The country has endured a year-long "epic of endurance and privation" since the first coronavirus lockdown, Boris Johnson said amid warnings that another wave of infections is inevitable.
The Prime Minister, who promised a memorial to those who have died in the pandemic, said the nation is "step by step, jab by jab" on the path to "reclaiming our freedoms" on the anniversary of the first lockdown.
Asked by The Telegraph's political editor Ben Riley-Smith whether the Government's objective should be to eradicate Covid or simply bring down cases to the lowest levels, Mr Johnson said: "I'm not sure eradication makes sense in a globalised economy."
Chief medical officer professor Chris Whitty echoed the Prime Minister, adding: "I regret to say that the chances of eradicating this disease are close to zero."
Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser also added: "Don't expect that this thing is going to disappear.
"The chances of eradication are very close to zero, as Chris said."
The number of workers on UK payrolls increased for the third month in a row in February but has fallen by nearly 700,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.
Boris Johnson reflected with Cabinet ministers on "a very dark and difficult year" for the nation on the anniversary of the first lockdown, Downing Street said.
AstraZeneca has defended data showing its Covid-19 vaccine was highly effective after US health officials suggested some results were based on "outdated information".
Germany extends its lockdown until April 18 and calls on citizens to stay at home for five days over the Easter holidays to try to break a third wave of the pandemic.
Vladimir Putin reportedly had his first dose of a Russian-made Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine in private.
06:57 PM
Watch: How to manage the next pandemic - The six things we have to do differently in future
With around 2.6 million lives lost, and a global bill of $28 trillion according to the IMF, the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect.
Scientists say zoonotic spillover events, like the one which caused this pandemic, are becoming more frequent, meaning future pandemics are not unlikely.
So what lessons have we learned from this pandemic for next time?
The Telegraph's Global Health Editor, Paul Nuki, says there are six lessons the UK needs to learn from in the case of another pandemic. From hospital capacity to pandemic wargaming, watch the video to find out more.
06:55 PM
A year ago I wanted to flee Britain for Germany – not any longer
A year ago, while Boris Johnson crawled towards lockdown with almost unbearable jokes and shocking slowness, Europe was already closing down.
While 250,000 spectators were watching the racing at Cheltenham, in Bergamo military transporters were driving the coffins of Covid dead as justified panic spread from Madrid to Warsaw.
At the time, I was deeply grateful to be reassured by my employers that, if it came to it, I would be able to relocate from London to Germany.
Those weeks of March and April last year felt scary. Even more so as, back home, the German authorities quickly had an impressive test and trace system up and running.
A year later, this picture has been reversed.
Read the full comment piece by Stefanie Bolzen here.
06:42 PM
Groups concerned over potential mandatory vaccine plans for care home workers
Care groups and unions have said they do not think vaccinations should become mandatory for care home staff after the Government confirmed it is looking into the option.
Care home workers in England could be legally required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 under plans being considered by the Government, according to the Health Secretary.
Matt Hancock said that "no final decision" has been taken amid a review into vaccination passports, which is considering a range of issues.
The National Care Forum, Independent Care Group, Four Seasons Health Care, Unison and the GMB union all expressed concern over compulsory vaccination.
The Telegraph leaked details of a paper submitted to the "Covid O" sub-committee of Cabinet which said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Hancock had agreed to the proposal.
Mr Hancock told LBC that "many" care homes had asked for this to happen, adding: "There's a legal change that's required and, as you can see, I'm open to that, but no final decision has been taken."
Care home staff at Westbourne House care home in Sheffield hold a minute's silence - Tom Maddick / SWNS
06:34 PM
DVLA staff to strike over Covid safety concerns
Hundreds of staff at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are to go on strike in a dispute over Covid-related safety.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) at the site in Swansea will strike from April 6-9.
The union said those involved will include operational staff who have not been working from home.
Further industrial action is planned if managers do not make the safety improvements the union is demanding.
The PCS said it will engage in talks with the employer next week and present it with proposals to ensure staff safety at the DVLA.
General secretary Mark Serwotka said: "DVLA management need to stop playing fast and loose with the safety of their own workers because the stakes are just too high.
06:20 PM
Contraceptive pill and smoking investigated as potential factors in Covid vaccine blood clots
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is examining whether people who developed blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine had known risk factors such as taking the contraceptive pill or smoking.
Last week, the EMA said the vaccine was safe but it would continue to investigate cases of the rare brain blood clotting condition cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is also investigating after a man in Britain died from CVST and four others developed brain clots shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca jab.
On Tuesday, Emer Cooke, the EMA executive director, said studies looking into other risk factors for the clotting including smoking and the contraceptive pill were in progress but there were currently no conclusions.
Read the full story from our science editor Sarah Knapton here.
Woman's hand holding birth control pill - PhotoAlto/Antoine Arraou
05:41 PM
Boris Johnson on EU vaccine row: 'We need the whole planet to be inoculated'
Prof Chris Whitty: "What we are trying to do is minimize mortality in the future and learn lessons from the past."
A journalist from Politico asks about the EU vaccine row and the EU's threat to ban exports of the AstraZeneca. He asks whether we will share our vaccinations with the EU or whether we will get into a "tit for tat" trade war with them.
Boris Johnson says: "We're all fighting the same pandemic across the whole European continent and indeed around most of the world."
He adds: "We'll continue to work with European partners to deliver the vaccine rollout," adding, "we in this country don't believe in blockades of any kind of vaccines or vaccine materials."
He says our country wouldn't "dream" of implementing vaccination blockades and that he is "encouraged" by the response he is hearing from the EU.
Prof Whitty says: "It is absolutely essential that we see this as an international problem," adding that vaccine production takes a global effort.
Boris Johnson concludes: "There's no point in one country being immunised on it's own, we need the whole planet to be inoculated."
05:35 PM
'Too early to say' whether global travel and holidays will be possible, says PM
Asked about global travel and holidays, Boris Johnson says "I know there's a great deal of curiosity and interest" but that it is simply "too early to say" whether they will be possible.
He adds: "My advice is to everybody to wait for the global travel task force to report."
The third wave situation in Europe makes it more difficult to make a decision, he says, but adds that he will hopefully be able to be able to detail more on foreign travel by April 5.
Britain's PM Johnson holds a news conference at 10 Downing Street in London - HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS
05:32 PM
Boris Johnson: 'I'm not sure eradication makes sense' in a global economy
Ben Riley-Smith of TheTelegraph asks "should the UK Government's policy objective be to eradicate Covid or simply bring down cases to the lowest levels?"
Boris Johnson says: "I'm not sure eradication makes sense in a globalised economy."
Prof Whitty: "I regret to say that the chances of eradicating this disease are as close to zero as makes no difference."
He adds that the virus is very difficult to find because the majority of people who have it suffer from mild symptoms and says that eradication is "not a realistic prospect."
Sir Patrick Vallance adds: "Don't expect that this is going to disappear," adding, "the chances of eradication are very close to zero, as Chris said."
05:28 PM
Prof Chris Whitty: 'We will have Covid for the indefinite future'
Professor Chris Whitty says "This is not going away - we will have Covid for the indefinite future."
He adds: "The impact on the health service will have a delayed effect."
He encourages people to get screened if they haven't during the period of the pandemic.
He adds that Covid has shone a light onto healthcare and the fact that the same people who are suffering from other diseases of deprivation have been the worst hit by coronavirus.
Sir Patrick Vallance says that today is the day to reflect on those who have lost their lives this year as a result of "this terrible virus."
05:26 PM
Boris Johnson: 'It has been an extraordinary moment in our history and a deeply distressing period'
Beth Rigby of Sky News asks about the "huge scar" that Covid will leave on the economy and public. She asks whether we will be grappling with the legacy of Covid for the rest of our lives.
