THIS week, a new YouGov poll showed 66% of the public are in favour of Matt Hancock being injected with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live TV.
These findings came as another poll showed 20% of people in the UK are still not confident that the new vaccine is safe.
Look, I enjoy politicians doing weird things for a photo opportunity as much as the next person, but anything involving needles is a step too far in my view. Apparently, the reason so many people are desperate to get a high-definition close-up of Hancock’s veins is so that it can be used as proof that the vaccine is safe.
I’d gently suggest that if that is the goal, Mr Hancock is not the ideal poster boy.
Without wishing to be unkind, the UK Health Secretary at times gives off a killer in suburbia vibe. He’s reached that point in his political career where he has attended so many focus groups and done so much presentation coaching that he has forgotten how ordinary people act.
It’s not his fault. It happens to the best of them. But we can’t risk his Tory wide-leg stance, thumb jabbing or vacant stare being mistaken for a side-effect of the vaccine.
At FMQs, questions about the new vaccine and the logistics of its rollout dominated proceedings.
Ruth Davidson asked whether care home residents would be prioritised in the vaccine programme and whether local authorities have enough freezer capacity to store their doses.
READ MORE: Scotland's older citizens to get Covid vaccine from December 14
The First Minister said there will be freezers in every health board and the Scottish Government will publish a list of where all 23 are to be sited.
This morning before school, I was looking at Christmas photos from last year with my daughter.
I miss those simpler times. When December was dominated by gift wrapping and festive indulgence and the last few FMQs of the year had a distinct end-of-term atmosphere.
But we are where we are, and that is a place where we now eagerly anticipate the coordinates of a bunch of freezers which contain vials of our hopes and dreams.
Richard Leonard raised issues that some have had in receiving their flu vaccine this year and asked the First Minister whether – given those problems – the current Public Health Minister should be left in charge of the Covid vaccine rollout. He also asked about misinformation and vaccine scepticism and whether the Scottish Government has a plan to tackle it.
Leonard said: “Public confidence that the vaccine is safe will be critical. This vaccine has been tested to the highest possible standards. However, we are already being faced with the spread of dangerous misinformation which seeks to persuade people otherwise.
“Every member of this Parliament has a role to play in making sure that the public know that the vaccine is safe and encourage people to come forward and be vaccinated.
“So, First Minister: what research has your Government done on vaccine scepticism in Scotland? Do you have a clear plan to counter any scepticism? And will you share this plan with Parliament?”
“The short answer to all of that is yes,” the First Minister replied. She then went on to give a longer answer about her Government’s plan for tackling vaccine scepticism.
Thankfully, it appears that pricking Matt Hancock with needles for the entertainment of the viewing public is not part of it.
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