the us presidentjoe biden will meet members of the asian—american community in olathe after a deadly shooting there. —— in atlanta, georgia after a deadly shooting there. hello in a very warm welcome. a third wave of coronavirus is starting to sweep across the european union — much of it driven by the uk variant. large parts of france are going into lockdown again tonight. switzerland is extending its restrictions. poland is going into partial lockdown. germans are being told not to travel at easter. the vaccine roll—out across the eu has been slow with around just 10% of the population vaccinated so far. confidence has been shaken after a number of governments suspended the roll—out of astrazeneca over concerns about blood clots. but vaccinations are restarting — slowly as our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. never mind the prime minister, in france, it was the astrazeneca jab that needed a shot in the arm today. after weeks of shifting guidelines, the message was meant to be clear — it's safe and it works. but only an hour before he received it, france's health authority said that a possible link to blood clots in younger patients meant the jab should only be used for those over 55. last month, it said only those under 65 should take it. lucky for mr castex that he turned 55 last year. but whether his very public vaccination will reassure people is about as clear as france's position. with cases spiralling and paris scrambling to find intensive care beds, 20% of french surveyed this month said they didn't trust the astrazeneca jab. and after weeks of resisting lockdown, the government is bringing in new restrictions for the worst affected areas, like paris. from midnight tonight, a new lockdown lite will come into force here. there'll be some travel restrictions and nonessential shops will close but schools will stay open and so will book shops, music shops and hairdressers. at his barber's shop in central paris, rafiq had a message from president macron today. for president macron today. translation: thank you for letting us stay open. - turnover has dropped by 70%, he says, we'd go bankrupt if we had to close again. his customer, damien, says the new restrictions are just window dressing. the only thing that matters is the vaccine. this is the only thing that is working for now. maybe we'll have something better in three months, but right now, it is the only thing that matters. germany had been hoping to lift some of its restrictions next week but with the virus also outpacing the vaccines there, there was a fresh warning from the health minister. translation: there are not yet enough vaccines in europe - to stop the third wave - through vaccination alone. even if deliveries of eui orders are now reliable, it will still take several weeks before the risk groups - are fully vaccinated. only then can we talk about wider openings in society. _ poland is also facing a surge in cases, with the british variant expected to soon account for 80% of infections. a partial lockdown will come into force from tomorrow, with shops, hotels and cultural and sporting venues to close. president macron has been counting on france getting vaccinated to avoid another lockdown. the bill for shuttered businesses has risen to over 7 billion euros a month. delays in vaccines can be expensive. trust in them is priceless. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. as cases continue to rise, the world health organization has also urged countries to continue using the astrazeneca vaccine — here's the who director general speaking a short while ago. we understand people have had concerns about the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. it was whether the risk of taking it is greater or less than the disease it is meant to prevent or treat. in this case, there is no question, covid—i9 is a deadly disease and the oxford astrazeneca vaccine can prevent it. it's also important to remember that covid—i9 itself can cause blood clots and low platelets. the latest coronavirus figures show there were 4,802 new cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period — two which means on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 5,343. the number of patients in hospital with covid continues to fall, now down to some six and a half thousand. there were 101 deaths reported of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test, which means 5 on average 98 deaths were reported every day in the past week from coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths so far to 126,026. the uptake for vaccinations remains high — more than 528 thousand people had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period bringing the total close to 26.3 million — that's almost half the adult population. 9 and just over two million have had both doses of the vaccine. and among those 23 million britons who've received the first dose of the vaccine is — in the last hour — the prime minister. borisjohnson received his first dose of the astrazeneca vaccine. here's the prime minister in st thomas�*s hospital in london — he dismissed concerns it was linked to blood clots and told the nation it was "safe". he spoke after getting his vaccination — please be warned there is flash photography how did he go? good evening. they all sa this how did he go? good evening. they all say this but _ how did he go? good evening. they all say this but she _ how did he go? good evening. they all say this but she said, _ how did he go? good evening. they all say this but she said, i _ how did he go? good evening. they all say this but she said, i had - how did he go? good evening. they all say this but she said, i had a - all say this but she said, i had a wonderful nurse called lily and she said you'll fill a shot. i literally did not feel a thing. it was very good. very quick. and you know what i will say. i cannot recommend it to highly. everybody, when you do get your notification to go for ace jab, going get it. the best thing for you and the best thing for your family and the best thing for your family and everybody else. thank you very much, everybody. are and everybody else. thank you very much. everybody-— much, everybody. are you nervous about the side _ much, everybody. are you nervous about the side effects? _ much, everybody. are you nervous about the side effects? i _ much, everybody. are you nervous about the side effects? i think- much, everybody. are you nervous about the side effects? i think you | about the side effects? i think you should listen, _ about the side effects? i think you should listen, don't _ about the side effects? i think you should listen, don't listen - about the side effects? i think you should listen, don't listen to - about the side effects? i think you should listen, don't listen to me, | should listen, don't listen to me, listen to all of the scientists listen to all of the scientists listen to all of the scientists listen to what the european medicines agency had to say. just to what the mhr are has said, the risk is covid—i9, this is a great thing to do. thank you all very much. for weeks now covid—i9 infection rates have been falling across many parts of the uk. but there are some towns — mainly in the north of england and the midlands, that have bucked the trend, with infections remaining relatively high. this is particularly true of areas where the local economy relies on manufacturing, construction orfood processing jobs. our health correspondent dominic hughes has been to rotherham in south yorkshire, where infection rates remain stubbornly high. we've had to learn as we go along what works, what doesn't work, how to keep people safe. this is a disease of inequalities and people have to go out to work in, they can't work from home. it's physically and mentally draining on people - just how alone they feel. this isn't the kind of work you can do from home. for nearly a0 years, this rotherham firm has manufactured springs for cars and vans and trains. it's hard, physical and hands—on, but the pandemic meant a rethink about how to keep the business going, while making sure staff stayed safe. this is old—fashioned sheffield metal bashing. we've got the guys who work on the shop floor, so we staggered our breaks, we staggered our start—finish times, so we can have smaller groups of two that buddy up and always work together. for months, many towns like rotherham have struggled to get infection rates down. even when they do fall, they do so slowly, a deadly combination of a virus that thrives on contacts and the type ofjobs the local economy depends on. we have a lot of people in low—skilled, low—wage jobs, have a lot of construction, a lot of manufacturing and jobs that people have to go out to work in, they can't work from home. with all of those structural factors just mean we will always have more people circulating and more people at risk of disease. the support of your employer, even if you have to isolate, is vital. neil is lucky, working throughout the pandemic in a warehouse, he knew he'd still get paid whatever happened. i mean, it is always on your mind and you do sort of worry that, - you know, what if that... if i do do a test and it - does come back positive? but we were always told if that were the case, i we would still get paid anyway. so that were always a bit of comfort and a bit of, i you know, reassurance, i suppose. but away from the workplace, there's also the fatigue of living through months of lockdowns and restrictions. claire has worked hard to keep her community going with virtual coffee mornings. but she knows people are weary of following the rules. well, we've had people who've said they actually feel like breaking the rules, going and seeing a friend, going and seen relatives that they've not seen for a year. if we continue people meeting and breaking the rules, it's just not going to happen. and we'll be looking at longer in lockdown. the danger is that as the rest of the country comes out of lockdown, towns like rotherham could still face high infection rates, meaning communities that were already struggling are left further behind. dominic hughes, bbc news, rotherham. professorjeremy brown is a clinician scientist with an interest in respiratory infection at university college london and he sits on the government'sjoint committee for vaccinations and immunisations. very good to have you with us. very good to have you with us. what do you make of the impact of the prime minister having the astrazeneca vaccine today in his comments about being safe? it is vaccine today in his comments about bein: safe? , , , ., being safe? it is very helpful to have somebody _ being safe? it is very helpful to have somebody who _ being safe? it is very helpful to have somebody who is - being safe? it is very helpful to have somebody who is a - being safe? it is very helpful to - have somebody who is a high-profile have somebody who is a high—profile person out there and getting the astrazeneca vaccine after all of the kerfuffle the past few days. a very positive thing he is done. we kerfuffle the past few days. a very positive thing he is done.- positive thing he is done. we are sa in: on positive thing he is done. we are saying on the _ positive thing he is done. we are saying on the continent - positive thing he is done. we are saying on the continent a - positive thing he is done. we are saying on the continent a new i positive thing he is done. we are i saying on the continent a new surge of cases in germany, france is concerned enough to put paris and other parts into a partial lockdown, how concerned should people in the uk be about that? could that have an impact here? i uk be about that? could that have an impact here?— impact here? i think it 'ust illustrates i impact here? i think it 'ust illustrates what i impact here? i think it 'ust illustrates what we i impact here? i think itjust illustrates what we what i impact here? i think itjust i illustrates what we what will impact here? i think itjust - illustrates what we what will happen if we don't get people vaccinated. that's the trouble. we had our first wave in our second wave and now we are coming down out of the second wave in affections are going down from although as you previously suggested are areas in the country where stubbornly staying up high levels. the infection will come back again and if we have a protected our vulnerable population via vaccine at that stage will be back where we were in march and april of last year in december and january this year. maybe not quite as bad but without vaccination, that is what will happen. that is exactly what is happening in europe. {iii happen. that is exactly what is happening in europe. of course for a vaccination programme _ happening in europe. of course for a vaccination programme to _ happening in europe. of course for a vaccination programme to succeed, l vaccination programme to succeed, people need to be willing and have confidence in the vaccine. but in the first place the vaccines need to be supplied and we been hearing that there could be less of a supply in there could be less of a supply in the uk in the coming months. in terms of the government strategy, it isn't the right one to prioritise giving the older people and people with underlying conditions a second dose that would be better to give people the first dose? it is dose that would be better to give people the first dose?