some think that matt hancock praised the paper for some think that matt hancock praised the paperfor a some think that matt hancock praised the paper for a few hours ago. some think that matt hancock praised the paper for a the vaccination effort is on the front page of the guardian too — it says experts want high—risk, minority ethnic groups to be prioritised for covid jabs. the prime minister is vowing that things will look very different by spring — that's in the daily express. and, away from coronavirus — the daily mail leads with a warning over smart motorways, after the death of two drivers on the m1. welcome to you both. lucy, do you want to kick off on the telegraph? getting jabbed could prompt public to abandon rules. this risk of complacency worn by scientists based on polling. complacency worn by scientists based on ollina. , , complacency worn by scientists based on ollin. , , , complacency worn by scientists based on ollin. , h , on polling. yes, this comes in the wake of the _ on polling. yes, this comes in the wake of the good _ on polling. yes, this comes in t

matt hancock was _ will be on the t cell response. matt hancock was talking _ will be on the t cell response. matt hancock was talking about 77 cases being monitored. how do these variants develop geographically like this? i mentioned the kent variant. then the brazil one. then the south african one. is it to do with something else geographically? can you explain it in layman's terms? well, it is the same for all of these kind of respiratory viruses. they constantly evolve. the vast majority of these are either deleterious, or the virus doesn't change at all, or they don't change any parameters such as the infectiousness or how severe the disease it can cause is. it'sjust very occasionally get these new variants are rising that allow the virus to spread more rapidly or cause more severe disease. so this is happening all over the world, and it isjust in is happening all over the world, and it is just in these regions where there is more virus spread, you are going to have more generators, so it isjust numbers really. if going to have m

from matt hancock, they could not— conference from matt hancock, they could not give specifics on timings. they are _ could not give specifics on timings. they are not going to get to the point _ they are not going to get to the point where we are talking but we were _ point where we are talking but we were going to ease lockdown. matt hancock _ were going to ease lockdown. matt hancock did not want to go anywhere near dates~ _ hancock did not want to go anywhere near dates. instead he offered printable — near dates. instead he offered printable and said, we need to look at the _ printable and said, we need to look at the vaccine roll—out but we also had to _ at the vaccine roll—out but we also had to look— at the vaccine roll—out but we also had to look at the number of deaths. he did _ touch on the infection rate, because people _ touch on the infection rate, because people were saying, it is going down — people were saying, it is going down, that seems to be a strong guide _ down, that seems to be a strong guide one — down, that seems to be a strong guide. one of the thin

-- we heard matt hancock.- we heard matt hancock. still high but falling. _ we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the _ we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the reported - we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the reported daily - but falling, the reported daily cases is 15,000 down on this time last week. but of course the snow might have had something to do with it, people having problems getting to testing stations and so on. even so, looking at the rolling seven day average for the underlying trend, it is the lowest since before christmas, falling in all nations of the uk. in wales, the lowest since late new hospital late november. daily new hospital admissions falling, the lowest since early january. admissions falling, the lowest since earlyjanuary. the number of early january. the number of patients earlyjanuary. the number of patients overall with covid in hospital is still very high, up at about 38,000, patients need to stay in bed for some time to recover, and thatis in bed for some time to recover, and that is why ministers say the nhs is stil

have a listen to matt hancock, the health secretary. my gratitude, all of our gratitude, goes out to the team working across the nhs and working harder than it has ever worked before, and we could all do something to help, which is to stay at home. every time you try to flex the rules, that could be fatal. and we all have a part to play. that was health secretary matt hancock, giving encouraging figures around the number of people vaccinated, around two million. we get the full figures on a monday, but it is around two million. at the moment the big question is how you ramp that up significantly, how you get to a point where you have a large part of the population vaccinated. the health secretary was saying the aim is to get 200,000 vaccinations per day pretty soon. we know that mass vaccination centres are being opened up in parts of england. what i found really interesting was we know the government is planning to getjabs in the arms of the most vulnerable by the middle of february. matt hancock saying by autumn every adult in the uk

