Transcripts For BBCNEWS Coronavirus Update 20201202

You can use a special, we will be bringing you live coverage on the latest government briefing at downing street led by the Prime Minister borisjohnson this afternoon. The uk has become the first country in the world to approve the widespread use of a vaccine for coronavirus, paving the way for a Mass Immunisation Programme to begin next week. The jab, made by pfizer and biontech, has been developed at unprecedented speed, taking only ten months to complete a process that would normally span a decade. The Prime Minister called it fantastic, saying, it is the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again. The Health Secretary matt hancock said, 2020 has beenjust awful and 2021 is going to be better and help is on its way with this vaccine. The chief executive of the medicines regulator has said that no corners have been cut in the development of the vaccine, insisting the data had undergone a rigorous analysis to international standards. The vaccine offers up to 95 protection against coronavirus. Around 800,000 doses of the jab are being made available as early as next week. It has to be stored at 70 degrees celsius. Two doses have to be taken, 21 days apart. Well have analysis in the next half an hour as we build up to that latest briefing from the government, but first, heres our Health Correspondentjim reed. Another crucial hurdle cleared, as the world tries to get back to normal. This time next week, these vaccines, made by the Drugs Companies biontech and pfizer, will be available to people in this country. It comes after the medicines regulator gave the green light for the jab to be rolled out nationwide. The vaccine will be made available across the uk from next week. I would like to pay tribute to and to thank all those who have made this possible. It is the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get our economy moving again. The uk regulator, the mhra, says the pfizerjab, which offers up to 95 protection against the covid 19 illness, is now safe to begin a full roll out after giving emergency approval. It is an incredible moment for society, and i really think this is now a turning point in the fight against this pandemic, both here in the uk and across the globe. I couldnt be prouder right now. It is the fastest ever vaccine to go from concept to reality, taking only ten months to follow the same scientific steps that normally take a decade. Separate teams have been working in parallel to deliver the most rigorous review of this vaccine. No corners have been cut. Our expert scientists and clinicians have worked round the clock, carefully, methodically poring over tables and analyses and graphs, on every single piece of data. Ministers say 800,000 doses of this vaccine will be available from next week, with millions more before the end of the year. A panel of government advisers has set out who gets it first, based on clinical need. This morning, they published their final recommendations. They said around a million older care home residents and staff should be first in line, followed by over 80s, and other health and social workers. This is phase one of the programme. In phase one, we hope that 90 99 of people who are at risk of dying from covid 19 will be included or covered. Most of the Pfizer Vaccine available in this country will be manufactured at this huge factory in central belgium. But this particularjab uses a new type of technology, meaning it has to be stored at 70 celsius, far colder than a standard fridge freezer. It will need to be shipped to the uk in special crates or packed in dry ice, before being thawed out for the last stage of its journey. In reality, that means it could be hospital patients, along with nhs and care staff, who receive the vaccine first. The government says the vaccine will be available in three main ways through a chain of special Mass Vaccination Centres set up at Sports Grounds and community centres, through hospitals including the nightingale hospitals, and through Community Services like gps and pharmacists. Anyone in a Priority Group should now wait to be contacted by the nhs for an appointment. We definitely need a vaccine. I can understand peoples concerns about it being rushed through. But that is what the trials are there for. I mean, there is a collaborative worldwide effort in producing all these vaccines, so somebody has to be first. The Pfizer Biontech vaccine approved today was the first of three differentjabs that could be given the green light soon. Altogether, the government has ordered 357 million doses from seven different manufacturers. I am just so, so pleased that, you know, 2020 has beenjust awful, and 2021 is going to be better. And help is on its way. This is more positive news, then, as the shops reopen after the lockdown in england. But it is likely to be many months before any Vaccination Programme can really have an effect on this outbreak, so the message from both politicians and the scientists is, stick to the rules this winter, in the hope we can start to get back to normal in the spring. Jim reed, bbc news. Well be hearing from the Prime Minister at a downing street News Conference at 5pm. 0ur Political Correspondent leila nathoo is at westminster. There havent been many days of good news during this pandemic for the government, but i guess today is a day of very good news and we would expect the Prime Minister to talk a lot about the approval of this vaccine at number ten this afternoon . Absolutely. You heard those words in the report from matt hancock, the Health Secretary, saying that next year is going to be a good year. So it is good news for the government on the horizon. But interestingly, hearing from Boris Johnson already today in the commons at premises questions, he struck a grateful tone, but was also urging caution, saying it was important not to get our hopes up for the moment because there is still a long way to go. So we will obviously hear the welcoming of this very good news that we have authorised this vaccine for roll out as early as next week, but i think we will hear more from borisjohnson again in that time to say there are still months to go. Downing street have been cleared to not give a fixed timetable for the roll out of those various levels on the priority list. They dont want people thinking that is because vaccinations are starting on monday, that that somehow means everybody is going to get a vaccine quickly. They are pointing to the manufacturing speed, and that will depend on how quickly we can get hold of the required doses, stressing that the bulk of the roll out of the vaccine will be into the new year. So clearly, the tier system that has come into force in england as of midnight last night, when there had been fierce debate in the commons yesterday, is still relevant and you will hear from the Prime Minister, stressing again that people need to stick to the rules, even though the end is now in sight. We will talk to you again for that briefing, but thank you, leila nathoo at westminster. The government has released the latest coronavirus figures. In the past 2a hours, the uk has recorded 16,170 new cases of covid i9 thats an increase of 2,740 cases from yesterday. Our Health Correspondent nick triggle is here. Those latest death figures underline the importance of the approval of this vaccine today, but tell us about some of the logistical problems there are going to be in getting the vaccine the people who are top of the priority list. This is the news we have all been waiting for, but there are significant operational challenges. There is a clear priority list, and care home residents are at the top, along with staff who work in care homes. But the reality may be different next week, when we expect the vaccines to start getting rolled out. Because this vaccine has to be kept at ultracold temperatures, when it is shipped in from belgium, the vaccine will initially go to a network of 50 hospitals who have large freezer storage facilities. From there, it can only be moved once and when it is moved, it has to be moved in batches of 1000. That is a problem if you are going to care homes where there may only be a few dozen residents. So i think what we will see next week is these 50 hospitals offering vaccinations to nhs staff and care home staff, which will offer some protection to residents, and also to some older patients as well. It wont be until later when well. It wont be until later when we start getting more of this vaccine and may be a second vaccine, the Oxford University vaccine, which is being looked at by regulators and is being looked at by regulators and isa is being looked at by regulators and is a lot easier to distribute. We could get news on that in the coming weeks. 0nly could get news on that in the coming weeks. Only then will we really be able to get going with the Vaccination Programme and have an end to the restrictions. Nick triggle, our Health Correspondent. Well, ben 0sborn is the uk country manager for pfizer, earlier he spoke to our medical editor fergus walsh and gave his reaction to the news. Its an incredible moment for society, and i really think this is now a turning point in the fight against this pandemic, both here in the uk and across the globe. I couldnt be prouder right now. And in terms of doses, give us an idea of how many doses you can get to the uk, where theyre coming from and how soon well get them. We are working to supply 800,000 doses this week to the nhs and were scaling up from from there. Our intention is across the globe that this year we will provide up to 50 million doses and through 2021 will provide 1. 