Half of coronavirus cases in the UK could be the new variant of the disease, new data show, amid a 'sharp' increase in the spread of the virus.
In England 49 per cent of newly-diagnosed cases could be the VUI-202012/01 variant, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Nervtag advisory group has said it was "highly confident" that the new variant is more transmissible, which led to the introduction of stringent 'stay-at-home' restrictions for millions of Britons across the south and south-east of England.
The latest ONS data also suggest positive cases are increasingly "sharply" across swathes of the UK, with one in 85 people in England now testing positive - rising to one in 60 in Wales.
London now has the highest rate of people testing positive, with an estimated 2.1 per cent of people in private households testing positive for the virus.
It comes as a scientist who sits on the Government's SAGE advisory board said that people intending to see their families tomorrow should "reconsider" their plans in light of the new variant.
Dame Anne Johnson, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London, told the BBC that those wanting to see households as part of 'Christmas bubbles' tomorrow should "think very carefully".
Follow the latest updates below.
04:55 PM
New Covid strain reaches Germany
The new variant of the coronavirus which now makes up as many as half of the cases in the UK has been found in Germany, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg confirmed today.
The infected person flew to Frankfurt from the UK on December 20 to visit relatives and then tested positive upon arrival, the southwestern German state's health ministry said in a tweet.
The person was picked up from the airport by car by family members and has isolated at the family's residence since then, the ministry added.
04:28 PM
Women losing work during lockdown are increasingly drawn into multi-level marketing companies
It sounded too good to be true – and six months later, Amy realised that it was, writes Amelia Tait.
In March and experiencing lockdown for the first time, the recently unemployed entertainer was approached by multiple church friends offering her an interesting business opportunity.
They told her she could make hundreds of dollars a month selling essential oils, they told her the oils could protect people during the pandemic, they told her to splash the oils on her face mask. “It was just very magical sounding,” the 24-year-old from the east coast of America says now.
Amy signed up to be part of the business – within half a year, she’d spent $500 (£360) on stock and made zero sales. The business Amy signed up for was a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM).
MLMs recruit representatives to sell their products, most commonly diet drinks, athleisure wear, oils, and make-up.
Boris Johnson asked about third national lockdown at Brexit briefing
Asked if he could rule out another national lockdown after Christmas, Boris Johnson said being able to "grip this virus now" was needed to "stop it running out of control in January".
"Obviously we face very considerable new pressures, particularly from the new variant and the speed with which that's been that's been spreading," the Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference.
"We believe that we're going to have to get through this tough period now with, as I say, as I have said many times, very tough restrictions, with tough tiering."
03:57 PM
Boris Johnson speech: Covid 'will continue to be difficult' - but hope for spring
Speaking at his Brexit press briefing, Boris Johnson tells The Telegraph's Gordon Rayner:We're going to have to get through this tough period now, with very tough restrictions, with tough tiering and you'll have seen what's been announced in the last day or so about that.
And much as I regret that, I do think it is necessary for us to grip this virus now, to stop it running out of control in January.
Because we need to buy ourselves time to get the vaccine into as many arms of the elderly and the vulnerable as we can. And that is the real way in which we will defeat the virus.
So it's tough tiering, community testing and rolling out the vaccine. We're going to continue with that approach and I know that it's been very, very tough over the last few weeks and I must tell people that it will continue to be difficult, not least basically because of the speed with which the new variant is spreading.
But the vaccine is going into people's arms and there really is hope - certainty - that we will have it ... by the spring, or that's certainly what the scientists still believe."
Screen grab of Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on the agreement of a post-Brexit trade deal - PA Video/PA Wire
03:50 PM
Kent latest: Thousands of lorry drivers to spend Christmas stranded at border
Thousands of lorry drivers will spend Christmas Day stranded at the border with the English Channel with some likely to have spent five nights in their vehicles and many expected to be stuck there until Boxing Day.
A spokesman said that departure numbers would "rise significantly", though they could not provide figures for today.
