Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News Special 20201120

Failed to track down nearly half the close contacts of people with coronavirus in some of the worst hit areas. Good afternoon and welcome to this bbc new special building up to the latest briefing from downing street on coronavirus led today by matt hancock. The latest data from the office for National Statistics suggests Coronavirus Infection rates are levelling off in england and scotla nd are levelling off in england and scotland and decreasing in wales. Thejermainejenas scotland and decreasing in wales. The Jermaine Jenas number, the scotland and decreasing in wales. Thejermainejenas number, the rate at which the virus spreads, has fallen again and is now between one and 1. 1, not reflecting the impact of the second lockdown in england. People aged 50 to 64 are being offered for free flu jabs from first december part of an expanded scheme. Just half of close contacts given to englands test and trace are being reached in some areas. Our Health Correspondent is here to talk through some of that. Lets start with some of these figures from the office of National Statistics today on what they are suggesting is happening. Some encouraging news things might be starting to go in the right direction. Infection levels in england and scotland are starting to level off and are falling in Northern Ireland and wales. So, just to remind you, the ons data is seen as a reliable source of data because it tests thousands of people across the uk whether they have symptoms or not. It doesnt include people in hospitals and care homes, and the latest data is up to 14th november. Within england it is a mixed picture. In the north west and east midlands cases have fallen but they are continuing to rise in london and south east. While rates are falling in young adults they are increasing in school age children. On average england had just under 40,000 new cases a day, down slightly from last week where they had stabilised at around 50,000 new cases a day. In wales infection rates appear to a fallen over the last two weeks so it has also fallen in Northern Ireland, going down for the last four weeks. In scotland things stabilising after rising for much of october. A mixed picture but we have also had the jermainejenas picture but we have also had the Jermaine Jenas number for the whole of the uk which continues to fall. Just to remind you, that shows how many an infected person passes the virus on to study latest data suggests one to 1. 1 which suggests the epidemic is still growing. Scientific advisers have said we need to get it below one and keep it there for a period of time if we will see case number significantly fall and fall in hospital admissions. We have had different types of lockdown and restrictions in different parts of the United Kingdom but wherever they take place there is a lag between the restrictions imposed and the hopeful consequences of doing that. Yes, and we see places like Northern Ireland and wales where theyve had their own lockdowns, we have seen some encouraging results. The first minister Mark Drakeford for wales has said there are signs their firebreak was working and cases have fallen but he has warned people not to flitter that away, that there could have to be stricter restrictions in place over christmas if they dont take it easy, dont lose the gains theyve made. And wales and Northern Ireland, as i said, they have seen cases fall now. But then weve heard the news in Northern Ireland that although things are lifting they will have to bring in stricter measures from next week. So, clearly, not out of the woods, it is early days, and there is this lag, so it might be too early to say whether in england the current lockdown is working and we might have to wait another week to see what the numbers are doing. And we are waiting to hear from matt hancock the Health Secretary had 5pm. We know the winter flu Vaccine Programme is ongoing and waiting to get the coronavirus Vaccine Programme spread get the coronavirus Vaccine Programme spread across get the coronavirus Vaccine Programme spread across the country, particularly to the most vulnerable as soon as particularly to the most vulnerable as soon as possible. The flu vaccine, people over 50 in england will get the flu jab from the ist of december, 30 Million People will get it in england, and large vaccination schemes there because what they dont want is the double whammy of people getting the flu but potentially coronavirus as well because that could have a worse effect on people. And he said the nhs is making plans and preparations in place to roll out a Covid Vaccine should one become available. Thank you very much, our Health Correspondent. Lets speak to a member of the governments Scientific Advisory group. Professor, welcome. Looking back across the year with hindsight being 2020, what would scientists advise the government to have done differently . We provide the advice but the government ultimately makes the decisions. And i know there has been quite a lot of criticism in the press recently, we havent focused on the things weve got right, such as identifying the risks of escalating cases and a second wave, but i think the one issue about doing things differently is probably the core early on in september when we identified the need for tougher restrictions at an earlier stage. And that has been borne out. That has been rehearsed in the press quite a lot. I dont think we necessarily need to go over that. I think of the positive things we have a drug that works, we have improved strategies for ventilation. And that means that rather than one in three people dying in hospital, one in six are dying. And we also have the three vaccines coming online so there is a lot to be quite pleased about that science has brought to the table. How likely are we to bounce in and out of lockdown restrictions for quite a few more months . And people have to dig deep, wont they come and find that resilience to cope with those. you see what has happened in the and in and in liverpool in particular, i7 in and in liverpool in particular, 17 days of tier 3 followed by lockdown is already pushing at admissions in hospital down. As we come out of the lockdown you will see a more nuanced approach with regional application of tiers, so cities like liverpool, i can see that coming down to a low level tier and other parts of the country will be less lucky and i think itll be the case we see rises and falls in interventions as needed until we get widespread vaccination and until some sections of society appreciate how important it is to add here to the rules. I understand the impulse of politicians who might want to give everybody a family oriented christmas, where people can mix. How likely is it . How wise would it be . I think it is likely that we will get that in most areas but there will be some areas where the risk will be some areas where the risk will be some areas where the risk will be higher. So the advice would be when you are having your family meal, wash your hands. Perhaps not everybody kissing and cuddling granny but some degree of social distancing and doing your best to stay safe at christmas. The idea we can ban christmas is ludicrous. Professorjonathan can ban christmas is ludicrous. Professor Jonathan Van Tam can ban christmas is ludicrous. ProfessorJonathan Van Tam said lets not knock the pants off it which is an appropriate thing to say coming up to christmas. Lets be as careful as we can be. There will be people, though, who have lost friends and relatives to deaths that could have been avoided had decisions been enacted more quickly. Surely it means in future politicians have to act faster than they might wish to to prevent the deaths we have seen, thousands of people who have died, some of whom might not have done. It is always very difficult in an outbreak situation. If you want to be right every time before you make a decision, then, sadly, you will never get ahead of the outbreak so there are times we have to make decisions quickly without best evidence. Sadly, that means sometimes the scientists will give wrong advice, and they give advice based on weak evidence, and that is the challenge we have. I think we have to stop looking at it as science versus politics and understand this is a partnership doing its best in very difficult circumstances. Does it really feel like that, though . You probably wont want to answer that question politicians dont always listen to the advice they are given because it isnt politically expedient for them to do so. But i think you can look at the history of this outbreak and you will see that there have been some blips where scientists have been outspoken and have stood up to been outspoken and have stood up to be counted. But, on the whole, most of the scientists i know that are involved in high level advice have been very cohesive, and we have found great support for our advise. But there will be times when the politicians diverged and have to act ina politicians diverged and have to act in a wider economic interest. And thatis in a wider economic interest. And that is the nature of the beast. Thank you very much, professor. Analysis by the bbc shows incomes test and tray system has failed to track down nearly half the close contacts track down nearly half the close co nta cts of track down nearly half the close contacts of people coronavirus in some of the worst hit areas. The figures cover the last six months where the prior minister promised the system to be world beating. Many of the contacts it didnt reach were in the same household and the message to self isolate would have been passed on. Foot soldiers in the war