THE approval by the medicines regulator of the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 for use in the UK is – quite literally – the shot in the arm that we were all needing.

After a year which has seen thousands of lives lost, our society upended and our economy severely disrupted, the end of this long nightmare is now much more in sight – although we can’t let our guard down.

We all knew that the day would come eventually. In my last column I wrote about the extensive preparations that we have been making to ensure that the vaccine is rolled out as quickly as possible, prioritising the groups known to be most vulnerable to Covid-19.

Now that a vaccine has been approved, our plans are being activated.

Administering this vaccine isn’t without its technical challenges – people will require two doses 21 days apart, and it needs to be stored at ultra-low temperatures – but overcoming these hurdles has been central to our preparation.

The first people receiving the vaccine in Scotland are the staff who will be carrying out the vaccination programme.

And from next week, the process of rolling it out in care homes begins, with other groups following in stages.

Once all the groups identified as most vulnerable have been reached – mainly those over 50, and those with certain long-term condition – we will have vaccinated the sections of the population who represent around 99% of preventable deaths from Covid.

I’ve been asked a lot over the past few days about the safety of this vaccine, and I want to be clear about my confidence that it is safe, as are all vaccines approved for use in the UK.

I can personally vouch – from my experience as health secretary – that the clinical experts who assess these vaccines for safety are extremely robust. They don’t take shortcuts. If they say a vaccine is safe, we can take confidence.

That’s why I will be encouraging my parents and elderly relatives to get vaccinated as soon as they are invited. And as soon as people in my age group are eligible, I will be rolling up my sleeve and doing likewise.

There is absolutely no doubt that this is a turning point – but amidst the joy and relief that we all feel at this milestone, it’s very important for us all to remember that we are not there yet.

Covid-19 is still with us, and will be for some time to come – so we cannot let our guard down. It is still down to all of us to keep Covid at bay.

Our behaviours shouldn’t change – indeed, the fact that we might be so close to getting back to some kind of normality should spur us into keeping our eye on the ball.

The tough restrictions that we are all living with are still needed – although we continue to review each local authority on a weekly basis. These restrictions are suppressing the virus and there is no doubt that they are saving lives.

And as we head towards the Christmas period, we need to be particularly mindful that this virus would quite literally jump at the chance to spread to your loved ones.

For that reason, this festive season is going to feel very different.

I’ll be completely straight with you and tell you that we really agonised over what to advise people over Christmas, as have governments around the world.

We have to balance the fact that meeting others carries risk – the virus doesn’t take time off for Christmas – with the reality that for many people the prospect of spending

Christmas alone would itself be severely detrimental.

So that’s why the four UK nations have agreed a cautious and limited relaxation of the restrictions for a five-day period, December 23 to 27 inclusive.

During this time, a maximum of three households, and ideally no more than eight adults, are to be able to meet in a “bubble” during a short window of time across the festive period.

Households will be able to travel between local authorities and between the four nations, and must only join one bubble.

The five-day period provides time for travel, and for those who may have to work over Christmas – but you do not need to use all five days. Indeed, you should keep visits to no more than one or two days if possible.

But please only take advantage of the relaxation of these restrictions if you think you absolutely have to. I’ve taken the decision not to spend Christmas indoors with my mum and dad – whom I haven’t seen since July, like many other people – and instead we’ll organise a family outdoor walk somewhere.

Easing restrictions at Christmas means we can’t ease them at Hogmanay unfortunately. A quiet new year in will be the last sacrifice we collectively make in what has been a very long year.

But the morning after, we will wake up in 2021 – and be able to look ahead with renewed optimism. So let’s all of us stay the course and get the job done.