3 billion doses around the world. Now, just give us an idea, because it has to be stored at minus 70 to 80. So what sort of logistical problems does that present in getting it to the uk . Yes, this is something actually, were very familiar with. Cold chain transport is something that weve got a deep history of with many vaccines. Yes, it needs to be transported at minus 70. I think the point we need to really all be clear on is, once it reaches the nhs and is ready for deployment, this vaccine can actually be stored in a normal refrigerator, between two to eight degrees, for five days. Does it come in a special box when its being delivered with dry ice . Just paint a picture for me. Once it leaves the factory, what sort of container is it in and and what does that involve . So the best way to think about this is, the individual vials are packed into a tray, which essentially looks like a very flash pizza box. A number of these pizza boxes are then put into a thermal shipper, which is packed with dry ice, which maintains very carefully the temperature of the individual vaccines at minus 70 for ten days. And just give me a sense when it comes into the uk and then comes to the nhs, it obviously then has to be unpacked off those shippers and then packed in something the nhs has each time its transferred from one cold chain to another, is there a limit for the number of times that can happen . So were working under sort of very clear processes and regulations to do that. 0urjob as pfizer is to provide it in line with the authorisation for the mhra into the deployment system for the nhs. They then pick it up from there. Now, in terms of then, because people have said we wont be able to immunise people in care homes because it needs to be stored in dry ice at minus 70. But can you just explain to us that in fact, that its not quite as complex as that . Yeah, i think this is a really critical point. 0nce the vaccine actually reaches the site of deployment, the vaccine can be stored under refrigerated conditions. So thats between two to eight degrees, for up to five days. So thats a really important point. And that will allow many populations across the uk to benefit from this vaccine. Peter 0penshaw is professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College london hes also a member of the uk vaccine network. Well, peter, good to talk to you once again and you must be delighted with this news today. Yes, this is very exciting for those of us working in this field that it has been possible in such a short time to come up with several plausible vaccines, one of which has been licensed, which is amazing. And it is based on this new technology of armour rna which hasnt used before but it is a good way of making a vaccine. The only downside of it, if there is a downside, is the difficulty or relative difficulty in terms of logistically moving it around, the need to store it at very low temperatures. In terms of care homes in particular will that present logistical problems . homes in particular will that present logistical problems . I am not an expert in logistical problems but what i understand is there are a number of restrictions on how many times you can move from one cold area to another, which has made it a bit difficult to work out how to actually carry a box with the vaccines into the care homes and is much easier to vaccinate people in the environment in which they are rather than moving people out into a Vaccination Centre and we have learned that over the years in School Vaccination campaigns or workplace Vaccination Campaigns. It is much better to take the vaccine to the people rather than the people to the people rather than the people to the people rather than the people to the vaccine. And, so, the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine, which is relatively easier in terms of logistical getting it around the country and so on, and cheaper as well, is that, in a way, is that a big hope for this country as well, if and when it gets Regulatory Approval . Yes. I think we need a range of different vaccines which will be appropriate for different situations. The huge advantage of the oxford vaccine, if it is approved, is that it is so stable, at relatively ordinary vaccine temperatures making it much more viable to get out globally and is much, much cheaper, partly because of the storage issues which are much simpler. So i think there are big advantages to the oxford vaccine but at the moment we have this approved vaccine, which looks like itll be very suitable for roll out in places like the uk. And that approval has come, as weve been saying, very quickly. Some people might worry it has been too quick. And the European Union drug regulator, the ema, effectively, theyve said their procedure is safer. They are saying that its based on more evidence, more checks than the uks system. Do you have any doubts at all about this decision to give it Regulatory Approval in the uk . No, and im delighted it has been possible to be so delighted it has been possible to be so nimble and so effective. I really do not believe that the uk has cut any corners here. And the reason weve been able to go so fast is that the regulators have been working closely with those who are doing the trials in order to ensure that everything that they need to make their judgment is that everything that they need to make theirjudgment is available to them. And theyve been doing that right back to june, them. And theyve been doing that right back tojune, and, so, it isnt that any corners have been cut at all. In the uk it might be slightly easier because there isnt a necessity to go out to Public Consultation in the same way varies in some other places like north america, where that is almost enshrined, but i dont think any safety corners have been cut here. And what would be a message to anyone who is listening to you now thinking i dont think i want this jab, i dont want to be vaccinated for all sorts of reasons. They may have. There is a lot of talk now on social media, the anti vaxxing campaign, what is your message to those sort of people who are sceptical . Im glad to say most people do in this country actually say they would like to have this vaccine. If people dont want to have it, that is up to them but i think we have to try to get the information out to them and to make sure theyve got the Information Available on which to make their judgment, and they are notjust hearing too much fake news or rumours because i hearing too much fake news or rumours because i really do think this is a very safe way to get vaccinated. Good to talk to you as ever, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College london, peter 0penshaw, thank you. Lets get more expert analysis right now. Danny altmann is professor of immunology at Imperial College london. Thank you for being with us, too and what a great day for science, really. 0bviously what a great day for science, really. Obviously a great day for the uk in terms of what it means for the uk in terms of what it means for the pandemic but just the uk in terms of what it means for the pandemic butjust in terms of the pandemic butjust in terms of the science, this is an extraordinary achievement to get this vaccine from concept to Regulatory Approval within one year. Yes, andi Regulatory Approval within one year. Yes, and i endorse whats been said in the last few minutes that this really is a very hard year, devastating year. And this really is quite a try on. At the moment, immunologists and vacs and knowledge lists and virologists have been working on these kinds of questions on many years. Getting out of bed every morning to do the job on the basis it would matter one day and now it really does matter. So when we talk about this heroic performance over the last 11 months, yes, it is, but built on the back of ha rd graft over yes, it is, but built on the back of hard graft over the previous 10 15 yea rs hard graft over the previous 10 15 years to hard graft over the previous 10 15 yea rs to develop hard graft over the previous 10 15 years to develop the where of all these vaccines. And there are many vaccine platforms and we will need them all because there are billions of people in the world who need vaccinating. Thats right and we shouldnt get too bogged down in the first vaccine all the rays or who has approved it fastest or anything like that. We all know the pandemic has been devastating. The fight to win back all that lost ground will be long and hard won and we will need many months of many vaccine doses of many types in many countries to get there. And this particular vaccine, the pfizer one, and the moderna one, the are very experimental and interesting technique. I dont know if you can sum it up in lehmans turns how it is different from the oxford vaccine but what makes it so special . So, i really like both approaches. They are special. They are at a much more Exciting Technology than the old ones people might remember taking their kids for the preschool boosters which are also good but this is quite fancy vaccine ology. The rna ones we are talking about, the pfizer one and the moderna one, they are to do with the same starting point which is the way this virus gets into your cells is it uses this business and protein called the spike which binds the receptors on your cells and gets in and starts dividing, and replicating. So anything you can do to reduce the spike is good. How do you do that . The two vaccines were talking about encode it within rna so talking about encode it within rna so that it is expressed in your cells on injection long enough and high enough to give a good immune response, high level responses that really do the trick. Any of the other vaccines we are talking about at the moment, including the oxford extra zeneca vaccine do the same trick in a different way. They take the spike and drop it into a common cold virus and give that to people, and the spike is expressed as if it was part of the virus and induces very high levels of antibodies so they do the same job in slightly different ways. A very clear explanation. I suppose if people dont understand quite all of the science youve given us, what they really wa nt science youve given us, what they really want to know is how long is it going to take for the various vaccines to get us out of this pandemic . A lot of talk about next spring. Is that how you would see at . All through this there has been at . All through this there has been a danger of scientists and policymakers overpromising and raising false expectations and we have been through this before. I honestly think we are getting there now and obviously talk of vaccination starting before the end of the year. As everybody has said, the logistics will be very tough and very long and very arduous. 