COVID DIARIES: Covid deniers do not see the trauma of dealing with it daily like I do

As part of the #BeatCovidNE campaign he has been keeping a diary of life in lockdown.

Here ae his latest thoughts...

“Right now, we need to focus on the present. The stay at home message is working and by following the rules we are getting closer to our normal lives. Until then though, we must remain compliant, keep our distance and have faith in the vaccination programme.”

“It’s been over a month now since the third national lockdown began and I know it gets monotonous, but I’m focused on the end result. Infection rates are continuing to fall, and hospital admissions are starting to reduce, albeit it slowly.

The rules do work - if you stick to them consistently. I know it’s tough and mentally draining but our huge efforts to minimise social contact are starting to pay off. I would like to share a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has listened to the advice, followed the guidance and are doing all they can to reduce the transmission of the virus. Cases in the North East are falling each week, and this is because we have come together, determined to beat this virus and reclaim normality.

Although the news about emerging variants is worrying, the rules in place safeguard us all against all strains of the virus. If we social distance, ensure we travel only within our local area, wear our masks and wash our hands regularly, we’ll be able to slow the spread. I know it’s tempting to visit busy beauty spots but it’s so important that we stay home, or as close to home as possible, so we can enjoy these kinds of trips in the future. We can’t risk localised spikes as our road out of this continues.

The vaccine news gets better and better. It’s great to hear that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduces transmission. These are positive signs that will help us get out of the pandemic a lot quicker. However, we must be mindful that more of the population is still to be vaccinated and until then our safest bet ofbringing us out of lockdown is by following the stay-at-home message.

At a local level, our vaccination hub is continuing and, week by week, more of mycolleagues are getting vaccinated. This, coupled with the rules, is helping to bring Covid under control but we are far from out of the woods yet. This is why I get so annoyed and disappointed at those who spread false informationonline about the virus being a hoax.

They need to see the impact it’s had on the lives of thousands of people across the region. It’s been devastating. I have lost people personally - there are thousands of families across the region who have lost loved ones to Covid. Covid deniers do not see the trauma of dealing with it daily like I do.

Right now though, we need to focus on the present. The stay at home message is working and by following the rules we are getting closer to our normal lives.

Until then though, we must remain compliant, keep our distance and have faith in the vaccination programme.”