Boris Johnsons says: "Beth, I certainly think this is something we will be dealing with, in my case, for as long as I live. It has been an extraordinary moment in our history and a deeply distressing period."
He adds: "The extent to which it effects us will depend on the strength of the fortifications that we build against it."
The Prime Minister says that "the loss of learning for so many children and young people" is the issue we need to put a spotlight on following the last year of lockdowns.
"We have been working so hard as a Government to make up that gap," he says citing the £1.7 billion invested to help children regain their lost learning time, both with summer schools and the catch-up recovery plan.
He adds that one-to-one tutoring can make a big difference in helping children recover.
"It has been an unimaginable year for people in education," he says, adding that "the future of our country" depends on their education.
05:19 PM
'What is the one thing you wish you would have done differently?'
Asked if there is one thing they wished they had done differently, Boris Johnson says "there are many things we wished we had done differently at the time in retrospect because we were fighting a novel disease."
He adds: "Perhaps the single biggest false assumption that we made was about the potential for asymptomatic transmission," which he says did govern initial policy and led us to have to "make up ground" for the mistake.
Sir Patrick Vallance says: "There are a whole host of things that would have been nice to know" but admits that "the one thing that would have been important to have early on would have been much better data about what was happening."
However, he says "we simply did not have that at the beginning (of the pandemic)."
He adds that having adequate testing in place at the beginning of the pandemic would have made a "big difference".
Professor Chris Whitty adds: "In retrospect we now know the amount of importation from France, Italy and that would have certainly changed how we did things."
05:14 PM
'We must be very wary for the potential for a third wave,' says Boris Johnson
Asked how the Government will protect the country from Europe's third wave, Boris Johnson says, "we must be very wary for the potential for a third wave," adding that Europe is seeing one at the moment.
"We have very tough measures at our border already," he insists, citing passenger locator forms, fines, quarantine periods and the hotel quarantine mandated for the arrivals from a 'red list' of 35 countries.
"We keep all these measures under review" he says, adding that the Government's priority is keeping new variants from coming in.
"There will be a need to think about booster jabs in the Autumn," says Sir Patrick Vallance.
"We might need to do re-vaccination" admits Chris Whitty if there is another variant that comes into the mix.
05:10 PM
Porf Chris Whitty: We expected 'upward pressure' in caseloads
England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the number of Covid-19 deaths is falling more rapidly than the decline in new cases of the virus.
Prof Whitty, while showing the slides, says we expected the "upward pressure" in case loads as pupils returned to school but insisted it was nothing to worry about.
He examines the spike in mortality in the first wave but a second "very substantial" spike when the spread of the new variants began.
He cites the recent ONS data that 147,179 people have lost their lives to Covid, and adds that "more will do so."
"Everybody watching and listening to this will mourn every single one of those deaths," he adds.
Professor Chris Whitty continues, "the wall of vaccinated people will help significantly reduce the ratio of those who catch the disease to those who die from it."
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C), Britain's Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty (R) and Britain's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance - HANNAH MCKAY/AFP
05:08 PM
PM: We are on track to 'reclaim our freedoms'
Boris Johnson says "we will tell the stories of the heroes of the NHS, shop workers, transport workers and so many others," adding that "this was unlike any other struggle of my lifetime."
He adds: "It is thanks to all of you that we can continue on our roadmap to freedom," adding that we are on track to "reclaim our freedoms", "jab by jab."
He said that "at the right moment" a permanent memorial to those who died from coronavirus will be built and the "whole period" will be commemorated.
05:04 PM
Boris Johnson: 'It has been an epic of endurance'
The Prime Minister kicks off the Downing St press conference as the country marks a year since the first lockdown began.
He starts off by acknowledging the anniversary: "It seemed incredible that in the 21st century this was the only way to fight a respiratory disease."
"It has been an epic of endurance and privation," he says.
"Worst of all we have suffered so many loses", he adds, made more acute by the fact we could not see them in their last moments.
"It was like fighting in the dark against a callous and invisible enemy," he says, adding: "until science allowed us to turn the lights on and to gain the upper hand."
Britain's Prime Minister - REUTERS
04:46 PM
AstraZeneca defends its vaccine data against US claims it used 'outdated' information
AstraZeneca has defended its use of Covid-19 vaccine data after US authorities suggested some results may be "outdated".
AstraZeneca said figures released on Monday showing the jab was 79 per cent effective against coronavirus and 100 per cent effective against severe disease stood up in all of the data it has looked at.
It comes as a response to concerns raised by the US federal health officials on Tuesday morning that AstraZeneca may have included out-of-date drug data in information provided during US trials for the vaccine.
AstraZeneca said: "The numbers published yesterday were based on a pre-specified interim analysis with a data cut-off of February 17.
"We have reviewed the preliminary assessment of the primary analysis and the results were consistent with the interim analysis."
The company said they will "engage" with the DSMB to share their most "up-to-date" efficacy data and they intend to issue results of the primary analysis within 48 hours.
Dr Peter English, former editor of Vaccines In Practice magazine, said the US statement showed "shamefully bad communication" that "left room for speculation which could be damaging for vaccine uptake".
04:40 PM
Boris Johnson to lead Downing Street press conference at 5pm
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be joined at the 5pm press conference by chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, No 10 has said.
Follow live updates on the blog or on our politics blog here.
04:33 PM
Catch-up plans 'barely scratch the surface' of learning loss, says Labour's shadow education secretary
Labour's shadow education secretary is "deeply concerned" that the Government's catch-up plans are "not up to the scale of the challenge".
Kate Green told headteachers that the policies announced so far by the Government "barely scratch the surface" of addressing learning loss.
Addressing the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Ms Green accused ministers of only thinking a few months ahead "in the most limited way" with their plans.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made £1.7 billion of "catch-up" funding available in England to help children who have faced disruption from school and college closures during the pandemic.
As part of the recovery package, this year summer schools will be introduced for pupils who need it the most, whilst tutoring schemes will be expanded.
But Ms Green called on the Government to be "much more ambitious", adding that summer schools and one-to-one tuition were only "short-term solutions".
Education Minister Peter Weir meets upper sixth pupils in Northern Ireland - Peter Morrison/ PA
04:27 PM
Whitty warns of coronavirus surge to come as UK marks year since lockdown
Another surge in coronavirus cases is inevitable, Professor Chris Whitty warned, as the country marked a year since the first lockdown began.
England's chief medical officer said there would be "bumps and twists on the road", possibly including the emergence of new variants and shortages in vaccine supplies.
Speaking at a public health conference organised by the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Public Health, Prof Whitty said: "This is a sad day, really.
"The path from here on in does look better than the last year but there are going to be lots of bumps and twists on the road from here on in.
"There will definitely be another surge at some point, whether it's before winter or in the next winter, we don't know.
"Variants are going to cause problems, there will be stock-outs of vaccines and no doubt there will be multiple problems at a national level but also at a local level - school outbreaks, prison outbreaks, all the things that people are dealing with on a daily basis."
04:24 PM
New vaccination figures
Government data up to March 22 shows that of the 30,691,557 jabs given in the UK so far, 28,327,873 were first doses - a rise of 329,897 on the previous day.
Some 2,363,684 were second doses, an increase of 82,300.
Is the UK on track to hit vaccination targets?
04:23 PM
#LastNormalPhoto: Social media users recall carefree moments before first lockdown
As the country marks a milestone of one year since lockdown began in the UK, people have been taking to social media to share the last "normal" photo they took before having to hunker down last year.
On Twitter, the hashtag #LastNormalPhoto offered a flashback to the final moments of normality before national restrictions came in to place, with people remembering sporting events, pub lunches, and casual meetings with family and friends.
