Coronavirus latest news: More people in hospital than any time in pandemic to date, says Matt Hancock

• Hancock to lead press conference at 5pm

• Exclusive: Mass testing of entire regions considered

• One Covid patient admitted to hospital 'every 30 seconds'

• ​All care home residents and staff in England could be offered vaccines by early next week

• 'A sense of impending doom': What it's like to be on the frontline

• World faces 'catastrophic moral failure' in race to vaccinate WHO warns

More than 37,000 people are currently being treated in UK hospitals for Covid-19, the Health Secretary has warned - the highest figure seen during the pandemic to date.

Speaking during the Downing Street media briefing, Matt Hancock said that someone is currently being admitted to hospital every 30 seconds in England and the NHS is under "significant pressure in all parts of the country". Roughly 15,000 people have been newly hospitalised with Covid-19 since Christmas Eve.

The bleak figures come as the UK's vaccine roll out accelerates, with Mr Hancock celebrating that several areas - including Slough and Newcastle - have immunised all care home residents.

In total, 4,062,501 people in the UK have now been given their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Health Secretary added that Britain is "on track to reach the target" of offering a jab to everyone in the top two priority groups - those in care homes and those over 80 - within the next four weeks. The main "rate-limiting factor", though, continues to be supply.

But despite the optimism the press conference also saw a cautious message reiterated, with NHS England's national medical director warning that it will be "some time" before the vaccination programme begins to reduce pressures on hospitals.

"It is absolutely critical that we continue to stick to those social distancing rules that are in place, that we don't rely yet on vaccines coming to our rescue," Professor Stephen Powis said.

"Don't blow it now," Mr Hancock added. "We are on the route out. We are protecting the most vulnerable. We are getting the virus under control."

Follow the latest updates below.

06:59 PM

Matt’s take

My latest cartoon for tomorrow's @Telegraph

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— Matt Cartoons (@MattCartoonist) January 18, 2021

06:53 PM

Evening news summary

Here’s a roundup of the key headlines to be aware of today:

• Another 37,535 lab-confirmed cases have been reported in the last 24 hours and 599 people have died, bringing Britain's official fatalities to 89,860.

• Downing Street has said that those over 70 will only be offered a coronavirus vaccine when the "majority" of high priority have had jab in their area. The Government has insisted the UK is "on track" to meet ambitious vaccination targets.

• But in Wales, the Government is embroiled in a row over whether it is following a "go-slow" vaccination strategy.

• Matt Hancock urged people not to "blow it" as the vaccine roll out ramps up, after NHS England's national medical director warned it will be "some time" before the vaccination programme begins to reduce pressures on hospitals.

• MPs are continuing to debate whether a £20 weekly rise in Universal Credit should be extended. Earlier today Sir Keir Starmer called Boris Johnson "pathetic" for ordering Conservative MPs to abstain from a vote, suggesting that "in their heart of hearts" Tories would back Labour's move -follow proceedings live on our politics blog.

Elsewhere across the globe:

• The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the global community is on the brink of "catastrophic moral failure" in sharing Covid-19 vaccines, urging countries and manufacturers to spread doses more fairly.

• Austria, Denmark and Greece are set to jointly pressure the European Medicines Agency to approve AstraZeneca's vaccine as quickly as possible.

• Germany's health minister said new measures would be needed to slow the spread of new, more infectious variants of the virus, including more health checks for cross-border commuters and intensified gene sequencing of virus samples.

• China has reported more than 100 new cases for the sixth consecutive day, with rising infections in the northeast fuelling concern of another wave when hundreds of millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.

• Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year even if most of the population is vaccinated against Covid-19, the head of its health department said as the country recorded zero local cases.

Scroll down for more of the today's coronavirus updates. Or, if you would like to sign up to an evening update straight to your inbox, register for our daily Global Health Security newsletter here for free.

06:40 PM

Fears of ‘vaccine apartheid’ as countries mull immunisation passports

Back to vaccines: experts have warned that the launch of vaccines passports could divide old and young as well as rich and poor, leading to a global system of “vaccine apartheid”.

Yet across the world governments and airlines are examining vaccine passport schemes which many expect to become widespread in the next few months if one or more of the jabs currently being distributed proves effective against transmission of Covid-19.

Several countries, including Israel, already have firm plans to launch vaccine passports while others such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal are lobbying for them.

The European Union as a whole is also considering some kind of certificate with ministers meeting to discuss this on Monday.

Maros Sefcovic, a European Commission vice president, said vaccination could become a condition for travel, like current requirements in many countries for a negative Covid test.

"There will be different options how we handle travel ... the possibility of the electronic vaccination certificate could be added," he said.

Perhaps most significantly, airlines are considering making proof of vaccination a condition of being able to fly in much the same way as many now insist on a negative test as a condition of boarding.

Read more in this report from our correspondents across the globe.

06:30 PM

Supermarket delivery slots should be free for those who are shielding, charities say

Supermarket deliveries should be free for people who are shielding, a coalition of major charities has urged.

The group, led by Independent Age, said that those who are extremely clinical vulnerable have been left with no choice but to rely on online delivery but that the cost could be prohibitive for many.

A delivery slot can cost as much as £7, on top of a minimum spend of £40. Some grocers waived these charges for vulnerable customers earlier in the pandemic, and the coalition of charities urged them to do so again.

The group, which also includes Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK and Carers UK, wrote to the chief executives of the UK’s biggest supermarkets to say it is unfair that those who are shielding have to take a financial hit in order to protect the NHS.

Sam Meadows has more on this story here.

06:23 PM

In case you missed it: Matt Hancock gives coronavirus update from Downing Street

06:13 PM

Norway investigates deaths of 23 elderly Pifzer-BioNTech vaccine recipients

Authorities in Norway are investigating the deaths of 23 frail elderly patients who had recently received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Most experts have said there is no need for alarm with the fatalities in this group most likely to be a coincidence.

According to a report in the British Medical Journal 13 deaths have so far been investigated and authorities have concluded that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever, nausea and diarrhoea, may have contributed to the deaths.

Steinar Madsen, medical director of the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA), told the journal: “It may be a coincidence, but we aren't sure... there is no certain connection between these deaths and the vaccine.”

“There is a possibility that these common adverse reactions, that are not dangerous in fitter, younger patients and are not unusual with vaccines, may aggravate underlying disease in the elderly,” Mr Madsen said. “We are not alarmed or worried about this, because these are very rare occurrences and they occurred in very frail patients with very serious disease.”

Anne Gulland has more details on this story here.

06:03 PM

'Science is succeeding - but solidarity is failing', warns UN

A spotlight has been shone on the stark disparities in access to Covid-19 vaccines across the globe today, following comments from the head of the World Health Organization warning that the world is on the brink of a "catastrophic moral failure".

To date more than 37 million vaccines have been administered - including only 25 in low and middle income countries.

Following on from this António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, has warned that "science is succeeding - but solidarity is failing".

It is worth noting that while many wealthy countries, including the UK, have financially supported efforts to distribute vaccines globally - there has been little in the way of discussions about sharing the vast reserves of vaccine doses they have secured access to.

This disparity was on display at the press conference this afternoon (see 5:25pm).

05:36 PM

Hancock: Law will not be changed to protect doctors making tough choices

The final question comes from the British Medical Journal. They say doctors are fearful they may be pushed into unimaginable decisions about which patients to treat. Will the Government introduce emergency legislation to protect doctors from any legal ramifications?

Matt Hancock says he knows this is a very serious concern, but he is glad to say that we are not in a position where doctors have to make those sort of choices about prioritisation - and he hopes we will never be.

So he says the clear advice that he has is that is is not necessary at the moment to change the law on this matter.

But he adds that he admires and is "hugely grateful" to NHS staff working in trying circumstances and he will keep this under review on this point.

Prof Steven Powis adds that the NHS is under a huge amount of pressure at the moment and clinicians are doing an incredible job. He says they have been planning for a wave like this since last Spring and the NHS has been able to open more intensive care beds and flex capacity as a result.

