probe ageing candidates can run for parliament. pro beijing. and a piece of art that only exists digitally sells for a record breaking $70 million at auction. presidentjoe biden has told america that better days lie ahead after a year of lockdown and loss follwoing the coronovirus pandemic. in his first prime time televised address since his inauguration, he said the country would have enough supplies to vaccinate the entire adult population by the end of may. he said he hoped people would be able to celebrate independence day onjuly 4th with theirfamily. but he also reminded people of the dark days behind them. i v e i ve told you before, i carry a card in my pocket with the number of americans who died from covid to date, it s on the back of my schedule. as of now, total deaths in america, 527,726. that is more deaths than world war i, world war ii, the vietnam war and 9/11 combined. the bbc s david willis joins us to discuss. take us through the first bit of the speech
more than 4.5 million people were waiting to begin hospital treatment in england at the end january, that s the highest number since records began in 2007. the royal college of surgeons has called the situation to turn things around. here s our health editor, hugh pym. hospital wards devoted to covid. the surge in numbers over the last two months led to widespread cancellations of less urgent types of care, and there s still a backlog from last year s first covid peak. today s figures highlight again the scale of the problem. charmaine has severe arthritis, and last year was hoping to have a knee replacement. she was told in november she d have to wait another 12 months. she s currently out of work and the task of finding a newjob keeps getting harder. i hate not being able to work. how do i say to a new employer, thanks for thejob, but maybe in a couple of months, i might need three months off for a knee replacement. patient waits for non urgent care have increased around t