against coronavirus. This is the leicester council, one of the worst hit areas are doorknocking people tested positive with the virus and to the National Track and trace system has failed to reach. It is the first time this operation has been filmed but we were not allowed to share peoples homes. The first one was for a case under 18 so we have two doctor guardian. When we knocked on the property, they were not available to talk to, but we have been told if we ring back after 1pm, they can talk to us. The second visit we did this morning was successful. They answered all the questions and gave us the information. Around half of englands councils are Contact Tracing to address some of the problems of the National Track and trace. According to bbc analysis, in the six months since the government promised a world beating system, it has failed to track down nearly half of the close contacts of people with covid 19 in some of the areas most badly affected, including bradford, manchester, nottingham, Newcastle Upon Tyne and leicester. Back in leicester, contact tracers in the office trawl the councils databases for peoples addresses and phone numbers. This is a tiny team of contact tracers there are a handful of people making calls here. But despite their size, theyve had considerable success, tracking down and speaking to an average 89 of people that the National System has failed to contact. But councils are only allowed to trace those with positive test results. Any details of close contacts they get have to be sent back to the struggling National System for tracing. Officials in leicester believe they could be doing a lot more. Contact tracing is not new for us. Whether it is Environmental Health officers, Sexual Health services, this is something we do on a routing basis. Also, that means we have access to sources of information and data that perhaps others might not. There are other problems with the way the National System is being run. After this dad tested positive for covid 19, his family were called more than 45 times over three days. We were told every contact would have to be phoned separately so we could expect 20 phone calls from track and trace, just to the one family. We all knew we had covid. I asked the lady who was on the phone to me during the first day whether there was any way of avoiding the phone calls and she said, slightly menacingly, they would keep calling me until i answered. The government says from this week track and trace will no longer insist on talking to children and it says it will continue to refine and improve, building an integrated national and local system that can quickly scale up and down as the virus changes. Sophie hutchinson, bbc news. Lets ta ke sophie hutchinson, bbc news. Lets take a look at the coronavirus restrictions around the uk with rules varying widely with the four nations. In scotland more than 2 Million People will move into the toughest restrictions from 6pm today. In england the situation remains the same with lockdown continuing until december the 2nd. Wales had its lockdown after ten days ago but some restrictions on meeting others remain and travel to an england without a reasonable excuseis an england without a reasonable excuse is still banned. Northern ireland was due to come out of its five week lockdown but now there will be new restrictions from next friday lasting until december the 11th. This evening the focus is on the 11 Council Areas in scotland which will go into the strictest level for lockdown meaning everything but essential shops are closed. First, this report from james shaw. This is one of the busiest, most high value shopping streets in scotla nd high value shopping streets in scotland and there is a sense of a last minute rush on. But by six oclock tonight almost all of this will be shut down. Shoppers i spoke to were anxious about the restriction is about to be imposed. To be quite honest with you, i think a lot of people are not going to take any notice of what they have been told to do because we have had nearly a whole year of this. Ijust think it must be really upsetting for the shops, the Small Businesses, and i think this is a time of year when they would be making money. Especially when they had the lockdown earlier in the year. They must have been putting all of their hens in this basket. It is a shame. It is notjust shops. All hospitality, Entertainment Venues and Sport Centres will close, schools will stay open. This is a big area. All the way from ayr on the west coast to livingston further east and north to stirling and the countryside around it, but Health Experts believe the new controls are necessary. This is a moment when we have to Work Together and understand that, yes, there are people struggling economically throughout this, but there is hope on the horizon. There is a vaccine that has been seen as viable. The fact some areas have been moved to level 4, that is to help protect the nhs workers. In those areas, hospital rates are well above capacity. This is not a full national lockdown, so travel restrictions will be used to stop people spreading the virus into low risk areas. Nicola sturgeon addressed the toughness of the new restrictions at her daily briefing. These restrictions are difficult and we are all thoroughly scunnered and fed up with them and i will never stand here and pretend otherwise because i feel the same sense of being utterly fed up as the rest of you do. We do now see a possible end in sight to all of this and i think it is really important we dont forget that. It will be illegal to travel into or out of areas under level 3 and level 4 restrictions and even between Council Areas under those controls, except for essential purposes including work, education and caring. Nicola sturgeon has promised the restrictions will only be in place until 11th december. James shaw, bbc news, glasgow. Northern irelands government has ordered tougher coronavirus restrictions from next friday nonessential shops and other public venues will have to close for two weeks. It means cafes and hairdressers that were allowed to open this morning for the First Time Since mid october, will shut again, after just one week. Our ireland correspondent chris page reports from belfast. Coffee shops had been keeping their powder dry for this morning. The first day of full business since mid october. Butjust as reopening preparations were almost complete, last night, they found out they will have to shut again next friday. Disappointing and pretty devastated. It feels like there is a lack of care for the industry and the people in it. Customers are able to drink inside coffee shops once more from today, but in seven days time, that will change when everything will again go takeaway only. Businesses were not expecting the devolved governments to tighten restrictions and to say the least they are strongly critical of how politicians are handling the situation. This is a decision which makes no sense, they have gone for a decision that will kill Small Businesses rather than the virus. It is the wrong, wrong decision. That is what you get when you get a Coalition Government run by numbskulls who cannot even produce a coherent policy to fight a common enemy. Many Business Owners today feel furious and angry, not just at the decision, but the manner in which it was taken. The power sharing coalition at stormont has decided on a new lockdown just a week after voting to partially ease restrictions. The Democratic Unionist Party had pushed for a reopening of hospitality, but yesterday, all five parties in the Stormont Executive agreed a bigger shutdown was necessary. Public Health Advice states we need a stronger and harder intervention. I am glad all parties support that position. Ourjob is to support the businesses you speak of, the businesses that need financial support, money in their Bank Accounts now. Ministers say, without the closures, hospitals would be overwhelmed by the middle of next month. People in Northern Ireland are bracing themselves for a difficult december. Chris page, bbc news, belfast. Waless first minister, Mark Drakeford, says the two week firebreak there has been a success. He said hed seen evidence that the rate of transmission fell, and the number of people in hospital with covid 19 is stabilising. The chief medical officer issued a Statement Last night that said that the evidence is now good enough to say that the firebreak period did succeed. We have had ten consecutive days of numbers coming down in wales, positivity rates coming down in wales. And a number of people going into our hospitals is stabilising and we hope to see that dropping now over the week to come. So, all in all, the week to come. So, all in all, the firebreak achieved what we hoped it would. Whether we can sustain it depends on how people behave in the post fire break period. What we all have to do either simple things we know about already. We should minimise the number of people we are in contact with because coronavirus thrives on human contact. We should only travel when it is necessary. We should work from home wherever we can. We should be respectful of other people in observing social distancing, we should wash our hands frequently and carefully. If we do those basic things and we do them together, and in wales we have a fighting chance that we can build on the success of the firebreak, rather than seeing itjust fritter away. Lets speak to stephen reicher, professor of social psychology at the university of st andrews. Hes been part of the scottish governments covid 19 advisory group. Welcome, thank you forjoining us this afternoon. How well are we doing in terms of compliance with the various rules and