The past seven days have given newspapers plenty of copy, and for many, some hope of a brighter future.

Last Friday the first COVID testing began of an entire city, as Liverpool became the first area to commence testing a whole community with the lateral flow test, which can give results within minutes without the need for laboratory analysis. Wolverhampton is to receive 10,000 of these tests in the next wave.

On Monday, the Prime Minister confirmed the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine has been tested on over 40,000 volunteers, and latest results suggest it is proving 90 per cent effective at protecting people against the virus.

We have not yet seen the full safety data, and these findings need to be peer reviewed, but this is very encouraging news. Any vaccine for use in the UK must go through a rigorous safety approval scheme from our regulator, prior to delivery through the NHS. Earlier this year the Government ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine – enough for close to a third of the population, since you need two doses each – so we will be ready to go if the vaccine is effective and safe.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended the priority sequence in which people are offered the vaccination, starting with the most vulnerable, to protect lives and reduce spread of infection.

Despite this welcome news, we are not out of the woods yet as Shropshire NHS and Public Health leaders are telling me. It is vital we continue to adhere to measures to control the spread of the virus – complying with the national regulations, social distancing, and good hand hygiene.

This week also saw Joe Biden elected to become the next President of the United States. As Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, I am pleased he has pledged that the world’s largest economy will once again re-join the Paris Climate Agreement. I look forward to the USA now playing a leading role in the COP26 UN Climate Conference in 12 months’ time.

Finally, I was particularly pleased this week that the government confirmed £170m to help the most vulnerable, including over £840k in Shropshire targeted to support vulnerable families and ensure no child goes hungry this winter. The Holiday Activities and Food programme builds upon last summer’s pilots, is also to be expanded, covering Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021. This is a much bigger and more targeted system than the voucher scheme supported by some.

While unemployment is well above last year in South Shropshire, this week’s data shows 100 people have managed to move off benefits and into work - another reason for some cautious optimism. 

In a difficult year for all, and in this four week period of national restrictions, it is heartening to have some good news to share, and to be able to offer some hope for the future.