just been hearing from matt hancock — taxpayer. just been hearing from matt hancock in _ taxpayer. just been hearing from matt hancock in the _ taxpayer. just been hearing from matt hancock in the last - taxpayer. just been hearing from matt hancock in the last hour, i matt hancock in the last hour, saying 77 cases of the south african variant covid have now been identified in the uk. all of them connected to travel from south africa and also nine with the brazilian variant. the issue of travel, that is very much at the top of the agenda at the moment. it is of the agenda at the moment. it is very interesting — of the agenda at the moment. it 3 very interesting because the story doesn't specify who will lead business travellers, will they be forced to quarantine, for example? will this also apply to people who come into britain on privatejets, well they also need to quarantine? this is yet another one across the papers that just this is yet another one across the papers thatjust keeps underlining how serious it is and we are nowhere near the end. however, how serious it is and we

matt hancock said l a big question. matt hancock said this morning that people who have had that vaccine will get that second job within 12 weeks, but there are some saying it must happen much quicker. there are quit still questions about the vaccine and vaccine supply chain. of course, thatis vaccine supply chain. of course, that is bound to cause some concern given the deadlines that the government has set itself. but there is no doubt that the government has a good story to tell on vaccines, and is very keen to make international comparisons. what they are not keen for her, is for international comparisons to be drawn on deaths per 1000 people, or the economic impact, the slump in national income as a result of the measures of the last 12 months, where again in the uk is in a relatively disadvantageous position. but i think what we are going to get, whether it is on schools reopening or the easing of the restrictions, the constraints on our liberties, what we are not going to get this time, i think, is predictions of

matt hancock also pledges every adult in the uk will be offered a vaccine by the autumn. shortages on the shelves for some shoppers in northern ireland after new trading arrangements following brexit. and yet another big surprise in the fa cup this weekend, as crawley town take on leeds united. good afternoon. the health secretary, matt hancock, has warned that every time people flex the lockdown rules, it could be fatal and has urged everyone to follow government restrictions. but the labour leader, sir keir starmer, says the current rules may not be tough enough. more than a thousand deaths from coronavirus were reported across the uk for the fourth day in row yesterday. this report from our political correspondent nick eardley contains flash photography. central london this morning as quiet as you will ever see it, with shops shut, pubs closed. some parts of the country are deserted again. but there is also real concern in government that not everybody is following the new lockdown and the strict stay at home message. the government rules only are one part of this. wha

matt hancock also said today in _ that knowledge? matt hancock also said today in his _ that knowledge? matt hancock also said today in his press _ that knowledge? matt hancock also said today in his press conference l said today in his press conference that it was imported to be cautious at the border and the principal analysis of the new variance carried out. so effectively that was signalling that what we expect to see tomorrow is a meeting of what is called covid—i9 organisation committee, senior cabinet ministers who will discuss what further action to take of the border and as you mentioned we are expecting to see this idea quarantine hotels are people arriving in the country would have to quarantine for up to ten daysin have to quarantine for up to ten days in a hotel accommodation somewhere near major airports. but at the moment, what is not clear, and may yet have to be thrashed out at that meeting tomorrow at just and may yet have to be thrashed out at that meeting tomorrow atjust how widespread that policy would be, so a

matt hancock, the health secretary. let's talk to nick trickle. relatively good news in terms of the vaccine programme. we are hearing 2.5 million vaccine doses have been given out so far. yes, and that is quite a bit of progress. when you think the first four weeks there were around 1.3 million vaccinations done. in the past week, the same or almost the same again, and that's why this health ash might be health secretary, matt hancock, described it has an incredible start when he published the vaccine delivery plan. it is clear, from here, the nhs has to keep its foot on the accelerator. the next target is to start achieving 2 million doses a week. i understand the nhs is aiming to get close to that this week. that's only achievable if there is a good supply of the vaccine. there is enough vaccine, when you take oxford extra zeneca and the pfizer vaccine —— box products —— 0xford astrazeneca and the pfizer vaccine in the country. there is growing optimism that the nhs is on track. sir simon stephens, the head of nhs england, was telling m

the contract ran out at the end of last year, and what matt hancock has not done is renew them, so... we gave them a gold star for vaccines, but it is a black mark for doing this, and with the private health care providers are saying is that, look, they are perfectly happy to make these beds available to the nhs, and we now need to more than ever, certainly more than the first lockdown, but at the moment, they're so much chaos and confusion, they've got to know where the money is coming from, so matt hancock really does need to get a grip. they are ready to go, you could actually do this immediately, but he must sort out the paperwork first. share this immediately, but he must sort out the paperwork first.— out the paperwork first. are you sa in: , out the paperwork first. are you saying. then. — out the paperwork first. are you saying, then, that _ out the paperwork first. are you saying, then, that it _ out the paperwork first. are you saying, then, that it was - out the paperwork first. are you saying, then, that it was an i saying, then, that it was an accident that he failed