regulations in these restrictions compared with the first lot earlier on in the year . Well, surprisingly when you look at some behaviours, compliance is remaining high in some areas and in some areas it is higher. When you look at things like mask wearing or social distancing it is up 18 or 19 . This is notjust what people say, people would say they would do it say, people would say they would do it, if you just do observations, there are people sitting at london train station is counting how many people wear masks, so that is pretty good. But there are some areas that are not good at all. One of those areas is self isolation if you are asked to self isolate. It seems that very few people do that, as low as 10 . What that suggests is this is not simply a matter of motivation, it is not that people do not want to comply, but in some areas it is hard to comply. You might lose yourjob, you might lose your pay. What do you do if you live in a house with lots of other people of different generations . How do you deal with caring responsibilities . Rather than blame people think people have ill will it is much more important to support people. If the is seen not to whack its finger at us and berate us to whack its finger at us and berate us if we dont comply, if Government Supports us and we see government as a partner, we are much more likely to comply. How important it is the kind of language that gets used about violations, particularly by politicians. . We are just about to hear the Health Secretary this afternoon. The kind of language he chooses to use, how influential is that . It is very important. The way to get through this is through a partnership between the public and the government, where each takes its responsibility seriously. If the Government Supports seriously and informs as clearly i think people would be much more likely to go along with it. Instead we seem to have something of a finger wagging government which tells us off, which says it is our fault, government which tells us off, which says it is ourfault, which threatens us with punishment if we do not comply. The implication is people have ill will. I dont think thatis people have ill will. I dont think that is really helpful. If you treat the public as a problem, if you treat them as other, you stop that sense of partnership, of common purpose, of common group membership, which is the key to compliance and is the key to motivating people to comply with the rules. How important is someone elses behaviour on the perception of your own . If you have not been to a house party or a mass gathering, you might think whatever idoit gathering, you might think whatever ido it is gathering, you might think whatever i do it is not as bad as that. Again there are two Different Things here. First, we need to look at the role of the media. People might be surprised to hear that things are going relatively well in some areas because the stories we hear are stories of noncompliance. A headline ofa stories of noncompliance. A headline of a house party is far more likely to hit the headlines than a story about people sitting quietly at home. We overestimate the extent to which others are not complying. Secondly, that leads us to think if nobody else is complying, what is the point of me doing this . It undermines compliance. But still worse, if you misrepresent the problem and say the problem is a large house parties, then the danger is that people say i am not having a house party, i might be seeing one or two more people than i should, and they think they have not got a problem. There is evidence to support that. Awhile back Scottish Police released figures showing that in one week, they do this every week, they had been to 440 house gatherings. Of those only 13, less than one in 50, less than 2 , where large gatherings. When they knocked on the door of those who are having one or more people round and they should, they are saying why are you knocking on our door . We are not having parties. It is the accumulation of small violations rather than the two big violations that are the problem. All of this mean we have to look to our responsibilities and the government has to support us and the government has to support us and the government has to support us and the government has to be clear in their language and their guidance, and we have to ta ke and their guidance, and we have to take it seriously. If we do not take the restriction seriously, all we do by increasing contact is increasing the transmission of the infection, which means these things drag on and make things worse for everybody, for us, for businesses, for the government and the community as a whole. I feel chastened behalf of all of the media. You are quite right, we not report on people sitting quietly. We have got broad shoulders. Finally and briefly, how are we doing on trust in the government and politicians . We talked of a reset, the government has talked of a reset and dominic cummings, in many ways is the symbol of the breakdown in trust. He broke the rules and was protected by the Prime Minister, giving rise to a sense of one law for us and one law for them. Basically trust limited. In one week it plummeted 20 points. Since april when trust was about 7596, since april when trust was about 75 , trust in the uk government has plummeted to 30 . That is concerning because we need to trust more than ever, especially when people will be taking the vaccine. The reset i would like to see is a reset of trust. That depends again on a pivot from the government acting in a rather paternalistic way, wagging his finger at us, to a partnership approach, saying the public as part of the solution, not part of the problem. I think that is absolutely key in moving forward. Professor steve a writer, thank you very much. Professor steve a writer, thank you very much. The latest Coronavirus Briefing from the uk government is coming up. Our Health Correspondent, katharine da costa, is here. Just until the Health Secretary arrives. It should be around five oclock. Talk to us about what demand on the nhs is like at the moment. They will be painting a picture of where we are at the moment. This week we have heard promises of vaccines, that they could be new drug treatments, mass testing on the horizon, but right now there are around 16,000 Covid Patients in hospitals across the uk and we have not hit the peak winter months when the nhs is at its busiest. Previously the head of nhs england has said they could probably ta ke england has said they could probably take about 20,000 Covid Patients before having widespread cancellation of nonurgent operations. What we are seeing is hospitals are having to get through a backlog of cancelled operations from the first peak in the spring. They are also seeing rising numbers of Covid Patients and they are preparing for the winter months when they see more emergency cases and when viruses do the rounds in the community, etc. So they have got quite a lot of demand already and thatis quite a lot of demand already and that is what they are worried about. That is why it is so important to bring cases down, which would help bring cases down, which would help bring hospital admissions down and ta ke bring hospital admissions down and take pressure off the nhs. The nhs providers, which represents hospital trusts, has today said they feel like winter has come six weeks early because demand has increased so quickly. What they are saying is if they are going to continue caring for all patients, notjust Covid Patients, what they think is stricter tier 3 restrictions will need to replace england boss s lockdown when it comes to an end on the 2nd of december. Otherwise they will struggle to cope. Obviously that detail is still being discussed. Ministers will be looking at that detail. But the data we have had today from the office for National Statistics and the r number, they will be looking at all of this, making their minds up so we should have a clearer picture of what might happen. Good afternoon and welcome to the sultan ands Coronavirus Briefing. I am joined remotely by a Stephen Powis, the National Medical director of the nhs, and by deputy chief medicalfor of the nhs, and by deputy chief medical for so, of the nhs, and by deputy chief medicalfor so, professorJonathan Van Tam. Before turning to progress on vaccines id like to go through the latest data. The latest average number of new cases each day is now 22,287. I am glad to say that is just down on the 24,431 week ago. I wa nt to just down on the 24,431 week ago. I want to thank everybody for doing their bit during this lockdown. And, taken together with the office for National Statistics survey published at lunchtime, these figures are promising, and they show the second peakis promising, and they show the second peak is flattening. But we must keep our resolve. There are today 16,409 Covid Patients in hospital across the uk and, sadly, yesterday, 511 reported deaths. This is a virus that has cast a shadow over this incredibly difficult year. And we have always known the best long term a nswer have always known the best long term answer would be the realflight provided by a vaccine. After clean water, vaccines are the most Effective Public Health intervention that has ever been devised by mankind. They are how we eradicated smallpox and how we are on the brink of eliminating polio. Each winter, they help our nhs stand firm against flu. Already this year we have vaccinated more than 12 Million People, a record numberfor this time of year. Because i took the decision earlier this year to double the order of flu jabs, i can now announce we are ruling out free flu jabs in england all over 50s from the 1st of