Author Helen Glynn-Jones shared a photo from a "packed" show at London's Royal Albert Hall in early March 2020.
She told the PA news agency: "It was the Hertfordshire Schools Spectacular and the place was packed, huge crowds outside afterwards as everyone tried to find their kids.
"It does feel strange to look back on. A glimpse into the world as it was."
04:20 PM
Pictured: Anniversary of the first national lockdown
A man walks past graffiti in a tunnel near Waterloo Station - TOM NICHOLSON/REUTERS Hundreds of yellow ribbons are tied to railings on the promenade at Saltburn to mark a National Day of Reflection for people who have died from Covid-19 - Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Europe Staff and military personnel who have been assisting hold flowers to place near the statue of Crimean War nurse Mary Seacole during a ceremony to observe a minute's silence at St Thomas' Hospital - Pool/Getty Images Europe
04:11 PM
'The UK’s patient zero was one of my hotel guests'
I knew something was wrong when my phone lit up at 8.30pm on January 29 last year, with a call from our regional manager. I’m the chief operating officer for Staycity, a network of short-stay apartments across the UK. I was in Edinburgh that evening, where we had just opened a new hotel.
The regional manager sounded serious on the phone. He told me that half an hour earlier, two paramedics in hazmat suits had turned up at the reception desk at our apartment complex in York to deal with a "suspected Covid case".
My heart dropped: at that point, there hadn’t been a single confirmed Covid case in the UK. Was our business the site of the first? I prayed it was a false alarm.
India's surging caseload could be caused by UK variant
India’s surging Covid-19 infections could be caused by the spread of the more contagious UK variant, according to revelatory new figures from the northern state of Punjab.
Out of 401 samples sent for genome sequencing in Punjab between January 1 and March 10, 81% tested positive for the UK strain which is up to 70% more transmissible.
India's first large-scale study into the prevalent strain of Covid-19 comes as the country is on the verge of entering a second wave. The number of new daily cases has increased from fewer than 10,000 in mid-February to more than 40,000 this week.
The Indian Government blamed Covid-19 fatigue for the resurgence but many public health experts had warned that this alone could not be the cause of the spike, as precautions had been ignored since last summer.
India’s vaccination programme will be extended to all of its citizens over the age of 45 from April 1, as the authorities try to immunise as many people as possible before the caseload rises even further.
While the UK strain is not believed to be more virulent, there are concerns India’s underfunded public healthcare system could become overwhelmed if the number of new infections continues to increase.
Joe Wallen reports.
Police officers and locals try to control the crowd during Lathmar Holi celebrations, - ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS
03:47 PM
Sturgeon expresses her gratitude for the sacrifices made during the pandemic
Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: "A year ago today, we all felt scared and uncertain. We did not know exactly what lay ahead or how long it would last.
"But we knew we had to come together to save lives, and I will never be able to adequately express the depth of my gratitude for all the sacrifices that have been made by so many.
"Today, I want to reflect on the anxiety, isolation, loss and grief that have marked the last 12 months, but I also want to acknowledge the compassion, solidarity and love that has brought hope and light to these darkest of times."
She paid tribute to the "dedication, expertise and compassion" of health and care workers and also praised the work of the police, local authority staff, teachers and businesses.
Ms Sturgeon also confirmed some lockdown easing measures, including that the Western Isles will move to Level 3 from 6pm on Wednesday and collective worship with up to 50 people, socially distanced, will be permitted in Scotland from Friday.
03:46 PM
Sturgeon: Public inquiry into Covid a 'priority' if SNP re-elected
A public inquiry into the response to Covid-19 will be a priority for the SNP if they form the Government after the election, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Addressing MSPs in Holyrood on the anniversary of the first lockdown, the First Minister said that, after meeting with representatives of families bereaved through coronavirus, "establishing a statutory public inquiry will be a priority for this Government if we are returned at the election".
She said the Scottish Government did not get everything right in its response to the pandemic and it is vital to reflect and learn lessons from this.
She paid tribute to the sacrifices made in the past year, saying one of her overwhelming emotions is "gratitude", thanking all those who adhered to the restrictions.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sits in the main chamber - JANE BARLOW/AFP
03:43 PM
Hospice staff hail vaccine 'hope' but suggest jab should not be mandatory
The coronavirus vaccine rollout has given "hope" to healthcare workers but the jab should not be made mandatory, staff at a hospice in north London have said.
Workers at the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead have spoken of "anxieties" among fellow staff over getting the vaccine.
It came as the end-of-life facility held a minute's silence at noon on Tuesday to mark a year since the first lockdown began.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that "no final decision" has been taken but confirmed that ministers were looking at jabs being made compulsory for care workers in England.
The Telegraph leaked details of a paper submitted to the "Covid O" sub-committee of Cabinet which said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Hancock had agreed to the proposal.
03:37 PM
Plan to holiday in the UK this summer, Prof Ferguson says
People should plan to holiday in the UK this summer, a senior scientific adviser has said.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the first UK lockdown last March, said relaxing border measures too early risked the success of the UK's vaccination programme.
He said the risk from Europe is the arrival of new variants, or importing cases of the troubling South African variant from countries where cases were rising.
He told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "Just because there's a large epidemic in Europe does not inevitably mean we will have a large epidemic here.
"What determines whether we have transmission here is how immune the population is, how much we've rolled out vaccine, and the remaining social distancing controls in place. We've done very well in rolling out vaccine so far, so we're in a different position from Europe."
Asked if he was therefore in favour of keeping borders closed, Prof Ferguson said: "I certainly am in favour of relaxing border measures at a slower rate than we relax controls within the country."
He added: "Conservatively and being risk averse at the moment, I think we should be planning on summer holidays in the UK, not overseas."
03:03 PM
No10 insists lockdown easing is 'on course' despite third wave fears
Downing Street has insisted the road map to easing the lockdown remains "on course" despite Boris Johnson warning that Europe's third wave of coronavirus infections could "wash up on our shores".
No 10 stressed the importance of the "very extensive" vaccination programme on Tuesday, as the row continued with the EU over its threat to impose an export block on jabs.
The Prime Minister highlighted the precariousness of the situation, saying that "experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well".
Despite Mr Johnson warning that "I expect that we will feel those effects in due course", his official spokesman said cases were already expected to rise as England's third national lockdown is eased and said the plan to ease restrictions was on track.
"Obviously this time we have as a defence our very extensive vaccination programme," the spokesman told a Westminster briefing.
"We remain on course for the individual steps in the road map. That hasn't changed."
The key data that will determine how fast lockdown is lifted
02:56 PM
Appeal for donations in France to renovate home of famed vaccine creator
A national appeal for donations has been launched in France to renovate the crumbling mountain home of famed vaccine creator Louis Pasteur in a highly symbolic move as the country struggles to ramp up its own anti-Covid jab drive, writes Henry Samuel in Paris.
While it prides itself on its medical achievements and health service, France has had to eat humble pie in recent months for being the only permanent member of the UN security council not to have come up with a vaccine against the coronavirus.
It has also been slow off the mark in doling out vaccines, administering 8.8 million doses, compared with over 30 million in Britain and nearly 11 million in Germany.
Many have pointed to the irony of such shortcomings in the homeland of Louis Pasteur, who along with inventing pasteurisation was seen as one of the fathers of immunology. He developed vaccines against rabies and Anthrax.
Apparently keen to capitalise on the 19th-century scientist's prominence during the Covid pandemic, France's Academy of Sciences, which owns the building, is launching a national appeal for donations to renovate his family home in the Jura mountains.
It has launched a national appeal for donations in the hope of raising an initial sum of €350,000.