. -- matt hancock. ithink it was a pr sent that he would go to the gps where they would be giving their first vaccinations but they did not get their vaccinations through. it had not been delivered in time. —— a pr event. it was pretty embarrassing for the health secretary. it is great to see them go all out on getting the jab out. it has been horrific and people will wa nt it has been horrific and people will want to see that. but of course, the la st want to see that. but of course, the last 9—10 months of government activity on covid has been marked by dithering, incompetence that has ultimately proved so deadly. we have had one of the highest death rates per capita had one of the highest death rates percapita in had one of the highest death rates per capita in the world, and it is great to see the vaccine is being rolled out and we just hope that they are able to do it and that it isn't like the other programmes that they said would be world beating like track and trace. that weren't. so we ho

uk health secretary matt hancock says 77 cases of the south african variant of covid have been found here in the uk. says there are early signs coronavirus cases are falling — but he doesn't know when restrictions could lift in england — despite the speed of the uk vaccine rollout. we don't yet know the impact on how much the vaccine impacts on how much you transmit the virus. that's why it's so important that people continue to stay at home after they've had the vaccine. anger in europe over vaccine delays — italy accuses pfizer and astrazeneca of serious contract violations. a dramatic rescue in china — as 11 gold miners who'd been trapped underground for two weeks are brought out alive. new zealand confirms its first coronaviurs case in months, which appears to have slipped through the country's rigorous quarantine system. it isa it is a woman who travelled to the country from abroad. here in the uk, the snp will present its national assembly with what it's calling a roadmap to a new referendum on scottish independence. and borisjohnson becomes the first european leader to

the health secretary matt hancock attended a surgery this morning to promote the initiative, only to discover the new vaccine had yet to arrive. a gp there said its arrival had been delayed by 2a hours. and in the past few minutes leaders in birmingham have written to the health secretary to say they expect to run out of the pfizer vaccine tomorrow and as yet haven't received any stocks of the oxford version. naomi grimley reports. it's an exciting day today. today, you're going to get your vaccine to prevent you getting the covid. a wartime—like endeavour in peacetime. the next few days are due to see a massive ramping up of this national effort, in the hope of vaccinating 13 million vulnerable people by mid—february. this morning, the health secretary matt hancock was hearing how gps will begin to take on a larger part of the roll—out, especially now the oxford astrazeneca jab will start arriving in surgeries. there was a hitch, though, because the surgery he went to didn't get its expected delivery of the oxford vaccine. it all adds to questions about if the government's amb

health secretary matt hancock. our medical editor, fergus walsh, gave his assessment of today's roll—out. i really think it is a game changer because this vaccine doesn't need to be transported at —70, it can be stored in a fridge, transported in a fridge, and that makes it vital not only for the uk but indeed globally. because this is really the first global covid vaccine. astrazeneca has said it will provide 100 million doses to the uk this year but 3 billion doses worldwide and it will do that at cost. it is five times cheaper than the pfizer vaccine. it really has the potential to make a big impact notjust here in the uk but across the world. the first doses were given, there are people queueing behind me here to come in, health care workers and others who are in the priority groups. and just to give you a reminder of those groups, it is people over 50, at the moment we are doing the over 80s but then there are front line health care workers and people with underlying health conditions aged 16—64. a huge

