Blood-curdling warnings about what would happen when we fully left the EU seemed to fill the newspapers every day for the last few years. I saw headlines stating we would run out of fruit, vegetables, workers, Mars chocolate bars, chemicals to ensure fresh water and medicines. This was just start of it. We were also warned that Brexit would cause another European war and lead to the spread of “super gonorrhoea” (hard to believe but Google it if you don’t believe me!) Only two months ago, the media also said Brexit would lead to delays in rolling-out a Covid vaccine.
At the time of writing, the shops are full, medicines are available and I haven’t been struck down by “super gonorrhoea”. Attempting to vaccinate millions of people in a matter of a few months was never going to be easy and each of the four governments in the UK will face problems. But at this moment we have already vaccinated more people in the UK than the rest of the EU put together; and we are not getting bogged down into petty arguments about having to buy equal amounts of the vaccines being produced by EU states in order not to show favouritism. However, there does seem to be a lack of information in Wales about how and when the vaccine is going to be distributed. I have been in touch with the Welsh Government to ask for these details and I will post the response online.
I hope the vaccine will not be the only good news on medical advances. James Hull is a well-known philanthropist and one of the most outstanding businessmen of his generation in Wales. A former dentist turned businessman, James was diagnosed with terminal cancer around 10 years ago but somehow managed to keep cheating death. Rather than sitting back in relief and enjoying life, James decided to invest a significant amount of his wealth researching why some people are able to survive cancers which are usually terminal. His team of leading cancer and immunology specialists from six British universities are carrying out work in Swansea which could one day offer hope to millions of people worldwide. Good luck James.
*Published in the Monmouthshire Beacon on 6 January 2021 and the Abergavenny Chronicle on 7 January 2021*