A time for reflection

Hello, and welcome to the May edition of the Journal of Prescribing Practice. This has been a month of progress and reflection here in the United Kingdom. As restrictions start to lift after many difficult months of lockdown, I'm sure, like me, you find yourselves having to adapt to a world where once again we are beginning to be allowed to interact face-to-face. It can be a daunting process, knowing that all the barriers we've put up since the start of the pandemic are now, finally, starting to come down. I'm sure for healthcare professionals like yourselves, this comes with an extra layer of anxiety, with people interacting in person again, there is sure to be concern about the spread of COVID-19. We're all having to place our faith in each other, relying on the common sense of the public to maintain safe practices outside of lockdown, and hope, when the offer comes, they will be willing to take one of the vaccines that are now progressively being distributed. Here in the UK, gov.uk (2021) stats tell us that 34 58 8600 have now had their first dose and 15 50 0949 have already had their second. People of the age of 42 are now starting to be offered vaccinations as the rollout continues. It's a stunning piece of progress that the rollout has gone this smoothly, one I have no doubt many of you reading this have participated in.