R-rate rises across UK and Sage warns it could be above 1 in London

Good evening. Here are some of the key developments from around the world today:

• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi have announced a delay in their coronavirus vaccine programme after trials showed a low immune response in older adults. The UK's vaccine taskforce has secured access to 60 million doses of the vaccine.
• The NHS in Wales "will not be able to cope as it is today" if the current levels of coronavirus-related admissions continue in the coming weeks, First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned.
• Isolation for contacts of positive Covid-19 cases, and those returning from abroad is to be cut to 10 days from Monday.
• Call handlers for NHS Test and Trace spent just one per cent of their time working as £22 billion was “thrown at” efforts to “avert a lockdown,” a damning report warns.
• Five gene variants which increase the risk of individuals becoming seriously ill from coronavirus have been discovered by scientists, in a breakthrough which could lead to new lifesaving treatments. 
• The bedroom tax could worsen Covid spread in households and should be immediately reviewed, Government scientists have warned, prompting an angry response from the former Work and Pensions Secretary who oversaw the policy.
• Sweden may be forced to seek emergency help from Finland, Norway, or Denmark, as its hospitals struggle to cope with the number of coronavirus patients, a senior doctor has warned. 
• South Korea has deployed the military and converted shipping containers into hospital wards in Seoul in a desperate bid to stamp out an accelerating third wave of coronavirus.
• Australia has cancelled the production of a locally made Covid-19 vaccine after trial volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV,  meaning the drug could interfere with diagnosis of that virus.
• The United States could start injecting the first Americans with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by Monday, the country's health secretary said today.

Follow all the latest news in Saturday's live blog

The United States could start injecting the first Americans with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by Monday, the country's health secretary said today.

Alex Azar told news channels that final details were being ironed out, after an expert committee convened by regulators voted to grant the two-dose regimen emergency approval for people aged 16 and over.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a statement today saying it had told Pfizer it would now "rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization."

Azar told ABC News that authorities were working with Pfizer on logistics and "we could be seeing people get vaccinated Monday, Tuesday of next week."

"So, it's very close. It's really just the last dotting of I's and crossing of T's," he added.

Turkey's daily coronavirus deaths rose to a record 226 in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's total death toll to 15,977, health ministry data showed today.

Turkey also recorded 32,106 new Covid-19 cases, including asymptomatic ones, in the last 24 hours. For four months, Ankara only reported daily symptomatic cases but has reported all cases since November 25.

The government imposed weekday curfews and weekend lockdowns to saddle the surge in cases. Turkey ranks fourth globally in the highest number of daily cases, behind the United States, India and Brazil, all countries with much larger populations.

France reported 13,406 has new coronavirus infections, fewer than Thursday's 13,750 but well above the 11,221 reported last Friday, while intensive care cases dropped again and are now well below a government target.

After falling for weeks following the November lockdown, early December's partial easing has led to an increase in infection rates and the daily count has not dropped to the 5,000 set by the government as a precondition for further loosening.

But the number of people in intensive care - the most important measure of a health system's ability to deal with the disease - dropped again by 75 to 2,884 and is now well within the government target level of 2,500 to 3,000, health ministry data showed.

The total case count since the start of the pandemic rose to 2.35 million, while the number of deaths rose by 627 to 57,567. Today's reported toll included 304 hospital deaths, compared to 292 on Thursday, and a three-day batch of 323 retirement home deaths.

On Thursday, the French government postponed a further planned easing of lockdown measures by three weeks and said that an 8pm curfew from December 15 would remain in place for New Year's Eve but will be waived for Christmas. 

New York City will stop indoor dining from next week as it tries to slow the spread of rising coronavirus infections, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today.

The rollback marks the latest blow to the Big Apple's famed restaurants and economy, which have been ravaged by pandemic shutdowns.

"We're going to close indoor dining in New York City on Monday. Outdoor dining and take-out continues," Cuomo told reporters.

The governor warned on Monday that restaurants in America's largest city would have to halt indoor dining if hospitalization rates failed for stabilize within five days.

He announced that statewide hospitalisations had risen to more than 5,300, way down from a peak of almost 19,000 in April but significantly up from a low of just over 400 in early September.

"Hospitalisations have not stabilised, and with a rising infection rate and NYC's density, this means that indoor dining is too high of a risk," Cuomo said.

Restaurants had been allowed to seat customers inside at 25 per cent capacity.

The United States' top infectious disease official Anthony Fauci has said he has always known President-elect Joe Biden as someone "attuned to following science" and expects the incoming administration will be guided by evidence.

The widely respected physician and scientist, who has been named as Biden's chief medical advisor on Covid-19, also praised the work of the Trump administration in delivering on its vaccine promises.

Asked by AFP how things might change when Biden takes office on January 20, he said: "I know that they are very closely wedded to following the science.

"That has been something that President-elect Biden has done from when I knew him during the Obama administration, when he was the vice president of the United States.

"He is very much attuned to following science and scientific data and scientific evidence. So I would imagine that the plan, as it proceeds with the new administration, would be very much steeped in science."

Germany has passed a 2021 budget that once again smashes its "debt brake" rule, promising to shield businesses and workers from the economic hit of the pandemic as cases continue to rise.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government plans to borrow 300 billion euros ($364 billion) across 2020 and 2021 combined after Berlin pledged more than a trillion euros in aid, including through short-time work schemes and business support.

"The budget is the basis for everyone to be confident that we can provide the necessary economic and social support to get us through this crisis together," Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told lawmakers.

The budget for 2021, which passed with 361 votes in favour to 258 against, provides for a total of 179.8 billion euros in new loans and nearly 500 billion euros in public spending.

It means for both 2020 and 2021, Germany will abandon its cherished "debt brake", a constitutionally enshrined rule that forbids the government from borrowing more than 0.35 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), before planning to return to no new debt in 2022.

Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's head of emergencies, said the deployment of vaccines would not mean Covid-19 instantly vanished. 

"They are a massively valuable tool, but vaccines by themselves will not equal zero Covid," he said. 

"They will have a major impact on morbidity, mortality - who gets sick, how sick people get, and whether they die, as we vaccinate those high-risk groups - but the impact on transmission will not come until a much higher proportion of the population of a country is vaccinated." 