He says doctors and clinicians can make decisions about how best to treat people because of increased capacity and mutual aid between hospitals and regions so that is "is always possible to provide the care patients require".

The Health Secretary then says that the NHS is not overwhelmed and the data show that we are "getting this under control". But people must follow the rules, stay at home, and follow the basics of "hand, face and space".

"Everyone plays their part in getting this under control", he says.

And with that the press conference is finished.

05:29 PM

Hancock: Lifting restrictions depends on the data

The next question comes from the Press Association - when will the UK lift restrictions?

Matt Hancock says that he hopes everyone will be vaccinated by September. On lifting restrictions he says that we "have to watch the data".

We need to see deaths coming down and pressure on the NHS subsiding - neither of which are so far happening, he says.

He says that the vaccination programme also needs to work, and we need to see the efficacy of the vaccine saving lives on the ground. The fourth consideration is that there is not another new variant.

Susan Hopkins adds that it is very difficult to give a defined date on when schools may reopen - although the government is committed to reopening them first.

05:25 PM

Hancock: UK can be proud of financial commitment to ensure world is vaccinated

The next question is about how the Government will identify who needs a vaccine more urgently between a teacher, police officer and retail staff.

Matt Hancock says 99 per cent of deaths are in the top nine groups of the JCVI guidelines, and after that it is about reducing transmission and getting back to normal as soon as possible.

Susan Hopkins says that we are learning, and continuing to learn, how well vaccines protect against transmission - and this will be key in the next stage.

Mr Hancock is also asked about comments from Dr Tedros, head of the World Health Organization, who warned of a catastrophic moral crisis around unequal distribution of vaccinations worldwide.

The Health Secretary says he was in communication with Dr Tedros over the weekend and the UK is the worlds largest supporter of schemes like Covax to ensure the vaccine reaches all corners of the globe.

He adds that through partnerships with Oxford and AstraZeneca the UK has also helped to produce the cheapest vaccine worldwide.

He says he "absolutely agrees" with Dr Tedros on the need for a global rollout and the UK can be proud of the financial backing it has given.

But he makes no comment about whether the UK will divert stock after the most vulnerable are protected - and 99 per cent of deaths averted.

This is a key pillar for the WHO, which has consistently asked wealthy countries not to pursue herd immunity while global shortages remain, but to save as many lives as possible across the globe.

05:19 PM

Hancock: On track to meet vaccination targets

ITV ask why some regions are better administering vaccines than others.

Matt Hancock says there are all sorts of regions, and it takes time to set up and approve each site to make sure they are safe and have good infection control.

But he reiterates the promise that by mid February, all priority groups "can be assured" that they will be offered a jab by the NHS. "We are on track to reach that target".

Prof Steve Powis adds that within the NHS it is an "absolute priority" to reach all the most vulnerable people across the country. He says staff are "rearing to go".

05:17 PM

Hancock: Supply is still the rate limiting factor

The next question is also from a member of the public, who asks how much would it matter if there was a significant surge in cases in the young if the old are all protected.

Matt Hancock says it a very "careful calibration" is needed to answer this point - and scientifically we do not know the figure yet. But it is clear that young people are still at risk.

"It's not just the most vulnerable... who do consist of the vast majority of deaths...but for hospitalisations young people are more likely than that to end up in hospital," Mr Hancock says.

Hugh Pym from the BBC then asks about regional disparities in vaccine rollout. Hancock reiterates that over the next four weeks all over 80s will be offered a vaccine and that every day more and more of this cohort are being vaccinated.

He adds that supply "is the rate limiting factor". The NHS have been able to deliver the amount of supply available, he says.

05:14 PM

Hopkins: Lateral flow tests have identified 37,000 cases in recent weeks

The first question from the public is about how to protect those who cannot work from home, such as retail staff, and whether testing can be rolled out in these areas.

Prof Susan Hopkins says that the MHRA have approved lateral flow tests for exactly this region, and 37,000 individuals have been detected through lateral flow tests over the last few weeks to help get the virus under control.

Matt Hancock adds that mass testing centres are being rolled out regionally, too, which will allow people who's employers do not offer mass testing to access resources.

Prof Steve Powis also talks about the "extreme pressure" in general wards and intensive care units. More than 20 hospitals worth of patients have been admitted since Christmas, he says, but it will be some weeks before the impact of vaccination is felt in reducing severe disease.

05:09 PM

Hancock: Supporting each other will help us get to brighter days

Do not blow it now, Hancock says, insisting that together we can curb Covid and save lives.

The Health Minister says following the rules is the single most important thing to do, but urges people to remember to wash hands, maintain distance, and let fresh air into inside areas.

He also thanks people for signing up to help volunteer with the NHS vaccination programme or sign up to local community groups. He says he is also inspired by the kind actions he is seeing across the country.

"Being there for each other is so important in these difficult days. That spirit can help us all get to the brighter times that I know are ahead."

05:07 PM

Hancock: Number of hospital patients with Covid at highest rate to date

Matt Hancock starts with an overview of the figures.

He says the NHS is still under significant pressure in all parts of the country, with more than 37,000 people in UK hospitals with coronavirus - the highest it has been throughout the pandemic. Someone is admitted to hospital every 30 seconds.

He adds that 599 people have died and left grieving families today.

The Health Secretary says that vaccination is teh way out of this, to reduce the death toll across the country. More than 4 million people have now received their first dose, including more than half of people over 80.

Mr Hancock says Slough has vaccinated all care home residents, while other parts of the county have also reached this "critical goal".

"In those areas where the vast majority of people in the top two priority groups have been vaccinated, from today we can start moving to those over 70s and under 70 who are extremely clinical vulnerable."

He says this is the best use of resources and to save as many lives as deaths. He says he is "absolutely determined" to ensure that everyone over 80 receives an invitation for a vaccine within the next four weeks.

04:57 PM

5pm: Downing Street press conference due to begin

We are expecting the Health Secretary to begin the Downing Street press conference at around 5pm.

Matt Hancock will be joined by Dr Susan Hopkins, NHS Test and Trace chief medical adviser, and Prof Steve Powis, the national medical director for NHS England.

The expanded vaccination rollout, the row over whether or not to extend a £20 per week increase to universal credit and the introduction of the international travel restrictions from today are likely to feature.

You can watch the media briefing via the video at the top of this liveblog, or follow along for text updates.

04:47 PM

Plaid Cymru: Something wrong at the heart of Welsh vaccination strategy

The fallout from the Welsh First Minister's comments on the speed of vaccine roll out is continuing.

Earlier today Mark Drakeford defended accusations that the country has been slow to administer vaccines and said there was "no point" in rushing to give all the available doses this week if it meant vaccinators were "standing around with nothing to do for another month".

Plaid Cymru's shadow health minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said the comments showed there was "something wrong at the heart" of his strategy.

"We need to know what that strategy is with absolute clarity," Mr ap Iorwerth told the PA news agency.

And currently, as shadow health minister, I find it very, very difficult to see where the problem is. Is it we're not getting our supplies? Is it that it's not being distributed to health boards effectively and equitably? Or is it that the problem is on the ground.

"From my experience in talking to those who would help deliver the vaccine, GPs for example, they are raring to go. But they just don't have the vaccine."

04:41 PM

Israel to provide weekly data updates to Pfizer-BioNTech

Israel is giving weekly data updates on its Covid-19 outbreak to vaccine maker Pfizer under a collaboration agreement that may help other countries fine-tune their inoculation campaigns and achieve "herd immunity", officials said.

Israelis began receiving first shots of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on December 19, in one of the world's fastest vaccination rollouts.

Israel's Health Ministry made public most of a 20-page collaboration agreement it signed with Pfizer, which said the aim was "to determine whether herd immunity is achieved after reaching a certain percentage of vaccination coverage in Israel".