02:38 PM
Northern Ireland First Minister: 'It's probably been the toughest year in living memory'
Reflecting on the anniversary of the first lockdown announcement, Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said the region has experienced its worst year in living memory.
"It's been a hugely difficult year for so many people in Northern Ireland," she said.
"I think back to when we were told about the lockdown and I think of all the people that have lost their lives during this year, yes to Covid of course, but also those people who have passed away and who haven't been able to have the normal funerals, the normal grieving process, the normal celebration of life that would normally take place.
"I think about all of those people who have really sacrificed this year - the key workers, all of our young people, the older people who have been isolated - so it has been probably the toughest year in living memory.
"There are still some people alive who remember the Second World War, but I think it's probably been the toughest year in living memory for a lot of people.
"So, it was absolutely right that we should take a moment at 12pm to remember what has happened this year, and to hopefully look forward to better days."
02:36 PM
New Covid-19 death toll figures
A further 98 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 85,911, NHS England said on Tuesday.
Patients were aged between 33 and 102 and all except four had known underlying health conditions.
The deaths were between December 30 and March 22, with the majority being on or after March 18.
02:33 PM
Sturgeon: 'Almost half' of the adult population in Scotland have been vaccinated
Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, spoke in the Scottish Parliament ahead of a no-confidence vote in her leadership later today.
Ms Sturgeon said she will never be able to adequately express her thanks for the sacrifices that people have made during the coronavirus pandemic.
She announced that there were 495 new cases in Scotland yesterday, and "almost half" of the adult population in Scotland have now been vaccinated and, like England, Scotland will vaccinate all people in groups 1-9 of the JCVI's priority groups.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon observes a minute of silence - POOL/REUTERS
02:30 PM
Downing St resists calls to launch inquiry into the Government's handling of pandemic
A year on from the announcement of the first lockdown, Downing Street continued to resist calls to launch an inquiry into the Government's handling of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Throughout the pandemic, as the Prime Minister has said, we have listened to the best scientific evidence and data when making the decisions that we have made.
"That remains the case now. As the Prime Minister has said, there will be a time in future when we look back and look at the pandemic and how it was handled.
"But, at the moment, the Prime Minister remains focused on tackling it and moving through the different stages of the road map as well as rolling out the vaccine programme to more and more people."
Number 10 insisted lessons had been learned throughout the pandemic, pointing to the increase in testing capacity, tightened border restrictions and the lockdown imposed in response to the Kent variant as examples where policy had changed.
02:24 PM
Downing St suggests care homes back compulsory care workers vaccination
Downing Street echoed Health Secretary Matt Hancock in stressing that no decisions had been taken on making vaccines compulsory for care workers, but suggested care homes backed such a move.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We have got the review ongoing into Covid status certification which is chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Michael Gove).
"That's currently under way, it's considering a range of issues and no final decisions have been taken."
The spokesman continued that doctors are required to have a hepatitis B vaccine "so there is a clear precedent for this proposition".
"Elderly people in care homes are the most vulnerable to this disease and this is something that care homes have actually called for."
02:11 PM
Reports that AstraZeneca vaccines could be shared with EU to prevent export ban not denied by Downing St
Downing Street has not denied reports that AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured at the Halix facility in the Netherlands could be shared with the EU to prevent an export ban.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I'm not going to get into the details of discussions but, as I said, the Prime Minister has set out his position to his European counterparts and to the EU.
"We obviously produce a large number of vaccines ourselves here in the UK and AstraZeneca are also being produced in other countries such as India."
Former ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow is believed to be among the advisers dispatched to Brussels to try to negotiate a solution.
02:06 PM
'Less than a fifth' of police officers and staff have received Covid-19 jab
Fewer than 20 per cent of police officers and staff in England and Wales have received their Covid-19 vaccine, it has been claimed.
The Police Federation of England and Wales did not publish precise figures but said it had become clear in "operational meetings" that less than a fifth had been given the vaccination.
Latest figures from the Government suggest that around half of adults in the UK have had their first jab.
National chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales John Apter said: "While we all hope we are seeing the beginning of the end of this pandemic, the threat is far from over. This horrible virus continues to claim many lives.
"And yet my colleagues are expected to carry out frontline policing roles, going hands-on with the public, in many cases being spat at, coughed at and bitten by people who claim to carry the virus. Despite this, police officers have not been prioritised for the vaccine.
"We are angry and frustrated at that lack of protection. It feels like a betrayal by the Government."
Police officers on the frontline detain a demonstrator in Hyde Park during a protest against the lockdown - HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS
02:02 PM
St Bartholomew's Hospital 'hugely honoured and humbled' by Queen's gift
The chief executive of the NHS hospital which treated the Duke of Edinburgh said the organisation is "hugely honoured and humbled" by a gift of flowers from the Queen as the nation took a moment of reflection on the anniversary of its first Covid-19 lockdown.
During a brief ceremony in an outside courtyard square at the hospital, attended by a handful of socially-distanced medics, St Bartholomew's Hospital chief executive and consultant cardiologist Professor Charles Knight said: "I'm delighted to accept the bouquet on behalf of the hospital and everyone being remembered on this national day of reflection.
"We are hugely honoured and humbled by the gift."
He thanked all the hospital staff and frontline workers across the UK.
Staff at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, receive flowers from Queen Elizabeth II on the anniversary of the first national lockdown - Dominic Lipinski/PA
01:59 PM
David Davis warns against introduction of Covid-19 vaccine certificates
The Government should be prepared to subject any plans it has for vaccine passports to full parliamentary scrutiny, former Cabinet minister David Davis said.
Mr Davis suggested introducing Covid status certificates could be discriminatory against communities reluctant to take up the vaccine.
Ministers are reviewing whether certificates could play a role in reopening the economy by reducing restrictions on social contact and improving safety.
Mr Davis told MPs: "The impact of this would be discriminatory. Under the law, it would be indirectly discriminatory and that is illegal.
"You may well find, it has been said, that black and ethnic minority communities are less inclined to get vaccinated, well that would be indirect discrimination."
Younger people were also less likely to have the jab and "some people have ethical or religious objections", he told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
01:56 PM
UK's Covid-19 wider death toll nears 150,000
More than 149,000 deaths involving coronavirus have now occurred in the UK, latest figures show.
A total of 149,117 people have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began, with more than a third of deaths (37 per cent) occurring since the start of 2021.
The highest number of deaths to take place on a single day was 1,465 on January 19.
The figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and provide the fullest picture so far of how the Covid-19 pandemic has unfolded in the UK.
They are a more comprehensive measure of deaths than the numbers published daily by the Government, which count only those who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, and which currently stand at a total of 126,172.
The ONS total of 149,117 includes all mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates for deaths that have occurred up to March 12 2021, including suspected cases.
01:52 PM
US health regulator questions AstraZeneca vaccine
A US government agency has raised concerns that AstraZeneca may have included out-of-date drug data in information provided during US trials for its Covid-19 vaccine.
A monitoring board had "expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data," a statement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.
"We urge the company to work with the DSMB (Data and Safety Monitoring Board) to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible."
The statement comes after AstraZeneca said Monday that stage three US trials had showed its Covid-19 vaccine was 79 percent effective at preventing the disease and 100 percent effective against severe disease and hospitalisation.
Several countries in Europe - including France and Germany - and other parts of the world last week suspended its use because of isolated cases of blood clots.
01:50 PM
Scotland falls silent to remember lives lost to Covid
Scotland fell silent at noon to remember the lives lost to Covid-19, one year on from the start of the first lockdown.
Latest figures show that 7,552 Scots have died with the virus but the true toll is much higher, with the most recent National Records of Scotland statistics showing that confirmed or suspected Covid deaths stand at 9,831.
