I was very pleased to see the announcement that children aged 12-15 will receive one dose of a Covid jab.

Young people rarely suffer serious illness from the virus, but they do transmit it and this could have caused issues in schools later in the autumn and winter. No-one wants to see classrooms shut once again and young people losing more of their education because of this disease. This wider benefit is really important and I am pleased the UK’s chief medical officers came to that conclusion.

I am also pleased that booster jabs will be given to those over 50. Along with the flu jab, the Government is doing everything it can to make sure the NHS can cope this winter.

But please if you haven’t had a jab, get one or most preferably two - they will protect you and others and possibly save your life.

The success of the vaccines was demonstrated this week by figures from the Office of National Statistics. Out of 51,281 Covid deaths recorded between January 2 and July 2 in England 256 died after they had been given two doses and the majority of those were clinically vulnerable patients.

It is true that the vaccines are not as effective against asymptomatic disease or against transmission, but it is the unvaccinated minority who are still the major drivers of transmission.

This is good news and I hope sharing it will convince more to grab the jabs. However, this pandemic is not over and infections continue to rise and winter will soon be upon us. I think the preparations that have been made are good but we cannot see into the future and the situation might well change. I know the PM does not want further lockdowns and, as I write, he is about to announce his Covid Winter Plan – some of which I have already mentioned.

My view is we must remain vigilant, carry on using our good West Midlands common sense by washing our hands and wearing face masks when we are on crowded public transport or in a confined place. Also, get regularly tested, especially if you have symptoms.

This should enable us to continue the path back to normality protected by the vaccines and the NHS. We are lucky to have such protection and we must learn to live with this virus.

Many congratulations to Emma Raducanu for her US Open Tennis triumph at the weekend. This 18-year-old Briton smashed quite a few records on her way to victory and she is a new global sports star. Most importantly, Britain’s teenage girls now have a superb role model who is grounded and knows how hard work pays off.