— people the first dose? it is a little complicated _ people the first dose? it is a little complicated but - people the first dose? it is a - little complicated but essentially because the age effect is so dramatic, the additional benefit of the second dose and people who are highly vulnerable, basically the elderly is much more than giving that those two younger people. so even an unprotected 20—year—old or 30—year—old or even a ao—year—old getting one dose of the vaccine, people can prevent far fewer dense and they can assure all the over 70s have had their second dose. —— fewer deaths. have had their second dose. -- fewer deaths. ~ ., ., deaths. where are we out with the reproduction _ deaths. where are we out with the reproduction rate _ deaths. where are we out with the reproduction rate number- deaths. where are we out with the reproduction rate number of- deaths. where are we out with the reproduction rate number of the i reproduction rate number of the virus in the uk? is he going in the right direction? i virus in the uk? is he going in the right direction?— right direction? i haven't really seen any recent _ right direction? i haven't really seen any recent data. - right direction? i haven't really seen any recent data. it - right direction? i haven't really seen any recent data. it had i right direction? i haven't really i seen any recent data. it had been going in the right direction. schools have reopened and the only question is that will probably bump the r number up a bit in the hope is that it won't go above one. i haven't seen any recent data on that income and clearly the government are waiting a little while and that is why we have this five week gap between changes in lockdown because we need a little bit of time to see what is happening on the ground with the r number. fik. what is happening on the ground with the r number-— the r number. 0k. professor, thank ou ve the r number. 0k. professor, thank you very much- _ the leader of the scottish conservatives at holyrood — ruth davidson — has called for nicola sturgeon to resign as first minister, saying it was clear she misled parliament. a majority of the committee investigating the scottish government's handling of harassment claims against alex salmond is understood to have voted last night that she didn't give them accurate information. a spokesman for nicola sturgeon has accused the committee of peddling baseless smears. the final report is due to be published on tuesday. nicola sturgeon says she stands by every word of her evidence. our scotland editor sarah smith reports. facing calls for her resignation, nicola sturgeon is adamant she told the truth, dismissing leaks that say a holyrood committee has concluded she gave them an inaccurate account of a meeting with alex salmond. she may face a vote of no confidence next week. the opposition thinks she should go now. the parliament was misled by the first minister. now, that is, to me, a clear breach of the ministerial code. and i think that if she had a shred of integrity, nicola sturgeon will be considering her position. she has every opportunity to resign. a spokesperson for the first minister said... she told the truth to the committee and stand by every word of her evidence. the committee appears to have resorted to baseless assertions, suppositions and smear. even the scottish government's daily covid briefing has become a battleground in this ongoing row. i do not believe the first minister should resign. i do not believe she has misled parliament. and i have absolute confidence in the veracity of what she said in those eight hours of evidence to that committee and in her integrity and in her professionalism. and i am not going to comment on unattributed briefings about a report which has not yet been published. the harassment committee report will not only say that nicola sturgeon was inaccurate in one part of her evidence but also that it's hard to believe she didn't know of concerns about inappropriate behaviour from alex salmond before november 2017. and that she should have reported meetings she had with him to the civil service much earlier than she did. on a visit to glasgow, keir starmer stopped short of demanding a resignation. if there is a finding _ that the first minister misled parliament, potentially was in breach of the i ministerial code, then i that is incredibly serious. obviously, all the attention is on nicola sturgeon, - but this goes to the integrityl of the office of first minister, the integrity of parliament. once close friends and now bitter foes, their different accounts of what happened on one of the last times they met is now putting nicola sturgeon under huge pressure. this deep divide within the snp now seems likely to dominate the upcoming election to the scottish parliament. after a slow start — and an acrimonious first day of talks between the us and china — the white house has said that president biden understands relations with beijing will be "competitive", but that the us still wants to work together with china when it's in their mutual interests. our correspondent barbara plett usher is in anchorage where the talks are taking place. she says it's uncertain how much will be achieved in this meeting. there were reports after the testy opening exchange which went for at least an hour in a very unusual way that they did, the private talks get down to business and they were substantive and serious and there was a session after that initial opening one and there will be another session going on now. so they have continued to talk, presumably being able to communicate with each other in a way that is a little bit less fractious. in terms of what they might be able to achieve? the administration has told us they were not expecting anything concrete to come out of the talks in terms of an agreement or even a joint statement. what they wanted was to exchange opinions and put things out very clearly on the table about what their concerns and expectations were, straight talk, instead of talking points and then see if there were some areas for cooperation. what we heard in those opening remarks whether both sides really had positions that are quite incompatible and of course, to get to a point of working together, diplomacy requires some kind of compromise. it is not clear whether that would be forthcoming in the future. it is unlikely to be fort