For over nine months, people have been forced to stay inside for their own safety. People have found themselves working at home, or living in fear of losing their jobs. Terms like ‘social distancing’ became a key fabric of our vocabulary, while face masks became a part of our daily lives. People have had to deal with the loss of their loved ones without having the chance to tell them goodbye. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted everyone.

This past weekend however was a historic first step to the pandemic truly being behind us.

10,000 vaccines arrived in Malta from Pfizer-BioNTech on Saturday, and the first of those vaccines was administered first thing on Sunday morning – a key watershed moment in the fight against the pandemic.

More vaccines are expected to arrive today, and it is being estimated that by the summer, everyone in Malta will have had the chance to get vaccinated.

However – to borrow a phrase used by PN leader Bernard Grech on Sunday – the war against the pandemic is not over. The Prime Minister and health authorities have both urged the public to remain vigilant – and rightly so.

This is without doubt that start of the fight back against Covid-19, but this weekend was most certainly not the victory parade.

Until a significant majority of the Maltese population have received the vaccine, country-wide immunity to the virus will not be achieved.

This brings with it two points to emphasise.

The first is to urge people to get vaccinated when they have the opportunity to do so. Everybody will get that opportunity at some point in the coming months, and we can not but urge the public to take this up when their turn comes.

The arrival of the vaccine has heralded a probably expected increase in anti-vaccination scepticism. However, it should be emphasised: this vaccine – like every other – has gone through a rigorous trial process before being approved. Yes, it is the fastest that anyone has ever made a vaccine – but then again, no vaccine has even come near to having this much funding and support to back it.

Finally, we appeal to people to do their research on the matter and to follow well-trusted sources. They will soon find that no, the vaccine is not part of some new world order project led by Bill Gates, and does not incorporate a brain controlling micro-chip or some sort of 5G technology within it, as some of the more exotic claims on social media have been pandering about.

The second point to emphasise is the continued need to be vigilant. As already said, the immunity effect on the whole population from the vaccine will not be visible straight off the bat. It will take time for people to get vaccinated, and so it will take time for herd immunity to develop.

Till then, we must continue to follow the guidelines issued by health authorities.

The worst thing that can happen is for people to have seen Rachel Grech get vaccinated yesterday morning, and think that they can return to their normal pre-Covid life this morning.

We are in the final leg of the relay race – but now more than ever it is important that we do not drop the baton as we run to the finish line.