Ask a sports fan: it doesn’t matter how much effort you put in on the way to the final, if your finishing isn’t good enough, you’re unlikely to win.
And so, as Scotland nears what we all hope is the end of our national bout with Covid-19, it’s worth reflecting on how far we’ve come – and how much we stand to lose if we don’t hold the line now.
Half of us have had two doses of the coronavirus vaccine and 3,500,000 have had their first. The number of patients in hospital is around a tenth of the levels we were experiencing this time last year.
There are plenty who would point to this progress and ask Nicola Sturgeon to clear the way for greater freedoms when she briefs Holyrood on the next steps towards easing restrictions on Tuesday.
And yet, it looks increasingly certain this fight is going to extra time.
Boris Johnson announced on Monday that England’s lockdown exit is being delayed, from the previously promised June 21 to July 19, after infections rose to their highest rate in three months.
Game changer
The First Minister’s more cautious approach means Scots have not been pinning their hopes on the same rigid timetable for social distancing measures being dropped but there will still be disappointment that the hoped for return to normality “some time after June” is likely to take a little longer.
The new Delta variant is proving to be a formidable foe. Scotland’s clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch said on Monday it had “changed the game in a crucial way”, in that it is far more resistant to a single dose of the vaccine.
This has set the national recovery back by eight to 10 weeks, he warned, and as the number of positive cases rises again, vaccination teams need more time to administer the all important second doses that will take protection from 30% to 85%.
It’s a bitter blow this late in the day; the temptation to throw in the towel may be strong, but remember how hard we have battled to get to this stage. The prize is within our grasp if we all just play the game a little longer.