0n the logistics will be very tough and very long and very arduous. On a level weve never ever had to grapple with before. And all i can say is that doses are available and coming, so, in three months, many people will have been vaccinated. In six months, many, many more. And by the time we get to spring and early summer, i think life in this country will start to feel quite a lot better and safer because perhaps many people wandering around will have higher levels of protective antibodies on board, and maybe youll be able to queue up at the pub for youll be able to queue up at the pubfora pint youll be able to queue up at the pub for a pint or go to a football match. And not feel in danger. Great to talk to you, abraham, professor of immunology, thank you for your time. Care home residents are being told that they will be able to have visitors again to hug them and to hold their hands. More than a million rapid lateral flow coronavirus tests have been sent out to care homes in england with the aim that residents will be able to see two loved ones twice a week. Damian grammaticas reports. vt liz jakes has waited for this moment since february, to hold and hug herfather. A rapid covid test is all she needs. Its very exciting. Its an enormous step forward, a really positive move, and i think its going to be quite emotional. Inside the care home, her father waiting. They have seen each other through the pandemic, but only at a distance. Its going to be heaven because we have sat out in the garden with pouring rain, or we have sat out with lovely sunshine. But today, you see, they can come and see me in my room which is like old times. This is a pilot scheme in winchester, now to be rolled out nationally. Lizzie, darling hello, darling when did we last cuddle . It isjust so natural and so spontaneous to be able to hug. As we always have done. Oh, its just amazing. Its so good. Makes a real difference, that human contact. It feels like really a step back towards normality. Whatever tier of covid restrictions you have been living under, it means visits with physical contact will now be possible. A million test kits are being sent to the largest care homes and they will decide how many relatives each resident can see, and how often. Well, it will be a designated person, a relative, who will be able to get that test done at the care home. And if it is negative, then they can, with all the full ppe and all the prevention as well that we normally have, they can then go into the care home and see their relative, which is a huge benefit, it really is. In winchester they are already noticing what difference the renewal of family visits is making. Everyone was at a very low point. They had no routine. Some of them were not even getting up and getting dressed in the day because what was the point . Whereas now everyone is up, they are excited. They are having their hair done. Excited for christmas. You cant get better than that, can you . Lovely to see you elsewhere family contact may well be possible by christmas, but only if care homes can cope with the extra workload of carrying out the tests, and they are not 100 reliable. Visits will still bring risks. Damian grammaticas, bbc news. Well be crossing live to downing street shortly for the latest Coronavirus Briefing led by the Prime Minister. 0ur Political Correspondent leila nathoo is at westminster. And no prizes for guessing they will be talking about the vaccine and the fa ct be talking about the vaccine and the fact the Pfizer Vaccine has got Regulatory Approval, the uk is the first country in the world to give Regulatory Approval to a corona vaccine. Little beads on championing from the panellist about how the uk is the first to get the vaccine onstrea m is the first to get the vaccine onstream but i think we heard from the Prime Minister today he doesnt wa nt the Prime Minister today he doesnt want people to get too excited about this just yet. It is very early stages although people will start to be vaccinated next week, downing street are very keen to stress that the bulk of the roll out will happen next year. There are only limited doses coming in before the end of this year and the government will be working its way down that priority list that has been set out for who should get the vaccine first. I think we will hear a hopeful tone from the government about what is coming down the tracks and certainly it means there is now an end inside and the restrictions weve been living underfor so and the restrictions weve been living under for so many and the restrictions weve been living underfor so many months do seem living underfor so many months do seem to now have living underfor so many months do seem to now have an living underfor so many months do seem to now have an end date. When that will be something the Prime Minister will not want to get into yet, they dont want to talk about a timetable even for rolling out the vaccines among the Priority Groups that have already been listed, and that have already been listed, and thatis that have already been listed, and that is only phase one of the whole vaccine that is only phase one of the whole vaccine programme. That is only phase one of the whole vaccine programme. Remember, the government will also be relying on getting different vaccines onstream, the different vaccines that are still needing approval from the regulator which will enable the vaccine to be rolled out far more widely. We will hear from Boris Johnson and Jonathan Van Tam, deputy chief medical of england, and so Simon Stevens from the nhs, and part of their message today will be to reassure people about the safety of the vaccine because thatll be the governments challenge next is to ensure not only a successful delivery of the vaccine, the roll out, distribution, getting that storage element right, but also to encourage people to actually take it up. We know borisjohnson doesnt wa nt to up. We know borisjohnson doesnt want to go down the route of compulsory vaccination so there will bea compulsory vaccination so there will be a huge persuasion task now on behalf of the government and Public Health officials to say to people, look, its safe, has been approved quickly and developed quickly but no corners have been cut. Weve been hearing that message all day but really to get that public messaging out there that this vaccine is safe and effective and everyone who is eligible to have it in the first insta nce eligible to have it in the first instance should do. No doubt there will be questions from journalists and the public, but also perhaps questions about the new tiered restrictions in england that have come into force with the end of the national lockdown. And there was a big tory rebellion in the vote in the commons last night against the new tiered restrictions, which many tory mps are very hostile to. A lot can happen in the course of the day, cant it . What we were talking about yesterday was this huge debate that has been going on in parliament about the tier system that came into force only at midnight last night, with a vote in the commons yesterday on the tier system which produced a tory rebellion of more than 50 mps. In the event, the regulations did come into force because labour abstained on the vote, but 50 plus mps on the conservative backbenches expressed their opposition to that tiering system and that debate is not going to have gone away despite this good news about the vaccine. That is the message that Boris Johnson will be keen to stress again that we have to stick with the tiered system for now. People are going to be living under these restrictions for many months. They talked about a timescale of march, spring when we can envisage a country without restrictions. So the tiers debate is still a live one and there are going to be subsequent reviews. The 16th of december will be the next review point to see if any areas can change their tiers. Many are hoping to come down a tier rather than to go up, obviously. And then in the new year, we are expecting another commons vote ahead of the expiry of the restrictions thatis of the expiry of the restrictions that is now planned for the 2nd of february. So these things will be happening in parallel. The tiered system will be constantly reassessed. That is something Boris Johnson has promised his backbenchers in order to keep them onside in this debate. He promised various concessions. The impact of those restrictions, concessions were promised. Many of his own mps have tough restrictions in their areas which they think