So now there is an even better reason to have a vaccination than before. Not only do you protect yourself but a study shows that the risk of transmission of covid-19 to others is significantly reduced.

This news which has emerged just now is really important, very encouraging and strengthens still further the need for a covid passport of some form. Fret not – this is now firmly on the way having initially been pooh-poohed by the government and it looks like it will be available via the NHS app.

This news comes by no means too soon. With the appalling deteriorating situation in India, it is clear that a number of variants have been found and every variant which is discovered is another possible variant which will not be stopped by the vaccines although it is being said that the vaccines should prevent serious illness. However that is not really the aim and objective – we want protection if at all possible.

Today we saw a Portuguese representative being interviewed on TV and he was extolling the wonderful virtues of Portugal for holidays for the British. Clearly the covid passport is going to be material for people wanting to go abroad.

As the days go by and the science gets stronger with more data to rely on, it is slowly getting clearer how this pandemic is going to be resolved. With new variants emerging in countries where the pandemic is rife, it can be seen that it is really important to reduce the numbers of cases arising in those countries, India and Brazil of course being by far and away the worst at the moment. With hundreds of thousands of new cases daily, the scope for new variants is enormous.

What this leads us to believe is that groups of people who have all been vaccinated will have a high degree of protection and a low degree of transmissibility which would of course justify pubs and restaurants, as well as private clubs and so forth insisting on a covid passport to gain admission. Controversial though this may be in some cases, surely the protection and safety of the people is paramount and given that there is no certainty that we are going to remain free of variants, surely it is difficult to justify any alternative basis of getting back together again.

So may we be off to sunny Portugal for summer holidays after all? Now how about a delicious glass of vintage port?

Adrian Leopard 28-04-21

Photo Bruno Martins