here's health secretary matt hancock. the rules are really simple, which is to stay at home unless you absolutely have to leave, you know. and this is important. we don't say these things lightly. they are very important, to try to get the number of cases coming down. and we know that this can work because we know that this can work because we know that the only way that the virus spreads is when people meet each other or on surfaces. and so, we can all play a part in making this happen. and together, we can make this the peak, if enough people follow the rules, which are incredibly clear. our chief political correspondent adam fleming is in westminster. good to see you, adam. if people follow the rules, matt hancock said. but i wonder, given that scotland is considering further restrictions, whether inevitably include will follow suit, what do you think? there is definitely pressure on the government to tighten up these restrictions. the pressure is coming from potentially nicola sturgeon at lunchtime, if she announces a

hancock has taken the questions where is kevin williamson at the moment? he questions where is kevin williamson at the moment?— questions where is kevin williamson at the moment? he still appearing in the comments. _ at the moment? he still appearing in the comments, but _ at the moment? he still appearing in the comments, but you _ at the moment? he still appearing in the comments, but you are - at the moment? he still appearing in the comments, but you are right - at the moment? he still appearing in the comments, but you are right to l the comments, but you are right to say, is not really going out there flying the flag and jump to the policies. i think a lot of people do think that gabe williamson will be moved in next reshuffle. i think it's more likely he's moved to a different role than pushed out entirely but i think it's a sense that when there's that chance for reshuffle there would be a new figure in terms of that brief. it will be so much catching up to do for all of these children who have lost so much in terms of education in the classroom.

a lot of stories about vaccines, problems with supply which matt hancock admitted today in his briefing. katie, do you want to kick us off with the moderna and the new trials? which does not sound very good news in terms of the original jab for the south african variant. h jab for the south african variant. i suppose there's good and bad news. is concerned about the variant, and also other variants, particularly brazil, and all the south african variant is what they found is that the vaccine does work against it but it is not as effective. so where it works it what you might call the canterbury it, in the uk and pretty much the same as the original coronavirus, the concern is that the south african variant it's less effective. as a result they are now launching vaccine trial to try to tackle this new strain to try and get it to a point where it is a more effective vaccine. now there's good news in the sense that you are working out what you can do as the virus adapts, but there's also just another reminder that this is a very long road we are on and decided we were all going to be vacci

the health secretary, matt hancock, has warned that every time people "flex" the lockdown rules it "could be fatal" and he's urged everyone to follow government restrictions. but the labour leader, sir keir starmer, says the current rules may not be tough enough. more than 1,000 deaths from coronavirus were reported across the uk for the fourth day in row yesterday. a warning — our political correspondent nick eardley report does contain flash photography. central london this morning is quiet as you will ever see it, with shops shut, pubs closed, some parts of the country are deserted again. but there is also reel concern in government, that not everybody is following the new lockdown in the strict stay at home message. the government rules only are one part of this, what really matters is what every person does, because that is how the virus spreads, we could all do something to help, which is to stay at home, because every time you try to flex the rules, that could be fatal. the health secretary didn't rule out taking extra measure, because the real concern among experts about the hea

matt hancock says the health service could soon be overwhelmed. we can all do something to help which is to stay at home because every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal and we all have a part to play. the labour leader, sir keir starmer is calling on the government to bring back daily briefings, to help reiterate the stay—at—home message to the public. we have had mixed messages for the last nine months which is why we have a problem. i want to see the prime minister every day with a briefing making sure that that message is getting through. it comes as asymptomatic testing is ramped up and more than half a million people over the age of 80 are invited to mass vaccination centres. rescue teams in indonesia have found the black box flight recorders for the boeing passenger plane that crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff. 62 people were on board. president trump will face impeachment proceedings this week for the second time — accused of inciting the storming of congress. now on bbc news, it's time for click. this week,

matt hancock also said we are a "long way" from covid restrictions being eased, as scientists warn vaccinated people may still be able to pass the virus on. our science editor david shukman now reports. all kinds of surprising locations are now mobilised in the push for vaccination — even the black country living museum, near birmingham. used as a set in the drama peaky blinders, this celebration of an earlier age is ready to offer the most modern of medicines, everything prepared for coronavirus vaccines. please, please come and get your vaccine. we are here and we are ready and we are waiting for you. it is vitally important that people protect themselves, protect their families and protect one another. we do know that the injections offer good protection. they boost antibodies in the bloodstream and keep people from getting ill. but it's not clear if that stops the virus causing infections that can then spread to others. as we understand more and more about this virus that anybody, really, with a variety of underlying health conditions or perfectly healthy can still get severe covid, so