Some 2,367 of an estimated 6,000 drivers had returned negative coronavirus tests by this afternoon, while three tested positive, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Mr Shapps said the border at Dover, the Eurotunnel and Calais would remain open "throughout Christmas" to get hauliers cleared "as soon as possible", with the help of 10,000 more tests brought by 26 French firemen drafted in on Thursday.
Traffic is moving more quickly at the Eurotunnel, where more than 1,000 vehicles left on Wednesday night, according to the Road Haulage Association, with around 2,000 more expected to depart by the end of Thursday.
03:39 PM
Boris Johnson speech: PM 'utterly confident' UK can defeat coronavirus
Speaking to confirm the UK and the EU's Brexit deal, Boris Johnson has said:
Our focus in the weeks ahead is of course on defeating the pandemic, and on beating coronavirus and rebuilding our economy and delivering jobs across the country.
And I'm utterly confident that we can and will do it.
By today we've vaccinated almost 800,000.
And also today we've resolved the question that has bedevilled our politics for decades. And it is up to us all together, as a newly and truly independent nation.
Screen grab of Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street - PA
03:27 PM
Doctors dance in celebration of Israel's vaccine roll-out
Doctors at the Sourasky Medical Centre in Tel Aviv danced to celebrate the country's vaccine roll-out.
The hospital has delivered vaccines since Sunday, one day after Prime Minister Netanyahu received the country's first jab.
03:17 PM
New coronavirus variant: Everything we know so far
It is now more than a week since Matt Hancock announced in the Commons that a new coronavirus variant had been detected in south-east England – and was responsible for a rapid surge in infections.
Since then experts have been racing to understand this new mutation, known as B.1.1.7 or VUI-202012/01.
And some commentators have accused the Government of using the variant as an excuse for tightening restrictions over Christmas. This has been denied by scientists.
A pedestrian wearing a face mask or covering walks past a COVID-19 Tier 4 information sign in central London on December 23 - Tolga Akmen/AFP
“I don't think there's been any 'egging up', as far as I can tell,” Professor Peter Horby, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told MPs yesterday. “This is a new variant which is of concern.”
Deaths with coronavirus in Northern Ireland rise by 11
Eleven more people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said.
There have also been 841 new confirmed cases of the virus in the last 24-hour reporting period.
03:03 PM
Motorways close, trains cancelled and homes evacuated as Storm Bella set to batter Britain
Motorways have been forced to close, trains cancelled and homes evacuated as the Environment Agency issues over 100 flood warnings with Storm Bella set to batter Britain, writes Gabriella Swerling.
The Met Office said conditions across the UK will turn increasingly unsettled with strengthening winds and heavy rain moving in from the north, with millions expected on the roads tomorrow amid the one-day lifting of coronavirus restrictions for Christmas Day.
The warning came as forecasters announced that the newly-named Storm Bella is due to lash parts of the UK on Boxing Day after dozens were rescued and homes and businesses flooded by heavy rain in the run-up to Christmas.
An Amber national severe weather warning has been issued for parts of south Wales and across southern England, with gusts expected to reach up to 60-70mph in exposed coastal locations.
02:50 PM
A quick Brexit update...
Brexit deal is done, press conferences in UK and Brussels imminent
Dover news: Kent council leader expresses 'deep sympathy' for those stranded
The leader of Kent County Council has expressed his "deep sympathy" to thousands of stranded lorry drivers who are stuck in the county and will not be able to get home for Christmas.
Many of those affected are being tested by Covid-19, allowing them to continue their journeys and get to France on the condition of a negative test result.
However, for many it will be too late to spend the festive season with loved ones.
The council is currently providing drinking water, food and extra portable toilets, in conjunction with charities and other groups.
Vehicles at the Port of Dover in Dover, Britain, 24 December 2020. - Andy Rain/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Council leader Roger Gough said: "The kindness and humanity shown by people who have rallied to provide welfare for those caught up in delays at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel is amazing.
"I would like to thank all those who are coming forward to help, including charities, businesses, voluntary groups and, of course, our own driver welfare teams.