In the meantime, all of the transmission control measures used throughout the pandemic - from mask-wearing to contact tracing - will have to continue, he said.  

On vaccines, the World Health Organisation team said they were reviewing the evidence on the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate that is currently being used in the UK, and expected to make their own decision on approval in the next few weeks, Jennifer Rigby reports. 

The UK regulator approved the jab last week. 

Other vaccines are also under consideration too, the WHO said. However, Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO senior advisor, said obstacles remained in delivering mass vaccination programmes globally - an important part of ending the pandemic - as the products remained "scarce". 

The WHO's chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said it was important to get populations on board with the jabs, calling for better communications from governments on deploying vaccines.  She stressed that only a minority of people are actually "anti-vaccine". 

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on leaders of all stripes, from religious to political, to take the lead on demonstrating the power and safety of vaccines. 

Police officers will not hesitate to enforce tough coronavirus regulations over Christmas and Hogmanay including a ban on house parties, Scotland's Chief Constable has warned.

Iain Livingstone reminded Scots that "significant restrictions" will remain in place, even over the five days between Dec 23 and 27, when the rules on household gatherings are being relaxed so families can spend Christmas together.

He said there will be "no excuse for hosting, arranging or attending a house party" and officers will be patrolling town and city centres on Hogmanay to prevent crowds gathering.

Mr Livingstone also disclosed the force receives intelligence from Transport Scotland about vehicle movements and this could lead to "additional resources onto a particular thoroughfare or a particular trunk road."

Simon Johnson has more here. 

The bedroom tax could worsen Covid spread in households and should be immediately reviewed, Government scientists have warned, prompting an angry response from the former Work and Pensions Secretary who oversaw the policy.

A consensus statement on household transmission produced by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has concluded that the “under-occupancy levy” made it more difficult for people to keep their distance.

Sage warns that the economic fall-out of coronavirus may mean that adult children need to return home after losing their jobs, and the elderly or vulnerable may require extra space for carers if they become ill.

They called for an immediate review of the policy, which was brought in for under-65s in 2013, and then extended to pensioners in 2016. 

Sarah Knapton and Harry Yorke have more here. 

A further 275 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 43,812, NHS England said on Friday.

Patients were aged between 34 and 99. All except eight, aged between 60 and 95, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between November 1 and December 10.

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

The greatest gift people can give this Christmas is health, the head of the World Health Organisation has said, as he warned people to "consider carefully" how they celebrate during the pandemic, Jennifer Rigby reports. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking from Geneva to an online briefing, said: "We must not relax, as celebration can very quickly turn to sadness if we fail to take the right precautions. So as you prepare to celebrate over the coming weeks, please, please consider your plans carefully." 

In many of the places that will celebrate Christmas, including in Europe and the United States, infection rates remain high, he said. 

"If you live in an area of high transmission, please take every precaution to keep yourselves and others safe. That would be the best gift you could give - the gift of health, life, love, joy and hope," he said.  

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's Covid-19 technical lead,  added: "We will celebrate, but maybe it means we celebrate with just our household. And maybe we do another type of Zoom celebration, as we will do with my family this year." 

Italy reported 761 coronavirus-related deaths today against 887 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections increased to 18,727 from 16,999.

There were 190,416 swabs carried out in the past day, up from a previous 171,586, the ministry said.

The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has seen 63,387 Covid-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain.

It has also registered 1.806 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with the virus stood at 28,562 today, down 526 from the day before.

There were 208 new admissions to intensive care units, declining compared with 251 on Thursday.

Some GP practices will not be offering the coronavirus vaccine to patients as planned next week, reportedly due to workload issues.

Following the rollout of the first Pfizer/BioNTech jabs at hospital sites on Tuesday, GP-led sites are due to begin vaccinations next week.

But dozens of GP practices in England have chosen not to join the vaccination programme due to concerns around already-heavy workloads, staff shortages and the impact on patients if other services have to be cut back, the Guardian reported.

The newspaper said some 100,000 patients - of the more than 60 million registered at GP practices across England - would not be able to get the Covid-19 vaccine from their family doctor.

It is understood that if a person's local GP practice is not delivering coronavirus vaccines they will be able to get the jab at other locations such as hospital hubs, and at pharmacies from the end of January.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) described the vaccine rollout as an "enormous challenge" in the context of the work doctors are already doing amid the pandemic, which includes an expanded winter flu jab programme.

Scientists have urged people to rethink Christmas as coronavirus infection rates increase in parts of the UK, warning the country is heading towards "disaster".

Just because people can meet up, it does not mean they should, according to Independent Sage.

The group, chaired by former Government chief scientific adviser Sir David King, said there is a need to highlight the risks of mixing indoors.

Families who decide to meet up over the five days that Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed over the festive period must be advised on how to keep their homes safe, the experts said.

Independent Sage is also calling for a pandemic fuel allowance so people can keep their homes ventilated while at the same time turning up the heating to stay warm.

Professor Stephen Reicher, of the University of St Andrews, said: "Right now we are heading towards disaster.

"Given high levels of infection across the country and the increasing levels in some areas (such as London) it is inevitable that if we all do choose to meet up over Christmas then we will pay the price in the New Year."

Restrictions on non-essential travel between Mexico and the US could be extended until January 21, following a proposal by the Mexican government.

Mexico has proposed to the United States that restrictions on non-essential travel at their shared border be extended for another month as authorities continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, the Mexican foreign ministry said today.

Army regiments which helped to set up and run a mass coronavirus testing pilot in Liverpool are to be given the Freedom of the City.

About 2,000 troops were deployed to the city in early November and since then have facilitated 200,000 tests at almost 50 centres.

On Friday, Brigadier Joe Fossey, commander of the 8th Engineer Brigade, which has led the operation, was presented with a scroll proposing their inclusion in the Freedom Roll of Associations.

The soldiers were put up in Pontins Southport Holiday Park during their stay and since their arrival the city's coronavirus infection rates have dropped from 680 cases per 100,000 people to fewer than 100.

Brig Fossey said: "I am extremely proud of what we have all achieved in such a short time and how warmly we have been received by all those in the city.