the health secretary matt hancock attended a surgery this morning to promote the initiative, only to discover the new vaccine had yet to arrive. a gp there said its arrival had been delayed by 2a hours. leaders in birmingham have written to the health secretary to say they expect to run out of the pfizer vaccine tomorrow and as yet haven't received any stocks of the oxford version. naomi grimley reports. today, you're going to get your vaccine to prevent you getting the covid. a wartime—like endeavour in peacetime. the next few days are due to see a massive ramping—up of this national effort, in the hope of vaccinating 13 million vulnerable people by mid—february. this morning, the health secretary matt hancock was hearing how gps will begin to take on a larger part of the roll—out, especially now the oxford—astrazeneca jab will start arriving in surgeries. there was a hitch, though, because the surgery he went to didn't get its expected delivery of the oxford vaccine. it all adds to questions about if the government's ambitions are achievable. it's just more frustrating th

the uk health secretary matt hancock says 77 cases of the south african variant of coronavirus have been found here in the uk — but they can all be linked to international travel and there's no evidence it's spreading in the community. matt hancock also said we are a "long way" from covid restrictions being eased — as scientists warn vaccinated people may still be able to pass on the virus. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. all kinds of surprising locations are now mobilised in the push for vaccination — even the black country living museum, near birmingham. used as a set in the drama peaky blinders, this celebration of an earlier age is ready to offer the most modern of medicines, everything prepared for coronavirus vaccines. please, please come and get your vaccine. we are here and we are ready and we are waiting for you. it is vitally important that people protect themselves, protect their families and protect one another. we do know that the injections offer good protection. they boost antibodies in the bloodstream and keep people from getting ill. but it's not clear if

matt hancock said the nhs was under serious pressure and could soon become overwhelmed. his message was echoed by england's chief medical officer, professor chris whitty, who said the new variant of the disease is surging rapidly across the country, leaving some areas facing ‘the most dangerous situation anyone can remember‘. the labour leader, sir keir starmer says the current restrictions may not be tough enough. he's urged the government to reinforce the stay—at—home message, and called for a return of the daily downing street briefings, fronted by the prime minister. the government is rolling out rapid flow tests across the whole of england. the tests, which can return results in 30 minutes, will be prioritised for those who can't work from home. and tens of thousands of people in england aged over 80 are being invited to book an appointment to get the vaccine at one of seven mass vaccination centres. today matt hancock also said said he hoped all adults in the uk would be offered the vaccine by the autumn. now, the latest from our political correspondent nic

matt hancock the health secretary acknowledging as much. he put out a statement yesterday saying more than half the over—80s in england had had their firstjab, but that over—80s in england had had their first jab, but that was on over—80s in england had had their firstjab, but that was on average and london is back down at about 30% just to name one example of an area that has not really been keeping up with us. now, he said in a media briefing, as you heard, that he wanted to see supplies of the vaccine move to areas that needed to do more work to get the over—80s vaccinated. and he then said supply is the rate limiting factor. in other words, is the rate limiting factor. in otherwords, it is the rate limiting factor. in other words, it is not entirely straightforward getting enough supply at any one time to keep everyone up to the right place. and actually, the daily number of vaccinations for the first dose was up vaccinations for the first dose was up at about 300,000 for a couple of days, it did full back a bit over the weekend

the health secretary matt hancock says 77 cases of the south african variant of covid have been found here in the uk. but all have links to international travel and there is no evidence to date that it is spreading in the community unchecked. matt hancock has also said we are a "long way" from restrictions being eased — as scientists warn people may still be able to pass on the virus even if they've been vaccinated. our health reporter jim reed has more. the vaccination roll—out in the uk continues. hundreds of thousands of those most at risk are receiving theirjabs this weekend, but as we try and navigate our way out of this pandemic, scientists think new variants of coronavirus are a real concern. a mutation first found in cases from south africa is thought to spread faster. some worry it could also make a vaccine less effective, though that is not yet certain. speaking on the andrew marr programme, the health secretary said the government is monitoring it closely. there are 77 known cases of the south african variant here in the uk. they are under very close observation and we