have been dished out unfairly. That is something they will want to see bt system being regularly reviewed, and the impact of those restrictions in this festive period especially for hospitality as well. So the governance will be pleased that there is good news about the vaccine that has deflected attention for now away from this debate about a sizeable rebellion in the conservative party, although it didnt produce consequences. But thatis didnt produce consequences. But that is not going to go away and we are going to hear much more about that in parallel to the vaccine roll out. And there will be various political challenges for the government about the vaccine as well as to how it will effectively get it out. It will be a huge test as to whether the government can get it out and there will be lots of debate about it in westminster too. Leila nathoo, our Political Correspondent at westminster. Nick triggle, our Health Correspondent, is here again. By Health Correspondent, is here again. By the way, the downing street press conference, we are told, is going to be starting at about five past, just a couple of minutes time. Put things into context. We have got this good news about the vaccine getting Regulatory Approval, but we know how desperately it is needed and underlining that other latest figures on covid cases and deaths in the uk. Yes, there is still a lot of virus around. We are very much in this second wave, but there was some positive news in the latest figures. There were 16,170 new cases confirmed. At the start of lockdown, we we re confirmed. At the start of lockdown, we were averaging around 25,000 cases a day, so that is a 40 drop in infection levels. And we are beginning to see hospital admissions falling. There were 1191 admissions to hospital a few weeks back. We we re to hospital a few weeks back. We were close to seeing 2000 a day. Deaths, sadly 648. They are beginning to slow or level of. But people were infected a few weeks back. Hopefully in the coming weeks, the numbers dying will start to drop. Thank you very much. Lets cross live to downing street and hear the latest Coronavirus Briefing, which is being led by the Prime Minister. Good afternoon and welcome to the latest number ten press conference. Iam latest number ten press conference. I am pleased to be joined latest number ten press conference. I am pleased to bejoined by Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, and Simon Stevens, chief executive of nhs england. It is almost a year since humanity has been tormented by covid across the world, economic output has plummeted and 1. 5 Million People have died. All the time, we have been waiting and hoping for the day when the searchlights of science would pick out our invisible enemy and give us the power to stop the enemy from making us ill. Now the scientists have done it. They have used the virus itself to perform a kind of biological jujitsu virus itself to perform a kind of biologicaljujitsu to turn the virus in itself in the form of a vaccine, an idea that was pioneered in this country by Edward Jenner in 1796. Today, we can announce that the government has accepted the recommendation from the independent medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency to approve the fire is a biontech vaccine for distribution across the uk the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. After months of trials involving thousands of people to ensure that the vaccine meets the strictest internationally recognised standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. Thanks to their fantastic work of kate being among the vaccine s task force, we have purchased more than 350 million doses of seven different vaccine candidates, and the uk was the first country in the world to preorder supplies of this Pfizer Vaccine, securing 40 million doses. Through our winter plan, the nhs has been preparing for the biggest programme of max vaccination in the history of the uk and that will begin next week. In line with the advice of the independent joint week. In line with the advice of the independentjoint committee on vaccination and immunisation, the first phase will include care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable. But there are immense logistical challenges. The virus has to be stored at 70 degrees. Each person needs two injections, three weeks apart. So it will inevitably take some months before all the most vulnerable are protected, long and cold months. So it is all the more vital that as we celebrate this scientific achievement, we are not carried away with overoptimism or fall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. It is not. We have to stick to our winter plan, a comprehensive programme to suppress the virus, protect the nhs and the vulnerable, keep education in the economy going and use treatments, testing and vaccine to enable us to return to much closer to normal by the spring. Today in england, we have ended national restrictions, opening up significant parts of the economy in doing so. But also replacing them with tough tiers to keep this virus down. I know those tiers will mean continued hardship for many, and it will continue to be tough for some sectors. But until the vaccine is deployed, our plan does rely on all of us continuing to make sacrifices to protect those we love. So please continue to follow the rules where you live. Remember hands, face, space and if you live ina tier3 hands, face, space and if you live in a tier 3 area, where Community Testing will be made available, please take part in that testing. Together, these steps are for now the surest way to protect yourselves and those you love. And by reducing the transmission of the virus, it will help de escalate your area to a lower level of restrictions as vaccines and testing take an ever larger share of the burden. As we do all this, we are no longer resting on the mere hope that we can return to normal next year in the spring, but rather the sure and certain knowledge that we will succeed and together reclaim our lives and all the things about our lives that we love. So i want to thank the scientists and all those around the world who have taken part in the trials and got us to this stage, and i will hand over now to Simon Stevens of the nhs. Thank you and good afternoon. 0bviously, stevens of the nhs. Thank you and good afternoon. Obviously, as the Prime Minister says, today is news of great optimism. We have a vaccine that has been independently shown to be both safe and effective, but i suspect that what people want our practical answers to three questions. Who will be first in line . When will the vaccines be available and how will we get it to you from the nhs . Taking those three questions in turn, first of all, in terms of who will be first in line, as the Prime Minister says, the independent medical experts, the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, have clearly recommended that the nhs should make sure that the first people to be offered the vaccine are those at highest risk, together with those who look after them. In practice, that means starting with the over 80s, who are at much higher risk of severe outcomes from coronavirus, as well as people in care homes, together with some of the front line health and social care staff who are looking after them. Then as more vaccine becomes available, we will in the new year be extending that to many more people across the country in line with thejcvi recommendations. That helps answer the question of when in that although we are the first Health Service in the world to be able to get vaccinating, supplies from the manufacturer are phased. The initial tranche in december is going to enable us to get started, but the bulk of this Vaccination Programme, either through this vaccine or hopefully others that will be joining, will take place in the period of january through to march or aprilfor period of january through to march or april for the period of january through to march or aprilfor the at risk period of january through to march or april for the at risk population. The majority of the early vaccinations will, as i say, before the over 80s and the care home residents. And since you need two jabs with an initial injection and then a booster, typically around 21 days apart, that means we have to reserve the second dose for the people who are getting the first dosein people who are getting the first dose in december to make sure that that second doses available for them. It also means that the people who are getting the first dose in december will not have the full protection from the vaccine until they get the second dose injanuary, which emphasises the point that we need to continue to be extremely careful during december and into january and as the vaccination expands to the wider population. So thatis expands to the wider population. So that is who and when. In terms of how, the vaccine that has been approved for the nhs to deploy today, the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, has been independently shown to be medically safe, but it is logistically complicated. We have to move it around the country in a carefully controlled way, initially at 70 carefully controlled way, initially at 70 celsius or thereabouts. Then there are a limited number of further movements that we are allowed by the regulator to make. It also comes in packs of 975 peoples doses. So you cant at this point just distribute to every individual, gp surgery or pharmacy as we normally would for many of the other Vaccines Available on the nhs. So the phasing of delivery, the way we will do it is that next week, around 50 hospital hubs across england