"While this project is conducted in Israel, the insights gained will be applicable around the world and we anticipate will allow governments to maximise the public health impact of their vaccination campaigns," BioNTech said on Monday in a statement.

This includes determining potential immunisation rates needed to stop the virus from spreading, it said.

During weekly status reports, Israel will provide Pfizer with epidemiological data such as: the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations, how many patients were on ventilators, how many died, as well as an age and other demographic breakdowns.

04:32 PM

All care home residents and staff in England could be offered vaccines by early next week

All care home residents and staff in England could be offered vaccinations by the start of next week, The Telegraph understands.

Half of England’s 400,000 care home residents have already had their first dose of the vaccine, and Boris Johnson said vaccinating the remainder was an “absolute priority”.

Ministers believe the NHS could reach the rest of elderly care home residents a week ahead of schedule. The Government’s official target remains to vaccinate, or offer the vaccine, to all care home residents and staff by the end of January, but a new internal goal of January 25 has now been set.

Our Political Editor Gordon Rayner has more detail on this story here. But it is worth remembering that being offered a jab is very different to receiving one.

According to data seen by PA, up to one fifth of staff in some care homes have refused to get the vaccine:

04:21 PM

UK death toll rises by 599 and 37,535 new cases detected

An additional 599 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. bringing the UK total to 89,860, according to Public Health England figures.

This is a significant fall compared to numbers last week, which were well over 1,000 a day, but numbers at the start of the week are often lower due to a lag in reporting over the weekend. The figure compares to 529 deaths reported last Monday.

Separate datapublished by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 105,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

As of 9am this morning, there had been a further 37,535 lab-confirmed cases - compared to 46,169 last Monday. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,433,494.

Here is a look at the trajectory of the outbreak in Britain:

Also a quick reminder: Within the next 40 minutes or so we are expecting a press conference to begin from Downing Street, led by Matt Hancock.

04:10 PM

German politicians call for more tests and sequencing to curb Covid

Top German politicians have called for new measures to slow the spread of new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus - including more health checks for cross-border commuters and intensified gene sequencing of virus samples.

In future, health labs will have to sequence 5 per cent of the samples they collect when screening for the coronavirus to check if they match more virulent variants first identified in Britain and South Africa, or if new mutations were emerging in Germany.

National and regional leaders are due to meet tomorrow to decide on new measures. "We still have a big risk ... that is the risk of mutation," government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference, calling for a joint European response.

New coronavirus infections have been decreasing in recent days and the occupancy of intensive care beds by Covid-19 patients has declined by 10-15 per cent, according to Health Minister Jens Spahn, who said intensified testing of cross-border commuters should be introduced to help prevent new variants entering Germany.

But Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for an extension and tightening of lockdown measures that are due to expire on January 31.

Stricter requirements for companies to allow staff to work from home, compulsory wearing of heavy duty FFP2 masks in certain areas, restrictions on public transport and the introduction of curfews are also being debated.

04:00 PM

Pandemic in pictures

London, UK:

Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Turin, Italy:

Guadalajara​, Mexico:

Modiin, Israel​:

03:49 PM

Review: WHO and China could have acted more quickly when Covid emerged

The World Health Organization and Beijing could have acted faster when Covid-19 first surfaced in China, a group investigating the global response has concluded.

In its second report, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said that an evaluation of the "chronology of the early phase of the outbreak suggests that there was potential for early signs to have been acted on more rapidly".

Covid-19 was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, before seeping beyond China's borders to wreak global havoc, costing more than two million lives and eviscerating economies.

In its report, the panel found it was "clear" that "public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January."

The panel also criticised WHO for dragging its feet at the start of the crisis, pointing out that the UN health agency had not convened its emergency committee until January 22, 2020.

And the committee failed to agree to declare the novel coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) - its highest alert level - until a week later.

"It is not clear why the committee did not meet until the third week of January, nor is it clear why it was unable to agree on the (PHEIC) declaration... when it was first convened," the report said.

03:40 PM

Brazilian vaccine rollout gets underway as second wave surges

Authorities in Brazil will begin to rollout a nationwide vaccination campaign today, two days earlier than previously announced.

The accelerated push comes amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and mounting impatience in states including Sao Paulo, which has already launched its own inoculation drive.

Brazil's regulatory agency, called Anvisa, yesterday approved the Chinese CoronaVac jab as well as the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria attended a ceremony Sunday shortly after the Anvisa announcement, where Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse, became the first person to receive a Covid-19 jab in Brazil.

"After hearing from the governors, we came to the conclusion that today we will distribute the vaccines to the states," and they "can begin to vaccinate" immediately, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said Monday.

He made the announcement after meeting state leaders at Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo, from where 4.5 million doses of China's CoronaVac vaccine will be sent nationwide.

Health workers, people older than 75, residents of old age homes and indigenous populations will be the first to be vaccinated. Both the CoronaVac and the Covishield require two doses.

Brazil is currently in the midst of a devastating second wave which has seen 1,000 deaths a day in the vast South American nation. Overall, nearly 210,000 people have died since the pandemic began.

Related: Brazil hospitals 'run out of oxygen' in Manaus as hundreds wait for beds

03:31 PM

Women more likely than men to feel anxious during Covid pandemic

Women are "disproportionately" more likely than men to feel anxious during the coronavirus crisis, researchers have found.

The Cognitive Diagnostics Group at Imperial College in London has analysed mental health before and during the pandemic in the largest study of its kind, which has surveyed 390,000 people.

Previous research has shown that women are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with increased childcare duties and a higher likelihood of being made redundant. In November, global data released by UN Women suggested equality could be put back by 25 years because women were doing significantly more domestic chores and family care.

Imperial College found the number of women who reported feeling anxious several times a week rose from 27 per cent to 38 per cent before and after lockdown. The figure for men rose from 21 per cent to 27 per cent.

Read Gabriella Swerling's full report here

03:23 PM

'Novak Djokovic has once again showcased his talent for striking the wrong tone'

In sports news: Novak Djokovic has hit the headlines again after sending Tennis Australia a list of suggestions about how to ease the plight of the 72 players in hard quarantine.

Simon Briggs, our tennis correspondent, writes that the player's demands "once again showcase his talent for striking the wrong tone in any given situation".

Read the article in full here - and you can keep up with all our coverage of the lead up to the Australian Open here.

03:13 PM

PM: Things will be very different by spring - but easing lockdown will be gradual

Boris Johnson has again insisted that things would look "very different by the spring", though he warned that this "doesn't mean we are not going to be living with the consequences of the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic for a while to come".

But he added that there will be no "open sesame" relaxation of lockdown. And the gradual easing depends on the successful rollout of the vaccine and there being no new concerning coronavirus variants.

"I understand completely that people want to get back to normal as fast as we possibly can," the Prime Minister told reporters this afternoon. "It does depend on things going well.

"It depends on the vaccination programme going well, it depends on there being no new variants that throw our plans out and we have to mitigate against, and it depends on everybody, all of us, remembering that we're not out of the woods yet."

Asked if he is concerned of a postcode lottery in the rollout, Mr Johnson said: "I think actually the whole of the UK is going very well. And, overall, the pace of the rollout is very encouraging.

"We're going as fast as we can but I stress we can do everything we can to open up but when we come to February 15, and the moment when we have to take stock of what we've achieved, that's the time to look at where the virus is, the extent of the infection and the success that we've had.

"It's only really then that we can talk about the way ahead and what steps we can take to relax.

"I'm afraid I've got to warn people it will be gradual, you can't just open up in a great open sesame, in a great bang, because I'm afraid the situation is still pretty precarious."

03:10 PM

Dido Harding: 1,000 people a minute tested for Covid

Close to 1,000 people per minute are being tested for Covid-19, the chair of NHS Test and Trace programme has told the Commons Public Accounts Committee.

"In terms of numbers, every minute yesterday 965 people were swabbed or swabbing themselves throughout the day," Baroness Dido Harding told MPs this afternoon.