matt hancock is already optimistic about what he calls a brilliant summer ahead and has booked his cottage in cornwall, apparently. ithink ahead and has booked his cottage in cornwall, apparently. i think that is best described as wishful briefing. we will have to see how things go because there is a big challenge, but the interaction, to go back to what we were talking about, the interaction between vaccinations and enforcement of the rules is an interesting question. at the moment about 2% of the population are vaccinated, so far, but what happens when that rises to 10% or 20% when it is one in five or one in four people, then does everybody have to stay indoors all the time? can two people who have been both been vaccinated not meet for a long walk and a cup of peppermint tea? the intricacies of the enforcement around that will get very, very complicated and i think it is perhaps inevitable that we will see some form of adaptation of rules to allow people with some fourth of proof of immunity to re—enter normal behaviour —— some form of proof. whilst others will be restricted, but

here in the uk, health secretary matt hancock says there are early signs the number of coronavirus cases are starting to decrease, but that he doesn't know when the current lockdown restrictions will ease. mr hancock also praised the speed of the vaccine rollout, with three quarters of the over—80s receiving their first dose. he was speaking to the andrew marr show. the good news is there are early signs that certainly the rise in the number of cases has been halted. and in many parts of the country, that cases are starting to come down. it isn't just about the government, it's about each and every one of us, as we have discussed many times. and as you say, the vaccine roll—out programme is going really rapidly. we've vaccinated as of this morning three quarters of all the over—80s in the country and a similar number of care homes, and i'm so proud of the nhs team delivering on that. i have been talking to your opposite number in israel, mr edelstein. he says that before restrictions can properly be lifted, they have to vaccinate 80% of their population. is that the kind of figure

let's listen to the health secretary matt hancock. mr health secretary matt hancock. ii speaker, we are in the midst of one of the toughest periods of this pandemic. yesterday saw 1820 deaths, which is the highest total since the crisis began. as we endure these dark days and the restrictions we must all follow to save lives, we know that we have a way out, which is our vaccination programme and thanks to the hard work of so many, we now have an immense infrastructure in place that day by day is protecting the most vulnerable and giving hope to us all. i'm glad to report to the house that we have now given over 5 million doses of vaccine across the uk to 4.6 million people are making good progress towards our goal of offering everyone in priority groups one to four their first dose by the 15th of february. this is a huge feet and one in which we can all take pride. we are vaccinating at a greater daily rate than anywhere in europe, twice the rate of france or spain or germany. but these first 5 million doses are only the beginning. we are opening more sites all the ti

ok, here is the healthl secretary, matt hancock. that evening and welcome to downing street for today's coronavirus briefing. i am joined street for today's coronavirus briefing. iamjoined by street for today's coronavirus briefing. i am joined by the medical director of nhs england and by doctor susan hopkins, chief medical advisor to public health england and nhs test and trace. i want to bring you up today with the latest data on the disease and on our vaccine plan. today, 37,535 positive coronavirus cases were recorded. the nhs is under significant pressure in all parts of the country. there are 37,475 people in uk hospitals with coronavirus. that is the highest it has been throughout the pandemic. and someone is admitted to hospital every 30 seconds and sadly, today, 599 more deaths were recorded. that is 599 more people who have died from this terrible disease and left loved ones and their families from this terrible disease and left loved ones and theirfamilies in mourning. i know the pain that this disease causes. and i am d

we will be speaking to the health secretary, matt hancock, at 7:30am. we will talk to him about that. we know as well that some primary schools, a lot of them are on inset days today. but they are due to be returning this week. what are your thoughts on that?” due to be returning this week. what are your thoughts on that? i am a mum to three kids, all of them going to primary school. i can speak as a clinician and as a mum. i had a really interesting conversation with a consultant colleague of mine who was saying to me, children who have covid are a bit like giving children glitter. so although the child isn't affected, that litter goes everywhere. the adults, the teachers, the parents, grandparents, you bring it home and it goes everywhere. that is the reality of it. although keeping schools open, yes,, i it. although keeping schools open, yes, , i completely it. although keeping schools open, yes,, i completely understand the royal college of art paediatricians have said we don't want schools to close. it puts down the child's development. health is