will start offering the vaccine to the over 80s and to care home staff and others identified by thejcvi. Typically, they may be people who we re typically, they may be people who were already down to coming to Hospital Next Week for an outpatient appointment. If you are going to be one of those people next week or in the weeks that follow, the hospital will get in touch with you, you dont need to do anything about it yourself. That will then be followed in the subsequent weeks with gp practices coming together in each area to operate local Vaccination Centres. And that will go to over 1000 places across england, where gps will be in touch with their at risk patients, inviting people to come forward for vaccination. We had an excellent response from gps across the nhs, wanting to participate in this programme. And as the extra vaccine becomes available, we will be able to turn on more of those gp led clinics. And then if the mhra, the independent regulator, as we expect they will, give approval for a safe way of splitting these packs of 975 doses, then the good news is we will be able to start distributing those two ca re be able to start distributing those two care homes. And, then, as even more vaccine becomes available, finally, we will be able to switch on large Vaccination Centres across the country and indeed invite local community pharmacists, probably at the beginning of january, community pharmacists, probably at the beginning ofjanuary, to begin to offer vaccination as well. So, in a nutshell, this will be a phased programme. We, the nhs, your gp or hospital, the nhs will contact you if you are ready to be offered the vaccination. Today of course is a day of great optimism but for all the reason weve said it needs to be tempered with realism around phrasing. The nhs is a fantastic track record around vaccine delivery but this is the first time in the world these particularly complicated logistics are being put into practice. I should conclude with a big thank you to not only the scientists and researchers who have managed to produce this vaccine but all of my fellow staff across the nhs, the nurses, doctors, therapists, and paramedics who will now mobilise for what is the biggest Vaccination Campaign in our history. Thank you. Thanks very much, simon. Jonathan, anything to add . Yes, id like to add a few science reflections, if i may and begin with the fact to tell you quite openly andl the fact to tell you quite openly and i dont mind telling you, im not saying it for effect, the office will tell you its true, i was quite emotional this morning when i heard Pfizer Biontech layout how they had got to their conclusions about the vaccine, and what a momentous journey and International Effort it has been. Discovery by two scientists, who are originally from turkey, development by a german biotech company, involvement of a massive pharmaceutical giant, and involvement of our own mhr to bring home the goods in terms of the uk. What a fantasticjourney. And i gave you the train analogy many weeks ago now. The train has slowed down safely. It has now stopped in the station. And the doors have opened. That was the authorisation by the mhra and what we need is for people to get on the train and travel safely to their destinations. Those destinations are all over the uk. This train will stop several times on the way. Itll have to reach all parts of the uk. There will be trains that come behind it which will all take time. So, trains that come behind it which willall take time. So, Everyone Needs to be delighted with the news today but, equally, patient and realistic about how this rolls out over the next few months. And now some serious science points. Number one, we have one authorised vaccine but we need more. We are very hopeful we will get some more but it is still possible that some of the ones in development will fall by the wayside and you have to be prepared for that. We then need a short supply which is a big and difficult ask for manufacturers and it will not come at once. It might stop and start at times but we have to manage that as best we can as it happens. Number three, we need that as best we can as it happens. Numberthree, we need people that as best we can as it happens. Number three, we need people to take it. This vaccine isnt going to help you if you dont take it. And you will need to make doses of this vaccine and most of the others to have full protection. Watching others take it and hoping this will then protect you isnt going to work necessarily. We dont know if this vaccine will prevent transmission or any of them. We have to wait for the signs to tell us if it will prevent transmission. Though we are very hopeful on that point. We also have to be patient to see the real life effect on transmission and hospitalisation and deaths. Until we see that, as scientists, we cannot scope what the likely impact will be on bringing this pandemic to an early end. And roll out will not be instant. Already on the jcvi phase one list we have around about 30 Million People who will be targeted at some point and even if you gave me 60 million vaccines in this corner now in a freezer, of course, but if you gave me the 60 million, i couldnt. Know but if you gave me the 60 million, i couldnt. Know system but if you gave me the 60 million, i couldnt. Know system in the world couldnt. Know system in the world could distribute those really quickly in a matter of a few days so we have to be realistic about how long this will take. Itll take months, not weeks. And, for now, the other measures, the tier measures, the social distancing, have to stay in place. If we relax too soon, if we go, oh, the vaccine is here lets abandon caution, or youre going to do is create a tidal wave of infections and this vaccines got to work ina infections and this vaccines got to work in a headwind to get back ahead of the game which will make it harder. And, then, the final point is, look, Everyone Wants social distancing to come to an end, we are fed up with it. Nobody wants lockdown and to see the damage it does. But if you want that dream to come true as quickly as it can come true, then you have to take the vaccine when it is offered to you. Low u pta ke vaccine when it is offered to you. Low uptake will almost certainly make restrictions last longer. And, finally, please stick to the guidance until we say it is safe to stop. Thank you, Prime Minister. Lets go to questions from the public. Thousands of year 13 students like myself across the country have been held in suspense over the last few months over our a level so when does the government intend to provide certainty as to what is being planned for next summer . Right, thank you very much. First of all, i want to thank everybody who has been in school and the efforts that schools, teachers, pupils have gone to to keep our school is going, thats been one of the prime objectives in the way we fought the pandemic in this country to make sure kids are in school. We will be setting out some more tomorrow about exams but let me just say that we want exams to go ahead. We think they are very important but we will also set out some ways in which we will help pupils to do them next summer given the exceptional circumstances the country finds itself in, and given, that so many pupils have had their education disrupted by the pandemic. We will be setting out a lot more about that. Lets go to catherine. Im sorry, catherine asks, which hospitality tier restrictions remain in place over the christmas relaxation . And i am sorry to say, catherine, that we have to stick with the guidance that we have set out, the tiering system throughout the christmas period. As sir Simon Stevens was saying and jonathan as well, it would be a very fatal mistake now to respond to these good news by letting the virus ran riot again, letting it get out of control by too much transmission over christmas which is why we have to stick very tightly to the tiering system weve set out. Lets go to questions from the media. Fergus walsh, bbc. Prime minister, now we have a vaccine, how important is this moment . Well, this is a huge moment. And as jonathan this moment . Well, this is a huge moment. And asJonathan Van Tam was saying, its also a very moving thing. And i am lost in admiration for science. And the ability of scientists to solve human problems in the way that they can. And this isnt easy, bear in mind weve got a vaccine now for covid which really works, theres no question that it works, theres no question that it works, but we havent got a vaccine for sars or mers, for hiv. This huge and fantastic effort which has gone into this and when you consider the damage that as i was saying earlier this virus has done to human life across the planet, the economic damage, social damage, to say nothing of the cost in life and suffering, it is a fantastic moment. But, to repeat the key message, the worse thing now would be to think that this is the moment when we can relax our guard and think it is game overin relax our guard and think it is game over in the fight against covid. This is not the end. We have to fight on and we have to continue with the tough measures that we have announced today. Thanks very much, fergus walsh. Lets go to emily morgan of itv. Thank you. The question to you, Prime Minister. Your scientists have said care home residents should be the first people to get this vaccine. Are you confirming, then, that they will not be . And if not, are you not failing to protect our most vulnerable . If i make ona to protect our most vulnerable . If i make on a question to you, sir Simon Stevens, what are you doing right now to address this logistical