"The situation should now improve steadily as drivers secure negative Covid-19 test results and are able to continue their journeys into France by ferry or freight train. I have, however, deep sympathy for those for whom this will come too late to spend Christmas with their families."
02:40 PM
London coronavirus cases have trebled in a fortnight
London's rate of new cases of Covid-19 has trebled in the space of two weeks, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.
The rate stood at 602.2 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to December 20, up from 200.3 in the seven days to December 6.
Christmas Eve shoppers in Chelsea, South West London walk past an NHS Stay Home Tier 4 information sign while doing their last minute shopping. - Alex Lentati/LNP
Rates have increased in all regions, with eastern England recording the next highest rate after London (440.7) followed by south-east England (380.6) and the West Midlands (218.8).
02:27 PM
Care home vaccine roll-out in Bournemouth among the first in England
A Bournemouth care home has become one of the first in England to start vaccinating its elderly residents.
One of the first residents of the Sunrise care home to receive the vaccine was Tom Ellarby, a 100-year-old World War Two veteran.
One of the first residents to receive the vaccine was World War Two veteran Tom Ellarby who is aged 100. - BNPS
Ninety residents received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine today.
The roll-out of the vaccines will remove the requirement for staff and residents to wear PPE in the future, while enabling visitors to return to the care home.
02:11 PM
Black theatre company pulls out of Birmingham theatre over Nightingale Court row
A leading black theatre company has pulled out of staging productions at Birmingham theatre amid a row over turning it into a Nightingale Court, writes Gabriella Swerling.
Temporary courts have been set up across England and Wales in a bid to deal with the backlog of legal cases brought about by the pandemic.
The courts, known as Nightingale Courts - in homage to Florence Nightingale, the social reformer and founder of modern nursing - will hear civil and family cases, tribunals and non-custodial criminal cases.
However after the Birmingham Repertory Theatre announced that while theatres were forced to close their doors, in accordance with government guidelines, that it would allow its building to host the Nightingale Courts, Talawa Theatre Company announced that it was going to pull out of its partnership.
The Times reported that the Company said that it would not stage its Black Joy season at the theatre and that black artists and communities would be "most affected" by the decision to host a judicial court.
England coronavirus deaths rise by 350 in NHS hospitals
A further 350 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 47,749, NHS England said on Thursday.
Patients were aged between 25 and 100. All except seven, who were aged between 30 and 97, had known underlying health conditions. The deaths were between November 4 and December 23.
There were 29 other deaths reported with no positive Covid-19 test result. The UK's death toll across all settings and most up-to-date caseload will be confirmed later today.
01:41 PM
UK flight ban introduced by China
China today said it was banning flights to and from the UK, becoming the latest in dozens of nations to restrict travel from Britain because of a particularly infectious Covid-19 strain, Louise Watt reports from Taipei.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that the country would suspend flights between Britain and China for an indefinite period because of “the special nature of the mutated virus and its possible impact, and in order to protect the health of personnel from China and abroad”.
Hong Kong has already banned flights from Britain since Tuesday in a bid to stop the spread of the strain that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said may be up to 70 percent more transmissible than usual.
“After thorough assessment, China has taken reference from other countries' practices and decided to suspend flights between China and the United Kingdom,” Mr Wang told reporters at a regular briefing.
“China will closely monitor the situation and adjust the relevant control measures according to the situation,” he added.
Mr Wang did not say from when the ban would begin, but two Chinese airlines had already announced flight suspensions ahead of the statement.
China Southern Airlines has suspended direct flights between Guangzhou and London until January 7. Sichuan Airlines on Wednesday suspended flights from the UK to China with a stopover in a third country.
01:35 PM
Northern Ireland lockdown: Deputy first minister urges compliance with new rules
Michelle O'Neill, the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, has urged the public to follow the new lockdown rules which will take effect from Boxing Day.
She said:
We were advised that this variant is likely to have been present here for some time.
Unfortunately this is the confirmation we have been expecting and that's why it is critical we all get the maximum benefit from the lockdown that starts on St Stephen's Day.