In a national day of reflection and remembrance, organised by end of life charity Marie Curie, prominent buildings and landmarks throughout the UK will be illuminated, including the Kelpies, Wallace Monument and Ness Bridge.
People come together on Edinburgh's Calton Hill - Katielee Arrowsmith, SWNS
01:29 PM
Nine in ten pupils attended schools in England last week, Govt figures show
More than nine in ten pupils attended schools in England last week, Government figures show.
Overall, attendance in state schools was 91 per cent on March 18, up from 89 per cent on March 11, when some secondary schools were staggering the return of pupils.
But attendance in primary schools fell to 93 per cent on Thursday last week - from 95 per cent the previous week, the Department for Education (DfE) analysis shows.
Around 89 per cent of secondary school pupils were in class on March 18 - a similar proportion to the week before, the figures show.
The DfE estimates that 2 per cent of all state school pupils on roll did not attend school for Covid-19 related reasons last week, up from 1 per cent on March 11.
01:26 PM
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle: 'They will not be forgotten'
MPs paused proceedings in the House of Commons to observe the minute's silence, with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle telling the chamber: "Every single one of us has been affected.
"It is right that we pause now, together with the whole country, to remember those who have died and those who are bereaved.
"Can I say that those colleagues who work with us who have also died, who were serving this House, our thoughts and prayers will always be with them and they will not be forgotten."
Sir Lindsay said he hoped the "green shoots" were emerging, adding: "Hopefully we'll have a world that comes back to all of us, none more so than the role that members have played in this House and the way that we've worked together - not only for the Government to legislate, but to ensure the Opposition can scrutinise as well.
"It's been so important for us all to get to this stage and hopefully when we get beyond it we will see a House that comes back."
MPs observe a minute's silence in House of Commons - House of Commons/PA
01:22 PM
Mark Drakeford pays tribute to the Welsh public for uniting 'in the darkest of times'
First Minister Mark Drakeford has paid tribute to the Welsh public for uniting "in the darkest of times" as the country marks one year since the start of the first UK lockdown.
Mr Drakeford was speaking from the Welsh Government's Cathays Park building after holding a minute's silence to mark the anniversary.
He said: "In the darkest of times, we have come together as a country.
"And because of that, today we mark this anniversary with a sense of hope.
"Our fantastic vaccine programme is protecting thousands of people every day and we're relaxing the restrictions we have lived with for so long.
"As the first shoots of spring appear, we can all have real hope that this year can be so much better than the last."
01:18 PM
Watch: Angela Merkel backs EU threat of AstraZeneca vaccine export ban
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday voiced support for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen's threat to block AstraZeneca vaccines produced in the bloc from being exported, ahead of a crunch EU summit on the escalating row.
"I support Commission President Ursula von der Leyen," said Merkel.
"We have a problem with AstraZeneca," she added.
European officials are furious that AstraZeneca has been able to deliver its UK contract in full while falling short on its supplies to the EU.
01:17 PM
Africa's Ebola outbreak: Good news in DRC as they discharge their last Ebola patient
The World Health Organisation posted to their WHO Africa Region account: "With no more confirmed Ebola cases, a 42-day countdown to declaring the end of DRC's Ebola outbreak begun just 37 days after the resurgence of the virus".
The last #Ebola patient in #DRC🇨🇩 was discharged from a treatment centre in Katwa yesterday!
With no more confirmed Ebola cases, a 42-day countdown to declaring the end of DRC's Ebola outbreak begun just 37 days after the resurgence of the virus. pic.twitter.com/vfOBUrrBrV
A 'revision' of the EU's vaccine export rules to be published on Wednesday
The European Commission has announced it will adopt a "revision" of its vaccine export rules, with details due to be published on Wednesday morning.
Chief spokesman Eric Mamer told a Brussels briefing: "The commission will adopt tomorrow morning a revision of the export transparency and authorisation mechanism."
01:07 PM
AstraZeneca to provide EU with U.S. trial data
AstraZeneca will provide Europe's drug regulator with data from a U.S. trial of its Covid-19 vaccine and the watchdog could adjust its assessment of the shot if needed, the head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday.
"The trials point to greater efficacy than what we actually observed in the previous trials that we examined," EMA chief Emer Cooke told members of the European Parliament.
Cooke, however, did not deliberate much on doubts expressed by U.S. federal health officials that AstraZeneca may have used "outdated information" in the data released on Monday.
"The company has promised to provide us with (data) and we will adjust our assessment if there is any new information that needs to be taken into account," she said.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca coronavirus disease - NYIMAS LAULA/REUTERS
01:05 PM
France's Macron seeks faster vaccination rollout
France should be vaccinating "morning, noon and evening", President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday as he battles criticism that the Covid-19 immunisation drive has been too slow.
"We're going to change pace from April," Macron said during a visit to an inoculation centre in the northern town of Valenciennes, adding there should be "no weekend and days off when it comes to vaccinations".
France is tackling a third wave of infections, but is lagging behind many Western countries in terms of the number of people vaccinated.
It has rolled out some 8.8 million doses, compared with over 30 million in Britain and nearly 11 million in Germany.
01:02 PM
Pictured: The National Day of Reflection on the anniversary of the first national lockdown
Missioner Stephen Girling holds a candle lit to observe a minute's silence in Bath Abbey - Ben Birchall/PA First Minister Nicola Sturgeon observes a minute's silence in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Edinburgh - Jane Barlow/PA Worshippers take part in a minutes silence at Lichfield cathedral in Lichfield - OLI SCARFF/AFP
12:56 PM
Government reviewing whistleblowing rules amid record pandemic sackings
Whistleblowing rules for workers are to be reviewed by the Government amid record numbers of employees claiming they were fired for speaking up during the pandemic.
Over 2,289 employment tribunal cases where a worker claims they have been sacked for whistleblowing were made between April and December last year, analysis by The Telegraph has found.
The number of Public Interest Disclosure cases, which are at the highest nine-month period on record, have more than doubled since 2014/15.
The Government has now committed to reviewing its existing rules to make sure that they are "fit for purpose".
UK jobless rate falls for first time since Covid-19 crisis hit
Britain's jobless rate has fallen for the first time since the pandemic struck, despite the latest lockdown shutting large parts of the economy, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment edged back to 5 per cent between November and January, down from 5.1 per cent in the previous three months.
Economists had expected the rate to rise to 5.2 per cent.
The data also showed the number of workers on UK payrolls increased for the third month in a row, up 68,000 or 0.2 per cent in February, in what experts said was a further sign that the jobs market was stabilising.
But payroll worker numbers have now fallen by 693,000 since February 2020 after a devastating year, with more job losses to come after furlough ends.
More than half of this fall - 368,000 jobs - were lost in the hospitality sector as lockdowns and restrictions hammered the industry, according to the figures.
12:51 PM
'No photos, please': Putin to get his coronavirus jab in secret
After months of extolling the efficacy of the Russian coronavirus vaccine, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has decided to shun publicity and get his jab in private, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow.
The Kremlin has struggled to offer an explanation why the president of the country which developed one of the world’s leading vaccines has been holding out for so long.
The vaccination with the Sputnik-V jab began in Russia in December, and President Putin has portrayed the Russian jab, which proved to be nearly 92 percent effective, as a major achievement of the Russian state and promoted it abroad as the ultimate tool of soft power.
The 68-year-old Russian leader broke the news of his upcoming vaccination during a conference call with officials on Monday discussing efforts to ramp up the immunisation drive.
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, disappointed the public on Tuesday by saying that the president, who is known for his action man photo shoots, would receive the vaccine later that day in private since he "does not like the idea" of getting the jab on camera.
