good afternoon. a remembrance service for the duke of edinburgh has taken place at canterbury cathedral as the uk observes a period of official mourning. the service was led by the archbishop of canterburyjustin welby, who will take part in the duke's funeral next saturday. today's service was limited to 120 people because of coronavirus restrictions, but streamed online. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. in church services in front of

socially distanced congregations and online, prayers were said for the duke and for the queen and the royal family as they mourn his loss. at canterbury cathedral, a special service of remembrance was led by the archbishop, justin welby. for his ro al the archbishop, justin welby. fr?" his royal highness the duke of edinburgh, there was a remarkable willingness to take the hand he was dealt in life and straightforwardly to follow its core, to search its meaning, to go out and on a scent, to enquire and think, to trust and to enquire and think, to trust and to pray. to enquire and think, to trust and to ra . �* . �* , to enquire and think, to trust and tora.�* . �*, ., to pray. britain's former prime minister sir — to pray. britain's former prime minister sirjohn _ to pray. britain's former prime minister sirjohn major - to pray. britain's former prime minister sirjohn major came l to pray. britain's former prime | minister sirjohn major came to to pray. britain's former prime - minister sirjohn major came to know the duke in the course of his political duties and through their shared love for cricket. on this morning? andrew marr programme on the bbc, he said the duke of�*s death would leave an enormous gap in the queen'slife. would leave an enormous gap in the queen'slife-— queen'slife. when you are facing a sea of problems, _ queen'slife. when you are facing a sea of problems, as _ queen'slife. when you are facing a sea of problems, as she _ queen'slife. when you are facing a sea of problems, as she so - queen'slife. when you are facing a sea of problems, as she so often l sea of problems, as she so often was, sometimes when you are

overwhelmed by what has to be done, someone who understands that, someone who understands that, someone who understands that, someone who can take that part of the burden, someone who can share the burden, someone who can share the decision making, someone who can metaphorically or in the case of prince philip probably literally put their arms around you and say, it's not as bad as you think, this is what we have to do, this is how we can do it, this is what i think. i hope she will be given some time and space. i know she is the monarch. i know she has responsibilities. but she has earned the right to have a period of privacy in which to agree with herfamily. find period of privacy in which to agree with her family.— with her family. and sirjohn said he hoed with her family. and sirjohn said he heped the _ with her family. and sirjohn said he hoped the duke _ with her family. and sirjohn said he hoped the duke of's _ with her family. and sirjohn said he hoped the duke of's funeral i with her family. and sirjohn said - he hoped the duke of's funeral would give princes william and harry a chance to mend their differences. the friction that we are told has arisen is a fiction better ended as speedily as possible. and a shared emotion, a shared grief at the present time because of the death of their grandfather, i think, present time because of the death of their grandfather, ithink, is present time because of the death of their grandfather, i think, is an ideal opportunity stop i hope very much that it is possible to mend any

rift that may exist. at much that it is possible to mend any rift that may exist.— rift that may exist. at the chapel near windsor _ rift that may exist. at the chapel near windsor castle, _ rift that may exist. at the chapel near windsor castle, the - rift that may exist. at the chapel near windsor castle, the duke i rift that may exist. at the chapeli near windsor castle, the duke of york and the wessex is attended morning service and spoke of the queen. ,, , _, , ., , queen. she is contemplating, is the wa i queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would — queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would put _ queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would put it. _ queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would put it. she _ queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would put it. she described i queen. she is contemplating, is the way i would put it. she described it| way i would put it. she described it as having left a huge void in her life. but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying around to make sure we are there to support her. , �* . ~ ., to make sure we are there to support her. , �* ., ., her. outside buckingham palace, barriers have _ her. outside buckingham palace, barriers have been _ her. outside buckingham palace, barriers have been erected - her. outside buckingham palace, | barriers have been erected around the pavements and stewards have been brought in to discourage people from leaving flowers. but despite their efforts, bouquets are still being placed. nicholas witchell, bbc news. and our correspondent sarah campbell is at windsor castle — where as we've been hearing, the duke of york and other members of the royal family have been speaking, having attended church