"To receive Liverpool's highest civic honour crowns an extraordinary six weeks for all of us and marks an important moment in the continuing fight against Covid-19."

Five gene variants which increase the risk of individuals becoming seriously ill from coronavirus have been discovered by scientists, in a breakthrough which could lead to new lifesaving treatments. 

The discovery helps explain why some people are more susceptible to the disease and may hint at why some families and ethnic groups are disproportionately impacted. 

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh made the discovery by studying the DNA of 2,700 Covid-19 patients in 208 intensive care units (ICUs) in the UK. 

They then compared the genetic information with samples provided by healthy volunteers from other studies, such as UK Biobank, Generation Scotland and 100,000 Genomes, to find out what was different in the DNA of those who became seriously ill.

Sarah Knapton has more here. 

The office party has been cancelled; midnight mass will likely be muffled; Santa’s grotto is shut (he’s ice-olating); and Christmas bubbles are causing a whole new kind of headache this year.

But, you don’t have to panic. Once you have established who you are spending your five festive days, there are plenty of ways to stop the fun from fizzling out, even if many of December’s familiar traditions have been put on ice. None of them, we promise, involve Zoom.

So if your diary has tinsel blowing through it this December, Hattie Garlick has some entertaining festive ideas - from Christmas movie marathons to making a gingerbread village - on things to do with your Christmas bubble here. 

Tier 4 restrictions in Glasgow come to an end today, meaning that non-essential shops can reopen and hospitality businesses can open tomorrow until 6pm every day, although they aren't allowed to sell alcohol.

South Africa’s chief justice railed against a “satanic” Covid-19 vaccine that bears the “mark of the beast” during televised morning prayers on Thursday at a hospital in Johannesburg. Mogoeng Mogoeng, 59, called for any vaccine that has “the 666 mark” to be burnt.  

“If there be any vaccine that is of the devil, meant to infuse triple-six in the lives of people, meant to corrupt their DNA, any such vaccine, Lord God Almighty, may it be destroyed by fire, in the name of Jesus,” he said.

When Mr Mogoeng tried to unpack South Africa’s Judiciary Annual Report on Friday morning he was bombarded with questions about his views on vaccines after his comments led to serious backlash on social media.

Tom Collins has more here. 

Australia has cancelled the production of a locally made Covid-19 vaccine after trial volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV,  meaning the drug could interfere with diagnosis of that virus.

Antibodies generated by the jabs developed by the University of Queensland (UQ) and biotech firm CSL led to trial subjects wrongly testing positive for the virus that causes AIDS. Further trials have been stopped.

Scientists said the results were a blow to Australia's vaccine development and was likely to force the country to buy more doses of imported shots.

"While this is a tough decision to take, the urgent need for a vaccine has to be everyone's priority," said UQ professor Paul Young.

Ben Farmer and Anne Gulland have more here. 

Italy's interior minister, who tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week, never actually had Covid-19, the government said today.

The PCR test performed on Luciana Lamorgese on Monday "turned out to be wrong", her office said in a statement.

She underwent two new tests on Wednesday and Thursday and both came back negative, it said, adding that she "has never been positive for coronavirus".

The statement blamed the media for the mistake, saying real-time reporting of the positive test "did not allow the necessary and appropriate checks".

Italy's minister for regional affairs, Francesco Boccia, tested positive in October for Covid-19 but has since recovered.

Companies in America are considering various options to get employees back to work after the Covid vaccine has been rolled out, Reuters is reporting.

Options on the table include giving workers a choice between a free vaccine and a cash bonus if everyone gets inoculated, to being reassigned or even losing your job.

Keen to avoid a backlash or violating the law, companies are discussing options with lawyers, health care experts and polling their workers to gauge when to offer carrots and when to use a stick.

Workplace programmes could come following US approval of the first vaccine this week. But a Pew Research poll shows 21 per cent of Americans are firmly opposed, with 60 per cent likely to get a shot.

Among big employers starting to formulate policies are oil giant Chevron Corp, auto maker Ford Motor Co, retailer Target Corp, restaurant chain Ford’s Garage, the United Steelworkers union, and refiners’ Marathon Petroleum and Citgo Petroleum.

The Government should roll out mass testing of pupils across the country, an education union has said.

Ministers are urging staff and students in secondary schools and colleges in parts of north-east London, south Essex and Kent to get tested for Covid-19 following a rise in cases among pupils.

An additional 44,000 home test kits will be made available for school staff in the capital, and 15 mobile testing units (MTUs) will be deployed in or near schools in the worst-affected boroughs of London.

But the National Education Union (NEU) has called on ministers to commit to mass testing across the country, not just in the south-east, and they say testing should be rolled out in primary schools.

The plea comes after unions have questioned the Government's decision not to move to remote learning in secondary schools in England in the last week of term following higher rates of infection among pupils.

The Department of Health and Social Care has warned that Covid-19 cases in areas of London, Kent and Essex have been rising rapidly, with the fastest rates among those aged between 11 to 18.

Rising numbers of people in Kent hospitals with Covid-19 mean that many non-urgent operations are now being postponed.

Kent was plunged into Tier 3 restrictions earlier this month as it battles increasing infections.

A spokesman for NHS Kent and Medway CCG said: "We have taken the decision to postpone some planned, non-urgent operations at hospitals across Kent and Medway due to the increase in Covid patients being treated - urgent treatments, including cancer operations, will go ahead as normal.

"We are working hard to ensure we treat as many patients as possible, while ensuring we provide a safe hospital environment.

"However, the increase in numbers has meant difficult decisions to prioritise cases of higher urgency."

Responding to today’s announcement that the Sanofi/GSK vaccine will not be ready until the end of 2021, Oxfam's global health and gender equality officer,Julia Heres Garcia said:

“The delay is a bitter blow for poorer nations given Sanofi-GSK was set to provide nearly one third of COVAX doses – the global vaccine purchasing facility upon which many of the poorest countries depend. 

“Even without this delay COVAX had only secured enough doses to vaccinate one in 10 people in many of the poorest countries by the end of next year, while rich countries had enough to vaccinate their entire populations nearly three times over.

