Hail and thunder, but generally speaking, i think it is a quieter day. Hello and welcome to this special programme on bbc news. The coronavirus pandemic is testing the National Health service like never before. Staff have been left physically and mentally drained as they battled covid 19 on the front line. But after three lockdowns and a so far successful roll out of a vaccine the darkest days of the pandemic appear to be behind us. However, it doesnt mean the pressure is. The latest figures just under five Million People are currently on the waiting list for routine operations and in this next half hour well be discussing how the Health Service can tackle the backlog, some of the solutions hospitals are coming up with, the Mental Health impact of the backlog on staff and patients alike and in what state the nhs emerges from the pandemic. Here with me in the studio is chris hopson from nhs providers, which is made up of, and represents, the hospital, Mental Health, community and ambula
Worlds ability to recover from the pandemic. Worlds ability to recover from the andemic. ,. ,. , worlds ability to recover from the andemic. ~. ,. ,. , masks are no more at least for vaccinated americans. The cdc says those whove had theirjabs can take their masks off anywhere, anytime. Indoors or out. We have all waited for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy. And ive been speaking to the godfather of shock rock alice cooper on his return to his hometown of detroit where he has just recorded a new album. Hello im Laura Trevelyan in washington. Christian fraser is in london. Israeli forces are massing on the border with gaza as the military considers plans for a possible ground invasion. Israel has continued its air strikes on gaza where people say they endured the worst night since the 2014 war. At least 83 people are reported to have been killed in gaza since monday. Seven people have died in israel. Palestinian militants have continued Firing Barrages of rock