there this morning. yes, and there were some extensive comments. you heard the duke of york talking about the queen. he said the feeling was that they have lost grandfather of the nation. he said it was a terrible loss, but his father, before he died, had said in a telephone call to him that they had to remember that everyone was in the same boat, that occasionally we, the same boat, that occasionally we, the royals, are asked to show compassion and leadership. he made the comparison with the pandemic, talked about the fact that so many people have died, so many people have lost loved ones, and all are feeling a great sense of loss. the earl and countess of wessex were there with their daughter, lady louise. the earl of wessex talked about it being a shock, but all of them spoke about the extraordinary tributes that have been made and left to their father, and they said the memories have been so fantastic and it means so much to them that he

meant so much to so many people. sarah campbell, thank you very much. shops, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and gyms are among businesses making preparations to reopen with the easing of lockdown in england tomorrow. more than 400,000 nonessential shops are expected to open their doors, but only around a third of the country's 37,000 pubs will be able to because most don't have the required outside space, with a similar problem facing many restaurants. schools also return in scotland and wales, where restrictions about travelling across the border are also lifted and shops can reopen. in northern ireland, nonessential retail remains closed but can now operate click and collect services. here's our business correspondent katy austin. getting a shop ready is a big job. here in leamington spa, staff are back from furlough, sorting stock and cleaning. excited, yeah. it's the third time now that we're reopening again, so we just want to get back into it now.

lockdown i pushed this lingerie and swimwear chain to the brink. they've since ramped up their online operation and closed some stores for good, but they see monday as hugely important. we've had lots of calls from customers, which tells us that obviously, lots of customers are wanting to come into shops, but we know that some will want to continue shopping from home for some time. and we're yet to find out exactly how much of that mix is a permanent shift. changing rooms will be open, carefully managed, and bra fittings will be done contact—free. our teams are using the fitting rooms opposite, so rather than actuallyjoining them in the fitting room, they're doing exactly what they would normally do from further apart. people are being encouraged to shop alone and stay socially distanced. bravissimo is confident of opening safely. profitably? not sure. the same goes for pubs,

restaurants and cafes, who can only serve outside from tomorrow. three of this chain's sites will open, including this one at liverpool's albert dock. they're fully booked, but it's not worth opening nine others with smaller outdoor areas. by the time we've got in a team of chefs, someone to wash the pots, a front of house team to make drinks and serve the food and a manager to run the place, we would actually be worse off than we would be by staying closed. so we've only been able to open terraces that have roughly 50 covers or more. like outdoor hospitality, shops and hairdressers are expecting an initial surge in demand. some will extend opening hours. how much the past year has changed customers' habits permanently is the big unknown. katy austin, bbc news. there are more questions this lunchtime about former conservative prime minister david cameron's lobbying activities after he left government. it's emerged that mr cameron met for a "private drink"

with the health secretary, matt hancock and the financier lex greensill, for whom mr cameron was working. our political correspondent helen catt is here. helen, what more can you tell us? these details have come out in the sunday times that there was this meeting between the three men, matt hancock, the health secretary, mr cameron and the business man for whom he was working, lex greensill. they met for a drink in october 2019. this was at a time when mr greensill was trying to get the nhs to use an app he had devised to allow staff to get bits of their pay daily instead of waiting until payday. he had put the proposal to the department of health a couple of months previously. matt hancock had asked officials to look at it. they thought it was good in principle, we are told, and some nhs trusts did then go on to use it. an ally of mr hancock says he acted entirely appropriately. he told officials about business discussions. the department of health says it was up to local nhs employers to decide how

to local nhs employers to decide how to pay their staff. but this comes just days after the chancellor, rishi sunak, was facing questions about his engagement with david cameron. he took the unusual step of publishing text messages he had sent to mr cameron after it emerged that the former prime minister had messaged his private phone when he was trying to get greensill access to a government backed loan last year. to a government backed loan last ear. �* . , to a government backed loan last ear. �* . y to a government backed loan last ear. ~ ., , ., to a government backed loan last ear. ~ ., ., year. and any comment from david cameron himself? _ year. and any comment from david cameron himself? so _ year. and any comment from david cameron himself? so far, - year. and any comment from david cameron himself? so far, he - year. and any comment from david cameron himself? so far, he has. year. and any comment from david i cameron himself? so far, he has not commented — cameron himself? so far, he has not commented and _ cameron himself? so far, he has not commented and neither _ cameron himself? so far, he has not commented and neither has - cameron himself? so far, he has not commented and neither has lex - commented and neither has lex greensill, although a source close to him said his scheme was offered free to the nhs. mr cameron isn't being accused of breaking any rules with this meeting, but there are some unanswered questions. there are critics who say the rules themselves should be tougher, and of course, he has put some senior ministers in an awkward position this week. helen catt, our political _ awkward position this week. helen catt, our political correspondent. i a man has been charged with murdering one of britain's richest men in dorset last week. sir richard sutton was attacked at his home on wednesday. a woman in her sixties, believed to be his partner, was seriously injured in the incident and remains

