the corner of northwest england around blackpool has proved particularly vulnerable. so, could this part of lancashire help explain why britain has been so battered by the virus? there are political questions, of course — too little, too late, is the criticism. but the germs of this pandemic catastrophe were here long before covid washed up. the poorer you are, the more likely it is that covid will kill you. and while britain is a rich country, it's also a very unequal one. the virus death rate in england's most deprived neighbourhoods is 2.5 times higher than in the richest areas, and this part of lancashire has some of the poorest communities in western europe. cath powell works with a charity that delivers food and blankets and hope to what she calls the left behind on blackpool�*s grange park estate. hi, angela!

how are you today? we had no idea how many people were behind these doors. there is your meal today. really lonely, really isolated, and who are really struggling but, actually, nobody knows about. nobody knows about them, and they are the forgotten people. and, as a society, i don't know how we let that happen. covid preys on people with existing health problems, particularly those who are overweight. britain is among the most obese countries in europe. in this part of england's northwest, poor diet, smoking, hazardous drinking and a lack of exercise has contributed to a quarter of the population living with a long—term health problem or disability. we have created ideal conditions for this virus. i believe by not paying attention to public health. this has been a decade after decade after decade. i've been a gp here for 30 years

and, despite all of the advantages in health care over those 30 years, the health of this community's got worse. why, though? why, we are a rich country! we are a rich country but the richer communities are getting substantially more benefit than our poorer communities. and that left us wide open to covid? absolutely wide open when covid came. age is a measure of your vulnerability to covid. britain is actually younger than most european countries and our system for caring for the elderly has been in desperate need of reform for decades, and it proved disastrously vulnerable when the virus arrived. more than 30,000 care home residents have died after contracting covid. this lancashire home has been virus free but the manager remembers how it felt when the government sent a box of out of date facemasks as the pandemic raged back in march. fury, anger, upset.

we are drowning in lack of money, in lack of support, bearing in mind there is a pandemic now, and you've sent us out of date ppe! you know, do you really respect us that little that you can't actually give us the stuff that we need? with the uk at the forefront of developing and administering covid vaccines, there is hope the country can emerge from the virus nightmare earlier than others. here we go, sharp scratch. but there are 100,000 reasons why, as well as offering immunity, we should seek to fix the inequalities that left britain so exposed to the pandemic�*s deadly power. mark easton, bbc news, lancashire. the final word with hugh pym. a natural focus today on the figure of 100,000 dead but what have we learnt today about what the next few weeks could bring? the

today about what the next few weeks could brin: ? today about what the next few weeks could brina ? ., today about what the next few weeks could brinu? ., ., could bring? the debate will go on for some time _ could bring? the debate will go on for some time about _ could bring? the debate will go on for some time about what - could bring? the debate will go on for some time about what has - for some time about what has happened over the last year and why the uk's death rate relative to population is one of the highest in the world but looking ahead there are one or two slight positives. the number of new cases falling, down 26% week on week, hospital admissions are lower. and so simon stevens, head of nhs england, looked ahead to date a time when he said covid would be a much more treatable disease with new drugs and therapies coming on stream later this year. he said the death rate in hospitals amongst covid patients had fallen from a third to a fifth. and chris whitty talked about the advances made in knowledge about the virus, about the extra scientific knowledge they now had in about better treatments but he added the death rate remains relatively high. flattening may be but it'll take time to come down. he went on to say that a lot more deaths would occur over the next few weeks before the

effects of the vaccine began to be felled. we effects of the vaccine began to be felled. ~ . ~ ., ., ., ., ., felled. we will talk again tomorrow but thank you _ felled. we will talk again tomorrow but thank you very _ felled. we will talk again tomorrow but thank you very much, - felled. we will talk again tomorrow but thank you very much, hugh - felled. we will talk again tomorrow l but thank you very much, hugh pym, health editor. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me arejournalist and broadcasterjenny kleeman. and dia chakravarty, brexit editor of the daily telegraph. tomorrow's front pages. starting with. .. the daily telegraph carries a despondent looking prime minister saying he accepted "full responsibility" for the grim milestone of 100.000 deaths in the uk. the daily mail also reflects on borisjohnson�*s sombre mood in today's downing street briefing.