She added that a million people were reached in the first seven days of 2021:

The Tory peer said the work carried out by Test and Trace was lowering the R number by 0.3 and 0.6 and, in high Covid prevalence areas, between 0.5 and 0.8.

The results were also being analysed by Government to inform decisions needed to tackle the spread of the virus, she told MPs.

03:04 PM

Welsh Conservatives 'flabbergasted' by vaccine rollout delays

The Welsh Conservatives' leader in the Senedd, Paul Davies, has said he is "flabbergasted" by First Minister Mark Drakeford's comments that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine would not be used all at once in Wales.

Mr Davies told the PA news agency: "You'd have thought from a government's perspective they would've wanted to distribute the vaccines as soon as possible. I was flabbergasted by his comments.

"This is a matter of life and death, and that's why it's so crucial now that they get these vaccines out to people as soon as possible.

"To suggest that vaccines should be rolled out over a period of time so that vaccinators are not standing around with nothing to do is absolutely preposterous.

"If we don't get the vaccines out as soon as possible, and into people's arms as soon as possible, then unfortunately more people are going to die."

02:56 PM

In photos: Boris Johnson visits vaccine lab

Boris Johnson has been visiting the quality control laboratory where batches of the Astro Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine are tested this morning:

02:47 PM

WHO expects to have access to Pfizer vaccine 'very soon'

The World Health Organization is in advanced negotiations with Pfizer about including the company's Covid-19 vaccine in the agency's portfolio of shots to be shared with poorer countries, a senior WHO official said on Monday.

"We are in very detailed discussions with Pfizer. We believe very soon we will have access to that product," Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser, said at the WHO's executive board meeting.

The WHO's vaccine-sharing scheme Covax is set to start rolling out vaccines to poor and middle income countries in February.

Earlier today Mike Ryan, head of the WHO emergencies programme, added that global deaths from Covid-19 are expected to top 100,000 per week "very soon", from more than 93,000 reported last week.

In an epidemiological update, he added that the Americas region accounted for about 47 percent of current deaths. In Europe, cases and deaths are stabilising but at a high level, he said.

"Currently our epidemiological situation is dynamic and uneven, it's futher complicated by variants," he told the board.

02:37 PM

Tracking vaccinations: 3.9m doses now given in England

In total 3,947,442 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between December 8 and January 17, according to provisional NHS England data - a rise of 155,848 compared to yesterday's figures.

These numbers including first and second doses. The data shows that some 3.52m vaccinations were the first dose - a rise of 154,564 on Sunday's figures - while 427,386 were the second dose, an increase of just 1,284.

Breaking down the figures further:

• London has administered the lowest number of vaccinations in England's regions so far. A total of 417,225 jabs have been given to people in the capital between December 8 and January 17, including 367,209 first doses and 50,016 second doses.

• This compares to 746,487 total jabs in the Midlands, 681,317 in the North East and Yorkshire, 541,145 in the North West, 652,350 in the South East, 461,792 in the South West and 424,135 in the East of England.

• Figures released earlier today show that in Wales, 151,737 people have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, rising to 264,991 across Scotland.

02:26 PM

Grim milestone: Portugal reports record high in daily deaths

Portugal's daily death toll from the coronavirus reached a record high of 167 today, bringing the total to 9,028 deaths since the start of the pandemic, health authorities announced.

The country of 10 million people, which is currently under lockdown to stem the spread of the virus, also reported a record 664 coronavirus patients in intensive care units at a time when hospitals are struggling to cope with a surge in infections.

The rise comes as the European Union's executive arm defended a decision to send a team of senior officials to Lisbon for a meeting with Portuguese government ministers.

Eight members of the European Commission paid a one-day visit to Lisbon Friday - as Portugal started its month-long lockdown - for meetings early in the country's six-month term as EU president nation, which began on January 1.

Portugal's finance and labor ministers later tested positive for the virus, while three other ministers have gone into isolation after coming into contact with people who tested positive. Two EU commission vice-presidents and a commissioner are in quarantine.

Asked why it was so important for the visit to go ahead, commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the decision to meet face to face rather than via videoconference was "not taken lightly."

"It is the launch of an extremely important presidency. There are many, many files which need to be carried forward by the Portuguese presidency, and it was felt important to be able to hold in-person discussions on these different political files," Mamer said.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Wednesday that the pandemic is "at its most dangerous point" in the country and that the new lockdown would last at least a month.

02:14 PM

UK news summary

Here's a breakdown of the developments to be aware of so far today:

• Matt Hancock is set to lead a press conference from Downing Street at 5pm - we will stream it live here.

• The vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has suggested that lockdown restrictions could be lifted from early March, with a return to the tier system for controlling Covid-19.

• But Mr Zahawi added that he is concerned the take-up of the jab may be lower in BAME communities.

• Cabinet minister Therese Coffey has acknowledged issues in the vaccination rollout in her constituency, saying some individuals are receiving the "distressing and annoying" information that lower priority individuals are to receive jabs first.

• Downing Street responded by insisting that those over 70 will only be offered a coronavirus vaccine when the "majority" of high priority have had jab in their area.

• In better news, all eligible care home residents in Newcastle and most of the staff looking after them have received the coronavirus vaccine, the doctor leading the project has said.

• In Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the slower rollout of the vaccination programme - saying the Pfizer vaccine could not be used all at once. Figures released today show 151,737 people have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Wales, and 264,991 across Scotland.

• The Archbishop of Canterbury has described the coronavirus vaccine as an "answer to prayer" as he revealed he received the jab over the weekend.

• Sir Keir Starmer has called Boris Johnson "pathetic" for ordering Conservative MPs to abstain from a vote on extending a £20 weekly rise in Universal Credit. He said "in their heart of hearts" Tories would back Labour's move.

• And finally, passengers arriving in the UK today faced long queues as new coronavirus travel rules came into force.

02:06 PM

England death toll rises by 532

A further 532 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 61,453, NHS England said.

Patients were aged between 35 and 103. All except 21, aged between 40 and 97, had known underlying health conditions. The deaths were between December 13 and January 17, with the majority being on or after January 10.

There were 11 other deaths reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

02:02 PM

Man spent months squatting in airport because Covid made him 'too scared' to fly

A man who was “too scared” to fly home because of Covid-19 has been found living in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport

Aditya Singh, 36, spent three months hiding in the airport before being arrested at the weekend. The Calfornian was reportedly squatting in the security zone of O’Hare International – wearing an staff ID badge that he had allegedly found, and surviving on food hand-outs from fellow travellers.

Singh arrived at the airport on a flight from Los Angeles on October 19, the Chicago Tribune reports. However, he never left.

He was arrested on Saturday, after two United Airlines employees noticed that his identification was false – and then alerted the police. He appeared in court on Sunday, charged with misdemeanor theft and criminal trespass.

He had hidden in the airport because he was “scared to go home due to Covid,” said Assistant State’s Attorney, Kathleen Hagerty, who explained that Singh had received food from other passengers.

Hazel Plush has the full details of this slightly bizarre story here.

01:52 PM

South Africa secures an additional nine million vaccine doses

South Africa, which has yet to receive its first coronavirus vaccine doses, will be getting nine million from Johnson & Johnson, the health ministry has revealed, though they did not specific when it may be available.

The government of Africa's most advanced economy is trying to secure more Covid-19 vaccines after health workers and scientists criticised it for not moving fast enough to inoculate its people.

The J&J doses take the total number of doses that South Africa stands to receive to more than 30 million.

The country has recorded more than 1.3 million infections and more than 37,000 deaths related to the virus, the most in Africa.

J&J's chief scientific officer said last week it was on track to roll out its single-shot coronavirus vaccine in March and expects to have clear data on how effective it is by the end of this month or early February.

South Africa should also receive about 12 million doses from the Covacglobal vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization, about 12 million from an African Union (AU) arrangement, and 1.5 million from the Serum Institute of India which is making AstraZeneca shots.