in hospital in a critical condition. thomas schreiber, who's 3a, is due to appear in court tomorrow. there's been another eruption from the volcano on the caribbean island of st vincent. after remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, la soufriere first erupted on friday. heavy ashfall has caused power outages and cut off water supplies. scientists warn that eruptions could continue for days — or even weeks. the british film and television awards continue this evening — for the second night of this year's ceremony. the presenters will be at the royal albert hall, but all the nominees will appear via video link because of the coronavirus pandemic. the baftas will pay tribute to prince philip, who was a long—standing patron of the academy, as our arts editor will gompertz reports. prince philip, the duke of edinburgh, the first president of the society of film and television arts, known today as bafta, at the 1963 awards. he supported the organisation and more widely, the british film industry, for over 60 years.

bafta said: "the duke occupies a special place in the academy's history and will be missed enormously". his royal highness's death will cast a shadow over this year's awards which, because of the pandemic, will be held behind closed doors in a largely virtual event celebrating bafta's most diverse group of nominations ever. this is rocks, the eponymous teenage protagonist who's trying to keep her inner city london life together in a wonderfully observed drama that has bukky bakray up for a bafta best actress award, with rocks' friend, played by kosar ali, in the running for best supporting actress. the film is directed by sarah gavron, who could be a rare female best director winner. but first, she'll have to overcome the challenge from chloe zhao, whose film nomadland sees its star frances mcdormand up for best actress. riz ahmed is among those in the running for best actor for his portrayal of a drummer in a heavy rock band who suddenly loses his hearing. i'm not leaving my flat!

anthony hopkins, another best actor nominee, is losing his mind in the father. i don't see your name in lights. it's a competitive category that could see chadwick boseman awarded a posthumous best actor bafta for his performance in ma rainey�*s black bottom. but i don't like grandma. alan kim would be a popular best supporting actor winner for playing a little boy with a heart condition in minari, in which a young korean family set up a small farm in america. you can murder a revolutionary, but you can't murder revolution! daniel kaluuya is also in the running for best supporting actorfor his portrayal of fred hampton, the chicago black panthers leader, injudas and the black messiah. co—star dominique fishback is up for best supporting actress. best film could be won by emerald fennell�*s promising young woman, starring carey mulligan, or it could be aaron sorkin�*s the trial of the chicago 7, but the favourite for the prestigious award is nomadland. will gompertz, bbc news. that's it for now.

the next news on bbc one is at 5.35pm. have a good afternoon. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's chetan pathak. good afternoon, i'm chetan pathak with your latest sports news. there are four games in the english premier league today, including a big one towards the bottom of the table where burnley are taking on newcastle right now at turf moor. and it's the home side that lead early in the second half,

thanks to matej vydra's goal, a defeat would leave newcastle three points above the relegation zone. third place leicester are at west ham at two o'clock, the hammers can go back into fourth with a win. and later tottenham, also chasing champions league football, take on manchester united. spurs were 6—1winners at old trafford earlier this season, but neither manager says that matters now. i that matters now. think that 6—1 doesn't reflect th! reality. i think that 6—1 doesn't reflect the reality. it can happen, of course it can happen between two big clubs, these crazy results, they can happen. but they happen in an isolated way. we gave ourselves a difficult game by having _ we gave ourselves a difficult game by having ten men. preseason was short_ by having ten men. preseason was short and — by having ten men. preseason was short and we weren't up to the standard — short and we weren't up to the standard required. but we were so

poor and _ standard required. but we were so poor and i'm pretty, pretty sure that we _ poor and i'm pretty, pretty sure that we will see some players wanting — that we will see some players wanting to prove that we are better than that — japan's hideki matsuyama is the man to catch heading into the final round of the masters at augusta. he's a superstar in his home country, looking to win his first major and shot a very impressive bogey—free round of 65 to move four shots clear at the top of the leaderboard. justin rose had led at the start of play — but an even par round of 72 means he'll start the round tied for second. rachael blackmore says she hopes her landmark win at aintree can inspire others — after she became the first female jockey to win the grand national. the irish rider made history aboard the 11—1 shot minella times, trained by henry de bromhead, passing the winning line clear of her rivals. i can't even comprehend it right now

