The start of 2021 was meant to be a happy new year. The UK vaccine rollout gathering pace as the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab went on stream on Monday.

Hours later though, confirmation that vast swathes of the country were facing another lockdown – restrictions similar to what we faced last March.

Schools closed and summer exams cancelled.

The reason why? To protect the NHS and help save lives.

On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, consultant in intensive care Dr Alison Pittard shares her personal experience and explains more about the current situation on the frontline.

Dermot is also joined by our deputy political editor Sam Coates, Professor Calum Semple – who is a respiratory disease expert and member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and Jules White, headteacher of Tanbridge House School in Horsham, West Sussex.

Daily podcast team:
Podcast producer - Annie Joyce
Podcast producer - Nicola Eyers
Podcast producer – Emma Rae Woodhouse
Interviews producer - Tatiana Alderson
Archive - Simon Windsor
Archive - Rob Fellowes
Music - Steven Wheeler