There is no current evidence to suggest that this current variant of Covid causes more serious illness or a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments. Vaccines have already started rolling out to those healthcare staff working on the front line and to residents in our care homes.
My appeal is for everyone to strictly follow the Covid regulations and the public health advice and be very careful in all that we do over the Christmas period.
A new six-week lockdown will be introduced from December 26, starting with a week-long 'stay-at-home curfew' until January 2, and anyone who is travelling to Northern Ireland with the intention to stay for more than 24 hours will be required to self-isolate.
The lockdown measures will be reviewed after a four-week period.
01:25 PM
Secondary school children see highest infection rates of Covid-19, new figures show
Secondary school children are the age group where Covid-19 is most rampant, the latest official statistics show as pressure grows on ministers to close schools, writes Steve Bird.
Rates of infection among youngsters in Year 7 to Year 11 is the highest among the entire population, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show.
Gavin Williamson, U.K. education secretary, departs following a weekly meeting of cabinet ministers in London - Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
When modelling the level of infection among those children aged between 11 and 16 it was calculated that just under three per cent had coronavirus.
The research has compounded fears the new UK strain of Covid-19 is spreading fastest among children.
Throughout England one in 85 people have the virus, a level described by one professor as “worryingly high”.
New Covid variant could make up half of all UK cases, finds weekly ONS study
Half of coronavirus cases in the UK could be the new variant of the disease, new data show, amid a 'sharp' increase in the spread of the virus.
In England 49 per cent of newly-diagnosed cases could be the VUI-202012/01 variant, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Nervtag advisory group has said it was "highly confident" that the new variant is more transmissible, which led to the introduction of stringent 'stay-at-home' restrictions for millions of Britons across the south and south-east of England.
The latest ONS data also suggest positive cases are increasingly "sharply" across swathes of the UK, with one in 85 people in England now testing positive - rising to one in 60 in Wales.
London now has the highest rate of people testing positive, with an estimated 2.1 per cent of people in private households testing positive for the virus.
12:56 PM
Coronavirus vaccine: 520,000 Britons have now had first dose
More than 520,000 Britons have now had their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, according to official NHS figures.
A total of 521,594 Britons were given the first dose of a vaccine up to December 20, and 70.3 per cent of these were over the age of 80.
Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, said: “This vaccine presents a number of complex logistical challenges.
D-Day veteran and Chelsea Pensioner Bob (Robert) James Sullivan, 98, a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, is injected with the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by Pippa Nightingale, - Aaron Chown/PA
“But the NHS response has been nothing short of phenomenal, with hundreds of hospitals and local vaccination centres stood up across the country.”
Datasets about how many people have received the vaccine, which will include a demographic breakdown, are to be released every week by NHS England.
12:38 PM
Test and Trace figures released as system changes take effect
The most recent figures for the NHS Test and Trace programme have been released today.
However it is no longer possible to compare how many contacts have been reached with historical data after changes in how contact tracing is reported.
Under the old system, where all contacts were traced individually, 60.5 per cent of close contacts were reached in the week ending November 18, which was broadly consistent with previous and subsequent figures.
Under the new system, where contacts within one household can be recorded as having been reached via a single phone call to one person, 92.6 per cent of close contacts were reached in the week ending December 16.
12:20 PM
Wales coronavirus deaths rise by 63
There have been a further 2,161 cases of coronavirus in Wales, the country's public health authority has confirmed, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 133,263.
Public Health Wales (PHW) reported another 63 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 3,263.
It comes after figures from PHW showed that there have been almost 2,500 infections linked to hospital outbreaks since October.
Around 90 British Army soldiers are currently helping Welsh paramedics in their response to the coronavirus crisis as part of an unprecedented arrangement.
Welsh services have struggled under the weight of the highest case rates in the UK, staff absences, and a poor "flow" through hospitals.
12:00 PM
London Nightingale hospital left without intensive care beds
Staff shortages have left London's flagship Nightingale hospital empty without any equipment or its 4,000 intensive care beds, despite Covid cases doubling in the capital.