to be honest, it hasn't even sunk in. the grand national is the first race as a kid that would have caught my imagination sparked my interest. to finish way ahead in front is just beyond belief. britain's sam bird continues to lead the formula e world championship — but couldn't add to his points total after crashing out on the final lap of race two at the rome e prix. bird was taken out by nick de vries on a chaotic final lap that had just resumed after a late safety car. belgium's stoffel vandoorne held off the challengers to claim his first win of the season. and after five years away from the sport, double olympic champion helen glover has marked her competitive return with a gold medal at the european rowing championships in italy. competing alongside team—mate polly swann in the women's pair, they held off a romanian charge in the final 200m to cross the line in first place. glover decided to make a comeback after spending time on a rowing machine during last year's

first national lockdown. the mum of three says she's now setting her sights on becoming the first woman to make a british olympic rowing team after having children. one big gain is by doing this race. far, far more questions would have been asked just by doing one final. next time i'll sound outline of a final, almost everything will be raised. i was literally thinking today am i going to make it down the track? and it's silly because i do every day in training butjust something about racing makes those doubts come to the surface and i have managed to squash those all and move forward and be the athlete i know i am and move on to be the athlete that i want to be as well. there was plenty of other success for great britain, including gold in the men's four. find you can get all all the results and much more on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport

let's return now to the death of the duke of edinburgh. as we've been hearing, in the last few minutes prince andrew the duke of york paid tribute to his father, recalling a conversation he had with him recently. yes, it's a terrible loss. my father said to me on the telephone a few months ago that we are all in the same boat and we must always remember that. same boat and we must always rememberthat. but same boat and we must always remember that. but occasionally, we, the family, are asked to stand up and show compassion and leadership. and unfortunately with my father's death, it has brought it home to me notjust our loss but also the loss that everybody else has felt for so many people who have, as it were, dyed and lost loved ones during the pandemic. and so we are all in the

same boat. slightly different circumstances because he didn't die from covid but we're feeling great sense of loss. but at the same time, the tributes have been absolutely amazing that i've seen and the message is that i'm getting absolutely outstanding. and ijust want to say how grateful i am, we are, for these tributes. he was a remarkable man, i loved him as a father. he was so calm. if you had a problem, he would think about it. and that's the great thing that i was think about is that he was always somebody that you could go to any would always listen. so it's a great loss. i think the way i would put it is we have lost almost the grandfather of the nation. and i feel very sorry and supportive of my

mother, who is feeling it i think probably more than everybody else. you have the chance to see of the essay and of course everyone's thoughts are very much with her. how is your mother, the queen, the moment?— is your mother, the queen, the moment? ,, ., , , ., ., moment? the queen as you would exect is moment? the queen as you would expect is incredibly _ moment? the queen as you would expect is incredibly stoic— moment? the queen as you would expect is incredibly stoic person i expect is incredibly stoic person and she described his passing is a miracle. and she is contemplating, i think is the way i would put it. she described it as having left a huge void in her life. but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying round to make sure that we are there to support her and i know that there is a huge amount of support, notjust for her but for

everybody, as we go through this enormous change. but thank you very much indeed for coming to see us this morning at our private chapel, where we have been able to as it were give our prayers and head on the next few days before the funeral. the duke of edinburgh's youngest son, prince edward, and his wife sophie have also been speaking about the impact the duke's death has had on them. it's been a bit of a shock, however much one tries to prepare oneself for something like this, it is still a dreadful shock and we're still trying to come to with that. and it is very, very sad. but i have to say that the extraordinary tributes and the memories that everybody has had been willing to share has been so fantastic. and itjust goes to show, he might have been ourfather, grandfather, father—in—law, but he