challenge to get the challenge to ca re challenge to get the challenge to care homes sooner challenge to get the challenge to care homes sooner rather than later . I think care homes sooner rather than later . Ithinki care homes sooner rather than later . I think i will ask simon to correct me if ive got this wrong, but youre quite right, the issue is of course we want to get into care homes to protect the most vulnerable as fast as we possibly can. The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation has rightly said care home residents must be a priority. The difficulty is in distributing the cases to care home so that each case has 975 vaccines in it. And, obviously, you want to avoid wastage. And the difficulty is the mhra has not yet authorised the people who would be transporting the vaccine to the care homes to be able to effect the division themselves. I know it sounds complicated, emily, because this vaccine, and jvt might wa nt to because this vaccine, and jvt might want to come back on this, this vaccine. It needs to be kept deep frozen, as you know, 75 degrees, there is a risk that if it is allowed to degenerate by being improperly handled, it simply wont work. So the rules around the transport of this vaccine are extremely important. And to get to your point about speeding this up to make it we did it make sure we get into ca re make it we did it make sure we get into care homes, we are expecting to hear more from the mhra about how that can happen but i think it would be fairto that can happen but i think it would be fair to say that we want to be putting it into the groups that simon talked aboutjust now, care home residents, care workers, nhs and, above all, those above 80 who are the most vulnerable. 0ur objective must be to use the vaccine stocks we have to protect those most likely not just to fall ill stocks we have to protect those most likely notjust to fall ill but stocks we have to protect those most likely not just to fall ill but to succumb to the disease. That is what the jcvi has succumb to the disease. That is what thejcvi has decided and quite rightly. But jonathan and thejcvi has decided and quite rightly. Butjonathan and simon. Thejcvi has decided and quite rightly. Butjonathan and simonm i may come in and say, emily, i think your remarks about failure are extremely unfair. When one considers that a new virus emerged less than 12 months ago and we already have our first vaccine. Professor stevens has been very clear that as soon as is legally and technically possible to get the vaccine into care homes, we will do so. But, you know, this isa we will do so. But, you know, this is a complex product with a very fragile cold chain, not a yoghurt that can be taken out of the fridge and put back in multiple times. It is tricky to handle so i think we will get there as fast as we can come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hard. Come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hardlj come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hard. I think youve both said it absolutely accurately. We are raring to go on the nhs, we want to vaccine people covid in care homesjust as the nhs, we want to vaccine people covid in care homes just as we vaccinate for flu, just as soon as we have the regulatory sign off we can do that, we can get to the care home so the gps and nurses can arrive and give theirs care home residents that vaccination. We will do that. At this point we expect that well be in the First Tranche of priorities for vaccination during this month. Thanks very much. Thanks, emily, lets go to beth rigby, sky news. Prime minister we have two big events today, celebrations about the vaccine but also unhappiness about the tier system. Youve told mps that current restrictions will expire on february three but given that you also said in your covid winter plan that january and february are traditionally the hardest months for the nhs, the depths of winter, when our hospital wards are under the greatest pressure, should we all still prepare for restrictions to run through to april . And if i may do professorjonathan run through to april . And if i may do professor jonathan van run through to april . And if i may do professorJonathan Van Tam, one in five britons have said in a just released you guv poll that they are not confident about this vaccine so how worried are you that people will not take it . Given you said we dont know if it reduces transmission, what percentage of the population would need to take it for it to be effective and for us to be able to lift restrictions . Firstly, on the tiered system, i except that these tiers are tough. A huge amount of the economy is opened up, but the restrictions remain tough, particularly in tier 3 on hospitality and we deeply regret that. We are doing everything we can to help. But the way forward is not just the steady roll out of the vaccine and several vaccines, we hope, that we have been describing over the next few weeks and months, but also using observation of the tiering, plus Community Testing, as they have in liverpool with great success. 280,000 people in liverpool took part in mass testing. So local mps and leaders can get together to do those community tests and isolate the positives and help the negatives to do things differently and that way drive the incidents down and keep the virus in the control and come down the tiers, we hope, before easter. That is the tool we see working in addition to the vaccine. Thanks for the questions. 0n working in addition to the vaccine. Thanks for the questions. On a vaccine that reduces transmission, thatis vaccine that reduces transmission, that is always the final big win if you can get a vaccine that does that. Because we cant be sure of that. Because we cant be sure of that and we will have to wait and see if that is the case with this vaccine and others to follow, i am quite optimistic but far from certain. And because we cant say to what extent, the percentage of transmission that is taken out by the vaccine because it is not binary. It is not that it does or doesnt, it is a percentage that it will take out. Until we know that and the scientists can model that, we will not be able to say the kind of total population vaccine uptake, the magic number you are after. I understand why you are after it, but we cant give it to you yet. But dont want to take away from the fa ct dont want to take away from the fact that the, not immediate, but in the foreground almost as big a win is stopping people going into hospital with covid 19, stopping them dying in hospital from covid 19 and removing that fear that they are going to have to run that risk. If we can do that, that is much closer in terms of time in the future when we will know those answers. And we already know from the preliminary data from astrazeneca, as in their press releases, that they had no hospital admissions at all in the group that received the vaccine. So those things are very encouraging and if we can get the hospital burden under control, when we are confident that it is under control, we can start to think about what the other options are around the edges of getting this country back to normal, which we all want so much. Sojust normal, which we all want so much. So just stay with us. Can ijust jump so just stay with us. Can ijust jump in quickly. Prime minister, do you expect a rollover of the tier syste m you expect a rollover of the tier system in february this . Well, we willjudge the situation, as i told the house yesterday and today, on the house yesterday and today, on the basis of the data. But for the time being, beth, you have to take it that tiering is going to be an important part of our campaign against coronavirus. It is vital that people continue to stick to the guidance and follow the rules. The express . Guidance and follow the rules. The express . If i could guidance and follow the rules. The express . Ifi could ask guidance and follow the rules. The express . If i could ask the medical experts first of all, as the vaccine is rolled out and we progress through the priority list, at what stage do you feel it would be right to lift the majority of the restrictions . Is it a matter of inoculating people in their seventies and 80s or most at risk, or would you want to see a much greater portion of the population vaccinated . An Prime Minister, this vaccine has been approved in the uk faster than in vaccine has been approved in the uk fasterthan in eu vaccine has been approved in the uk faster than in eu countries. Is that because we have left the eu . Should we see this as our first brexit bonus . And on the subject of brexit, the eu is saying there are now less than 72 hours left to cut a deal. How confident are you that we can get a deal in that time . So on the first question, the goal of the Vaccination Programme, like for anything else, is firstly to protect vulnerable individuals. So given u nfortu nately vulnerable individuals. So given unfortunately that virus strikes very unequally in terms of its impactand very unequally in terms of its impact and you are at far greater risk if you are over 80 then if you are in your thirties, that is why it isa are in your thirties, that is why it is a graduated list of the most Vulnerable People. That will help them. Then the second goal is preventing people spreading it unknowingly to others. As jvt said, we dont at this point no weather this vaccine will have that effect we dont know whether this vaccine will have that effect. That is the benefit you get from the winter flu is the benefit you get from the winterflu jab, is the benefit you get from the winter flu jab, the benefit