"You're going to have to trust us on this," Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, rejecting suggestions that the footage of the president getting the jab would be a way more powerful message for undecided Russians.
The fact that the president himself has endorsed it only in words has given rise to widespread suspicion as well.
12:24 PM
Pictured: Nation falls silent on the National Reflection Day to remember Covid-19 victims
Care home staff at Westbourne House care home in Sheffield hold a minute's silence - Tom Maddick / SWNS Commuters take part in a minute's silence on the first anniversary of the first national Covid-19 lockdown, at Waterloo Station in central London - TOLGA AKMEN/AP Health workers from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary take part in a minutes silence - ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP
12:17 PM
Queen reflects on 'grief' of pandemic and sends flowers to Duke's hospital
The Queen has reflected on the "grief and loss felt by so many" as she marked the poignant Covid lockdown anniversary by sending flowers to the hospital where the Duke of Edinburgh had heart surgery.
The monarch paid tribute to the "immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year" in a message honouring the national day of reflection.
A bouquet of irises, tulips, mixed narcissi and ranunculus and the message were carried to St Bartholomew's Hospital in the City of London from Windsor Castle.
The Queen is understood to have wanted to mark the day during which Covid-19 victims are being remembered across the nation with a minute's silence at midday.
She chose St Barts to receive the flowers following the duke's successful procedure and recent stay.
The message from the Queen read: "As we look forward to a brighter future together, today we pause to reflect on the grief and loss that continues to be felt by so many people and families, and pay tribute to the immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year."
The floral gift was handed to the hospital's chief executive, consultant cardiologist Professor Charles Knight.
Philip, 99, and the Queen, who have been married for 73 years, were reunited at Windsor in Berkshire last week after the duke spent a month in hospital.
12:15 PM
Pictured: Royal visit to London vaccination centre
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked the #nationaldayofreflection privately during a visit to a new Covid-19 vaccination centre at Westminster Abbey.
They held a minute's silence in the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, Prince William lit a candle and Kate left daffodils.
Victoria Ward reports.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left) with Dean of Westminster The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle (right) and Paul Baumann, Receiver General and Chapter Clerk - Aaron Chown/PA
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a visit to the vaccination centre at Westminster Abbey - Aaron Chown/PA
12:02 PM
Nation falls silent to remember Covid-19 victims
People across the UK have taken part in a minute's silence to remember Covid-19 victims, marking one year since the first lockdown began.
MPs and peers in both Houses of Parliament and ministers in the devolved nations marked the solemn anniversary at midday, while NHS and social care workers also joined the pause for reflection.
Cathedrals in Blackburn, Winchester, Gloucester and York Minster also fell silent in honour of those who have died during the pandemic.
The London Eye, Tate Britain, Blackpool Tower, the Scottish Parliament, Belfast City Hall and other buildings will be lit in yellow on Tuesday evening to mark the occasion.
The public is also being urged to stand on their doorsteps at 8pm with a candle or light.
Rachel Fielding, Virger at Blackburn Cathedral, holds a lit candle during the National Day of Reflection - Peter Byrne/PA
The Prime Minister, who has offered his "sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones", observed the minute's silence privately.
Earlier, Downing Street said Mr Johnson had reflected with Cabinet ministers on Tuesday morning on what had been "a very dark and difficult year" for the nation.
11:58 AM
Midday minute of silence coming up - watch live
At midday, a minute's silence will be observed to mark the one-year anniversary of the UK's first lockdown.
Since Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked us to stay at home on 23 March last year, there have been three lockdowns and 4.3 million cases of the virus, as well as 126,172 Covid-19 associated deaths.
The silence is a moment to reflect on all we've been through and all we've lost during the pandemic.
Pictures from around the country will follow shortly afterwards.
11:55 AM
Starmer renews public inquiry calls on anniversary of first lockdown
Sir Keir Starmer has called for an inquiry into the Government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as the nation marks the anniversary of the first national lockdown.
During a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the Labour leader told reporters: "We owe both the NHS staff and those on the front line and all the families of those who have died to learn the lessons of the last 12 months, to have an inquiry and to learn what went wrong to make sure we never repeat that.
"I think the Government was very slow to react. They were slow in the first wave, slow to go into lockdown, very slow with protective equipment to the front line.
"Then we went into the second wave and instead of learning the lessons they repeated the mistakes: too slow, not getting communications right and in the end in the second wave we had more deaths than in the first wave, and I think there are some very, very important lessons there."
Sir Keir Starmer has his temperature checked as he arrives for a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London - Stefan Rousseau/PA
11:39 AM
The 'Stanley Johnson clause' allows overseas travel to inspect foreign properties
Overseas travel in connection with foreign homes will be permitted under coronavirus rules to be voted on by MPs.
Under the rules people leaving England for a foreign holiday could face a £5,000 fine but an exemption dubbed the "Stanley Johnson clause" will allow trips for the "purchase, sale, letting or rental of a residential property".
The Prime Minister's father was criticised last July after it emerged he had travelled to Greece to visit his mountain villa despite Government advice urging Britons against all but essential international travel.
He argued that he was on "essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season".
The new regulations for the coming months, covering the Prime Minister's "road map" out of lockdown for England, include a ban on leaving the country without a valid reason.
One of the exemptions allows travel to visit properties, estate agents, sales offices or show homes overseas if a person is seeking to buy or sell a foreign home.
The legislation also gives an exemption for "preparing a residential property to move in" or "to visit a residential property to undertake any activities required for the rental or sale of that property".
Stanley Johnson, father of Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waves to the local reporters outside his Villa Irene in Horto village, Mount Pelion - Dimitris Kareklidis
11:29 AM
Covid deaths involving people aged 80 and over fall by 91pc
Deaths involving Covid-19 among people aged 80 and over have fallen by 91 per cent since the second-wave peak, the latest ONS figures suggest.
A total of 496 Covid-19 deaths in the 80 and over age group occurred in England and Wales in the week ending March 12, down from 5,342 deaths in the week ending January 22.
Deaths for those aged 75-79 dropped 89 per cent in the same period, compared with falls of 88% for those aged 70-74 and 85 per cent for both those aged 65-69 and 60-64.
People aged 80 and over were the second group on the priority list for Covid-19 vaccines, with doses being offered from early December.
11:21 AM
Keir Starmer: 'My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones'
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "As we mark one year since our country entered the first lockdown, my thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones since the pandemic began.
"Today at 12pm, I will join people across our country to observe a minute's silence on this National Day of Reflection."
As we mark one year since our country entered the first lockdown, my thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones since the pandemic began.
Today at 12pm, I will join people across our country to observe a minute's silence on this National #DayOfReflection.
Boris Johnson has reflected with Cabinet ministers on "a very dark and difficult year" for the nation on the anniversary of the first lockdown, Downing Street said.
A No 10 spokesman said: "The PM began Cabinet by reflecting on what he said had been a very dark and difficult year for our country.
"The PM said that we mourn all those we have lost and send our deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones.
"The PM said the last year had also shown the great strengths of the British public, which had demonstrated such resilience and fortitude, and had shown such willingness to work together for a common good."
The Prime Minister and his Cabinet also were said to have paid tribute to the "extraordinary service" of NHS and social care workers, as well as those in the public sector.
He also praised the "absolutely astonishing achievement" of British scientists and businesses in developing a vaccine and delivering it to half the adult population within a year.
10:51 AM
Covid around the world, in pictures
Covid patient Rahamim Havura votes for Israel's parliamentary election inside an intensive care ward for coronavirus patients at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel - Oded Bality/AP Medical workers wait at booths during a government-organised session for foreigners to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus disease at a site in Beijing, China - Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters Newly elected Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti poses for a picture with a member of the parliament after the parliamentary voting session in Pristina - Armend Nimani/AFP
10:14 AM
'Still further to go' in vaccinating care home staff
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there is "still further to go" in vaccinating care home staff.