01:41 PM

'It looks as though infections have peaked in London'

London has reached the peak level of infections, but other cases are still rising elsewhere in England, doctors have warned.

Dr Rupert Pearse, from the Intensive Care Society, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "[Rates vary] a lot around the country and it varies a lot between hospitals, and that's quite important to realise.

"It looks as though infections have peaked in London... but are still on the rise in the north-west of England and around Yorkshire, so there is still cause to be concerned.

"But perhaps mostly, hospital admissions tend to lag seven to 10 days behind the peak in infections and intensive care medicine unit admissions maybe 48 hours after those, so those hospitals that are very close to the maximum number of hospital beds that they can allocate for Covid are still very worried about what will happen in the coming days."

Earlier today Christina Pagel, a member of Independent Sage, also suggested that hospital admissions are falling in the capital, plus the south and southeast of England:

01:31 PM

Lobby latest: Devolved leaders want to see jabs in arms as quickly as possible

Asked about the slower rollout of the vaccine in Wales, the Prime Minister's press secretary said she was sure all devolved leaders wanted to "see jabs in everybody's arms as quickly as is sensibly possible".

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister in Wales, said there was "no point" in rushing to administer all the available vaccine this week if it meant vaccinators were "standing around with nothing to do for another month".

Boris Johnson's press secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters at the Lobby briefing: "The distribution of the vaccine in Wales is a matter for the devolved Welsh administration but the UK Government has procured vaccine on behalf of the entirety of the United Kingdom.

"There has been, over the course of the pandemic, testing facilities provided and set-up around the country and we have been providing significant armed forces assistance to Wales.

"But if they were to need any more support then the UK Government stands ready to help all parts of the UK."

She added: "The Prime Minister has always been clear that the British people want to see jabs in everybody's arms as quickly as is sensibly possible.

"That's his philosophy and he would imagine that is the philosophy of all the leaders of the devolved administrations."

01:20 PM

Lobby latest: Over 70s offered jabs in regions where majority of over 80s vaccinated

At the Lobby meeting with political journalists, Downing Street said those aged over 70 would start to be offered vaccines in areas where the "majority" of those in the older age category and higher up the priority list had already received their first jab.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "From today, those aged 70 and over will begin receiving invitation for vaccination, and it will be for them to book an appointment or come forward.

"Depending on where they are, the timing will be slightly different but the important point is that this allows areas that have already vaccinated a majority of those over 80, care home residents, frontline NHS and care home staff to keep the momentum up and to start giving it to further-at-risk people."

Asked whether those in their 70s could expect to start receiving their vaccination this week, the spokesman said the jabs would start "shortly".

01:13 PM

Spanish government under fire after suspending regional curfew

Spain’s central government is under fire from regional leaders demanding greater lockdown powers to combat spiralling Covid-19 infection levels, with one region already opting to go it alone and bring forward the curfew beyond the legal limits.

The government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has asked Spain’s supreme court to suspend the decision by Castilla y León to impose a curfew from 8pm, when the earliest time allowed under state of emergency legislation is 10pm.

“I’m not opening a front against the government, but against the virus,” Castilla y León President Alfonso Fernández Mañueco of the conservative Popular Party said on Monday, pointing to Covid infections having multiplied by six in his region since January 1.

It is the first time Spain’s national government has been forced to challenge the legality of a regional administration’s decision since Catalonia’s illegal independence process sparked confrontation in 2017.

Last Friday saw more than 40,000 confirmed cases, the largest number recorded in 24 hours since the pandemic began. 2,477 died from coronavirus in Spain in the first two weeks of the year.

The official death toll has reached 53,314, but the real total based on excess death statistics is thought to be around 70,000.

01:04 PM

Vaccine figures: 264,991 first doses given in Scotland and 151,737 in Wales

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that 264,991 people across Scotland had now received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Speaking at her daily briefing, the First Minister said that having first focused on care home residents, Scotland was seeking to "rapidly expand" its vaccination programme.

She said: "Thousands of vaccinations are now taking place each day at the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow and work is ongoing to establish further major vaccination sites."

She thanked the Army for the logistical support it is providing, as she said Scotland was "on track" to complete vaccinations for care home residents, health and care staff and those aged over 80 by the start of February.

Meanwhile in Wales, authorities said this morning that 151,737 people have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 201 had been given a second dose.

Earlier today the First Minister Mark Drakeford defended criticism that there has been a slower rollout of the vaccination programme in Wales - saying the Pfizer vaccine could not be used all at once.

Mr Drakeford told BBC that the country is "on track" to vaccinate the top four priority groups by the middle of February, suggesting that "the thing that limits us at the moment is supply".

"We're using every bit of the vaccine that we are getting," he said.

12:53 PM

Stronger potential benefits of 24/7 vaccine rollout as roll-out widens

As the Government starts rolling out jabs to over-70s, Tamzen Isacsson, the chief executive of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) said there was more "potential benefits" to 24/7 vaccines.

She told The Telegraph that "firms have been assisting with planning and logistics to expand the rollout with extended hours provided across the country", which has so far included early morning, late evening and weekend slots.

“Now the government has announced it will be targeting the next two wave of groups, 3 and 4 the potential benefits of 24/7 vaccination hours and mass vaccination centres are stronger given there is more flexibility in the system now.

“The main constraint continues to be the lack of available staff that have been appropriately trained and are ready to administer it and there are understandable challenges with taking GPs off their frontline work in surgeries.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure there are vaccination sites within 10 miles for everyone in the UK and work needs to continue to ensure all geographies across the UK are developing their vaccination sites at the same speed.”

12:45 PM

Huge queues in Moscow as Russia opens vaccine drive to all

Dozens of Moscow residents queued today to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at a large department store, opposite the Kremlin on Red Square, where the shot is being given on a first-come, first-served basis.

Still surrounded by Christmas decorations, with the shop fronts of Chanel and Rolex nearby, Muscovites of all ages waited for their first shot of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

The country, which has the world's fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases, started large-scale vaccinations last month, initially for people in key professions - including medical workers and teachers. On Monday it opened the programme to all.

Moscow's health department announced it would be opening several mobile vaccination clinics around the city, including in the GUM department store. Other locations include the busy DEPO food court and an opera theatre.

Though the vaccine has been widely available in Moscow since December, the picture outside the capital is different. Most regions have reported receiving fewer than 5,000 doses so far.

Authorities have said they plan to inoculate 60 per cent of the population of 144 million this year. The country has two registered vaccines and is expected to approve a third in the next few days.

12:36 PM

Patel: Tougher enforcement, not stricter rules, needed to curb Covid

Priti Patel has insisted that tougher enforcement of existing rules, not stricter measures, are needed to help curb Covid-19.

Speaking to PA news agency the Home Secretary said that despite the R number being above the crucial threshold of one, new lockdown measures are not needed.

"The focus has to be on compliance and enforcement of the regulations and the rules as they stand," she said. "You can only leave your home for a limited number of reasons and police are enforcing that rigidly, stringently across the country.

"That has been illustrated in the number of fines over the weekend, in the last week, the number of house parties, UMEs (unlicensed musical events) and also members of the public who have been spoken to by the police.

"That will continue and actually it's by enforcing the rules, the public following the rules, that we will get the R value down."

12:28 PM

Outbreak of 'British variant' of coronavirus in Belgium and St Moritz

An outbreak of the “British variant” of Covid-19 in Belgium has forced two schools to close and put almost two thousand people into quarantine, while ski schools were closed in a Swiss ski resort.

Two hotels in the exclusive Swiss Alpine resort of St Moritz were quarantined and ski schools closed to try to curb an outbreak of the highly infectious new coronavirus variant.

Everyone in the town of 5,200 has been ordered to wear masks and mass testing of residents will take place on Tuesday. Schools and daycare venues are closed.