december. A reminder yourgp the 1st of december. A reminder your gp will contact you. You dont need to call them. I want to thank all gps need to call them. I want to thank allgps and need to call them. I want to thank all gps and pharmacists for the role they will play in rolling out the flu jab, this record scale of Flu Vaccination Programme this year. This winter of all winters it is important that you get your jab because catching flu and covid together is very dangerous and i urge anyone who is eligible for a flu jab to get one to protect you, to protect your loved ones and to support the nhs. Right from the start, we have thrown everything we have got at the global search for a vaccine against covid. The best scientific brains from all around the world have been working together ona the world have been working together on a solution. And the uk has funded more International Support than any other country of any size. We should be vary proud in this country of the pa rt be vary proud in this country of the part we have played to find a vaccine for all of humanity. There are now many promising vaccine candidates going through Clinical Trials and over the past few weeks we have seen encouraging results from phase three trials from moderna and Pfizer Biontech, and from the phase two trials of the Astrazeneca Oxford vaccine. And today we have more positive news. Pfizer biontech announced this morning it has submitted for emergency use authorisation from the fda based on phase three data which shows the vaccine is 95 effective, with no serious safety concerns. Here in the uk, the first step of authorising a vaccine is for the government formally to ask the independent regulator, the medicines and health ca re regulator, the medicines and Health Care Products regulatory agency, to assess its suitability. The mh ra, which acts for the entire uk, is one of the worlds most respected regulators and i can confirm the government has formally asked the mhra to assess the Pfizer Biontech vaccine for its suitability for authorisation. Pfizer biontech have already begun supplying data to the mhra and will submit their full data in the coming days. I want to stress the mhra is rigorously independent and any questions around their process a re and any questions around their process are entirely for them. This is another important step forward in tackling this pandemic. If a vaccine is approved it will be available across the uk from our nhs free at the point of delivery according to need not ability to pay. We have procured vaccines on behalf of all parts of our country. And i am working with the devolved administrations to ensure it is deployed fairly to all across the uk. We will prioritise groups who are at greatest risk based on advice from thejoint are at greatest risk based on advice from the joint committee on vaccinations and immunisations and is worth saying this the roll out will be a massive logistical challenge but i know that the nhs can do it not least because they deliver the flu Vaccine Programme each year. And the nhs is in the process of establishing Vaccination Centres across the country that can manage the logistical challenge of needing to store the Pfizer Biontech at 70 needing to store the Pfizer Biontech at 70 degrees. In addition it is establishing vaccination hubs in hospitals for nhs staff. These two routes are likely to comprise the bulk of the campaign this side of the new year. Then there will be a Community Roll out involving gps and pharmacists. Last week we asked gps to sign up to deliver local services andi to sign up to deliver local services and i am very grateful that so many are coming forward. Our approach with these three delivery models, community teams, vaccination sites and hospital hubs, this has been devised to be flexible and to reach all parts of the country. And i want to thank in advance this huge team, the organisers, the vaccinated themselves, and all of the admin and logistical staff who are going to be working so hard to make this happen. I know Everyone Wants to know about the timing and the speed of the roll out. That will depend on the speed at which the vaccines can be manufactured. We know that the manufacturing process for all vaccines is difficult and uncertain. Soi vaccines is difficult and uncertain. So i have asked the nhs to be ready to deploy at the speed at which the vaccine can be produced. What i can say about timing is that if, and it still is and if, if the regulator a pproves still is and if, if the regulator approves a vaccine, we will be ready to start the vaccination next month with the bulk of the roll out in the new year. We are heading in the right direction but there is still a long way to go. Coronavirus remains a grave danger right now. So we must all keep doing the things we know blunt the force of this lethal virus. Hands, face and space, and if you have symptoms, get a test, and help keep everyone safe until the science can help us see us through to the other side. Im now going to hand over to professor Stephen Powis to ta ke hand over to professor Stephen Powis to take us through the data. Professor. Thank you, secretary of state. Today i only want to share a single slide and that is a slide i have shown you previously concerning hospital inpatients in england. As you know and as weve said before, as infection rates rise in the Community Unfortunately the number of people getting sick rises and for those who are the sickest in need and inpatient hospital care, that means admissions in two hospital rise, too, and the overall number of patients with covid and hospital rises. As we went from a low point in august, infections in the community have been rising through september, october and november meaning the number of patients in england has risen. You will see it stands at 14,479 and when i presented this slide eight days ago last thursday, that was about 1800 less, so we have seen a rise of about 1808 days. You will see from this slide that in the last few days right at the other end of the graph, it looks as if there is a levelling off, so that is just a few days data and it is important not to read too much into it yet because we need to see data over a few more days and into next week. Again, as ive said before, it takes two weeks and beyond before we see any effects of the reduction in infection rates in community translating into a reduction of admissions in inpatients. As the secretary of state has said we are starting to see evidence that as a result of restrictions infection rates are falling so itll be important over the next week or so to look at Hospital Data to see whether that tra nslates Hospital Data to see whether that translates as we hope it will do into a flattening and hopefully a reduction in the number of inpatients. We are not yet in winter. Nhs gets busy as we get into december and into the first months of the new year and it is critical to keep the number of patients with covert in hospital down because it is by doing that the nhs can ensure its services are up and running everywhere, that it can treat patients who have other conditions as well as all of our Covid Patients and of course all our staff are incredibly keen to ensure that we are getting through the unfortunate backlog of work resulted because of this pandemic. So i want to reiterate the importance of us all keeping to the advice, the restrictions put in place, because it is by doing that that we can best help the nhs to do the job it always does, which is to provide care for all the citizens of this country, thank you and back to the secretary of state. Thanks very much, to professor Stephen Powis and now we will go to the first question and the first question is from members of the public. We turn to stephen from weybridge. Ons stats show us that black and asian communities are disproportionately affected by covid 19. They are three to four times more likely to die of covid 19 than those of white ethnicity. As such will these communities be given vaccine priority after nhs workers, the elderly and those with pre existing conditions . The elderly and those with preexisting conditions . Thanks, stephen, this is a critical question and one that the joint committee on vaccinations and immunisations that advises us on the clinical prioritisation for vaccines has looked at very carefully. I will turn to professor van tan in a moment because he has been doing the work on this with them. And talking to thejoint work on this with them. And talking to the joint committee on this question. But the overall assessment theyve come to so far based on the information that they have and the interim analysis which will be updated when the full data is available is that the most important determining factor in your risk is your age, determining factor in your risk is yourage, and, of determining factor in your risk is your age, and, of course, determining factor in your risk is yourage, and, of course, the determining factor in your risk is your age, and, of course, the need to protect those who are in turn looking after the most vulnerable, the nhs staff and social care staff. And that is the assessment the committee has come to and i will ask professorjonathan committee has come to and i will ask professor Jonathan Van Tam committee has come to and i will ask professorJonathan Van Tam to speak more on this. Thank you very much. There is relatively little to add to the secretary of states answer. It is definitely something that jcb i have considered. It is definitely the case that far and away the biggest risk factor for the likelihood of a bad outcome from covid 19 is age, followed by the presence of co morbidity, chronic underlying illnesses that