“The delay adds to the growing pressure on wealthy governments to back a People’s Vaccine. They need to force Big Pharma to share their science and know-how with other manufacturers in order to boost vaccine production and bring this pandemic to an end more quickly.”

Read more: UK's order of 60m Sanofi and GSK vaccines delayed until end of 2021

There have been a further 2,234 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 98,232.

Public Health Wales reported another 29 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 2,818.

A retired council clerk who has brain damage and is at the centre of a legal dispute over care home visits during the coronavirus pandemic should be able to "physically and in person" see her husband before Christmas, a judge has been told.

Retired academic Dr John Davies has taken legal action on his wife Michelle's behalf in a bid to ensure she gets visits tailored to her needs.

Dr Davies, 60, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, says Mrs Davies, 58, should not be subject to a blanket visiting policy.

He wants a judge to rule that Mrs Davies, a former council clerk who had a stroke in late 2018, should have daily "face-to-face contact" with him and their son Kane, 33.

Mr Justice Hayden is overseeing the case at hearings in the Court of Protection, where issues relating to people who do not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves are considered.

The judge, who has heard that the couple have been married for 37 years, was told of developments at a virtual hearing today.

Clearer and more specific guidance on coronavirus transmission for different kinds of households needs to be developed, scientists advising the Government have recommended.

The guidance also needs to be supported by tailored communication strategies, according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

In a document released by the group today, it said households are an important contributor to the transmission of Covid-19, although how infection is transmitted into households and within households is unclear.

The consensus statement dated November 24 analyses data from five population studies - ONS, REACT-Imperial, Biobank, QResearch and OpenSAFELY.

The studies find that household composition are key factors in terms of risk of Covid-19 infection and mortality, even when controlling for deprivation and other factors.

Sage said the studies indicated there is increased risk of infection and mortality for those living in larger occupancy households.

It added that there is a correlation between large, or multigenerational households and increased risk of infection and or mortality, across all five studies.

Police must address a "dangerous" perception of a two-tier approach to the policing of the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey, Arlene Foster has said.

The First Minister questioned the length of time officers were taking to conclude their investigation into alleged coronavirus breaches at the June funeral, which was attended by several senior Sinn Fein figures.

Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who has yet to be interviewed by police about her attendance, also expressed frustration that the matter had not been dealt with.

The funeral on June 30 prompted a major political row in Northern Ireland, with Sinn Fein members accused of ignoring Covid rules by attending an event that saw hundreds line the streets of west Belfast at a time when there were strict limitations in place.

Almost six months on, police have yet to interview Ms O'Neill about the incident.

Liaison between officers and her legal representatives has been ongoing for weeks to set a time and date.

South Korea has deployed the military and converted shipping containers into hospital wards in Seoul in a desperate bid to stamp out an accelerating third wave of coronavirus.

One of the world's pandemic success stories so far, the country reported 689 new cases today - the majority locally transmitted - bringing the total to 40,786. The death toll also increased by 8, to 572, and there are almost 170 patients in severe or serious condition.  

While that pales in comparison with many countries, it represents a huge spike in a country which saw only 50 new cases a day for much of the summer thanks to its effective system of contact tracing and near-universal mask-wearing. 

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday called the current infection rate a "crisis", confirming he would dispatch around 800 military, police and government workers in every district of the greater Seoul area to help track down potential patients. 

Jennifer Rigby has more here. 

Sweden may be forced to seek emergency help from Finland, Norway, or Denmark, as its hospitals struggle to cope with the number of coronavirus patients, a senior doctor has warned. 

Sten Rubertsson, a doctor working for the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare, said he expected Sweden's 21 regions to release a coordinated plan to increase the number of available intensive care places "within days", ahead of the coming Christmas peak. "It's not going in a positive direction – it's actually escalating – and if we reach a situation where we cannot handle this ourselves, we will definitely ask our brother and sister countries for assistance," he told The Telegraph. 

The plan came after Stockholm region on Wednesday called for help from national agencies, warning that 99 per cent of its intensive care places had been filled on Tuesday. 

Richard Orange has more here. 

The latest travel corridor announcement leaves Ellen Manning in a difficult position:

Lounging on the beach in the picturesque resort of Puerto de Mogan, cocktails in hand, we couldn’t help but feel unbelievably lucky. We would head home on December 17 for Christmas feeling rested and relaxed – and tanned – after 12 days of eating, drinking and sunbathing. Clinking our glasses in one more ‘cheers’ to our serendipity our phones both beeped, wiping the smiles from our faces in one fell swoop.

The Canary Islands had just been re-added to the quarantine list, threatening to cancel Christmas for us and plenty of other travellers.

Of course, we knew something like this was a risk. We had cancelled a road trip through Europe in the summer for the very reason that with countries being added and removed to ‘the list’ on an almost-daily basis at that point, the risk of being somewhere and the rules changing were too high. But things seemed to have settled down. With infection rates sitting much lower than home, at around 52 cases per 100,000 people, and all the measures in place to help limit the spread, it seemed the risk of the Canaries suddenly being removed from the travel corridor list was low. How wrong we were.

With our flight home due on December 17, a 14-day period of self-isolation will take us right through Christmas. While we don’t have children, our mothers were due to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day with us – something all of us were looking forward to after a year of enforced distance and long periods apart.

Read the full piece here. 

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in two regions of southern England are heading towards levels recorded at the peak of the first wave of the virus, figures show.

In South East England, 1,547 hospital patients with confirmed Covid-19 were reported on December 9. This is the highest number for the region since the end of April, and during the first wave the number of patients in the region peaked at 2,073 on April 7.

At the current rate of increase, levels could be above this within a fortnight.

It is a similar picture in eastern England: Here, 1,063 patients were reported on December 9 - again, the highest since the end of April. The first wave peak in eastern England was 1,484 patients on April 12.

On the current trend, this could be surpassed by the end of the month.

The first wave peak of Covid-19 hospital patients has already been surpassed in four other regions: On November 16 new records were set in both North East England, Yorkshire and North West England, while the Midlands reached a new peak on November 23 followed by South West England on November 24.

Only in London is the level of Covid-19 patients still well below that seen during the first wave of the virus.

