At the time of writing:

101,000 – total global deaths from Covid-19

8,958 – total UK deaths from the same virus, excluding hundreds more in care homes

The UK has nearly one in ten of the global deaths from this virus despite being one of the most recent countries to get it.

Today’s daily death toll, 980, means for two days running the UK has had more daily deaths than the worst days in Italy or France.

That’s despite having the benefit of time to see how the virus has spread in other countries, time to order protective equipment and ventilators, time to plan an effective response. Time other countries didn’t have.

Things could have been even worse. If the football authorities hadn’t become fed up with government inaction and decided to cancel multiple big games in March, the numbers  would be even higher.

This is a political failure on a truly horrific scale.

It’s time for the press to do its job and hold the government to account.