UK becomes first country in Europe to pass 50,000 coronavirus deaths

Can a vaccine that’s been developed at breakneck speed really be safe?

Keen to address potential fears on that score, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van Tam, said today that he’d already advised his 78-year-old mother to have the jab as soon as she was offered it.

But, in the here and now, the UK passed an unwelcome milestone today: the latest government figures show 22,950 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, and the deaths of a further 595 people. That brings the total number to over 50,000.