One of seven built at the start of the pandemic at a cost of £220 million, the Nightingale hospital, at the ExCel Centre, was shut and placed on standby soon after, although 90 per cent of the building has returned to how it was previously.
A view of the Excel Centre, which was used during the first national lockdown as the London NHS Nightingale Hospital and is a proposed mass immunisation centre site - Vickie Flores/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Nightingale at Birmingham's NEC and the one in Sunderland are also empty but on standby, while Manchester's was open for "non-Covid care", with those at Exeter and Harrogate being used as "specialist diagnostics centres" and Bristol's deployed for "local NHS services".
The Royal College of Emergency medicine said: "With regard to the Nightingale Hospitals, the challenge is safely staffing them. A bed requires nurses, doctors, pharmacists, anaesthetists in some cases, porters, cleaners.
"The health service already faces staff shortages in many hospitals and some staff are also self-isolating or off sick due to Covid-19."
More than 170,000 businesses have already been forced to shut by Tier 4 restrictions amid a disastrous slump in footfall just before Christmas - with another 50,000 to close from Boxing Day as the rules are expanded, Tim Wallace reports.
The new regime has already closed more than 130,000 shops, 8,500 pubs, 3,700 hair and beauty salons and 1,000 gyms in London and swathes of the South east and east of England , according to consultant Altus Group.
It will be expanded in two days' time to include Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
Tier 4 rules have forced non-essential shops to close and have already wrecked the vital Christmas shopping season in much of the country since they were announced on Saturday.
The number of visitors to high streets was down by more than half on Monday and Tuesday this week compared to the same days last year, according to data from Springboard. Retail parks performed better, but are still down almost one-fifth on 2019’s performance.
Pfizer coronavirus vaccine could be limited to one jab per patient
The Government is considering proposals to limit people to just one dose of the Covid jab in order to allow more people to be vaccinated as quickly as possible, writes our health editor Laura Donnelly.
Whitehall sources said "live conversations" are going on with regulators after calls for the move were made by a number of experts, including the Government's former director of immunisation.
Professor David Salisbury, who led the programme at the Department of Health until 2013, said he would "strongly urge" the Government to use the current doses available on as many risk groups as possible.
He said the new variant of the virus, which is spreading rapidly, "concerns him very greatly" and "adds even more reason" for giving people just one dose.
“I would be telling people [that if we did this] we are going to be saving more lives," Prof Salisbury told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
New Covid variant could make up two-thirds of London cases
Approximately two-thirds of recent positive cases in London, eastern England and south-east England could be the new variant of Covid-19, the Office for National Statistics found.
Of positive cases in London between December 14 to 18, 68 per cent were estimated to be genetically compatible with the new variant.
The estimate is 65 per cent in the east and south-east of England. For the nation as a whole, the Office for National Statistics estimated 49 per cent of new cases could be the new variant among those in private households.
Donald Trump demands changes to $900bn coronavirus relief bill
Donald Trump has threatened to torpedo a $900 billion coronavirus relief package unless Congress agreed to increase direct stimulus payments to ordinary Americans.
The president demanded that proposed cheques of $600 to individuals and $2,400 for a family of four be bumped up to $2,000 and $4,000 respectively.
Mr Trump lambasted "wasteful" spending in the bill, which included aid to foreign countries.
In a four-minute video address he said: "A few months ago, Congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the American people. It’s taken forever.
"However, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. It really is a disgrace."
10:51 AM
'British' Covid variant may have circulated in Italy for months
The so-called 'British' variant of the coronavirus may have been circulating in Italy for weeks or months but there is no particular cause for alarm over it, says the head of the Italian Pharmacology Agency, writes Nick Squires.
Giorgio Palu says it is no surprise that the variant was detected in an Italian man yesterday who had not traveled to Britain and has no links with the UK. He lives in the town of Loreto in the Marche region of central Italy.
The professor of virology says the strain has an evolutionary advantage over other strains that are in circulation but does not seem to be more dangerous.