"Thus far 76% of staff in elderly care homes have been vaccinated, and over 90% of residents," he told LBC.
"But I want both of those figures to be higher.
"One of the problems is that not every elderly resident can be vaccinated, sometimes for medical reasons, and we want to give them as much protection as possible.
"Now, 76% of staff having been vaccinated, that is good news, and that is good progress over the last few weeks, but there is still further to go."
09:57 AM
Belgium discover new African variant
Belgian scientists have discovered a new variant of coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa, reports James Crisp.
Liège University researchers spotted the variant, which is called B.1.214 of Spike Insertion, because of a mutation which had never been seen in Belgium before, broadcaster VRT reported.
The new variant is no more dangerous than existing ones active in Belgium. 4 percent of infections are blamed on it, which is about the same as the Brazilian and South African variants.
“The variant is gaining ground in Belgium and especially around Brussels, in Flemish Brabant and Hainault”, Professor Vincent Bours, a genetics expert, said.
“The variant’s ancestry still needs to be established, but it may have originated in sub-Saharan Africa and may have arrived here as a result of travel.”
09:49 AM
Deaths drop under five-year average for first time in six months
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales has fallen below the five-year average for the first time in six months, the ONS said.
Some 10,987 deaths were registered in the week to March 12, 4.4% below the average for the corresponding period in 2015-19.
It is the first time deaths have been below average since the week to September 4.
09:36 AM
Hancock talks to Spanish counterpart to discuss 'safe travel'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had spoken to his Spanish counterpart on Monday about whether travel in a safe way was possible.
Regarding a potential block on vaccine exports by the EU, he told BBC Breakfast: "It is ultimately an international system - the development of vaccines - and there are parts made in different countries across the world, and countries really need to work together on this, I'd urge everybody to work together on it.
"That's the approach that we've taken, and we're working with colleagues obviously in America, on the continent, in India, right around the world to try to develop as many as vaccines as possible, as fast as possible, and I think that that, rather than throwing up borders, is the best approach to delivering as many vaccines globally as we possibly can."
He said "no decision" has been taken yet on compulsory vaccination for care home staff but the Government was thinking about it.
He added: "It's important because those who look after people in care homes have a duty of care towards them and not every resident in a care home can be vaccinated."
He said there were no plans to introduce mandatory vaccination for the general public.
“Those who look after people in care homes have a duty of care towards them”
Boris Johnson sends key aide to India to tackle vaccine supply
Boris Johnson has made a last-minute attempt to avoid a Covid-19 vaccine shortage by sending one of his key aides to India to re-negotiate the import of five million doses allegedly being held by the authorities in New Delhi, reports Joe Wallen.
Lord Eddie Lister and international affairs adviser David Quarrey met with India’s Foreign Secretary on Monday, ahead of a visit to the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and producer of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University jab, in the western Indian city of Pune.
The SII delivered five million vaccine doses to the UK in early March but the Indian Government has allegedly held a further five million doses that London was expecting to receive this month, according to Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the SII.
“It is solely dependent on India and it has nothing to do with the SII. It is to do with the Indian Government allowing more doses to the UK,” Mr Poonawalla told the Daily Telegraph on Thursday in an exclusive interview.
India, which has struggled to contain the world’s second-largest Covid-19 caseload, is currently experiencing a second wave of infections and the authorities in New Delhi are believed to be stockpiling doses ahead of an expansion of their domestic vaccination programme.
09:10 AM
No plans to add Europe to travel red list
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there were currently no plans to put all of Europe on the travel "red list" amid a third wave of cases seen in countries such as France and Italy.
As a month-long lockdown returned to several French regions including Paris, health minister Lord Bethell raised the prospect of having to "red-list all of our European neighbours".
Mr Hancock told LBC: "We don't have any plans to do that.
"We do have this red list and the amber list, and at the moment that is working well, so we don't have plans to do that."
Italy Amalfi Coast - Ellen van Bodegom
09:08 AM
What a difference a year makes
When we woke up in the UK this time last year, we read the headline "24 hours to avoid complete lockdown", as Boris Johnson threatened to follow the Italian lead with strict lockdown.
dt
Then, hours later, we were plunged into lockdown. It really was the "end of freedom", and we're still living with the restrictions a year on.
dt
08:47 AM
Sage member: 'I got it wrong about how infectious Covid was'
A member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said he was "wrong" about how infectious coronavirus would be at the start of the pandemic.
Professor Calum Semple, asked his thoughts on the last year of lockdown, told Sky News: "The things I reflect on, and I wasn't a member of Sage right at the start, I really appreciate how infectious this virus was, that was one aspect which I'll put my hands up and I got wrong.
"The virus undoubtedly is infectious in close-quarters by respiratory aerosol and droplet in close-quarters.
"That's one of the aspects I certainly didn't get right."
He added: "It's incredibly difficult, what as a society we didn't appreciate, and as a group of scientists what we didn't appreciate, was that the virus was going to move into the country essentially through British people returning from holidays in Italy, Spain and France.
"The assumption was that it would be more traditional, long-distance foreign travellers coming back in that would bring the virus in, we hadn't predicted it would be the surge of our own people coming back."
08:34 AM
Ban on leaving UK without reasonable excuse to come into force next week
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the ban on leaving the UK without a reasonable excuse, included in new coronavirus laws coming into force next week, had not changed the road map plans for international travel.
He told Sky News the global travel taskforce would report its findings by the middle of April, with May 17 the earliest possible date in the road map for international travel without a reasonable excuse.
Mr Hancock added: "Now, having said all of that, it is now too early to know where the global travel taskforce will come out and know what the decision will be for May 17.
"The reason for that is that we are seeing this third wave rising in some parts of Europe and we're also seeing new variants.
"It is very important that we protect the progress that we have been able to make here in the UK."
08:30 AM
Third wave could come to UK in summer, says Sage member
There is a "likelihood" of a third wave of coronavirus in the summer, a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said.
Professor Calum Semple told Sky News: "The concern at present is that in countries where there's less vaccination and a very strong third wave, that's the perfect breeding ground for further variants of concern.
"So, at this point, Britain has got its act together, the concern is as this third wave is going on elsewhere, that will generate new variations.
"Even within Britain there is a likelihood of a third wave in potentially July and August time when we do unlock society.
"That third wave we would expect to occur in people that are less susceptible to very severe disease.
"It's inevitable as we unlock there will be an rise in cases, the key here is have we won the race to vaccinate the most vulnerable members of society so we can keep society open this time."
08:27 AM
Sunak: 'Covid has caused one of the largest labour market shocks this country has ever faced'
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "Coronavirus has caused one of the largest labour market shocks this country has ever faced, which is why protecting, supporting and creating jobs has been my focus throughout this crisis.
"We have taken decisive action with a £352 billion package of support.
"The continued success of the vaccine rollout provides us with hope for the future and, through our Plan for Jobs, we will continue to support people throughout the months to come."
08:26 AM
Number of people in work increases for third consecutive month
The number of workers on UK payrolls increased for the third month in a row in February but has fallen by nearly 700,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of payrolled workers rose by 68,000 (0.2%) between January and February.
Overall there were 693,000 fewer workers on payrolls than in February 2020, with more than half - 368,000 jobs - lost in the hospitality sector as lockdowns and restrictions hammered the industry.
The ONS added that 123,000 payroll jobs were also lost in the hard-hit retail sector.
The latest figures show the rate of unemployment stood at 5% between November and January, compared with 5.1% in the previous three months.