meant so much to so many other people. and just being here this morning with everybody from windsor great park and he was a ranger here for more years than i think any other ranger. and he meant so much to so many people here. and it is the same for those who lived and worked at balmoral and sandringham, you know, for all those past and present, he means a huge, huge amount of them. very personal, all have their personal memories and stories for them and our hearts go out to them as well.— out to them as well. people have been telling _ out to them as well. people have been telling their— out to them as well. people have been telling their stories - out to them as well. people have been telling their stories to - out to them as well. people have been telling their stories to tell. | been telling their stories to tell. that is because he always exchange with with _ that is because he always exchange with with everybody because it didn't — with with everybody because it didn't matter what anybody was doing in and _ didn't matter what anybody was doing in and around the estate here and everywhere else, they all meant a lot to _ everywhere else, they all meant a lot to him — everywhere else, they all meant a lot to him and he always took a very personal— lot to him and he always took a very personal interest in everything that they were — personal interest in everything that they were doing. so they all have -ot they were doing. so they all have got stories— they were doing. so they all have got stories to tell most of them are quite _ got stories to tell most of them are quite funny— got stories to tell most of them are quite funny as well.— quite funny as well. yes, he went carriaue

quite funny as well. yes, he went carriage driving _ quite funny as well. yes, he went carriage driving round _ quite funny as well. yes, he went carriage driving round here - quite funny as well. yes, he went carriage driving round here on - quite funny as well. yes, he went carriage driving round here on a l carriage driving round here on a regular basis but he would go to places that were all over the place. he was pulled out of a few ditches here i_ he was pulled out of a few ditches here i seem to remember as well! in the here i seem to remember as well! the early here i seem to remember as well! in the early days he had a few problems. the early days he had a few problem-— the early days he had a few roblems. a, . , ., ., problems. more recently too! thouuhts problems. more recently too! thoughts are _ problems. more recently too! thoughts are very _ problems. more recently too! thoughts are very much - problems. more recently too! thoughts are very much with | problems. more recently too! i thoughts are very much with the queen, how she at the moment? thinking of others before herself. as always — thinking of others before herself. as alwa s. �* . thinking of others before herself. as always._ but - thinking of others before herself. as always._ but bearing | thinking of others before herself. i as always._ but bearing up. as always. amazing. but bearing up. but arain, as always. amazing. but bearing up. itut again. it — as always. amazing. but bearing up. itut again. it is _ as always. amazing. but bearing up. but again, it isjust _ as always. amazing. but bearing up. but again, it isjust that _ as always. amazing. but bearing up. but again, it is just that wave - as always. amazing. but bearing up. but again, it is just that wave of - but again, it is just that wave of affection for him and just as lovely stories, theyjust mean so much and the tributes have just been fantastic. and that is really, really important and we really do appreciate it. bud really important and we really do appreciate it— appreciate it. and i think it's so lovely for _ appreciate it. and i think it's so lovely for so — appreciate it. and i think it's so lovely for so many _ appreciate it. and i think it's so lovely for so many people - appreciate it. and i think it's so lovely for so many people to i appreciate it. and i think it's so i lovely for so many people to learn about _ lovely for so many people to learn about what he did because i think, i think— about what he did because i think, i think quite — about what he did because i think, i think quite a lot of things that have — think quite a lot of things that have come out will have surprised some _ have come out will have surprised some people. and how intrinsic he

was to— some people. and how intrinsic he was to every element of society, if you look_ was to every element of society, if you look at — was to every element of society, if you look at it. and it isjust lovely _ you look at it. and it isjust lovely. i've _ you look at it. and it isjust lovely. i've heard things that i didn't— lovely. i've heard things that i didn't even know as well, so for many— didn't even know as well, so for many people they will have been learning — many people they will have been learning a lot about him. which i think— learning a lot about him. which i think is— learning a lot about him. which i think is important.— think is important. thank you so much. indeed. _ think is important. thank you so much. indeed. and _ think is important. thank you so much. indeed. and to _ think is important. thank you so much. indeed. and to the - think is important. thank you so much. indeed. and to the wider| much. indeed. and to the wider family and to so many other countries, you know, where he is well remembered. the outpouring from right around the world very much appreciated. right around the world very much appreciated-— right around the world very much - appreciated._ that appreciated. thank you so much. that is the duke of— appreciated. thank you so much. that is the duke of edinburgh's _ appreciated. thank you so much. that is the duke of edinburgh's youngest . is the duke of edinburgh's youngest son and his wife. well, rev richard coles recently lost his sister to coronavirus and his partner, david died in december 2019. he has just published a book "�*the madness of grief: a memoir of love and loss'. he told me how he has coped with grief. it was something that shook the world, so much that i did feel as