here comes matt hancock along with susan hopkins and jenny harries. hello and welcome and i�*m joined by deputy chief medical officerjenny harries and doctor susan hopkins who is the chief medical adviser to public health england and nhs test and trace. i want to object you on the latest coronavirus data and the vaccine rollout. —— update you. in the past week we�*ve seen 37,258 cases of coronavirus on average each day in the uk. the nhs is under intense pressure. across all parts of the country. with 37,899 people in uk hospitals with covid and that includes a076 people on ventilators. sadly today 592 more deaths were reported. and we must never forget the real impact of this disease, beloved ones that we�*ve lost, grandparents, parents, friends, colleagues. we grieve for each one. and the pressure on the front line i can tell you is just so relentless. when i talk to colleagues working in the tent towards they are flat out and they are stretched to the limit. they are doing everything that they can and i want to say huge thank you to all t

and the health secretary, matt hancock, says 530,000 doses of the vaccine are ready for use this week, and that the distribution programme is being accelerated. it is a matter of getting the vaccine, as soon as it is manufactured, and then goes through the crucial safety checks, which obviously are very important, and getting it into the nhs and delivered into people's arm5. in fact, we have been able to accelerate that process because we now know that you get your protection after the first dose and the second dose can wait until 12 weeks away. that means that, over the first few months of the programme, we can effectively vaccinate twice as many people as we would have been able to otherwise. and obviously that is very good news in terms of protecting people and saving people's lives and of course getting us out of this pandemic and all the restrictions that we have to live with. we can speak now to our medical editor, fergus walsh. a hugely important moment, fergus. how much of a game changer is this vaccine? i really think it is a game changer because this vaccine doesn't need to

while the daily express also carries health secretary matt hancock's warning that covid restrictions must be obeyed if freedom is to come by august. the daily telegraph says ministers are under pressure to expand the covid vaccination programme and offerjabs 2a hours a day to speed up its rollout. the financial times reports that as democrats in the us house of representatives began a second attempt to impeach donald trump, angela merkel has criticised twitter for banning the us president from its platform, calling it a "problematic" breach of the "fundamental right to free speech". so, let's begin. pressure on nhs for covid vaccinations around the clock, and the government said there was no clamourfor this, where the government said there was no clamour for this, where do you stand? the government said there was no clamourfor stand? the government said there was no clamour for it, you stand? the government said there was no clamourfor it, you are right, but they then promptly found there was a clamour at least on social media, and keir starmer was inquiring about it, as well, so it

uk health secretary matt hancock is self—isolating after receiving an alert from the nhs test and trace app. flood warnings as storm christoph is forecast to bring torrential rain to swathes of central and northern england. it's going to be devastating. if it's anything like it was in february, it's going to be devastating, yeah. and two more tennis players at the australian open test positive for covid—19, amid ongoing controversy over the event hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. a further 6,586 deaths involving covid—19 were registered in the uk in the week to january the 8th — that brings the total registered deaths close to 96,000. data from the office for national statistics also shows that 1,370 care home residents in england and wales were registered to have died with coronavirus in the first week of janaury. and figures from the 0ns infection survey estimates that one in eight people in the uk had contracted covid—19 by the end of december. that means around 8.5 million people were infected in 2020. joining me now is our head of statistic

the health secretary for england, matt hancock, has said he's "very worried" about the new south african variant of coronavirus. there are fears it may be even more tra nsmissable than the new uk variant. in order to stop the spread of the south african variant, flights to the uk from the country have been banned since christmas eve. 0ur correspondent andrew harding reports from johannesburg. move! a strict new lockdown across south africa, complete with a night—time curfew with a total ban on the sale of alcohol. the authorities here are struggling to contain an aggressive new variant of the virus. that variant, just like the one in britain, has made covid—19 far easier to catch and to transmit. you see how short of breath you are, eh? the result — hospitals are filling up fast, and precious oxygen supplies are running low. early evidence suggests the virus here is probably no more transmissible or more deadly than the british variant. but that's still being tested. so the jury is still out, we still don't have a definitive answer, but generally viruses evolve to become more trans