"About a dozen cases are currently known in two hotels. To protect the health of the population and guests, the health department has quarantined the two hotels and ordered corona tests for their employees and guests," local authorities said.

Meanwhile wto schools in the province of Antwerp and another in Aalst reported the infections of the mutant virus, which is highly contagious.

Marc Van Ranst, a prominent virologist, said the British variant was probably already all over Belgium.

James Crisp and Ben Farmer have more details on this story here.

12:21 PM

Archbishop of Canterbury gets Covid jab and urges others to follow suit

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby received a Covid-19 jab over the weekend and has urged others to follow suit when offered a vaccine.

The Archbishop tweeted that he received the jab because he is a volunteer member on the Guys and St Thomas' Hospital chaplaincy team.

"I want to encourage everyone to get the Covid-19 vaccine when they are invited. Staff across the NHS, and health workers across the world, are under immense pressure on the frontlines of the pandemic," he said.

"They deserve not just our admiration but our support - and getting the vaccine when we have the opportunity is something we can all do to relieve the burden on them."

12:12 PM

Global news summary

Just joining us? Here's a recap of the key international developments so far today:

• The world is on the brink of a "catastrophic moral failure" on distributing vaccines, the head of the WHO has warned, urging countries and manufacturers to fairly share Covid-19 doses.

• France it is on track to reach its target of vaccinating 1 million people by the end of January and 2.4 million by the end of February, amid frustration at a slow rollout.

• Austria, Greece and Denmark will have said they will jointly pressure the European Medicines Agency to approve AstraZeneca's vaccine as quickly as possible.

• The Japanese Prime Minister has vowed to forge ahead with preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer, despite growing public opposition as Japan battles a surge of infections.

• China reported more than 100 new cases for the sixth consecutive day, with rising infections in the northeast fuelling concern of another wave when hundreds of millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.

• Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year, even if most of the population is vaccinated, the head of its health department said as the country recorded zero local Covid cases. It comes as problems mount ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament, with more players forced into a hard quarantine.

• Brazilian health regulators have approved emergency use of vaccines from China's Sinovac and Britain's AstraZeneca, clearing the way mass rollout of vaccinations as the country faces a surge in cases.

• President-elect Joe Biden's goal of delivering 100 million doses of vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency "is absolutely a doable thing," according to Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert.

• In Ghana infection rates are skyrocketing and threaten to overwhelm the health system, President Nana Akufo-Addo has warned, as new strains of the virus not before seen in the country have been detected.

12:00 PM

Newcastle becomes the first city to vaccinate all care home residents

A good new story for you here: every eligible Newcastle care home resident has been vaccinated against coronavirus, in what experts are hailing as "the start of a long road back to normality".

The doctor leading the project has confirmed that all care homes in Newcastle, comprising almost 2,000 residents in over 50 homes, and most of the staff looking after them have been given the jab.

The programme saw seven teams made up of a doctor, nurse and administrator delivering the vaccination to each home around the city, completing the job in less than a fortnight.

Newcastle is believed to be the first city in England to reach the milestone with its rapid vaccine rollout.

Chief operating officer from Newcastle GP Services, Rebecca Haynes, described the two-week rollout as "incredibly challenging but an absolute privilege."

India McTaggart has more details on this story here.

11:52 AM

Norway set to ease restrictions as Covid cases subside

Meanwhile in Norway, the government has announced plans to ease some restrictions designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus after extra measures imposed for the past two weeks seem to have had the desired effect.

The government will loosen some measures and again allow households to receive guests, but only up to a maximum of five visitors. Children and teenagers can resume sports activities.

But bars and restaurants are still banned from serving alcohol, until further notice.

"Although the measures seem to be working, and the infection rates are somewhat lower, the situation is still uncertain," Prime Minister Erna Solberg told parliament.

11:45 AM

'Here in Florida the bars are crowded and the party invites keep coming'

Across the Sunshine State, residents are living their lives with little disruption, writes Nick Dauk. Here's an extract from his dispatch from Florida - which you can read in full here.

11:36 AM

Dr Tedros: World on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure

The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the world is on the brink of a "catastrophic moral failure" on distributing Covid-19 vaccines, urging countries and manufacturers to share doses more fairly around the world.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the prospects for equitable distribution are at "serious risk" just as its vaccine-sharing scheme Covic aims to start distributing inoculations next month.

He noted 44 bilateral deals were signed last year and at least 12 have already been signed this year.

"This could delay Covax deliveries and create exactly the scenario Covax was designed to avoid, with hoarding, a chaotic market, an uncoordinated response, and continued social and economic disruption," he said.

Such a "me-first approach" left the world's poorest and most vulnerable at risk, Dr Tedros added at the opening of the body's annual Executive Board meeting in virtual format.

"Ultimately these actions will only prolong the pandemic."

The global scramble for shots has intensified as more infectious virus variants circulate. But Tedros to date, while 39 million doses of vaccine have been administered in 49 higher-income countries, just 25 doses have been given in one poor country.

11:28 AM

Watch: Australian Open tennis players forced to train in their hotel rooms

11:23 AM

Minister promises 24/7 vaccine pilot will launch in London this month

The Government will "absolutely" begin pilots for 24/7 vaccination centres before the end of the month, Nadhim Zahawi has said.

The minister for vaccine deployment told Sky News they would start with London hospitals and roll the round-the-clock service out from there.

Mr Zahawai stressed that it would give limited benefit until the most vulnerable cohort had been vaccinated, noting that: "The 8am to 8pm opening works more conveniently for the over-80s, then as you work down the age group becomes much more worthwhile."

11:08 AM

France promises 2.4m vaccines will be delivered by late February

France is on track to reach its target of vaccinating one million people against Covid-19 by the end of January and has enough doses to increase the total to 2.4 million by the end of February, Health Minister Olivier Veran has insisted.

His comments come amid growing frustration that France still trails far behind several other European countries - including the UK, where the number of people who have received a first dose of the vaccination had reached 3.2 million by Friday.

In Germany and Italy, more than one million people had been vaccinated by the end of last week.

But on Sunday, the health ministry reported that France had vaccinated just 422,000 people since the start of the vaccination campaign on December 26.

Veran said the main challenge in France - which has reported nearly three million confirmed Covid-19 cases, the highest in the Europe Union - was not the logistics of the vaccination process but the delivery of doses.

11:01 AM

Covid in the UK, in pictures

10:53 AM

Wales health service legally-obliged to hold onto Pfizer jab

Chief executive of NHS Wales, Dr Andrew Goodall, said the health service in Wales had been legally obliged to hold onto all supplies of the Pfizer vaccine to give the second dose within the then three-week requirement, reports India McTaggart.

Dr Goodall told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "The second dose needed to be retained up until the point that we were authorised to proceed with all the residual numbers of those vaccines, and that was a consistent standard that was in place for the whole of the UK."

He added: "It was in line with the legal advice and the MHRA handling arrangements.

"The vaccination activity has been increasing at pace and scale.

"We have a target, as with the rest of the UK to ensure that we're able to make the first four cohorts by mid-February, and at the moment we expect that our activity profiles will allow us to ensure that those targets are met by mid-February."

10:49 AM

Vaccine tracker: Is UK on track to hit target?

10:47 AM

Starmer: 'There's a very human need to go back to normality'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was looking forward to a return to normality but it could not be "business as usual" once the pandemic measures are eventually lifted, with a need to "build a better Britain" afterwards.

"There's a very human need, I think, to go back to normality. People want to hug their loved ones, they want to hug their friends," he told ITV's Lorraine.

"It's like me in the vaccine centre last week, realising how much I have missed human beings smiling in a room together.

"So people want to go back to normality, but after what we have been through we can't go back to business as usual because if this pandemic has done one thing it has absolutely, brutally, exposed the inequalities in our society and we owe it to the country to build a better Britain coming out of this, and a united one.