The growth rate, which estimates how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, is between minus two per cent and zero for the UK as a whole.

It means the number of new infections is shrinking by between zero and two per cent every day.

Estimates for R and growth rates are shown as a range and the true values are likely to lie within this range, according to the experts.

Sage also said the figures published more accurately represent the average situation over the past few weeks rather than the present situation.

The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission across the UK is now between 0.9 and 1, the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said.

Last week, the R number was between 0.8 and 1.

R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.

When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially.

An R number between 0.9 and 1 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 10 other people.

Meanwhile, the R value in England is between 0.8 and 1, but Sage said it is not confident that R is below 1 in all English regions, particularly in London and parts of the South East.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said "small acts of selfishness" are behind the sudden increase in coronavirus spread in Wales.

Mr Drakeford told a press conference: "I did a session yesterday with a group of primary school children in Wales, and one of them said to me it is the small acts of selfishness that are getting us into the trouble that we are in.

"And I just want to put that to people who are listening or watching, that it is when people believe that they themselves do not have to follow the rules, that they act in those small but selfish ways, that we ended up in the trouble that we are in.

"And I think just passing another law is not guaranteed in any way to alter people's behaviours.

"We have most people in Wales, who continue to do everything they can to follow the advice, to think very carefully.

"The problem is, it turns out that with this virus, you don't need that many small acts of selfishness before they add up to a set of circumstances in which you see the virus accelerating away as we're seeing in Wales."

Representatives from the four UK nations met to discuss whether the decision to allow three households to mix for five days over Christmas should be "revisited", First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

"I met with Michael Gove as the minister in charge of the Cabinet Office, with the First Minister of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland on Wednesday of this week," Mr Drakeford said.

"The question was raised, should we revisit the decision we had made in relation to Christmas?

"The decision was that we shouldn't do so - many people will have made plans on the basis of what was announced - but that we would reinforce the message, each one of us would reinforce the message, that that extra freedom for those five days must be used responsibly.

"That people must think ahead, plan ahead, reduce the risk, don't do anything that could result in those people who are the most important people to you, the people you have chosen to meet over those five days, please don't do anything that places them at greater and additional risk.

"That is a message that we will be reinforcing here in Wales, the United Kingdom Government will be reinforcing, and will certainly be the message being deployed by my colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well."

In Northern Ireland, an estimated 7,800 people had Covid-19 between November 29 and December 5, or 0.43 per cent of the population.

This is down from an estimated 9,500 people for the period November 22 to 28, or 0.52 per cent of the population.

In Scotland, an estimated 43,300 people had Covid-19 between November 29 and December 5, or 0.82 per cent of the population - up from 40,900 people, or 0.78 per cent, for November 22 to 28.

All figures are for people in private households.

Switzerland has ordered restaurants, bars and shops to close down from 7pm across much of the nation, the government said today, as the country continues to face a persistently high level of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

The government said regions less badly hit by the pandemic would still be allowed to have locations open until 11pm, in the measures which go into effect on Saturday.

The exception would apply to cantons which had a virus reproduction rate below one and an infection incidence below the national average over at least a week.

The measures, decided after discussions between the government and local authorities, also affect events and cultural activities which have been restricted to groups of five people.

“The level of infections with the coronavirus remains high and in some cantons is rising again,” the government said in a statement. “Hospitals are close to their limits and health personnel are under pressure. The situation is disturbing.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford has described the coronavirus situation in Wales as "very serious".

Mr Drakeford said the country's 17-day firebreak lockdown had successfully brought down rates of Covid-19 but these had now risen "faster than our models have predicted", adding that it was "firmly entrenched in so many parts of Wales".

"In some parts of Wales, such as Neath Port Talbot, Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taf, the rates are now incredibly high," Mr Drakeford told a press conference in Cardiff.

"These very high levels of coronavirus are translating inevitably into significant and sustained pressure on our NHS.

"This week the number of coronavirus related patients in hospital passed 1,900 for the very first time and continues to rise.

"If this increase continues at this rate, we could see 2,500 people with coronavirus in hospital by Christmas Day."

Downing Street said 75,000 additional PCR tests would be made available for schools in areas of concern in London to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

The tests will go to the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Hackney and the City, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

A No 10 spokesman said: "In London, an additional 15 mobile testing units will be deployed in or near schools for staff, students and their families to be tested, providing approximately 75,000 tests over and above existing test sites in the capital.

"On top of this, 44,000 home test kits will be made available for school staff, including teachers, to test before returning in January."

Downing Street warned both Christmas shoppers this weekend and Londoners at risk of moving into Tier 3 to be vigilant to control the spread of coronavirus.

Asked if Boris Johnson would urge those on the high street to be careful this weekend, a No 10 spokesman said: "Yes, absolutely. As we've been clear throughout the pandemic, we would urge the public to follow the guidelines in relationship to their activity to ensure that we are able to continue to drive down the transmission rate and protect communities."

And asked his message to Londoners, the spokesman said: "We would encourage people to remain vigilant and to adhere to local restrictions and to follow the social distancing rules that are in place."

The NHS in Wales "will not be able to cope as it is today" if the current levels of coronavirus-related admissions continue in the coming weeks, First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned.

He told a press conference in Cardiff that outdoor attractions across Wales, such as winter wonderlands, would be closed to limit the spread of Covid-19.

An updated coronavirus control plan will be published by the Welsh Government next week to help people, businesses and public services "plan in these rapidly changing circumstances," he told a press conference.

Mr Drakeford said: "The revised plan sets out four alert levels. Today in Wales, we are at alert level 3, the traffic light is red, the level of risk is very high.

"If the strengthened measures of last week and the extra action of this week - together with the efforts each and every one of us need to make - if those measures do not succeed in turning the tide of the virus then it is inevitable that we will have to consider a move to alert level 4 immediately after Christmas."

Different levels of restrictions could be seen in parts of Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

Mr Drakeford told a press conference that it was "inevitable" that greater restrictions would be imposed if Wales moved from level 3 to level 4 on the system.

"If it were to be the case that some parts of Wales established themselves in a predictable and sustainable way as having a different level of the virus to other parts of Wales, it would be possible to have more than one level in Wales," Mr Drakeford said.