It is "possible" that it has been in Italy since September, he says. "In some Italian regions, such as Veneto, the infection curve looks very similar to the British curve," he told Corriere della Sera newspaper. "The UK detected the new strain because the British have a strong capacity in this sort of research.
Italian Red Cross medical staff perform rapid antigenic swabs in Civitavecchia near Rome, Italy, - Giuseppe Lami/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
"They have a sequencing system which is the best in the world." The case of the mutant strain was detected by Prof Stefano Menza in a laboratory in the Adriatic port of Ancona.
"If the variant has arrived in the Marche, a region which is lightly populated, and in a family without any direct or indirect contacts with Great Britain, then I imagine it must be present in other, more populated regions as well."
10:38 AM
A celebrity-filled performance of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas from Prince Charles and friends
It is the quintessence of Christmas Eve, a much-loved festive poem read by generations as children await the arrival of the big man himself, writes Victoria Ward.
And the Prince of Wales is hoping that his own recording of Clement Clarke Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, featuring a host of national treasures from Dame Judi Dench to Dame Maggie Smith, will “make a few people smile” at the close of a difficult year.
The Prince came up with the idea of an ensemble reading after an approach from the Actors’ Benevolent Fund (ABF), having heard first-hand about the difficulties the theatre and film industries have faced throughout the pandemic.
Watch the video below:
10:31 AM
Christmas bubbles: Household mixing plans should be 'reconsidered', says Sage member
A member of the Government’s SAGE advisory body has called on people planning to see relatives on Christmas Day to ‘reconsider’ in light of surging infections due to the new variant, reports Mike Wright.
Dame Anne Johnson, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at UCL, said people had to ‘think carefully’ about the risks of infecting relatives they visit in person.
Here comments come as around 18 million people have been placed into Tier 4 restrictions, which ban any mixing on Christmas Day, with millions more are set to go into the highest tier from Boxing Day.
However, millions of families in Tiers 1 to 3 are currently allowed to mix with one other household on Christmas Day.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Dame Johson said: “I would really urge everybody to think very carefully. It is not too late to reconsider your plans and there are people who are going to get ill over the next few days and they absolutely must not mix with other people - they must self isolate.
“Everybody has to think very carefully about those risks, balancing the needs for people of both their health issues and social issues of those who are very extremely isolated.”
10:06 AM
Intensive care beds in Milton Keynes are full, says hospital chief
The chief executive of Milton Keynes hospital has warned that its intensive care beds are all full and new Covid patients will have to be transferred to other hospitals, reports Mike Wright.
Professor Joe Harrison said this hospital was busier than at other point in the pandemic, with Covid admissions 50 percent higher than in March.
Speaking on the today programme, he said his team expected more Covid patients to come in over the next two weeks and in discussion training hospitals in Oxford about sending critical patients to their ‘super centres’.
“Our intensive care unit here is full of all Covid patients and that is nine beds that we have available to us,” he said.
“Should we see a further increase we have further capacity we can call upon from our neighbouring organisations, which would mean transferring patients out.
“What we will do is for patients that require that higher intensity of care we will make a clinical decision about whether there is a patient we can step down from critical care or who will need transferring out.”
Prof. Harrison added: “We haven’t in the first wave or the second wave had to transfer any patients out as yet.”
10:03 AM
One in 85 had coronavirus last week, according to Office for National Statistics
One in 85 people in private households - or 1.18 per cent of the population - had coronavirus between December 12 and December 18, according to an estimate from the Office for National Statistics.
This represents a rise from 567,300 (one in 95) in the previous week. The estimate does not consider hospital and care home settings.
Rates of the virus remain highest among children aged between 11 and 16, the ONS said.
Case rates have increased in all groups except for those aged 50 to 69, where there have been early signs of an increase, and for those aged 70 and over, where there are early signs of a decrease.
09:41 AM
30 minute Covid tests rolled out as festive deal struck to end lorry chaos
Cross channel ferries and trains are to run through Christmas Day to help end the lorry chaos in Kent after the British and French Governments struck a deal to cancel the festive break, report Charles Hymas and Anna Pujol-Mazzini.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, announced on Twitter that they had agreed the UK-French border at Eurotunnel, Dover and Calais would remain open throughout Christmas “in order to help hauliers & citizens return home as soon as possible.”