apart fromaying he was sorry this was happening, we basically had the health secretary, matt hancock, saying this was indeed heartbreing. and it was interesting toee the prime minister say we have done everything in our power to reduce death, to minimize the human cost of this. there are some who do not agree with that assessment. james: french health authorities have announced the latest numbers. 612 fatalities. the number of people being hospitalized has risen sharply in the last couple of days. so too has the number of patients in intensive care. in france, teachers, students in high schools and universities went on strike. many teachers are uncomfortable with the sanitary conditions at their schools and say they feel abandoned and underpaid at the front lines. meanwhile, students continue to struggle with mental health, feeling isolated as they follow classes from home. they are calling for a return in small groups as well as financial support. >> marching toward the education ministry, french teachers vented their anger over working conditions, describing a lack of respect for sa

they are saying it is a matt hancockj they are saying it is a matt hancock blunder, that over 8000 hospital beds are not being used because he cancelled contracts with private hospitals. we do hear a lot about the nhs being overwhelmed and there was this initial plan contractor to cover private hospital beds. is that an interesting story?— an interesting story? yes, the numbers. _ an interesting story? yes, the numbers. we _ an interesting story? yes, the numbers, we have _ an interesting story? yes, the numbers, we have a - an interesting story? yes, the numbers, we have a record i an interesting story? yes, the - numbers, we have a record 37,000 people _ numbers, we have a record 37,000 people in— numbers, we have a record 37,000 people in hospital with coronavirus at the _ people in hospital with coronavirus at the moment and that is a third of the nhs's _ at the moment and that is a third of the nhs's total hospital capacity. this story— the nhs's total hospital capacity. this story is talking about... dear member— this story is talking about... dear member at— this story is t

according to matt hancock, that is about a third of over 80s and we have got to reach this 13 million target by the middle of next month. can ijust say, you mentioned those over 80 and there is joan collins. joan gets a shot in the arm. she is 87, it is rude to mention her age but she does fit into that category. let's move on the daily telegraph saying all adults to receive a vaccine autumn because of these hubs opening. because there have not been much mention of younger adults up until now. this is part of the problem because what we know is that one in three of us can have the virus without knowing it and can spread it. and so some advisers have been telling the prime minister that it is not people being of the missing that when the can open up, about us being able to be over the worst of this by spring but the problem is that you cannot just vaccinate all the over 70s and health care workers and vulnerable and then your people can still wander about spreading it further. everyone needs to be fact that it's we are looking at autumn really for everyone to get vaccinated and that is

hancock said it was not time to ease lockdown restrictions. >> the lockdown is starting to bring cases down, but we're a long, long way from that -- from being low enough, because the case rate was incredibly high. and you can see the pressure on the nhs. you can see it every day you know, the lhs are doing an amazing job in incredibly difficult circumstances. >> meanwhile, uk ministers are set to meet later this week to discuss stricter quarantine measures for people arriving from abroad. this could include the introduction of mandatory quarantine in selected hotels. currently people arriving into the uk from abroad are asked to self-isolate for ten days. >>> italian prime minister has threatened legal action against astrazeneca, accusing it of breaching its contract to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the european union the pharmaceutical giant warned the bloc that initial volumes will be significantly lower than anticipated, but the prime minister says delays could put people's lives at risk italy is set to receive less than half the doses initially promised in the first quarter. the

this morning, the health minister or health secretary matt hancock was asked about base and this is what he had to say on the matter. the? about base and this is what he had to say on the matter.— to say on the matter. they have secial to say on the matter. they have special arrangements _ to say on the matter. they have special arrangements to - to say on the matter. they have special arrangements to ensure | to say on the matter. they have - special arrangements to ensure that the players are safe and have a testing — the players are safe and have a testing regime for instance. but i do think— testing regime for instance. but i do think that it is important that everybody respects not just the left there but— everybody respects not just the left there but the spirit of their wills because — there but the spirit of their wills because it — there but the spirit of their wills because it is the spirit of the rules— because it is the spirit of the rules that _ because it is the spirit of the rules that is important. is because it is the spirit of the rules that is important.