though i'd kind of lost my place in my sense of self which is why describe it as being like madness. but i think that particular difficult. i mean, especially for somebody like the queen, whose presence and whose insurance plays such an important part in our sense of ourselves as a nation and as a people. and of course we all for her terribly, it will be a grievous loss. and our sincere condolences and our prayers, if we are praying types, go to her. and it reminds as i think of how important those narratives of continuity are, but our private individual ones and family once too, they enable us to know who we are and give us our sense of our place. we know who we are and give us our sense of our place.— sense of our place. we know the queen has _ sense of our place. we know the queen has close _ sense of our place. we know the queen has close family - sense of our place. we know the queen has close family around l sense of our place. we know the l queen has close family around her sense of our place. we know the - queen has close family around her at the moment to help her with that process but what do you talk about in your book in terms of how relatives and friends and loved ones can help people who are bereaved to help them come to terms with their grief? i help them come to terms with their arief? . �* , ' . help them come to terms with their . rief? ., �* , ' . ., grief? i mean, it's difficult to generalise — grief? i mean, it's difficult to generalise because _ grief? i mean, it's difficult to

generalise because her- grief? i mean, it's difficult to generalise because her grief| grief? i mean, it's difficult to l generalise because her grief is particular to every person and some people do in different ways to others. imagine the british royal family with its stiff upper lip, its famous stiff upper may do it in perhaps a way that may seem button—down to some. i feel i really wanted to talk, i wanted to speak to those who are nearest and dearest to me, my family, my closest friends. but sometimes strangers. i mean, i was very touched by people who stop ministry and gave me their condolences, sometimes awkwardly and sometimes with embarrassment because we are british and feel embarrassed about things that carry an emotional charge. but i think that is important, that sense that other people are acknowledging what has happened to you. perhaps the world is acknowledging what happened to you too. you know, we used to be better at this. our victorian forebears with all the elaborate paraphernalia of morning seemed a bit sentimental and fussy to us but they knew something that we have forgotten which is all of us, if you're lucky enough to share your life with someone who you love and you know they love you, the chances

are 50—50 you are going to be a widow or a widower. and to all of us in the end it is terrible and so it is worth getting prepared for it. grief is the price of love. what about funerals because they are so limited at the moment because of covid and we know that the duke of edinburgh's is going to be limited in terms of numbers who can attend. how important are funerals in terms of coming to terms with grief and the death of a loved one? i of coming to terms with grief and the death of a loved one?- the death of a loved one? i think the 're the death of a loved one? i think they're really _ the death of a loved one? i think they're really important - the death of a loved one? i think they're really important because | they're really important because they're really important because they are kind of formal ceremony at which you can take your leave of the person who has died. and that i think is really important. for those of us who are christians or those who belong to one of the major faiths or traditions we do with ceremonies. it is something that will be around long after we go on and there is something about that thatis and there is something about that that is very proud. we see in the national ceremonies around the royal family, i suppose particularly the last thing i can think of is the death of the queen mother but there is something dignified and also

objective about those rights that capture something important, it is allows us to feel the grief that we allows us to feel the grief that we all feel, to celebrate a life that was rich and shared with many. and to offer us the hope that beyond the dark horizon of death the possibilities of new life endure. the reverend richard coles there with his reflections on grief. india has reported a record number of coronavirus infections, after more than 150,000 people tested positive in a single day. the country is in the midst of a severe second wave of the virus our india correspondent yogita lamaye sent this report. a hospital in a western city. these are covid patients and there are no doctors to look at them, says the man filming the video. in the worst affected city in india,

people are being given oxygen outside a hospital because it is too full. patients are struggling to get medical care as india is in the grips of a fierce second wave of covid. 73—year—old mary was taken to six hospitals, none of which had critical care for her. she died on her way to the seventh. her son anthony spoke to me from isolation. "all these years she never needed to go to a hospital, and when she did i could not do anything for her. ifailed her," he says. field hospitals built last year to add to existing facilities are already full. this one is managed by dr kapale, who has been on the front line since the pandemic began. so what is different

this time around? right now i am seeing, when a single member is positive, the entire family is positive. the infection rate has gone up. it is affecting young adults, which is quite surprising. last year it took more than six weeks for daily cases to double to the number seen at the worst of the first wave. this year it has taken less than ten days for infections to grow twofold to the current high, which has already surpassed 2020's peak. the government says people not following covid protocols has led to the surge, but many experts believe that is not the main reason. it cannot explain the kind of surge increases that we are seeing currently in india, which clearly suggest that there is a great role for highly infectious variants of the virus, which are spreading faster. some of them might even have the capacity to escape the immune system.

to make matters worse, dozens of vaccination centres