"That is not the position we are in in Wales today. The virus is rising everywhere in Wales.

"But the plan will set out the criteria we would use, the judgments that will be needed if that pattern were to change in the future."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was nervous about what Northern Ireland might be facing in January after the lifting of several coronavirus restrictions today.

Ms O'Neill visited a contact tracing facility in Ballymena, along with First Minister Arlene Foster and Health Minister Robin Swann.

Asked by PA if she had concerns about the relaxations introduced and if she was nervous what those might mean for the region in January, she replied: "To be completely honest, I am.

"I think we've tried to find a balanced way forward throughout the whole of the pandemic. It remains the case today that we know that everything we're doing comes with risk.

"But I think that the public have the capacity to try to keep this in check, to keep the virus in check by limiting our movements, all of us collectively limiting their movements, being careful, being safe, following the public health advice, we have the capacity to actually try and keep this virus in check."

In Wales, the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 has increased in recent weeks, the ONS said.

An estimated 25,600 people in private households had Covid-19 between November 29 and December 5 - the equivalent of 0.84 per cent of the population.

This is up from an estimated 18,100 people for the period November 22 to 28, or 0.60 per cent of the population.

Because of the relatively small number of tests and low number of positives in its Wales sample, results should be interpreted with caution, the ONS added.

The proportion of people testing positive for Covid-19 is estimated to have increased in London, while there are early signs rates may have increased in eastern England, the ONS said.

Rates have decreased in all other regions.

North West England has the highest rate (with an estimated 1.3 per cent of people in private households testing positive for Covid-19), followed by Yorkshire & the Humber (1.2 per cent) and north-east England (1.1 per cent).

South West England has the lowest rate (0.4 per cent).

An estimated 481,500 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between November 29 and December 5, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is the equivalent of around 0.88 per cent of the population, or one in 115 people.

It represents a drop from 521,300 people, or one in 105, who were estimated to have Covid-19 in the period November 22 to 28.

The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

Stormont's health minister has said he would have preferred stricter coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland in the run-up to Christmas.

Commenting on the ending of the circuit-break lockdown and the reopening of shops and much of the hospitality sector, Robin Swann said he had to accept that he operated in a five-party executive.

Mr Swann also predicted that Northern Ireland would need a further tightening of restrictions in January.

He said how strict those were depending on people's actions in the coming weeks.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it would work rapidly toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorisation for Pfizer Inc's Covid-19 vaccine.

A panel of outside advisers to the FDA on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to endorse emergency use of the vaccine, paving the way for the agency to authorise the shot for a country that has lost more than 285,000 lives to the virus.

The agency has also notified the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed so that they can execute their plans for timely vaccine distribution.

Isolation for contacts of positive Covid-19 cases, and those returning from abroad is to be cut to 10 days from Monday.

And there are hopes that the system for such cases will be abolished in the new year, replaced with daily tests for those at risk.

Health officials said the confinement for close contacts of positive cases and those returning from countries not on the travel corridor list will be reduced from 14 days to 10.

This puts it in line with the isolation period for those diagnosed with the virus. This requirement is expected to remain in place for anyone suffering symptoms and those with a positive test result.

Laura Donnelly has more here. 

French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot has pledged an extra 35 million euros to bail out museums, cinemas and theatres left "stunned" by the extension of Covid-19 restrictions for at least three more weeks.

She told BFM television the decision not to reopen museums, cinemas and theatres next Tuesday as planned because infection rates are not falling as fast as the government had hoped was "a true heartbreak".

"But if we had reopened on December 15 and shut down again in January, that would have killed the cultural sector," she added.

Noting that the government had already provided 7.5 billion euros in aid to the sector, Bachelot said: "I told (Prime Minister Jean Castex) that we would need an extra 35 million euros to help the sector get through the end of the year.

"I know I will get that."

Venues will now reopen in early January, if health conditions permit.

Greece will slash quarantine time for incoming travellers and reopen churches for Christmas, a government spokesman today, although coronavirus infection rates remain high.

"Up to nine people will be allowed in churches and up to 25 people in cathedrals" on Christmas Day and Epiphany, government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters.

And there was good news for some small businesses as hair salons and bookstores can also resume operation from Monday.

An ongoing coronavirus lockdown to January 7 remains in force, but the quarantine period for incoming travellers will be reduced from 10 to three days for those arriving from December 18, Petsas said.

The government added that because of major delays in parcel delivery, retail stores can distribute online orders through click-and-collect side exits until January 7, wherever possible.

"Just one person will be allowed to collect their order... we must avoid major social mobility and crowding outside stores," Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Russian branch said today it would use part of Russia's homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials.

"Today we announce a clinical trial programme to assess safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Sputnik V, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research institute," AstraZeneca said in a statement published on its website in English and Russian.

Russia has reported a new record for daily coronavirus-related fatalities, as the country begins a mass vaccination drive.

Health officials reported 613 virus deaths over the past 24 hours, crossing the 600 mark for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Total fatalities stood at 45,893, while infections jumped to 2,597,711, placing Russia's caseload fourth-highest in the world.

Russia has reported a much lower death rate than other badly hit countries, raising concerns that authorities have downplayed the pandemic.

Data published by the country's federal statistics service on Thursday indicated excess deaths of nearly 165,000 year-on-year between March and October, suggesting virus deaths could be much higher.

Hopes that life will return to normal within six months are at their highest level since July, new figures show.

More than a quarter (28 per cent) of adults in Britain believe life will return to normal within half a year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

However, 33 per cent feel this will take between seven to twelve months and 18 per cent that it will be longer than a year.

The ONS analysed responses from 4,151 adults surveyed between December 2 and 6.

Hopes have been steadily rising since late October, when nine per cent felt life would return to normal within six months, and the latest vaccine news may have further boosted optimism.

The last time such a high proportion felt this way was between July 8 and 12.

In north-east London, an additional 44,000 home test kits will be made available for school staff.

Fifteen mobile testing units will be deployed in or near schools in the worst-affected boroughs of the capital for staff, students and their families to be tested, the Government has said.

