End The Pingdemic Now Boris... Not In A Month's Time

‘In a sane world, my consultant would be in hospital doing his job’

- Stephen Pollard

I was supposed to be writing this from the hospital. I have leukemia and so have regular blood tests, along with other more complicated tests a couple of times a year. Yesterday was meant to be one of the latter.

But at 8 am I got a call telling me that my consultant had been pinged and had to isolate for 10 days. That one ping sent his entire list into chaos, along with the knock-on effect on his support staff and the nurses.

It is, in a word, mad.

My consultant has been vaccinated twice. In a sane world, he would be in the hospital today doing his job.

He of all people knows the score – all his patients are vulnerable to Covid because we have suppressed immune systems, which means the vaccine doesn’t work for us.

One Covid test could show whether or not he poses a risk. But instead, an arbitrary and soon to be abolished rule has thrown everything into disarray.

In just under a month, on August 16, the rule will change. Instead of being told to isolate for 10 days, anyone pinged who has been double-jabbed will be free to go about their business.

That is sensible and right. Vaccination is – or should be – key to opening up the country and returning to something like normality. And if you have been double-jabbed then you are a relatively low risk to others.