the sun features the prime minister — with his head bowed. while the metro reports borisjohnson being ""'deeply sorry" as britain's covid death toll passed 100,000. the �*i' says the uk is the fifth country to pass the grim milestone — after the us, brazil, india and mexico. whereas the times boris points out britain becomes the first european country to officially reach the mark. meanwhile — the financial times reports companies have raised $400 billion in the first three weeks of 2021 — as the torrent of government and central bank stimulus to rescue global economies cascades across capital markets. when trade are close to the

financial times is saying is as if they have put covid—19 behind them. —— quoted in the ft. so let's begin. lovely to see you. as we expected to of the prime minister today. several have the same crow from him, i'm deeply sorry for every life lost. you want to start off the metro? forgive me, you probably have seen us looking down at us because we do have the front pages in front of us. we have to look at our devices. all the papers we talk about tonight this proportionately talk about this main event that has happened in this country today. which is that we have crossed that hovering this grim number of 100,000 this from covid. in a press conference, the prime minister said that he was the prime

after it has been the prime minister throughout this entire period and he takes full responsibility everything the government has been able to and not been able to do or astute come here. it is interesting to see how every different paper has a different take, but the focus very much stays on i think rightly on the fact that each of these numbers is a human being and there is a family behind each of these numbers and a human being behind each of these numbers and in the next paper that we will look at in the telegraph, my own paper, there is a wonderful article but that will become much of an admin if we will be discussing the same story. i an admin if we will be discussing the same story.— an admin if we will be discussing the same story. i want to focus on how each title _ the same story. i want to focus on how each title has _ the same story. i want to focus on how each title has done _ the same story. i want to focus on how each title has done it - the same story. i want to focus on how each title has done it slightly| how each title has done it slightly differently with what they have quoted. good to see you again, jenny. the quotation from the prime minister repeated. the papers by a large haven't picked up on what we could and there was a lot of debate

about that. looking at some of the front pages, they haven't reminded the prime minister of all the things that he said in the last ten months about how quickly we wait awaiting get through this. apart from the metro here who is saying that ten months after he said we would see the other side of this in 12 weeks. yes. borisjohnson has always been the king _ yes. borisjohnson has always been the king of— yes. borisjohnson has always been the king of optimism. he was sombre today— the king of optimism. he was sombre today and _ the king of optimism. he was sombre today and said he was sorry that he at possibility but also says that he et possibility but also says that he did all— et possibility but also says that he did all he — et possibility but also says that he did all he could and the government did all he could and the government did all— did all he could and the government did all they— did all he could and the government did all they could, which is not necessarily the case. there are many more _ necessarily the case. there are many more things— necessarily the case. there are many more things the government could've done in _ more things the government could've done in terms of locking down earlier~ — done in terms of locking down earlier. we locked down late on three _ earlier. we locked down late on three separate occasions. in terms of giving _ three separate occasions. in terms of giving people adequate ppe, not discharging people to care homes who had been _ discharging people to care homes who had been properly tested, there were issues _ had been properly tested, there were issues wilh— had been properly tested, there were issues with messaging come he could've — issues with messaging come he could've taken a hard line when dominit— could've taken a hard line when dominic cumming staircase trip to the castle —

dominic cumming staircase trip to the castle which he didn't do. there were _ the castle which he didn't do. there were a _ the castle which he didn't do. there were a lot _ the castle which he didn't do. there were a lot of— the castle which he didn't do. there were a lot of political failings that contribute to this milestone number— that contribute to this milestone number and i that contribute to this milestone numberand i think that contribute to this milestone number and i think the point is it isa time— number and i think the point is it isa time to— number and i think the point is it is a time to reflect and it is good portions — is a time to reflect and it is good portions and moderated his tone and was of— portions and moderated his tone and was of the _ portions and moderated his tone and was of the king of optimism that he normally— was of the king of optimism that he normally is, — was of the king of optimism that he normally is, but we need to look at the why— normally is, but we need to look at the why behind this a really shocking number and i the why behind this a really shocking numberand i think the why behind this a really shocking number and i think we shouldn't— shocking number and i think we shouldn't be asking these questions after the _ shouldn't be asking these questions after the pandemic. we need to be able to— after the pandemic. we need to be able to solve this problem now so that we _ able to solve this problem now so that we can stop there being 200,000. we don't want this to be something — 200,000. we don't want this to be something with them for future pandemics. we need to learn it now. but people _ pandemics. we need to learn it now. but people would say in the government defence that this is now in hindsight, there was a big debate going on all around the world about how countries would respond to this because internationally we just didn't know and going on to your paper malcolm you are the brexit accident, you can get more information on yours, it is quite

interesting in terms of the breakdown, hire people. —— you are the brexit editor. higher death rates and people in the areas, six times higher death rates than in wealthy areas, people suffering from obesity and in areas of population density and also white—collar workers working from home. not being hit as hard. it really has opened up the inequality, the health divide, has it? it the inequality, the health divide, has it? . , the inequality, the health divide, has it? ., , ., has it? it has. one of the interesting _ has it? it has. one of the interesting things - has it? it has. one of the interesting things about | has it? it has. one of thel interesting things about in has it? it has. one of the - interesting things about in our paper i picked up from that is that during this second wave, even more people in the lower income groups actually were affected, which these are exactly the questions we will have to look into and find out why this happened even more so during the second wave in the first wave.