"One of the reasons I'm very excited about what's happening in America is I have seen, for the first time in a number of years, hope triumphing over hatred. We all need to get behind that."

10:37 AM

Vaccines will take 'many weeks' to ease pressure on NHS

Professor Stephen Powis said the vaccination programme will not reduce pressure on the NHS for "many weeks to come".

"As the chief executive of the NHS said yesterday, we are in a precarious position at the moment," he told the PA news agency.

"We have a huge demand on the NHS because of Covid infections since Christmas Eve. We have seen 15,000 new people being admitted, so that's well over 20 hospitals worth of new patients.

"So it's really important that everybody sticks to those social distancing guidelines that are in place.

"Because the vaccine programme won't help us in the NHS for many weeks to come.

"So we're relying at the moment on everybody doing what they've done throughout the last year - sticking to the rules, stopping the virus being transmitted. That will reduce deaths and of course it will take pressure off hospitals."

10:32 AM

Italy's cultural sites begin to re-open

Coronavirus numbers are still grim in Italy but archaeological and cultural sites are beginning to reopen this week in regions with lower infection rates, writes Nick Squires in Rome.

Italy’s 20 regions are colour-coded yellow, orange or red according to the number of deaths and infections from Covid-19, with red denoting the riskiest regions.

The ancient Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum – which are in Campania, designated a yellow, low-risk region – will reopen today.

The ancient temples of Paestum, south of Naples, will also be reopened to visitors. The famous Boboli Gardens in Florence will reopen on Tuesday.

They come under the administration of the Uffizi Galleries, which for now remain closed. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, in Tuscany, is also still closed.

Museums and archaeological sites are reopening in the lower-risk regions of Basilicata and Sardinia. The director of the Vatican Museums says she hopes to be able to reopen on Feb 1.

The Colosseum in Rome remains closed – Rome is part of Lazio region, which is an orange zone. Italy’s death toll from Covid-19 is around 82,000. More than a million people have so far been vaccinated.

10:29 AM

Watch: Australian Open players forced to practise in their hotel rooms

The Australian Open - tennis' first major of the year - is likely to be a bit different in 2021.

10:22 AM

Labour MP gets first jab

Labour MP Margaret Hodge tweeted: "I have just had my first jab, it was quick & easy! Big thank you to the brilliant team of NHS staff & volunteers, who work tirelessly every day!

The 76-year-old added: "When you are sent a vaccine appointment, please make sure you go. Vaccination is the best way to keep you and your community safe."

09:59 AM

Picture editor's photograph of the morning

09:51 AM

Minister hints those who cannot work from home should get jab priority

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said he thinks there is justification for those who cannot work from home to be prioritised as the vaccination programme develops.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said: "When we enter phase two, we will work with the Joint Committee (on Vaccination and Immunisation) to look at the priority.

"My instinct is that anyone who, through no fault of their own, has to come into contact with the virus in much greater volume and probability should be protected - teachers, policemen and women, shop workers, all those who need that additional protection.

"Now, some of them will be captured in the top nine categories anyway if they are clinically vulnerable, for example, or in that age group of the over-50s which are in category nine, effectively.

"But phase two - of course we'll be guided by the JCVI - but my instinct is that if you work in a job, a shop worker, policemen or women, any other profession which brings you into contact with the virus unfairly, then I think you should be prioritised."

09:29 AM

Minister 'worried' about BAME communities' vaccine uptake

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said he is concerned that vaccine uptake may be lower in BAME communities.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I am worried about BAME communities, which is why I'm spending a lot of time with the mayors, with Sadiq (Khan), and of course other parts of local government to make sure we reach those hard-to-reach groups.

"My big worry is if 85% of the adult population get vaccinated, if the 15% skews heavily to the BAME community, the virus will very quickly infect that community."

09:18 AM

Wales 'improving slowly', insists Mark Drakeford

First Minister Mark Drakeford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme things are "improving slowly" in Wales.

"We were badly hit before Christmas because of a combination of reasons," he said.

"Certainly, the arrival of the new variant was having an impact upon our numbers before we realised that this new variant was here.

"Our population - older, sicker, poorer, living close together in close-knit communities - there's no doubt that those are the conditions in winter months where coronavirus thrives, and we saw the impact of that, but that is why we took action early.

"I say in a tentative way, we're seeing the positive impact of that and we will be working as hard as we can with those fantastic people in our health service who have given so much to build on that further."

09:15 AM

Poll: Are you booking a holiday in 2021?

With the news that the Government is targeting vaccinating every adult in the UK by September - will you be booking a holiday now?

09:07 AM

'Discriminatory' to refuse to take on staff who won't be vaccinated

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said it would be "discriminatory" to refuse to take on new employees who will not be vaccinated.

Asked about Pimlico Plumbers' efforts to pressure staff to be jabbed, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think that is discriminatory.

"We're not that sort of country and I think it's important we do it by persuasion."

08:54 AM

NHS dramatically ramps up critical care beds

The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, the membership body for NHS trusts across the UK, said the health service has dramatically ramped up critical care beds in the face of an "exceptional" situation.

Speaking to Times Radio, Danny Mortimer said the NHS now has 5,500 critical care beds, up from 4,000 a year ago, with several hundred more due to become available on Monday.

"That's a sign of both the numbers of people that are coming through, but (also) how really, really ill, how much care and attention, how much help with their breathing, how much damage has been done to people's internal organs," he said.

But he warned that staff are under huge pressure, as the NHS does not have any more doctors and nurses trained in critical care than it did at the start of the pandemic.

08:49 AM

Lockdown - UK vs Brazil

This was the scene on a quiet beach in Bournemouth, Dorset.

And meanwhile in Rio...

08:45 AM

Wales to review restrictions on Jan 29

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford told Sky News the regulations would be reviewed every three weeks, with the next review due on January 29.

We will see then even whether there are some early marginal differences we could make to lockdown to reward people, in a way, for all the astonishing efforts they've made during the last few weeks to help us to turn the tide on coronavirus," Mr Drakeford said.

"I think it will be certainly the middle of February before we begin to see any more significant lifting of the lockdown. There are things we want to be getting on with now.

"We want to see more children back in school, for example, we will look to see whether it is possible to offer more opportunities to meet in the open air where we know coronavirus is less of a risk, and we will do it in the way that we did it earlier last year in Wales.

"We will do it carefully we will do it cautiously and we will do it in a way that will not throw away all the efforts and the gains that we have made since Christmas."

08:38 AM

Case numbers in Wales halved since Christmas

Mr Drakeford said the case numbers in Wales had halved since before Christmas - with rates down to 300 cases per 100,000 from 650.

"We're just beginning to see the impact of that on our hospital services as well so we go into this week, compared to where we were on Monday of last week, with fewer patients in hospital in Wales suffering from coronavirus and fewer patients suffering from coronavirus in intensive care," he said.

"Those are marginal gains this week but I think it has demonstrated that the system has stabilised and just begun to turn the corner.

"I do think it demonstrates that we were right to go into lockdown in Wales before Christmas. We're seeing the advantage of a move early in that way."

08:36 AM

One of four Oxford vaccine batches delivered to Wales fails testing

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford told Sky News one of the four batches of the Oxford vaccine his country was due to receive this week had failed testing.

"One of those batches has not come through the testing process and we will get it next week we're told instead," Mr Drakeford said.

"Everybody is working absolutely flat out from the manufacturers through to the people who do the vaccination at the practical end.

"When you're trying to do everything on a massive scale and at such speed there are going to be moments where not everything goes according to plan.

"But we are assured we will get that supply in exchange for this week next week, and we will be able to use it all then."

08:34 AM

'We're not a country that forces people to take vaccines'

The vaccine minister has said that the UK is not in the business of forcing people to get the vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi said: "We're not the sort of country that forces people to take vaccines. We want to do it by persuasion".

08:26 AM

Wales vaccine total to top 150,000 by end of day

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford told Sky News around 150,000 people would have been vaccinated in Wales by the end of Monday.

