The Observer view on British scientific success on Covid-19

Our scientists' accomplishments on vaccines and genome sequencing are exemplary and must be shared with the rest of the world

A remarkable milestone will be passed today when government figures reveal that more than 15 million people in Britain have received at least one dose of a vaccine that will protect them from the severest impacts of Covid-19. It is a striking achievement. In just over two months, more than 20% of the population of the UK has been given protection against the worst ravages of a virus that has paralysed the nation and brought much of the rest of the planet to a standstill. For the first time since lockdown was imposed last March, the population can realistically conceive of enjoying some sort of a return to normality - not immediately, perhaps, but within some reasonable timeframe.

And for that reassurance, we should acknowledge our debt to the scientists who have strived so hard to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control. This, we should stress, has been a global effort by researchers working across the globe in myriad disciplines, from genetics to immunology and from disease modelling to vaccine design. Science is, above all, an international activity and the work of its practitioners in China, the US, Germany and a host of other countries has been crucial in limiting the worst impact of the pandemic.