is the benefit you get from the winterflu jab, the benefit you get from the measles, mumps and rubella jab. So there is a good reason for thinking that might be the case, but we dont know definitively that is the case as we sit here today. All i would add to that is to say that the ch would add to that is to say that the jcvi priority list, phase one, which takes us down to people 50 years of age and overand takes us down to people 50 years of age and over and obviously under the age and over and obviously under the age of 50 if you are in an at risk group, taken together, those groups, it is not an accident that they take out, with an effective vaccine and a high uptake, 99 of covid related mortality deaths in the uk. It is not an accident that that is how ch not an accident that that is how jcvi got to the phase one priority listing. And on your question about how come the uk has seemed to get the vaccine ahead of other countries, that is down to the Vaccine Task Force more than anything else, and the way they have organised that. But all seven of the vaccine is the uk is backing, these are global efforts. You have got scientists around the world coming together to make this possible and its very moving to see it. On brexit and where we are with the negotiations, we remain committed to trying to get a deal if we can. 0ur friends know what the uk bottom line is and what people voted for onjune the 23rd, 2016. They voted to take back control. Its about making sure that the uk is able to run its own laws, its own fisheries and so on. That is what we are working for. Lets go to hugo guy of the cis of the eye. When you first announced the eye. When you first announced the clearing system, you suggested it would stay in place until the end of march. Given the good news on vaccines recently, is there a chance that that date could change and that the current covid restrictions could be ended early . And professor van tam, there has been a lot of attention on the precise details of the covid rules recently. But perhaps less attention on the broader principles of how people can protect themselves against covid and how covid is transmitted. Are you confident that the public knows enough about the risks of covert transmission, particularly for example issues around ventilation, which it now seems may be more important than other factors that we re important than other factors that were stressed early in the pandemic . Hugo, on yourfirst were stressed early in the pandemic . Hugo, on your first question, which a lot of colleagues have asked in one way or the other, what difference does this make to the tiering, the first thing to say for now is that it makes absolutely no difference. We have to focus on keeping the virus under control, getting it down, tough tiering and mass Community Testing. But clearly, as we go over the next weeks and months and hopefully, we are able to use testing and the vaccine to drive it down, i suppose there will come a moment when, people are fed up with graphs, but if you imagine the graph of immunised and inoculated people going up one way, then there will come a moment when we are obviously able to start to relax the non pharmaceutical interventions and all the things that are so difficult, we will, we hope, steadily be able to take those off, just as Community Testing allows areas to come down the tiering scales. But we are not there yet, hugo, andi scales. But we are not there yet, hugo, and i have to stress that. This is theoretical. We have to wait and see how fast we can vaccinate people. We have weeks and months of work to go before we are in that situation, alas. But thank goodness we now have a vaccine to work with. Thank you, hugo. 0n the point about ventilation, you make a very good point indeed. It is notjust because i have some far east and origins, i ama i have some far east and origins, i am a great admirer of the japanese syste m am a great admirer of the japanese system of looking for risk of transmission of covid, the three cs, to which i would add d and v. The first c, look for closed spaces with low ventilation. The second c, look for situations where there is going to be crowding or you cant avoid crowding. The third c, look for situations where close contact, particularly indoors, is likely to happen. And finally, on top of all that, think about how long you are going to be in those situations, duration. And finally on top of that, think v for volume. How noisy is it going to be, with raised voices and sing etc, in those closed, low ventilation spaces . These are all recipes for transmission. I hope that helps. Thanks, hugo. Lets go to harry cole of the sun. A question for professor van tam. I know you cant give a magical number of how many people need to be vaccinated before we can begin to lift measures, but can you envisage a world, perhaps in the winter, a new normal wear masks and hand sanitiser does become part of everyday life . An hand sanitiser does become part of everyday life . An prime hand sanitiser does become part of everyday life . An Prime Minister, i dont think i heard you give a direct answer to macer halls question is this a brexit bonus and how we beat in the world to this because we are free from brussels . And are you concerned that 70 of your mps were unable to back you la st your mps were unable to back you last night, and arent you staring at defeat in february . What are you going to do to win over your own party on your tier system, given the mutiny . Jonathan, you go first. Thank you. Harry, to your question, i will answer it into three chunks ifi i will answer it into three chunks if i may. Number one, i dont think we are going to eradicate coronavirus ever. I we are going to eradicate coronavirus ever. I think it is going to be with humankind for ever. Secondly, i think we may get to a point where coronavirus becomes a seasonal problem. I dont want to draw too many parallels with flu, but possibly, that is the kind of way we would learn to live with it. And the third point is, do i think there will come a big moment where we have a Massive Party and throw our masks and hand sanitiser and say thats it, its behind us, like the end of the war . No, i dont. I think those kinds of habits that we have learned from which clearly stop the spread of other respiratory viruses such as flu, will perhaps persist for many years. And that may be a good thing if they do. On the other hand, we may want to get back to life close to normal. Anyway, i have high hopes that eventually, the vaccine will make a significant difference to the way we live our lives. 0n difference to the way we live our lives. On your point why we are lucky enough to be in the position on vaccines, again i will exercise diplomacy and tact and say i think this is something that we have been working on, the nhs has been working on for a long time, the Vaccine Task Force, many people have been working on this for a long time and i pay tribute to all of them. As for what might happen in future decisions in the house of commons on where we should go in the tiers, i understand peoples frustrations with the tiering system, i understand people who feel frustrated because they feel they are in the wrong tier, theyve been attracted to to hire tier by proximity to a neighbourhood that has high incidence of infection. I know how people feel about it and is incredibly frustrating but what we are going to do and frustrating but what we are going to do and i said this many times today and yesterday, we will make sure that we are as local and as sensitive as we can possibly be to local achievement and incidence of the disease but dont forget the thing i keep saying is there is this opportunity with mass Community Testing for people to acquire agency in this. And to get a test, squeeze the disease, kick covid out before the disease, kick covid out before the vaccine comes. Id like to come back because i do like to be challenged when i have perhaps not made myself clear and the Prime Minister has picked me up on this occasion is quite all right. It is quite all right because it gives me a chance to clarify what i mean here. Ido a chance to clarify what i mean here. I do not think the government will continue to have to recommend social distancing, masks, and hand sanitiser for ever and a day. I hope we will get back to a much more normal world. But the point i was trying to make was do i think possibly some of those personal habits for some people will persist longer, and perhaps become enduring for some people . Yes, that is possible. As in the far east. Well, who knows. Thank you very much, everybody. That concludes the session today. Well there is the end of the downing street briefing. Borisjohnson just walking away. Lets run you through the key points from that press briefing at number 10. Mrjohnson praised the work of the scientists as the uk becomes the first country in the world to approve the use of a Coronavirus Vaccine for widespread use but he urged caution and said the scientists have done it, and he said the searchlights of science have picked out the invisible enemy of covid 19. But he said itll take some months until all the vulnerable are protected. 