Deliverance
At the time of writing this I have just experienced a very sobering day at work. Working for the ambulance service has meant that I consider myself more fortunate than most over the past year as much of my life has carried on with limited impact. I certainly have not experienced the isolation that many have.
That said, working for the NHS has been extremely challenging. Every year when we hit the peak of winter pressures, we wonder how it can possibly get worse? Well, this year we have had an emphatic answer…throw a pandemic into the mix!!
The government were right all along in identifying the need to protect the NHS. The hospitals are full; hundreds and hundreds of staff are absent due to testing positive or having to isolate; ambulances are queuing outside A&E unable to offload patients preventing them from responding to emergencies in the community; care homes and community services are buckling, and so it goes on. Having spent much of the day outside one of the hospitals it was alarming to see the vast majority of patients being brought in by ambulance were testing positive for COVID. The new variant of the virus is spreading rapidly, and it does appear to be more transmissible than before.
In response to the pandemic this nation has experienced lockdowns with varying restrictions and tier systems, all in the attempt to limit the spread of this virus. As we enter 2021 it now seems that we are pinning everything on the vaccines. This appears to be the route back for us to return to the ‘new’ normal – whatever that looks like.
Last week’s reflection talked of ‘new beginnings’ and there certainly is hope, because no matter how dire things may seem, our Lord God will overcome. If the vaccine is our hope of controlling the spread and current impact of the virus, and delivering us from current restrictions, then let us pray that God’s guiding hand is at work.