Sam Beckett, ONS head of economic statistics, said: "After yet another monthly increase, there were almost 200,000 more employees on payroll in February than three months earlier, although that is still nearly 700,000 down from the start of the pandemic.
"Of the decrease since then, almost two-thirds has been among the under-25s, over half has been in hospitality and almost a third has been in London."
Commuters walk across the London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London - HANNAH MCKAY/ REUTERS
08:22 AM
Sturgeon: 'My thoughts are with you'
As Scotland's First Minister faces increased pressure with the Holyrood inquiry concluding she did mislead the Scottish Parliament, she has tweeted: "One year on. Thinking today of all those who have lost a loved one to Covid, and to everyone who continues to make heartbreaking sacrifices as we continue to navigate our way through this terrible ordeal, together.
"Also, many people have lost loved ones to causes other than Covid over the past 12 months. The restrictions in place have made the grieving process even more difficult than it would have been - my thoughts are with you too."
08:15 AM
Merkel backs EU chief over AstraZeneca threat - 'We have a problem'
Angela Merkel on Tuesday voiced support for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s threat to block AstraZeneca vaccines produced in the bloc from being exported, ahead of a crunch EU summit on the escalating row.
The German Chancellor gave her backing to the head of the EU as she extended her country's lockdown until April 18 to try to break a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic - which she blamed on the rapid spread of the UK variant.
"I support Commission President Ursula von der Leyen," Mrs Merkel said.
"We have a problem with AstraZeneca," she added. "We will decide responsibly."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "no decisions" have been taken on whether care home workers in England could be legally required to have a coronavirus vaccine.
Asked about reports on this, he told Sky News: "No decisions have been taken.
"As you know, we have a taskforce looking at the question of certification, of whether there's things that you need to be able to show - that you've had a vaccine, or indeed a test - in order to be able to do.
"That looks both at these questions around international travel, but is also looking at the question of whether, in order to be able to care for people professionally, then you ought to have protected yourself so that you can't infect others.
"This is something that happens already. For instance, doctors have to have the hepatitis B vaccine, and it's clearly something that has important moral questions on both sides.
"It is something that we're looking at but no decisions have yet been taken."
07:45 AM
'Hardest year in a generation'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it had been "probably the hardest year in a generation" as he reflected on 12 months since the first coronavirus lockdown was introduced.
Asked how he would spend the day of reflection, Mr Hancock told Sky News: "I'll be working on the vaccine rollout and trying to get us out of this.
"This has been an incredibly difficult year, probably the hardest year in a generation.
"Yet, we all search for hope as well, don't we? The hope is that we now have a route out of this and that route is possible because of the wonders of science and the scale of the vaccination programme."
07:39 AM
The truth about who wore what for Zoom meetings at home
Almost a third of people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic wore pyjamas during virtual meetings, while one in 10 did not even put on a pair of trousers, according to a YouGov poll.
Findings suggest that around 42% of home workers have experienced "Zoom fatigue" since the pandemic began, though only 14% say they want to return to the office full-time when it is safe.
One in five say they never want to go back.
The research - commissioned by transcription app Otter.ai - comes 12 months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the UK an unprecedented lockdown would commence to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
A week earlier, the public was asked to start working from home where possible.
07:23 AM
Today's front page
Here is the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, Mar 23.
dt
06:54 AM
A year in lockdown
A hallmark of any disaster film is the gradual unravelling of normality – until the scarcely believable becomes the everyday.
So it proved with Covid. What started as a mystery virus in a far off Chinese city soon turned into a tide surging across the western world – one that would in time engulf us all. When Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a press conference on March 23 to announce the imposition of a new national lockdown, it was clear our lives would be fundamentally altered.
Over the ensuing 12 months our world has changed, almost beyond recognition. We have witnessed abandoned city centres, empty motorways, sealed off playgrounds, field hospitals and makeshift morgues. Our only connection with distant loved ones has come from behind a computer screen or pane of glass.
A year in lockdown has precipitated scenes never previously imaginable; a disaster in which we all have played a reluctant role.
Britons have shown “great spirit” during a year that has been “one of the most difficult in our country’s history”, Boris Johnson has said on the first anniversary of the coronavirus lockdown.
The nation will on Tuesday pause in remembrance of those who have died from Covid-19 during a minute’s silence at 12pm, followed by a bell toll.
The Prime Minister will observe the silence privately in Downing Street, as he described the day as a time to reflect.
“The last 12 months has taken a huge toll on us all, and I offer my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones,” he said.
In a stark warning that the coronavirus crisis is not yet over, the Prime Minister on Monday urged the public to be “under no illusions” that the third wave sweeping the continent is set to “wash up on our shores”.
AstraZeneca 'provided incomplete view of data from US trial'
AstraZeneca may have provided an incomplete view of efficacy data on its Covid-19 vaccine from a large scale US trial, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said on Tuesday.
"The DSMB expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data," the US agency said, referring to the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB).
"We urge the company to work with the DSMB to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible."
The request cast doubts over the company's plan to seek US emergency use authorisation for the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Authorisation and guidelines for use of the vaccine in the United States will be determined by the Food and Drug Administration and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention after thorough review of the data by independent advisory committees, said the NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health.
AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
04:54 AM
South Korea's Moon gets jab
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in received AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday ahead of an overseas trip, as the country began inoculating more senior citizens and health workers in an effort to accelerate its vaccination drive.
Moon, 68, got the shot from a community clinic near his office in Seoul to prepare for a planned visit to the UK for a G7 summit in June.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in receives a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a health care centre in Seoul - AP
Moon's wife and nine aides who will accompany him on the trip, including National Security Advisor Suh Hoon, were also vaccinated, his office said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited South Korea, India and Australia to attend the summit as guests.
South Korea's government on Tuesday began inoculating nearly 300,000 people at care hospitals and nursing homes who are 65 or older and medical workers there as it steps up its vaccination drive.
03:50 AM
Merkel backs EU over AstraZeneca row
Angela Merkel on Tuesday voiced support for EU chief Ursula von der Leyen's threat to block AstraZeneca vaccines produced in the bloc from being exported, before a key EU summit on the escalating row.
"I support Commission President Ursula von der Leyen," Mrs Merkel said.
"We have a problem with AstraZeneca," she added.
European officials are furious that AstraZeneca has been able to deliver its UK contract in full while falling short on its supplies to the EU. It comes as European leaders are taking emergency action to prevent a third wave of cases.
Germany in 'serious situation' as it extends lockdown
Germany is extending its lockdown until April 18 and calling on citizens to stay at home for five days over the Easter holidays to try to break a third wave of the pandemic, Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.
In talks that ran deep into the night, the German Chancellor pushed the leaders of the 16 states to take a tougher stance to fight the pandemic, reversing plans for a gradual re-opening of the economy agreed earlier this month after a sharp rise in the infection rate.
"We are now in a very serious situation," she told a news conference, adding that Germany was in a race against time to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus.
Germany started cautiously easing restrictions earlier this month. But the spread of more infectious variants of the virus has pushed up cases, prompting concerns that hospitals could soon be overstretched without further curbs. More than 3,000 people with Covid-19 were in intensive care beds as of Sunday.
How many people have been vaccinated in Germany?
03:26 AM
Today's top stories
Care home workers will be required by law to have a Covid-19 jab under a historic legal change agreed by Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock, The Telegraph can reveal
British Airways and other airlines are axing summer holiday flights as a health minister raised the prospect that European countries could face a "red list" travel ban
New Covid rules will make it illegal to go to an airport without good reason with fines of £5,000 for anyone who breaks them
The Prince of Wales has called on the nation to pause and remember those who lost their lives during the pandemic, and to move forward inspired by the resourcefulness, dedication and sacrifice shown by so many