Some 10,000 hauliers are stranded in Kent and elsewhere in the UK waiting to have their 30-minute Covid tests so that they can travel to France under a separate UK-French deal on Tuesday to end France’s 48 hour travel ban.
Lorries queue on the M20 motorway to enter the Port of Dover following the coronavirus disease outbreak - Matthew Childs/Reuters
Furious lorry drivers clashed with police on Wednesday as they vented their frustration at delays in being tested and getting home for Christmas.
Overnight talks between Mr Shapps and his french counterpart Jean Baptiste Djebbari led to agreement with the ferry companies, port authorities, border police and unions, who had initially been reported to be opposed.
However, Christophe Fontaine, the delegate for the CFDT, the main union for the Calais port, confirmed staff will work in “solidarity” with the truckers on December 24 and 25 to help get them home.
Dover news: Drivers receive tests from French officials
French officials test a driver at the Port of Dover, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Dover, Britain, December 24, 202 - Simon Dawson/Reuters Another driver receives a Covid test at Dover. - Simon Dawson/Reuters
09:21 AM
Coronavirus vaccine order based on 'wrong priorities', says Prue Leith
Prue Leith, the Great British Bake Off judge, has said that people of her age should not be prioritised for the Covid vaccine but should be left to "take our chance".
The 80-year-old chef, restaurateur and cookery writer said priority should be given to younger people who have a productive career and a full life ahead of them.
Her comments, on The Telegraph's Planet Normal podcast, are likely to cause anger among relatives of older people waiting for the vaccine, which is being rolled out across Britain on the basis of age and vulnerability.
Leith, who at 80 was photographed receiving her Covid-19 vaccine last week, said: "I was delighted and rather thrilled to be asked to have a vaccine so early on the first day.
"I've never felt vulnerable. And in fact, to be absolutely honest, although I was very glad to get the vaccine and grateful for it, I think it's the wrong priorities."
New virus strain maybe more infectious for people who have already had Covid, senior government advisor warns
Professor Peter Horby, chair of the Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) advisory body, warned this morning that the new strain of the virus could be more infectious to people who have already had Covid, as well as potentially making the vaccine ‘less effective’.
Earlier in the pandemic, it had been hoped that people who had already contracted Covid would have effective immunity that would help strengthen the population’s overall resistance to the virus. There had even been discussions over the possibility of ‘immunity passports’ for those who had had the virus, which would allow them to ignore certain government restrictions.
However, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme Thursday morning, Prof. Horby, warned the new variant of the virus, which is thought to have originated in South Africa, has concerning mutations in its receptor-binding domain, which determines how easy a virus is to catch and also for the immune system to fight off.
He said: “Those two reasons are why this virus is a worry. It may be more infectious, so it may make it more difficult to control. And these three mutations that are in the receptor-binding domain may have an effect on the ability of antibodies to neutralise the virus.
“That may mean it is easier to get reinfected and it may mean that antibody-based therapies and vaccines may be less effective. Now we don’t know that for sure until the laboratory experiments are done. But the structural data would suggest that is a possibility.”
08:56 AM
Prue Leith: Don't prioritise the elderly for Covid vaccine
Prue Leith, the Great British Bake Off judge, has said that people of her age should not be prioritised for the Covid vaccine but should be left to "take our chance".
The 80-year-old chef, restaurateur and cookery writer said priority should be given to younger people who have a productive career and a full life ahead of them.
Her comments, on The Telegraph's Planet Normal podcast, are likely to cause anger among relatives of older people waiting for the vaccine, which is being rolled out across Britain on the basis of age and vulnerability.
Leith, who at 80 was photographed receiving her Covid-19 vaccine last week, said: "I was delighted and rather thrilled to be asked to have a vaccine so early on the first day.