place you at higher risk. And we know that a very significant proportion of the unfortunate but true signal we see in black and minority ethnic groups is driven by the presence of comorbidities that occur at an earlier age. And because the jcbi is clear in its priority list that itll be targeting people according to having underlying risk conditions, then they believe that is the right approach. And i would support that and say that what is now really important is that the vaccine is accessible to all communities, irrespective of their x ethnic background, and that people come forwards and when they are called, and the uptake is very high. These will be critically important things as we move into a new phase of actually being able to deliver a vaccine of actually being able to deliver a Vaccine Programme of actually being able to deliver a Vaccine Programme in the early months of next year. Over. Thank you very much. Now we turn to clare from birmingham. I am a single pa rent clare from birmingham. I am a single parent family who works full time as a key worker and i will not be paid by my employer. What support is there for working families whose children have to isolate . Thank you, claire, another incredibly important question. We have put in place a system of support so that if you have to isolate, and you are eligible for benefits, universal credit, then you can access a £500 support payment for the period you have to isolate for. I know that many thousands of people have benefited from that support and that payment, so that they can do the right thing. The self isolation that is required when you either test positive or have close contact, is such an important part of stopping the spread of this virus. Thank you, claire, for your question. Now we will turn to hugh pym from the bbc. Thank you very much. How strict will restrictions have to be in england after december the 2nd estimate over how many days might there be some relaxation during the Christmas Season . Thanks. We are doing the work on what happens after december the 2nd right now. It is still too early to tell, although we can see from the data out in the last couple of days and also from the ons survey out today, that this is clearly flattening. We are clearly near the peak of this second increase and the second wave. So what i would say is iam afraid second wave. So what i would say is i am afraid we still have not made those decisions. Over christmas i know how important it is for people that we have a system in place, a set of rules that both keeps people safe, but also allows people to see their loved ones. Many people have family in different parts of the uk, so we are family in different parts of the uk, so we are working with the uk government and the three devolved administrations to try to have a consistent set of rules across all four nations so it is easier for people to travel and to see their loved ones. But there will have to be rules in place because obviously we wa nt be rules in place because obviously we want to keep people safe as well. Cani we want to keep people safe as well. Can i ask a follow up . We want to keep people safe as well. Can i ask a followup . Yes, please do. How worried are you both, or one of you, how worried are you about a lift resulting in too much pressure on the nhs going through lift resulting in too much pressure on the nhs going throuthanuary . Maybe professor powis can answer that question. As i said, it is important for the nhs that we get infection rates down because we can ta ke infection rates down because we can take pressure off nhs services as we go into the winter in december and onwards. As i have said previously, the government will be lifting the current restrictions on december the 2nd, but i am sure we will not be going back to normal, further restrictions will be required. It is important for us that we see numbers of admissions stay down. The public once again has responded this time round as it did in the spring. We wa nt round as it did in the spring. We want to ensure that we keep those games and keep the pressure off the nhs. As is quite right, the decisions as to which particular measures need to be in place needs to bea measures need to be in place needs to be a decision for our elected representatives based on the Data Analysis and what the figures are showing us. Thanks very much. The next question from tom at itv. Thank you, secretary of state. The numbers in the ons survey today do show the outbreak levelling off on average across the country, but in london and the south east and east of england the numbers are still going up. It begs the question, although it is early days on the lockdown impact, does the outbreak have to be flat and falling in all areas for us to safely ease lockdown restrictions before christmas . Tom, i very much hope the numbers will start to fall. We have seen that levelling off that you describe. We have seen the change in trajectory in all parts of the country, in all parts of england i should say. And we watch each days data vigila ntly. I should say. And we watch each days data vigilantly. We are just at the point where we are starting to be able to get a picture of that flattening, which is clearly good news. But obviously i want to see that starting to come down. Professor va n that starting to come down. Professor van tam might be able to add something to this in terms of expectations. What i try very much to look at is the data we are seeing on the data that is reported and look at that each day, rather than trying to make projections myself. Thank you, tom. I am sorry i cannot be with you personally, i am self isolating at the moment due to a household contact. You are quite right in the way that you interpret the latest ons data, but they are from the weeks of the eighth to the 14th of november, so they are few days behind where are now. It could well be that these other regions, the ones you have pointed out with a currently increased positivity will turn. I would expect them to turn, but we have to see that in the data. What i would say is that overall clearly it is an improving picture, these are very early signs that the epidemic is beginning to level. But we should be cautious about interpreting that and please, everyone , interpreting that and please, everyone, remember that it just takes a few seconds to create new infections through unneeded, close contact. Those infections become disease, become illness, typically five to seven days later, and then they become hospitalisations and another seven days after that. So you could lose this injust a few seconds and we are not at the end of the prescribed lockdown period at the prescribed lockdown period at the moment. Every single one of us has to keep up the pressure on this virus and push down on it as much as we can write to the end of the period. Bearing in mind when we get to the end of that period, actually we see the fruits of our actions a few days, a couple of weeks later. This is really important, do not give up on it now. Thank you. The next question is from ben kentish at lbc. Thank you. I wanted to follow up lbc. Thank you. I wanted to follow up on hughs question because sage say for any day of easing restrictions over christmas we will need five days of tougher restrictions to make up for it. Today we heard any easing could lead to tens of thousands of more deaths and that likely means hundreds more deaths. As Health Secretary do you believe any easing of restrictions for christmas is worth it, given the huge cost involved . For christmas is worth it, given the huge cost involved . If i could ask you a second question. Many people watching this would have experienced bullying in the workplace and might be hesitant to come forward because ofa be hesitant to come forward because of a fear that people in powerful positions simply get away with it. What would your message to them be today . And quickly to professor van tam. If you could say in percentage terms know what you believe the chances are of a vaccine being deployed in the uk this year, would you be able to put a figure on that . Thank you very much. Cue for those three questions. If i take the first one first and then i will ask professor va n one first and then i will ask professor van tam to come in. When it comes to christmas i understand it comes to christmas i understand it is the most important holiday in our year it is the most important holiday in ouryearand it is the most important holiday in our year and what it is the most important holiday in ouryearand whatan it is the most important holiday in our year and what an emotional attachment people have to seeing theirfamily over attachment people have to seeing their family over christmas, of course they do. So we are looking for ways to allow that to happen but also ina for ways to allow that to happen but also in a way that is safe. The question of how quickly the virus recedes when it has gone up depends on what you get the r number down to, so there is not a fixed figure. The question is the action we take. We also have a much expanded mass testing that is available now, but we are going to take an approach, of course, that keeps people safe as well as recognising the importance of christmas and the importance of seeing our loved ones over christmas. On the question you asked about the home secretary, the Prime Minister has made his statement. The home secretary has apologised for the upset caused. What i would say isi the upset caused. What i would say is i think it is incredibly important that everybody is treated with respect in all circumstances. Professor va n with respect in all circumstances. Professor van tam can answer the third