In Essex, an additional 10 units will be deployed over the weekend.

Schools and colleges will be provided with information on how to get involved, and parents will be able to apply for tests using the online testing portal.

The Government has unveiled more details on the areas in England where secondary school and college students will receive coronavirus testing.

Staff, students and families in secondary schools and colleges in parts of north-east London, south Essex and Kent are being urged to get tested.

The London boroughs receiving additional testing are: Barking and Dagenham; Hackney and the City; Havering; Newham; Redbridge; Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

The Essex boroughs included are Southend; Basildon; Basildon; Canvey Island; Harlow; Brentwood and Harlow.

In Kent, an additional two mobile testing units  will be deployed on Saturday, with a further 10 MTUs arriving later in the weekend.  

The world over is battling coronavirus - here are the best images this morning. 

UK holidaymakers on the Canary Islands have hit out at new quarantine rules that have disrupted their Christmas plans.

People arriving in the UK from the popular Spanish islands from 4am on Saturday must self-isolate for 14 days.

Tour operator Tui said it has around 5,000 UK holidaymakers on the islands, with a further 800 booked to fly out on Friday morning.

The Canary Islands were removed from the UK's travel corridors list on Thursday due to a rise in the positivity rate for coronavirus tests.

This quarantine period can be shortened for people arriving in England from Dec 15 if they pay to take a coronavirus test at least five days after they land, and receive a negative result.

Steve Hay, from Bournemouth, arrived on Lanzarote on Thursday for a seven-day break with his family, costing more than £2,000.

He told the PA news agency they were "looking at options" because self-isolating for 14 days on their return would taken them up to Dec 31, and mean they could not socialise with people outside their household over Christmas.

He added: "I think it's shocking and doesn't appear much thought has gone into it. Why is it being implemented so quick? This only gives us tomorrow [Friday] to get back.

"I think it's crazy and the Canaries cannot be looked at as a whole, each island should be rated."

Medics have been told to keep watch on all patients given the coronavirus vaccine for at least 15 minutes under precautionary safety guidance.

Some GPs said it would slow down the delivery of the programme, with others pulling out of the scheme saying their sites did not have enough space for patients to wait around, or enough staff to carry out monitoring.

It comes as ministers promised a significant expansion of the vaccination scheme next week.

More than 280 GP hubs and 83 hospitals should be administering jabs from Monday, with roving teams sent into care home by Christmas.

Read the full story here.

Russia is starting its Covid-19 vaccination programme, with clinics in the capital Moscow inoculating those most at risk from the virus.

Its own vaccine Sputnik V, which was registered in August, is being used.

Developers say it is 95% effective and causes no major side effects, but it is still undergoing mass testing.

Prof Spiegelhalter added: "I am sure people wanted a downward trend before Christmas to produce a, kind of, buffer before the Christmas season, because there is bound to be some effect.

"Now, I wouldn't want to say what the size of that effect is going to be because it depends crucially on people's behaviour. And, how much they obey the rules and are sensible."

"This could be just a blip, and it might not be that big, I wouldn't want to say. I think we need to look beyond that towards the whole winter, I think.

"We can't make this disappear and we can't let it get out of control. And, it won't get out of control... that won't be allowed to happen. So, it's keeping a lid on it."

Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter said: "The downward trend that happened after the higher tiers and lockdown has now stopped, cases are going up.

"(There are) 350, 400 deaths a day in the UK - that's about 10,000 a month. And these are real deaths. These are extra deaths that would not have happened normally. They are from Covid, they are not just with Covid."

On Thursday, the UK recorded 20,964 more Covid-19 cases - a rise of 4,386 compared with Wednesday's figure of 16,578.

It was the highest daily increase since mid-November and brings the total number of infections during the pandemic to 1,787,783.

Oliver Dowden has said the main priority of the Government is to keep children in school.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, the Culture Secretary said: "As a Government we are doing everything we can first of all to prioritise kids remaining in schools, and the vast majority of children remain in schools.

"And secondly, to ensure that schools continue to be a safe place - and I pay tribute to teachers and head teachers and all the work they have done."

When asked why England wasn't following Wales lead and closing schools, he said the Government's testing plans had the objective of keeping pupils in education through mass testing.

Passenger numbers were down 88% year-on-year in November, with 747,000 people travelling through the London airport.

The airport said this was due to travel restrictions and England's second national coronavirus lockdown.

It announced that Terminal 4 will remain closed in 2021 "based on current forecasts and continued decline in passengers".

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "2021 should be the year of Britain's economic recovery.

"But recent announcements, such as the tourist tax, could be the final nail in the coffin for struggling businesses such restaurants, hotels and theatres that rely on inbound tourists, as well as for retailers.

"To make global Britain a reality, the Government should be helping the aviation sector to survive, to develop routes to our key trading partners, and attract businesses and tourists to come to Britain to spend their money."

Glasgow's pubs and restaurants will be allowed to play music when they reopen, the Scottish government has confirmed.

Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues will be allowed to play background music, regardless of the level of restrictions imposed in the area. 

It comes as Glasgow's cafes and restaurants prepare for a limited reopening on Saturday as the city moves from level four to three lockdown restrictions.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned the capital faces a "tipping point" in the fight against Covid-19 ahead of restrictions being reviewed next week.

He has called on Londoners to work together with local leaders and organisations to help tackle the spread of the virus as the city attempts to turn the rising tide of case numbers.

It was revealed on Thursday that London has the highest coronavirus rate in England, with infection rates in the city at 191.8 per 100,000 people for the week of 30 November to 6 December. However, infections have plateaued across the rest of the country and fallen in some parts.

The Mayor has pledged more community testing,  supported by 10 extra mobile testing units plus 40 permanent and 35 mobile lateral flow test centres.

He has also promised up to 30 additional officers from Westminster, Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham to provide on the ground capacity this weekend.

Meanwhile, 72% of participants told a survey - based on an approved coronavirus vaccine - they were willing to be vaccinated.

The findings, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, are based on a demographically representative sample of 5,114 adults in the UK.

Professor Daniel Freeman, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, who led the study, said: "Vaccine hesitancy is mistrust of a vaccine: that it is not needed, it will not work, or it will not be safe.