"I've never felt vulnerable. And in fact, to be absolutely honest, although I was very glad to get the vaccine and grateful for it, I think it's the wrong priorities."
Tier 4 lockdown: Which areas will move Tier on Boxing Day?
Tier 4 will be extended across parts of England on Boxing Day to combat a second, more contagious strain of coronavirus.
The stringent 'stay-at-home' restrictions were introduced for the first time on December 20 in London and the South-East, imposing restrictions akin to a full lockdown and effectively cancelling Christmas for millions.
Non-essential retail, hairdressers and indoor gyms are closed, with Britons in affected areas unable to meet more than one person from another household in an outdoor, public space.
Matt Hancock yesterday confirmed that Sussex, Oxfordshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, the remainder of Essex, Waverley, and Hampshire excluding the New Forest will enter Tier 4 from Saturday onward.
Current infections surge worse than first wave, Sage member says
Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust and member of the Government's scientific advisory body, has tweeted that the current rise in Covid infections is now worse that the first wave of the virus.
He said that the latest mortality figures of 744 deaths lay bare the scale of the ongoing infections as improvements in treatments now mean around a third more of patients are surviving compared to the beginning of the year.
UK 744 Covid deaths highest since 29April. Bear in mind treatment has improved & saved many lives since April (~30% reduction), mortality rates much lower now in people hospitalised. 744 deaths reported. Heartbreaking & tragic. Situation worse than 'Wave 1"https://t.co/AmYqUhpzNn
Osbourne said: "Got the ok to go home after two negative test results and look at the joy waiting for me!
"So grateful to be home for the holidays and thank you all so much for your love and support. Stay safe and wishing you the happiest of holidays."
05:27 AM
Singapore records first new strain from UK
Singapore has confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus variant found in the United Kingdom, the city-state said, while 11 others who were already in quarantine had returned preliminarily positive results for the new strain.
All the cases, which were imported from Europe, had been placed in 14-day quarantine at dedicated facilities or isolated upon arrival, and their close contacts had been quarantined earlier.
"There is currently no evidence that the B117 strain is circulating in the community," Singapore's health ministry said late on Wednesday, referring to the new, potentially more infectious UK strain.
Singapore has been conducting viral genomic sequencing for confirmed Covid-19 cases who arrived from Europe recently.
The strain was found among 31 cases from Europe, who arrived in Singapore between Nov. 17 and Dec. 17 and were confirmed to have Covid-19 this month.
The patient with the new variant came to Singapore from the UK on Dec. 6, had been quarantined on arrival and tested positive on Dec. 8. All her close contacts had been placed on quarantine, and had tested negative at the end of their quarantine period.
The health ministry said it had been able to ring-fence the case so that there was no further transmission.
A family walks through the departure hall of the Changi Airport in Singapore - EPA
04:04 AM
Sydney residents told to stay home for Christmas
Millions of Sydney residents were asked to limit their mobility over the Christmas holidays, with some families in lockdown and festive gatherings limited to 10 visitors indoors, as officials try to contain a Covid-19 outbreak\.
Australia's most populous city has been virtually isolated from the rest of the country with state border closures or mandatory 14-day quarantine for Sydney arrivals.
"Please limit your mobility," New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney on Thursday. "Apart from those close family gatherings, which we have allowed over the Christmas break, we don’t want people moving around unless you absolutely have to."
The neighbouring state of Victoria on Thursday advised its residents not to "hug or kiss" any visitors who had been in Sydney in the past 10 days.
Christmas has been cut short in Sydney this year - GETTY IMAGES
Almost half the country will be in Tier 4 lockdown from Boxing Day under measures announced by Matt Hancock as he warned that another mutant Covid strain has been found in Britain
Two cases of a “highly concerning” new coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa have been detected in the UK, triggering stringent new quarantine restrictions on anyone arriving from the rainbow nation
The new Oxford vaccine is a step closer to green light with regulators now considering full data, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has announced
Furious lorry drivers stranded in the UK by the French travel ban clashed with police on Wednesday as they vented their frustration at delays in being tested and getting home for Christmas
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
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