question. I think professor van tam can answer the third question. I think i willjust add a little bit of colour to the question about christmas first. The government clearly wants to give us a break to some extent at christmas. We as citizens all want something of a break. There are no magic numbers about one day of christmas, x days of payback in terms of lockdown. It is partly about the proportionate measures that the government will ta ke measures that the government will take in allowing us to have sensible christmases. But it is also about whether we comply and whether we follow the rules that are then put in place for that period. If people do not, the first scientific principle is that things will go back up again. That is really the key message. There is a dual responsibility here, there is no magic number about how many days this will cost us. We should not frame it like that. On your second question, certainty about vaccines before christmas, we do have a certain readout on the Pfizer Biontech vaccine which we have contracted to obtain for the british people. We are waiting the mhra authorisation, or consider a whether they can authorise it. That is a matter for the mhra and i will not speculate on that. It will happen at the speed of science, it has to happen in theirown the speed of science, it has to happen in their own time and when they are ready and we have to leave them and trust them to get on with it. We do not know numbers of vaccines. That is always in the hands of the manufacturers about what they can produce, and it is in the hands of the manufacturers and the hands of the manufacturers and the regulatory agencies around how quickly batches can be released for use if they are authorised. It is pointless are speculating on that at this point in time. But do i believe that we are now on the glide path to landing this plane . Yes, i think i do. Do i accept that sometimes when you are on the glide path you can have a side wind and the landing is not totally straightforward, totally textbook . Of course. And this is the real science world that we live in, but, yes, ithink real science world that we live in, but, yes, i think we are on the glide path. Over. The next question is from chris smith at the time. Glide path. Over. The next question is from chris smith at the timelj know you said that vaccinations are dependent on supply, but can you confirm if the supply is there it will be possible to vaccinate every aduu will be possible to vaccinate every adult who wants it by april . Those plans that suggested that the more vulnerable groups will be vaccinated by the end of february, but will that mean that by march you will see a reduction in hospitalisations that they will be no need for restrictions specifically to protect the nhs . Well, it is a very important question. There are all the uncertainties that professor van tam has just set about. The task of the nhs is to ensure that as fast as the nhs is to ensure that as fast as the vaccine can be manufactured, so it can then be deployed. I will turn to professor powers to set out some of the details of that, because the nhs is taking the lead in the deployment of the vaccine. But what i would say about the questions of timing is the uncertainty is over the regulatory authorisation because the regulatory authorisation because the regulatory authorisation because the regulator will only allow the vaccine to be deployed if it is safe, and then over the manufacturing and the speed at which any vaccine can be manufactured, in particular the two leading vaccines, the pfizer and biontech and the Astrazeneca Oxford vaccines. However, we are ensuring that we are ready to deploy should all of that go right from next month. But i would caution that the bulk of the roll out will be in the new year, even on the best case scenario. It will take a few months to get that Vaccination Programme through for the vulnerable groups if the vulnerable groups stay as currently set out by the guidance from thejc vi. Thank you. The slides you were referring to are from a number of weeks ago and are already out of date because we are continually getting new information from the Clinical Trials, from the manufacturers in terms of what they are able to produce. So, in the nhs, ourjob has been to plan for a number of different eventualities. We will not be clear exactly how we will be deploying this until a few steps have been taken and both professorjonathan steps have been taken and both professor Jonathan Van Tam steps have been taken and both professorJonathan Van Tam and the secretary of state have outlined the steps. We dont have a vaccine yet so we steps. We dont have a vaccine yet so we need information from the Clinical Trials first and pfizer have deposited that with the fda today and should be shortly doing that with mhra, so mhra have to consider that data, jcbi have to then recommend it to be authorised, then recommend it to be authorised, the prioritisation who gets the vaccine in accordance with risk. And we need information from manufacturers on what they can manufacture. They are stepping up manufacturing in an unprecedented effort to increase vaccine supply, there is likely to be more than one vaccine coming and asjonathan has said there will be bumps along the way in terms of all these processes so we are way in terms of all these processes so we are planning for all eventualities and, again, through routes we take for vaccination already every year through our gps and community pharmacies, through our hospitals, but also through Vaccination Centres. We want the vaccine out as quickly as possible. We dont underestimate the scale of the challenge, it is a huge challenge, but i am confident that we will be able to deliver that for the British Public but it will take into next year and a number of months. Whilst we are doing that it is important we still comply with the restrictions in place now and they might be in place for the future because we will have a tough winter ahead. And we need to do all these things to battle this pandemic and get through. Thanks, Stephen Powis. The chief medical for the has said in the past, chris whitty has said in the past, chris whitty has said he hopes we will be able to get back more towards normal by the spring. And with this news weve had over the last few weeks and with the expansion of mass testing i am more confident he is right. If we go to jack blanchard. Thanks very much. You will be aware of the scale of misinformation out there about vaccines. And the supposed dangers of them. How will you combat that over the next few weeks and how concerned are you take up will not be taken up. And how can we do this so be taken up. And how can we do this so the virus is defeated next year . On priti patel, what is the point of having an independent adviser on priti patel, what is the point of on ministerial standards if the Prime Minister will ignore the advice when it is one of his mates in the firing line . Ive answered the question on the home secretary and the Prime Minister has been clear that he doesnt think the home secretary has broken the ministerial code. On the substantive question about the vaccine, i will turn to Jonathan Van Tam in a second because he has been very clear about the best way to explain to people the benefits of having a vaccine. And all of mainstream science supports the use of vaccines where they are safe. And their safety can be assured by the fact that no vaccine would be rolled out unless it is signed off by the regulator, which is independent. The thing i would say about the way we discuss this is there is a huge amount of work that has gone on and is going on in terms of ensuring that the objective, factual information about a vaccine is made available. And to ensure thatis is made available. And to ensure that is the information people can have access to, rather than things that are not true and scare stories that are not true and scare stories that are not true and scare stories that are put about. But the best way to reassure people is not for people like me to talk about it but it is for those that are the real experts and the clinicians, like professor van tam. Jonathan. Thank you, secretary of state. Jack, i am not sure if you saw my briefing a while ago, which i did with the professor from the mhra, and the mhra were very clear there is absolutely no difference in terms of the rigour and standards they will apply to covid 19 vaccines as to any other before they authorise them. I was very clear that i will be very happy with their authorisation and very happy indeed eager to take a vaccine myself. And i will be telling my mum to do so. That i think is a really important message. On vaccine misinformation, ijust dont propose to give it any time because it is just that, misinformation. Judging by the correspondence ive had from members of the public in the last couple of weeks, it is clear that there is much more anxiety about when vaccines will be available, and where people are on the priority list. And i understand that anxiety. What i would say is that if we can obtain the vaccines at the scale which is reflected in our ambition and if the nhs delivers them in accordance with the challenge set down by the secretary of state, the only thing that will hold us back is supply, only thing that will hold us back is supply, then in actual fact people shouldnt worry too much about where they are on a priority order because they are on a priority order because the difference between being at this level being that level will be one or two or three weeks, it wont be very long at all because we intend to move with as much pace as we can possibly muster. Over. Thank you