By the late spring, the tide will have turned and life can begin to return to normal.  But in the meantime, I urge everyone to keep safe!!

Michael Fabricant