they are the birdsong comedy beauty, the feathers on the ground. phone as well. thank you. thank you- helen — your phone as well. thank you. thank you. helen smith, _ your phone as well. thank you. thank you. helen smith, who _ your phone as well. thank you. thank you. helen smith, who lost— your phone as well. thank you. thank you. helen smith, who lost her- your phone as well. thank you. thank you. helen smith, who lost her dad i you. helen smith, who lost her dad ian last year _ you. helen smith, who lost her dad ian last year to _ you. helen smith, who lost her dad ian last year to coronavirus. - a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks — driven in part by a new, fast—spreading variant of the virus — has left the uk with one of the highest coronavirus death rates globally. the uk is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the us, brazil, india and mexico. we're joined now by our health editor, hugh pym. hugh, how significant is this moment? we have just heard directly from people who have been affected. what is your assessmen