very much, professor van tam. One further thing id add, very much, professor van tam. One furtherthing id add, on very much, professor van tam. One further thing id add, on the International Studies that look at peoples enthusiasm for peoples vaccine vaccines, the uk ranks near the top and id like it to rank higher still but we should have confidence in our scientists and clinicians that, given the thousands of people that these vaccines have already been trialled on. In terms ofa already been trialled on. In terms of a take a percentage, the honest a nswer of a take a percentage, the honest answer is we dont know. I am asked this all the time and the reason we dont know is that in the trials, they can test and measure how effective a vaccine is at protecting an individual. But what they cannot measure is how much it reduces the transmission. Until we know that, which we will only know when we have rolled it out at scale, we wont know the impact of the vaccine on r and, therefore, we wont know how big a proportion of the population you need to have vaccinated in order for it to end the pandemic. What we will know is itll protect, in the case of the pfizer vaccine, 95 of people over the time period that it has been measured. We dont know how long that protection lasts for so we will have to stay vigilant to all of these things. And keep measuring the impact. But, you know, the good news is that we have seen over the last two weeks really very promising results, both from the Pfizer Biontech vaccine and the Astrazeneca Oxford vaccine. And that means we are able to plan with increasing confidence this roll out by the nhs. Thanks, jack. Finally, willjames from reuters. Hello, and thank you. Secretary of state, i wondered if you could tell us what assurances you have been given by the medicines regulator about how long their process might take . Is it something we could expect a decision on next week or the week after . Secondly, youve talked a lot about the importance of christmas and it is clearly a holiday that you enjoy, too, so what are your plans . My plans are to have a small family christmas. Maybe with my father in law who lives on his own and is in ourfamily bubble. That would be allowed under the existing rules. And i am very respectful of the work going on which is being led by others to see if we can get a uk wide approach. That is why i am relu cta nt to uk wide approach. That is why i am reluctant to comment any more on what the christmas arrangements might be because i think it would be such a boost to the whole of the uk if the four nations, each responsible for health care in a devolved way, can come together and agree a set of arrangements that is both safe and careful and sensible and also allows families to see each other at christmas. On the mhra question, it is absolutely a question, it is absolutely a question for them how long they take. I will not prejudge that at all. I took the trouble in the Opening Statement is say questions around their process are entirely for them. I hope you will respect that because i dont want. To give even an impression of trying to impinge on their independence. It wouldnt work anyway, even if i tried. And, sir, i cannot answer that question. What i can do is, given the Pfizer Biontech application in the United States to the fda, that has given us the confidence with their data releases over the last few days, that has given us the confidence formally to start the process here, which, by law, first requires the government to ask the mhra to consider an authorisation and im delighted we have been able to announce that today. Thanks, will, and thanks to eve ryo ne today. Thanks, will, and thanks to everyone for the questions, members of the public and press, thank you to professorjonathan of the public and press, thank you to professor jonathan van of the public and press, thank you to professorJonathan Van Tam and professor Stephen Powis for enabling fielding questions virtually and that concludes todays Coronavirus Briefing. Thats the latest Coronavirus Briefing from the government. The Health Secretary said latest data shows the second peak is flattening but urged cautions. Lets take a look at the latest data first. A further 22,287 people have tested postive for coronavirus across the uk. And a further 511 people have died of the virus thats within 28 days of a positive test. Speaking in downing street matt hancock said he had asked the uk vaccine regulator to analyse the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. He said the government hope to start the vaccine roll out in december. And when questioned byjournalists the Health Secretary said no decision had been made over when rules will be loosened over the christmas period. But hoping they could be a uk wide approach. Catherine acosta was listening to that and quite a bit of focus on that promising information we are getting about vaccines. Yes, it was all across the news, high protection levels from the Pfizer Biontech vaccine and good results from moderna and face to make results from the oxford vaccine showing good immune response among the 60s and 70s. And what matt hancock said today was that pfizer had submitted for emergency authorisation in the us and here in the uk the uk government has asked our regulator, the mhra, to assess it, and that is an up an important step forward. Depending on the results from the regulator and the manufacturing process, if the green light is given we could start rolling it out by next month with the bulk of the vaccinations from next year. They did say you still have to get winter out of the way and Stephen Powis was talking about needing to get infections right down which would bring hospital admissions down. He showed us a slide which showed over the summer there were low levels, cases have been rising over the autumn, and he was talking about inpatients, the number of patients in hospital in england and he said that was 14,500 nearly. So, while things have been levelling off, we have had the figures from the office for National Statistics which have been promising and we are cautious about not reading too much into the figures and we all must play our part to continue to bring case levels down. Doctorjonathan continue to bring case levels down. Doctor Jonathan Van Tam continue to bring case levels down. DoctorJonathan Van Tam charming eve ryo ne doctorJonathan Van Tam charming everyone with over after all his questions and answers. Thank you very much. Lets move away briefly from coronavirus to get more on one of our other main stories this afternoon, the home secretary priti patel has said that she is absolutely sorry and that she never intentionally set out to upset anyone after an official investigation into bullying found she broke the ministerial code. The Prime Minister has rejected the findings saying he has full confidence in her. The Prime Ministers adviser on the ministerial code subsequently resigned. This is what the home secretary said a short while ago to our deputy Political Editor vicki young. The report is pretty damning, it talks about your behaviour, including shouting and swearing, and an independent adviser on the ministerial code says that it amounts to bullying. Are you a bully . Well, im here to give an unreserved apology today and i am sorry if i have upset people in any way whatsoever. That was completely unintentional, and, vicky, ill be very candid, the work that i do here in this department and across government is deeply challenging, so if i have upset people, that has been completely unintentional, it was not my intention and i am absolutely sorry for any upset that has been associated with that. The problem is you say it was unintentional, but some will say that as part of the problem, that you did not realise you were upsetting people at the time. you did not realise you were upsetting people at the time. If you look at what has also been said, you have to put it into the context of what has been going on. This department and how this organisation is changing, changing over recent months. I am working with the permanent secretary here to really change the culture and ways of working in this department and it is correct if you read the report that iam very correct if you read the report that i am very clear about this, any upset i have caused is completely unintentional and at the time, it says this in the report, issues were not pointed out to me, we were not being supported on our work, but this is a Challenging Department which is why i am absolutely sorry for anyone that has been upset by unintended behaviours and the impact of what people felt at the time. But the reality is we are changing the culture of this organisation, Matthew Rycroft and i, and we are working in a much more collective way, a collaborative way, across this department which employs 38,000 civil servants, many of whom are on the front line of our borders, working in visas, passports, we are making life and death decisions every single day in this department. I say it again, i am absolutely sorry for any upset that has been caused. This is a challenging environment to work in and i apologise to anybody who has been upset unintended plea for anything that may have happened in recent months. The home secretary speaking to becky young. The home secretary speaking to becky young. Our Political Correspondent Jessica Parker is at westminster. It sounds like a qualified apology and a reference to other things that in her view explain the atmosphere in her view explain the atmosphere in her department. It is an apology but with a caveat if you like, apologising unreservedly if she had unintentionally, as she puts it, upset anyone, rather