TORRIDGE and West Devon MP Sir Geoffrey Cox has urged residents to make ‘one last heave’ during lockdown to reap the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine — or risk seeing the NHS swamped with new cases.

The former Attorney General and newly knighted Sir Geoffrey appealed to the public to stick to lockdown restrictions as he revealed vast vaccine reinforcements were on the way for Devon.

He told the Tavistock Times: ‘I have just come away from briefings about the local and national situation. Unless we adopt these strict quarantine measures, it is clear to me that there is a severe risk that the NHS will be unable to cope with the mounting pressures of the new variant of the disease.

‘It is essential, therefore, that we should all make this one last heave to reach the safety ahead of us that will be created by the vaccination programme.

‘We have already vaccinated over a million people in the UK and I have learned today of the advanced plans here in Devon for the exponential acceleration of the programme.

‘Throughout this crisis, we have managed to prevent the capacity of the NHS from being overwhelmed. We must see this vital task through.’

The MP’s plea came as health experts in Devon called on residents to pull together to beat the virus.

Devon director of public health Steve Brown said while cases in Devon had not risen as sharply as elsewhere in the country, they had risen to 152.4 per 100,000. Six of Devon’s eight regions, plus Torbay, are in the bottom 10 for infection rates, with West Devon fourth lowest in England and Torridge lowest.

But Mr Brown said: ‘Devon residents have done well over the Christmas and New Year period to help prevent the sharp rise in positive cases that many other parts of the country are currently experiencing. While case numbers here in Devon are relatively low compared to many parts of the country, we are still seeing cases rise.’

He added: ‘The vaccination programme, although now starting to be delivered to priority groups, will take a time to reach everyone. While its arrival and roll out is very positive news, we must not wait for it, nor rely on it alone. Right now, I ask everyone to pull together and to follow the new national lockdown restrictions, the details of which we will learn more about over the next days.’