After everything that has happened I find the "I don't want vaccine x, I want vaccine y" utterly soul destroying. Quite honestly they can expect no sympathy should they get ill and pay the ultimate price for stupidity, both to themselves and potentially others. Mark their NHS records as "refused vaccine, bottom of the list for treatment". The vaccine is the only way to normal. That's it. There is nothing else. No plan B, or anything that is palatable to MSM, scientists, and a frightened, mentally damaged country. We're all-in with the vaccine to use a poker term.

As for the lockdown, the worry signal for me that this is not going to end soon, even with the vaccination program, is if they announce an extension of the furlough scheme. If that is extended I see no way that summer will exist as anything approaching normal.

We've seen a lot of detail on the two parts of the first phase, and that relates to education and limited socialising.

So this is correct, the lockdown formally ends on 29 March, but as the hospitality sector remains restricted, therefore it's "stay at home overnight" for Phase 1. I suspect we will find that Phase 4 essentially allows UK holidays towards the middle of the year, with overseas holidays in Phase 5, in other words not yet specified in terms of time or scope.

Now some here will find this disappointing but we have to be mindful where we are in this. The very first person I vaccinated, a few weeks back, was a guy in his mid 40s who had not been outside his flat from May last year to early February. Not once. He walked to the vaccination centre, about 2 miles I guess, and though he spent his entire life in Elswick he had to jog his memory as to how to get to Scotswood Road. With children out of school, students paying big sums for non functioning universities, children in hospital with long term conditions only seeing their parents via iPads, people unable to worship properly, marry, get baptised, visit graves - we need to be realistic about our position in the pecking order.

On the other hand, we're getting some information today from PHE about the vaccines, and it looks pretty exciting to my mind, though it is on very limited data relating to some of the frailest citizens. If vaccines really deliver then doing the maths for June, the hosplitalisation and death rate could be extremely low at that point, so Phase 5 would be sure and certain.

Thanks for putting this into perspective. A very useful reality check, at least for me.

Thank you so much for saying this and being one of the few adults in the room. The lack of perspective was frightening, until this post.

For anyone wanting a foreign trip - I imagine a lot of us here - our hope lies with the vaccine efficacy now completely in preventing transmission, hospitalisations and deaths.

With schools opening in 2 weeks, and then a gradual opening up of the economy, cases would start to undoubtedly rise again. If the case numbers rise, but this has minimal impact on hospitalisations and deaths, we could be allowed to travel. However, with a high case load, other countries are likely to not allow us to visit until we are fully vaccinated.

Disappointing really when you consider everything and you need to travel overseas. I understand a lot of people have issues and a lot of people have suffered. But just as people here in the UK will get to see family and friends in the UK, don't forget a lot of us have family we need to see in Europe - yet there is no end in sight for us as to when we will be able to see them again.

I wasn't aware that PHS are also releasing their data on vaccinations today as well as PHE. So for Scotland, with 1.14 million people in the study, the results are, well, stunning. Here is the Press Association's version. The baseline was first (and only) injection date plus 3 full weeks.

Doesn't seem to matter stunning results if we can't have our normal lives back! They must be aiming for zero Covid.

CWS's statement very definitely puts things in perspective (thank you) and it is important to remember that all of us here are the lucky ones by the mere fact that we are still here posting. We may ahve suffered COVID personally. We may have lost friends or loved ones. But in one way shape or form, we are lucky. Many others aren't.

That said, I don't think that those of us who are unhappy with the restrictions imposed by the UK government lack perspective. We simply have other views. Those views may differ. Mine are as follows.

I prioritize freedom over nearly everything else. Therefore, I do not support the police state we live in as a means to an end (even if that police state is far less draconian than China, Australia, etc.). The fact that the UK has instituted strict restrictions while maintaining a death rate that is higher per capita than the US (which largely prioritized freedom, alas in a stupid and inconsistent manner due to the incompetence of the Trump administration) is frustrating. While I disagree with the Chinese or Australian approach, at least they have had far more normal lives for the last year domestically.

And point above aside - I find the UK government's scapegoating of travel and lack of perspective on the easing of (inappropriate in the first place in my view) travel restrictions also frustrating. Put aside that I don't think UK residents should be restricted from coming and going from the country (I do support a testing regime both before and after travel), the focus on a very narrow list of legally permitted exemptions vs. everything else being illegal holiday travel is overly simplistic. The UK has many expats and we have personal obligations nevermind family who we want to have a relationship with that are overseas. My life for the last decade, both personally and professionally, has revolved around international movement. I am a large tax contributor to this country and have taken very little in return and feel a little aggrieved that my life priorities aren't reflected, or probably aren't even going to be discussed today.