than saying i apologise, i was wrong. I guess it given the decision borisjohnson has made the day she will look to avoid saying Something Like that because he has concluded, at odds with the actual findings of the man who investigated the matter, sir alex allan, that priti patel did not break the ministerial code. The significance of that is of course that tradition sort of dictates that ifa that tradition sort of dictates that if a minister does break the ministerial code and is found to have done so then they would usually expect to resign. Clearly that has not happened, instead alex allan has decided to resign in his role as standards chief for Boris Johnson. Priti patel is staying on in the job as home secretary and she was also seeking to explain what an Important Role it is and lets be honest the home office is a Huge Department and has oversight over a vast number of issues. Whilst Boris Johnson has oversight over a vast number of issues. Whilst borisjohnson has been a close ally of priti patel, they were campaigners on the brexit tea m they were campaigners on the brexit Team Together in the 2016 referendum, he may also be looking ahead to the end of the transition period which comes on december the 3ist period which comes on december the 31st and borders and immigration which she had her department is in charge of. Where does this leave the relationship generally speaking between the Civil Service and the ministers they serve . We will have to see how that pans out, but clearly priti patel stressing things have improved recently. So they will hope this issue can settle down. But one of the broader questions as well is the process. So the Prime Minister being the final arbiter of what counts as breaking the ministerial code or not, and lord eva ns, ministerial code or not, and lord evans, the Standards Committee chair, has raised questions about the effectiveness of the existing arrangements at the moment and says his committee will look into this matter. That might be one of the fallout from what has happened over the last 24 hours, there will be further questions and scrutiny about that process. Jessica, thank you very much. Accurately and the deputy chief medical officer have been answering questions on the vaccines for covid19, but answering questions on the vaccines for covid 19, but many more have been coming in from viewers. Here are your questions answered. Lots of questions about the Coronavirus Vaccine. Our Health Correspondent is with me, as you see, and also joining me from Imperial College london is professor robin shattuck. It has been a remarkable week with lots of stories and positive news about vaccines and it does mean we keep getting an awful lot of questions, which is great. James, you are here, i will start with you. A question from alien from edinburgh. I would like to know whether a vaccine will affect anyone with Underlying Health conditions, for example diabetes, Heart Disease or even cancer. It is right to raise this question because you do not give every vaccine to everybody, you look at what their Underlying Health is and make a decision around it. But these vaccines are quite new and they do not work in the same way as other vaccines. You do not give some of the live vaccines to people who have really weak immune systems because that could be dangerous. But some of these new factions are not causing infection in the person, they are doing it through innovative ways. Robin is working on one of those new ways, and he will tell you about that. We have not got the full eligibility, but for things like Heart Disease you will be at higher risk of covid. It will be appropriate for you to have a Coronavirus Vaccine because the risk of not having it would be greater. Some with immune deficit disorders, and on functioning immune system, thatis and on functioning immune system, that is where they will be looking at closely to work out who should and should be getting it. |j at closely to work out who should and should be getting it. I am also interested in your thoughts on that because i know in the last few days we have had a lot of queries from people with underlying conditions. I am interested to hear your perspective. Certainly it will need to be let out on a case by case basis and discuss it with your gp. But the good thing about these vaccines is the fact they are not infectious vaccines, so they are likely to be very safe in the population. Certainly those with Underlying Health conditions that make you higher risk to covid 19 are pa rt of make you higher risk to covid 19 are part of the population that we want to target with these new vaccines. Part of the population that we want to target with these new vaccineslj will to target with these new vaccines. will stay with you because we have been talking about the fact that we have focused on three vaccines, there are three teams that keep getting talked about in the news. Elizabeth in plymouth wants to know will we be told which vaccine we are getting . Some reports are of something more long lasting than others. That is interesting. That is a great question and there is a bit ofa danger a great question and there is a bit of a danger here that with all the reports about percentage efficacy that people will think one vaccine is better than another. In reality the difference between 90 and 95 is meaningless, and we still do not know how effective these vaccines will be at six months or 12 months, or five years. So it is very difficult to say one vaccine is better than another. At the moment the good news is they are all looking quite promising. Even if something came in at 70 you might think it was not as good, but if it was 70 five years later it might look better than something that looks good initially and then drops off over time. Personally, looks good initially and then drops off overtime. Personally, if looks good initially and then drops off over time. Personally, if it was me,| off over time. Personally, if it was me, i would take whatever of these vaccines was offered to me first because then i would be insured of getting a degree of protection as soon as getting a degree of protection as soon as possible. James, none of these have Regulatory Approval yet, but we are thinking perhaps all three will get that approval. The fa ct we three will get that approval. The fact we get a lot of questions like this makes you think whether there will be a scramble or whether there people go to their gp and say i want this one. It is potentially tricky. Ido this one. It is potentially tricky. I do not think it will be in a scenario like where you go to the supermarket and say i will have that one. There will be a plan and it means a roller and there will also be the factor of which vaccines are available at what time. We have 5 million moderna doses ordered, and that will only come in the spring. It is not just that will only come in the spring. It is notjust about that will only come in the spring. It is not just about what the data sets, it is about the availability, the logistics, and looking at what works better in different age groups as well. We have been hearing the latest Coronavirus Briefing from the government. The Health Secretary says the second peak is flattening, but urged caution. Lets take a look at the latest data. A further 22,287 people have tested positive. A further 511 people have died from the virus within 28 days of a positive test. Matt hancock had asked the uk vaccine regulator to analyse the fighter biontech vaccine. Should that one or any others be approved, the government hoped to start the vaccine roll out in december. He said no decision had been made over when rules would be loosened over the christmas period. The bbc news at six comes next in a few moments. First, lets take a look at the weather. Friday brought us a cloudy day with outbreaks of rain making their way from west to east. As we had to the weekend we will be keeping the rain for some areas, but there will be some sunshine in the north. Tomorrow it will be mild and breezy and there will be some rain around. It is turning windy across the north of scotland, the Northern Isles seeing gales with gusts of around 60 miles an hour. Further south, gales with gusts of around 60 miles an hour. Furthersouth, breezy, cloudy, but it will be a mild night. A few spots of drizzle around in temperatures between 10 12. A little bit cooler in the air moving in across scotland. We have got this cold front which will slowly sink south. Low pressure to the north and quite a lot of isobars, especially in the north of scotland, so another windy day to come. Gusts in the Northern Isles, the Western Isles and Northern Ireland as well. Plenty of showers on that breeze. This band of showers on that breeze. This band of cloud and rain sinks into Northern England and wales as well. A few breaks in the cloud and it will be mild. Typically about 8 10 further north and 13 down south. These are the gusts of wind, so the wind will be a feature. 40, 50 or even 60 in the northern half of scotland. Saturday evening remains breezy in the north with scattered showers, cloudy and mild in the south. This cold front pushes its way south overnight into sunday and it parks itself across southern england and south wales, so we still have the mild air in the south. Quite cloudy with a few spots of showery rain. Anyway north of the m4, it will be largely dry day. There will be showers in the west of scotland. Single figures for most of us, but in the south 11 or 12. A look ahead into the new working week and things remain unsettled with quite a lot of cloud, rain in the north and west, a little bit 01 28 58,127 4294966103 13 29,430 brighter in the south by tuesday