0n the roll out of the vaccine, over 80s, care home residents and front line health staff will be the first to get the vaccine. The bulk of the programme will take place between january, through to march or april. Andy vaccines will be delivered by hospital hubs, gp practices and Vaccination Centres. The national Health Service will contact you. And Jonathan Van Tam said. He said low uptake will make the restrictions last longer. Lets get some analysis. It is a day of celebration but also as we were hearing their words of caution about how long itll take to vaccinate. And also about the logistical details of how it is going to be given to people. Yes. There are some big hurdles to overcome. There are three key ones. Firstly, supply. We are getting 800,000 doses of this vaccine in the coming days. But 15 Million People over 65 and those working in the health and care sectors, and each need two doses. We should get several million doses of this vaccine by the end of the year but it is shipped from belgium and we need to ensure the supply is smooth. This vaccine has to be kept in ultra cold storage and at the moment kept in batches of 975 doses. That means next week we can only distribute it from hospitals, we cant use the network of more than 1000 gp centres and conference centres. And, finally, uptake. The officials stress we need people to come forward. This is being done in record time but all the checks and bala nces record time but all the checks and balances have been done and any problem with any of these slows the end of the pandemic and the lifting of restrictions. Thank you very much. We can get some reaction now from doctor Margaret Harris from the world health organization. Thank you for being with us. This is a historic day, isnt it, for global science. The uk becoming the first country where the regulators have said that a vaccine for covid is safe. Good evening, yes, youre right. Weve been writing history all year this year but today is big history. And, you know, while of course we need to keep on at it, the sense that we are now having the opportunity to take more control is a very powerful and important moment. An important moment, some people out there will say this is very fast, from concept to delivery, its about a year which is very fast in the history of vaccines. The European Unions drug regulator has been a little bit sceptical, saying they think that they as a regulator for the eu use more evidence and more checks than the uk, in other words saying their approval process for approval is safer. What would you say about that . You are right that this is unprecedented, the speed but some of it is down to the fa ct speed but some of it is down to the fact there has been so much collaboration. Remember we brought the scientists together in early february when we knew we had an emergency on our hands. From the get 90, emergency on our hands. From the get go, even before that, when the genome of this virus was published in early january, the vaccine groups we re in early january, the vaccine groups were looking at what was in the kitty. And there was a lot because there had been a lot of work on sars and mers. As for the regulation itself, every group needs to look at itself, every group needs to look at it thoroughly and we have asked, for instance, the british regulator, the mhra to share the data. We are looking at the data carefully and every group, all of us who are looking at this are primarily looking at this are primarily looking at this are primarily looking at safety. This is a global problem, a global pandemic, and billions of people will need a vaccine. 0bviously billions of people will need a vaccine. Obviously this Pfizer Vaccine. Obviously this Pfizer Vaccine that has been approved in the uk today is one of many and we are saying the world needs all vaccines coming through so are you confident all of the world will ultimately get the vaccine . People are saying what about the poorer countries, the developing countries . The bigger, richer countries, like the states and the uk, have bought up the states and the uk, have bought up millions of doses so what about the poorer countries . Again this is another one of the unprecedented things going on. I keep using that word but is correct. Early on, countries got together and realised this could be a huge problem. It has been a problem with previous outbreaks where the rich get and the poor has no chance we put together an accelerator which is a facility where rich countries pay for their vaccines but they support poor countries to get it. Weve worked very ha rd to countries to get it. Weve worked very hard to ensure there would be procurement and plans to get it out to every country. Because there is no point in vaccinating just one country. If anyone countries protected, they are still at risk, and we still have a huge outbreak. We need to all do this in a very well organised way every country. Doctor Margaret Harris from the world health organization, many thanks for being with us. In the past few minutes new government advice has been published saying universities should stagger the return of students over five weeks after the christmas break to reduce the transmission of covid 19. Guidance from the department for education says all students should be offered coronavirus tests when they return to university to help identify and isolate those who are asymptomatic. That is just that isjust in. That is just in. Lets go back to our Political Correspondent who is at westminster. Just to sum up what we learn from that downing street briefing from the Prime Minister. M was interesting to think about the tone of what we heard. A huge moment and Boris Johnson keen tone of what we heard. A huge moment and borisjohnson keen to stress what a big moment this was. Jonathan van tam also talking about how he got quite emotional when he heard the regulator talking about this authorisation this morning. But, clearly, also some key points they wa nted clearly, also some key points they wanted to get across. 0ne clearly, also some key points they wanted to get across. One was a note of caution to say, look, we need to be honest about the logistical challenges of getting this vaccine out there, talking cautiously about the timetable, the fact the bulk of the timetable, the fact the bulk of the roll out wont happen until the first few months of next year, the problem of the very cold storage meaning it cannot go straight into ca re meaning it cannot go straight into care homes where some of the most Vulnerable People and those in most need are, so that cannot happen initially. Also the idea of having two doses, thatll slow down the effectiveness of the vaccine. And i think also the real message we are hearing is the tier system has many months to go yet, even though there will be an end inside. The tier system and the debate about the restrictions and their effect on the economy will not go away. Many thanks. The bbc news at six coming up thanks. The bbc news at six coming upfor thanks. The bbc news at six coming up for you very shortly. Now, though, a time to look at the weather forecast. Hello, the weather will turn wintry we had a band of cloud producing some like rain or drizzle moving through the midlands should be clearing away from south eastern parts this evening. Following on from that weve had some showers as the air has got colder. A lot of shows, actually across western parts of scotland. We will all feel cold over the next couple of days with wet weather arriving most of it rain, with sleet and snow but more likely in the hills in the north. That colder air has been sweeping its way down the country with an area of low pressure responsible for the wetter weather and the threat of some snow as well. That cold snowy weather is starting to arrive with the showers across Northern Ireland but particularly across scotland are quite low levels. Itll be icy as well for scotland and Northern Ireland and here we are more likely to have a frost. Not quite as called for england and wales. Cloud increases late on in the night and we see wetter weather coming into wales, a wet day on thursday. That cloud and outbreaks of rain but pushing on towards east anglia and the south east. Northern england, something brighterfor a the south east. Northern england, something brighter for a while with a view wintry showers. The wintry showers in scotland and Northern Ireland should get pushed away so it turns dry through the day with more sunshine but it will be cold with temperatures only a few degrees above freezing. The highest temperatures towards the south coast of england where we have rain developing. We could see heavy rain in the south east of england tomorrow night with this weather system along the weather system will be more prominent in scotland with snow falling early in the morning, some heavier falls over the snow falling early in the morning, some heavierfalls over the hills. Tending to turn back to rain during the day. This wetter weather is stuck in the north of england and east anglia bringing snow to high ground and sleep to lower levels as well. The details could change but at the moment it looks dry across south wales and south west of england but still a cold day everywhere and windy along the coast. Things dotcom down during the weekend. We still have cold air but it is turning drier. Patchy rain on saturday. Looks generally dry on sunday. The winds fall lighter as well. The risk of frost at night. Today at six. The uk drugs regulator approves a Coronavirus Vaccine. The first doses will be here next week. The uk is the first country to approve the Pfizer Vaccine. The Prime Minister praises the scientists but hes got a warning, too. As we celebrate this scientific achievement, were not carried away with overoptimism or fall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. Its not. Jabs at racecourses and conference centres they could all be used in one of the biggest logistical operations the country has seen. This will take a while before everything changes, but were hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of this very difficult year that weve had