the nhs test and trace system, which is likely to cost the taxpayer £37 billion failed to prevent lockdowns and there is no evidence that cut the number of coronavirus infections. those other findings in the house of commons public accounts committee, publishing a highly critical report of the scheme. it said the cost was staggering and the taxpayers were being treated like a cash machine. hugh pym reports. a testing site, today, now part of everyday life, but it has cost a lot of money to get where we are and a highly critical report by mps has fuelled a new debate on what test and trace has achieved. it was raised at prime minister s questions. the government is throwing a staggering £37 billion at a test and trace system that we know has made barely any difference. the prime minister defended its performance. it is thanks to nhs test and trace that we re able to send kids back to school and begin cautiously and irreversibly to reopen our economy and restart our lives. t
welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. it s exactly one year since the world health organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic that s the point the disease was confirmed as a truly global problem. covid 19 has so far claimed 2.6 million lives but there s hope on the horizon as vaccines reach some of the furthest corners of the world. our global health correspondent naomi grimley has been looking at the pandemic one year in. it s been a year that most of us will remember for the rest of our lives. one of grief and loneliness on a scale none of us could ve imagined. it s exactly 12 months since the world health organization officially sounded the alarm about the seriousness of covid 19. we have therefore made the assessment that covid 19 can be characterised as a pandemic. and yet, after a whirlwind of scientific discoveries, we re now seeing vaccines being distributed to some of the most remote communities on earth. in bra