"Strikingly, those who are hesitant are not bringing to mind the benefit to everyone of taking a Covid-19 vaccine.

"There are also suspicions that the virus is no worse than the flu and that vaccine side effects won't be known until later.

"It is often rooted in deeper mistrust, including negative views of doctors, anger at our institutions, and sometimes even outright conspiracy beliefs."

Currently, there is a low chance of significant numbers of universities failing amid Covid-19 but uncertainties remain, the Office for Students (OfS) has said.

Britain's exit from the EU and its impact on the recruitment of EU students could affect universities' financial viability, according to the analysis.

Overall, the data shows that the sector is expecting to report broadly similar levels of income of £35 billion across all three years, with an expected decline in 2020-21 to below levels achieved in 2018-19.

The report from England's higher education watchdog says: "Although the aggregate financial position is sound, there is still very significant uncertainty as the pandemic continues, so the situation could change quickly.

"Issues that could impact on income include higher numbers of students dropping out, reduced income from accommodation and conference facilities or impact of Covid-19 restrictions."

Researchers warned, however, that greener measures are needed as economies recover, including boosting cycling, walking and electric cars in the UK, to start delivering the annual emissions cuts required to to curb climate change.

The UK saw one of the biggest drops in emissions at 13%, the analysis suggests, as it saw major reductions in transport - the largest source of climate pollution for the country - and was hit by two waves of restrictions.

Transport made up the biggest share of falling emissions as car journeys were reduced and aviation was halted, researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), University of Exeter and the Global Carbon Project said.

In December 2020, global emissions from road transport were still 10% below 2019 levels and aviation pollution was 40% lower than last year.

Some 340,994 three-day food parcels were distributed by 189 independent food banks in the UK between April and September, according to the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN). 

This is the equivalent of 13,043 parcels a week - or 1,863 a day.

IFAN expects the number to pass half a million before the end of the year, with demand continuing to rise and an anticipated spike expected in the run-up to Christmas.

Recent Trussell Trust figures showed its network of 1,300 centres distributed more than a million parcels in the six months to September.

Direct Line Travel Insurance said millions of workers still had holidays to take before the end of the year.

Lockdown restrictions and tier systems were continuing to cause chaos, said the report, leaving many people unsure what to use holiday for as they are unable to go away or socialise.

Of those whose holiday entitlement lasts the calendar year, the average number of days left is six, the research indicated.

Tom Bishop, head of travel insurance at Direct Line, said: "Covid-19 continues to impact many aspects of our lives, so it's really important to take time away from our screens to help us relax, unwind and recharge.

"With so many people now working from home it is understandable that many are finding it difficult to not log-on during a day off, but now more than ever it's vital to have a break."

Call handlers for NHS Test and Trace spent just one per cent of their time working as £22 billion was “thrown at” efforts to “avert a lockdown,” a damning report warns. 

The National Audit Office (NAO) said billions of pounds have been spent on outsourced providers without proper scrutiny to prevent conflicts of interest and waste. 

Its report found that after 18,000 call handlers were employed in May, their “utilisation rates” were just one per cent. It comes after workers spoke of how they were effectively being paid to “watch Netflix” with one describing receiving £4,500 without receiving a single call.

Read the full story here.

Eton College has closed temporarily to stem a rising number of coronavirus cases among teachers and pupils, it was reported. 

Simon Henderson, the school Head Master, wrote to parents saying "a large number of symptomatic boys and staff tested positive" for the virus, according to the Daily Mail. 

Pupils will be taught remotely until the end of term in order to prevent the number of cases spiralling out of control, the paper reported.  He did not specify the number of cases that had been confirmed within the college.

Read the full story. 

Cuba will start its long-awaited monetary reform in January, eliminating its dual currency and labyrinthine multiple exchange-rate system in a bid to improve business conditions in the crisis-stricken economy.

In a televised address to the nation, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the Cuban peso would be fixed at a single exchange rate of 24 per dollar in the first devaluation of the peso since the country's 1959 revolution.

"We consider the conditions have been created to enable us to announce the start of the task of (monetary) ordering from January 1," said Diaz-Canel, sitting next to Cuban Communist Party chief Raul Castro.

Cuba's economy has been badly hurt by the coronavirus crisis.

Read more: Cuba devalues peso for first time since 1959 revolution

A US government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, in the last major step towards approving a vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak in America.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulator is not required to - but is widely expected to - follow the recommendation issued on Thursday by its expert advisers.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), in 17-4 vote with one abstention, concluded that the shot appears safe and effective against the coronavirus in people 16 and older.

Widespread access to the general public is not expected until the spring.

Read more: Pfizer set to get go-ahead from US regulator

Development of a Covid-19 vaccine in Australia was abandoned Friday after clinical trials produced a false positive HIV result among subjects involved in early-stage testing.

The result prompted the government to axe plans to purchase millions of doses of the candidate vaccine and instead increase orders of alternatives from AstraZeneca and Novax, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

"The University of Queensland vaccine will not be able to proceed based on the scientific advice, and that will no longer feature as part of Australia's vaccine plan," Mr Morrison said.

The candidate vaccine, which was still in phase one trials at the University of Queensland, used a small amount of HIV protein as a "molecular clamp" but triggered an antibody response that could interfere with HIV screening, Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

• Call handlers for NHS Test and Trace spent just one per cent of their time working as £22 billion was “thrown at” efforts to “avert a lockdown,” a damning report warns

• A hospital where there was a sudden rise in Covid-19 deaths in the autumn failed to test all new emergency patients on admission, the Telegraph can disclose

• Mass testing is to be rolled out in schools across the capital, as ministers launched a last ditch effort to avoid closures

• Moving London into Tier 3 would be a “total disaster” and trigger a last hurrah that would lead to an increase in cases, a leading epidemiologist has warned

• Medics have been told to keep watch on all patients given the coronavirus vaccine for at least 15 minutes under precautionary safety guidance

• Kay Burley has apologised for dragging her Sky News colleagues into her birthday party “episode” as she agreed to go off air for six months after breaching Covid rules

• A US government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, in the last major step towards approving a vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak in America