so absolutely there are questions that have to be answered asked. what you say about hindsight has some merit to it because there are when professor whitty was asked about what could've been done differently, and it were asserting things like messages on a mask or the guide is changing en masse. —— a mix messaging. i have a lot of family and friends who live abroad. a lot of this country, mask were being worn from the very beginning, or as this country didn't have that guide is to begin with but then that changed. there will be many other things like that which i am sure jenny is rightly and saying that could've been done differently and a lot of other things that i think you are also right in saying that with this virus which is so new from all other countries around the world by having to constantly learn new things about it and then decide to it all those things will have taken and made an impact as well. you are not in your— and made an impact as well. you are not in your head, _ and made an impact as well. you are not in your head, jenny. _ and made an impact as well. you are

not in your head, jenny. when - and made an impact as well. you are not in your head, jenny. when other| not in your head, jenny. when other quotation here. each that this probably ten years premature. which equals about 1 probably ten years premature. which equals about1 million years of people who died early. this time, let's look at the story below the victims of covid who suffered and died alone and deserve to be remembered. in the blur of grief of over the past ten months. it is nice to remember butjudith was his foot down some of those people in victims who really and did epitomise how lonely death have been.— who really and did epitomise how lonely death have been. eshoo picked out. lonely death have been. eshoo picked out- incredibly— lonely death have been. eshoo picked out. incredibly important _ lonely death have been. eshoo picked out. incredibly important to _ lonely death have been. eshoo picked out. incredibly important to do - out. incredibly important to do this _ out. incredibly important to do this this— out. incredibly important to do this. this is not a number. these are 100,000 _ this. this is not a number. these are 100,000 people. hundred thousand are100,000 people. hundred thousand families— are 100,000 people. hundred thousand families who didn't get to say goodbye or hold a proper funeral. incredibly— goodbye or hold a proper funeral. incredibly important that we humanise these numbers because it is almost _ humanise these numbers because it is almost inconceivable. none of us to really _ almost inconceivable. none of us to really understand the population of bath has _

really understand the population of bath has died injust under a year. i do bath has died injust under a year. i do think— bath has died injust under a year. i do think it — bath has died injust under a year. i do think it is easier today things with hindsight but we have been saying _ with hindsight but we have been saying for a gate now is unprecedented. 50,000 of these deaths _ unprecedented. 50,000 of these deaths happen since november when the disease was not a new disease. we did _ the disease was not a new disease. we did have — the disease was not a new disease. we did have a better understanding. what is _ we did have a better understanding. what is so _ we did have a better understanding. what is so sad is that so many of these _ what is so sad is that so many of these people really didn't have to die. these people really didn't have to die and — these people really didn't have to die. and that is a great tragedy of the way— die. and that is a great tragedy of the way this country has that with the way this country has that with the pandemic. the way this country has that with the pandemic— the way this country has that with the pandemic. onto the next paper. not a quote — the pandemic. onto the next paper. not a quote from _ the pandemic. onto the next paper. not a quote from the _ the pandemic. onto the next paper. not a quote from the prime - the pandemic. onto the next paper. | not a quote from the prime minister, just a number. not a quote from the prime minister, justa number. in not a quote from the prime minister, just a number. in a photo ofjust some of the victims. the last bullet point on the front page here with the good news which is good news, i think most people would agree with this. the vaccine roll—out. 6.9 million people have had theirfirst dose of vaccine. we were coming to the vaccine row a bit later on but anything more you want to say about

that front page? i anything more you want to say about that front page?— that front page? i think the do a amazin: that front page? i think the do a amazing job _ that front page? i think the do a amazing job of _ that front page? i think the do a amazing job of putting _ that front page? i think the do a amazing job of putting the - that front page? i think the do a amazing job of putting the faces j that front page? i think the do a i amazing job of putting the faces of these people asjenny amazing job of putting the faces of these people as jenny was amazing job of putting the faces of these people asjenny was saying, to begin with as well, notjust numbers, these are actual people. human beings of light allies. that statistic that you quoted from our paperas statistic that you quoted from our paper as well, where1 million years loss. it isjust paper as well, where1 million years loss. it is just unimaginable. paper as well, where1 million years loss. it isjust unimaginable. i think the height is a really good job of humanising that number and oppressing that point. —— i think the eye. i wonder if we have time to share something partial with you, which is i had the opportunity today to accompany a venerable relative who happens to live with me to get there first jab today and it was amazing to see all the doctors and nurses and volunteers working and it went so smoothly and people coming and going and the jabs being given really efficiently them it was just

a joy really efficiently them it was just a joy to be held and if there is