And a public information piece, while I remember, for those who are HIV positive or with similar sexual health conditions in the UK.

Being HIV+ means that you are in Group 6 and should be getting vaccinated right now. However if you were diagnosed and/or managed by a Sexual Health Clinic or GUM then there has been a very recent change to protocols. This allows you to contact your clinic and get the vaccine directly from them, typically via the in-hospital vaccination hub at the connected institution. This would also apply to those with Hepatitis B and similar conditions that put you into Group 6.

The background to this is that the UK management of sexual health is different to other parts of the NHS: you can attend a sexual health clinic without giving a name, NHS number or GP details. Typically your data is heavily restricted and you may be referenced by a random number. Your details would only be given to your GP if you had given express consent, and in many places the majority of HIV+ patients have taken up that option not to tell their doctor. Which is fine, but of course vaccination lists are prepared by GPs. As of a few days ago, these clinics were advised to directly refer people to hospital hubs for vaccination. Unfortunately clinics aren't always able/allowed to contact their clients either, hence it's important for those in scope for this to take the initiative and contact their clinic.

CWS I am not sure the government will really be able to prevent people travelling abroad once other countries open up spring onwards. Remember last year when it was everyone 14 days quarantine and then all of a sudden Europe opened up completely and we pretty much overnight shifted into 'air bridges'?

That's what I think will happen.

The government is being quite conservative; to be honest do they even know what is happening tomorrow let alone in 4 months time? I hope ( I am sure everyone does) if cases and hospitalisations are pretty much zero in a month or 2, then it will be very, very hard to keep any sort of restrictions at all, let alone their '5 phases'. Sounds like those communist 5 year plans in the old days, they were never actually followed!

I just don't want the government to lie to the future, whenever they predict months ahead they always get it wrong mainly because you cant really predict the future.

Regarding March 28 rule changes, well this weekend in the parks was one big party so we are already there in practice, if not in law.

Isn’t it as likely to be the other way around? Restrictions imposed by the UK Government on outbound travel until other nations have vaccinated sufficient numbers to control spread and reduce the risk of escape variants?

The WHO’s increasing frustration at vaccine nationalism is driven not just by “the rich get richer”, but more from a scientific perspective that by not vaccinating on a global basis you will simply prolong the pandemic and with it travel restrictions.

No I won't be following the rules in a month or 2 if the cases and deaths are close to zero, but if the shops and pubs are still closed we can't do anything about that or demand them to reopen. I agree was very busy yesterday with more large groups, certainly mixed households having coffees not walking so this new change amount to nothing for most people.

What amazes me is that Europe will be far more open by May than we will be and they have a really slow vaccine rollout, so then the tide will turn and they will start laughing at us again, rather than admiring our vaccine rollout as they currently are.

It could possibly be the other way around, but if the most vulnerable (that are responsible for 99% of deaths) are protected - then there is no reason to keep others out. You keep going on about variants, but there is no proof that other variants are more virulent or dangerous and there is limited data with regards to vaccines being effective against them or not.

Keeping the country locked down forever is not the solution. Covid-19, believe it or not is not the only disease or health issue going around.

Again I wouldn't read too far into things, the government certainly can do a U-Turn if the public pressure grows too much. Keeping shops and pubs closed with cases at pretty much Zero won't work and they are the first to know it, even if they won't admit it in public.

They keep on talking about the data being 'surprisingly positive', well stop being so negative in the first place then.

I want to cry when I hear Whitty say things like "We did not expect the lockdown to work with the new variant", hospitalisations are falling quicker than expected etc etc.

I'm also laughing when the BBC is now writing 'restrictions on outdoor gatherings expected to be reduced March 28', did they not go to the parks this weekend?

From what I am seeing retail open April 12 or so, together with outdoor dining? Then May for indoor pubs.

Lol. Totally true. Honestly, we were part of the problem. We met (or shall we say "coordinated meeting by chance"?) friends with kids so they could play together in the park (SW London). Our friends may have brought champagne. We then ran into another set of friends with kids. And then they ran into not one but two more families they knew, etc. Loose distance was maintained and my mask stayed on when not consuming said champagne (but most people weren't masked). But the scene was replayed a thousand times over. The playground was JAMMED (we did make the kids stay out of it and play elsewhere). And the police walked around doing nothing. The March 29 restrictions don't really change anything in that regard. Being able to drive out to a NT site or something to walk and picnic will be nice. And honestly, that should have been allowed the entire time. Because in urban London, prohibiting people from going to the near-country to take walks actually creates more crowded conditions within the city (it wasn't an issue in January given that people were actually really afraid of the high case numbers and the weather was terrible - but with cases down 90% and better weather, people aren't hunkering down anymore).