"We're getting more supplies of vaccine this week, particularly the Oxford vaccine and we'll be able to use all of that," Mr Drakeford said.

"We're on track to vaccinate the top four priority groups by the middle of February, alongside the other UK nations.

"There's a long way to go with vaccination. We're going to be doing this for months and months, not just for weeks.

"So it's very important to get all the infrastructure in place. We've expanded the number of mass vaccination centres."

08:17 AM

No lifting restrictions before March, hints minister

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has suggested that a gradual easing of lockdown restrictions will not begin before early March.

He told BBC Breakfast: "If we take the mid-February target, two weeks after that you get your protection, pretty much, for the Pfizer/BioNTech, three weeks for the Oxford/AstraZeneca, you are protected.

"One of the things we don't know yet, and the deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam is on record as saying 'look give me a couple of months and I'll tell you', is the impact of the vaccine on transmission rates ie on infecting people.

"So there are a number of caveats that stand in the way of us reopening the economy.

"It will be gradually, it will be probably through the tiered system but you're looking at that sort of period, two to three weeks after the middle of February, after we've protected the top four cohorts."

08:11 AM

Arrivals trickle into Heathrow as travel corridors are axed

08:07 AM

Supply 'remains challenging', says minister

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said vaccine supply "remains challenging" and is the limiting factor in the rollout of coronavirus jabs.

He told BBC Breakfast: "We now have built a deployment infrastructure that can deploy as much vaccine as it comes through.

"And so it's the vaccine supply - which remains lumpy, it remains challenging, you may have read over the weekend probably some of the challenges around Pfizer and of course Oxford/AstraZeneca - but I'm confident we can meet our target mid-Feb, (for) those top four cohorts."

07:53 AM

Five million extra people now eligible for jabs

Expanding the vaccination programme means that an additional five million people will now be eligible for a Covid-19 jab, Professor Stephen Powis said.

The national medical director for the NHS in England told Good Morning Britain more vaccination centres were coming online every week.

"We are now able to expand the vaccination programme beyond those top two priority groups - that's the care home residents, care home staff, the hospital staff and the over-80s - down to the over-70s," he said.

"So that brings around another five million or so people into the prioritisation groups for Covid vaccination.

"From today those over 70 years old will be invited in to our vaccination centres."

07:40 AM

Exclusive: 24/7 vaccine drive resisted by consultants paid to speed up jabs

Plans to rollout Covid vaccinations 24/7 are being resisted by management consultants paid by the Government to speed up the programme, The Telegraph has disclosed.

Tamzen Isacsson, chief executive of the Management Consultancies Association, confirmed that firms had advised the Government that the plan was no “silver bullet,” and inappropriate for vulnerable groups.

“Our firms are really at the heart of the critical decisions being made by the Government,” Ms Isacsson told The Telegraph.

Read Bill Gardner's piece here.

07:37 AM

London hospitals to pilot 24-hour vaccinations within days

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said 24-hour vaccinations will be piloted in London hospitals by the end of January.

He told Sky News: "We are going to pilot the 24-hour vaccination, the NHS is going to pilot that in hospitals in London and we will look at how we expand that."

Pressed for when the pilots will start, he said: "By the end of January, absolutely."

But he said 8am-8pm vaccination "works much more conveniently for those who are over 80 and then as you move down the age groups it becomes much more convenient for people to go late at night and in the early hours".

He backed the target to offer a first jab to everyone by September as "achievable" and said that over-70s are currently being offered first jabs in areas only where "the majority" of over-80s have had their first shot.

07:25 AM

Today's front page

Here is your Daily Telegraph on Monday, Jan 18.

06:50 AM

New Covid variant hits Swiss resort of St Moritz

Health authorities quarantined two hotels and closed ski schools in the posh Swiss resort of St Moritz on Monday to try to curb an outbreak of the highly infections new coronavirus variant.

The eastern canton of Grisons ordered everyone to wear masks in the town of 5,200 that prides itself as a birthplace of modern winter sports. Mass testing of residents will take place tomorrow.

"About a dozen cases are currently known in two hotels. To protect the health of the population and guests, the health department has quarantined the two hotels and ordered corona tests for their employees and guests," the canton said in a statement.

It did not give the guests' nationalities or reveal which new coronavirus variant had been detected.

While closing restaurants, bars, theatres and recreational venues to limit the spread of the disease, Switzerland has left ski lifts open as long as they maintain strict regimens to protect public health.

06:48 AM

No special treatment for tennis stars Down Under

Dozens of tennis stars stuck in hotel quarantine ahead of the Australian Open were told today that they would get no "special treatment" to leave their rooms to train, despite complaints from some players.

Australian health authorities rejected demands for tough isolation rules to be eased, as players resorted to hitting balls off windows, walls and upturned beds in the hope of being ready for the year's first Grand Slam.

The Australian Open is due to make a delayed start in Melbourne on February 8, but its troubled build-up hit further problems after positive coronavirus cases were detected on three of the 17 charter flights that carried players and staff.

The 72 players on the three planes have been deemed close contacts of the four Covid-19 cases and barred from leaving their hotel rooms for 14 days, as largely virus-free Australia tries to prevent community transmission.

Heath authorities said they discovered two more cases linked to the tournament on Monday, bringing the total for the Australian Open cluster to six.

READ MORE: Australia says 'no special treatment' after tennis stars' hotel quarantine complaints

02:28 AM

Travellers could face GPS tracking in crackdown on breaches

Travellers could face GPS tracking in a bid to crackdown on breaches of quarantine, Dominic Raab indicated on Sunday.

The Foreign Secretary refused to rule out the use of GPS data to establish if people were staying at the address they put on their locator form when they entered the UK.

He also confirmed that the Government was considering quarantine hotels where travellers would be required to stay and pick up the bill, as happens with New Zealand’s policy of “directed isolation” and Australia where arrivals self-isolating are charged between £1,500 and £2,500.

READ MORE: Travellers could face GPS tracking in bid to crackdown on quarantine breaches

02:26 AM

New travel quarantine rule kicks off

The expanded Covid-19 vaccination rollout arrives as a ban on quarantine-free travel into the UK came into force at 4am in a bid to keep out new coronavirus strains - such as those that have been discovered in Brazil and South Africa.

The new rules mean arrivals from every destination will need to self-isolate for 10 days, or receive a negative result from a coronavirus test taken at least five days after they enter the UK.

Passengers flying in from overseas will now also have to show proof of a negative Covid test before setting off.

The Foreign Secretary said on Sunday that checks at the border would be strengthened as the new measures came into effect, and vowed to "beef up" capacity to ensure people are adhering to quarantine rules.

But the Government faced criticism from Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), who said the approach to quarantining foreign arrivals and contacts of coronavirus cases had been "pretty lax" so far.

02:01 AM

Today's top stories

• Boris Johnson has hailed a new "milestone" in the race to vaccinate the country, as more than five and a half million more people will be invited to get their jabs from Monday.
• Mass testing of entire regions is being considered by ministers to help get the country out of lockdown, it has emerged, as Dominic Raab said restrictions could start to be eased in March.
• Almost a third of recovered Covid patients will end up back in hospital within five months and one in eight will die, alarming new figures have shown.
• A patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus “every thirty seconds”, the chief executive of NHS England has said.
• Plans to rollout Covid vaccinations 24/7 are being resisted by management consultants paid by the Government to speed up the programme, The Telegraph can disclose.
• Up to a fifth of care home staff are refusing to be vaccinated, it has emerged, with many younger workers believing they are “invincible” to the disease.
• All supermarkets face inspections in the next fortnight to ensure they are Covid-secure, as health chiefs warned “one-shopper” rules may be needed to stop family outings to stores.
• Another plane-load of incoming Australian Open players will have to serve out a strict quarantine in Melbourne, because of a positive Covid test in their midst. This takes the total number of players who cannot leave their hotel for the next fortnight to 72.