the first vaccine has been developed which appears to prevent 90% of people developing coronavirus. the results for the vaccine from pfizer and its partner, biontech, are only preliminary, but its scientists are jubilant. there are more steps that need to happen, but we feel that we are on the cusp of one of the biggest medical advances for society and mankind in the 100 years that have passed here. if the pfizer vaccine passes all the rigorous safety checks and is proved to be effective, then we will begin a uk—wide, nhs—led programme of vaccine distribution. could this mean the end of the coronavirus nightmare? there are many questions — not least, does the vaccine

definitely work, and when will we get it? also tonight: just how much a vaccine is needed — inside a hospital in derby, where 600 staff are off because of coronavirus. open for business — wales emerges from its lockdown to less restrictive measures. and president—elect joe biden gets to work — convening a taskforce to combat coronavirus, which has killed more people in america than anywhere else. and coming up on bbc news: fears over player burnout. jurgen klopp criticises the premier league for a lack of leadership, as calls grow for the reintroduction of five substitutes in the top flight. good evening and welcome

to the bbc news at six. could this be the news we've all been waiting for? preliminary results suggest a new vaccine has been developed that can prevent more than 90% of people getting coronavirus. the pharmaceutical giant pfizer and its partner, biontech, have tested their vaccine on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. they intend to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month. lots of questions remain. this announcement is on the basis of very early analysis only, it's not yet been approved and, if it is, when will it will be available to us in the uk? 0ur medical editor, fergus walsh, has more. this is a huge day for science and perhaps the world. for the first time, a covid—19 vaccine has been shown to protect against the disease. plenty of caution is needed, but the preliminary results of the pfizer/biontech trial are

highly promising. there were more than 43,000 volunteers on the trial, which began in july. than 43,000 volunteers on the trial, which began injuly. half got the coronavirus vaccine, half a dummy, or placebo jab. since then, 94 volu nteers or placebo jab. since then, 94 volunteers have got infected with coronavirus, nearly all in the non—vaccinated group. as a result, pfizer says the vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing coronavirus infection. it is such a great day for science and humanity. you know, i have neverfelt professionally such a moment ofjoy. and we werejust professionally such a moment ofjoy. and we were just jumping professionally such a moment ofjoy. and we werejustjumping up professionally such a moment ofjoy. and we were justjumping up and professionally such a moment ofjoy. and we werejustjumping up and down with joy for humanity, joy for medical advances to put an end to this dreadful pandemic. the vaccine uses this dreadful pandemic. the vaccine uses a tiny part of the genetic sequence uses a tiny part of the genetic sequence of coronavirus rather than the actual virus itself. synthetic material is injected into muscle cells in the arm. this stimulates

the creation of antibodies. y—shaped proteins which should bind on to coronavirus, preventing future infections. killer t cells are also produced. these should identify and destroy cells which have become infected. scientists around the world have moved at an extraordinary pace to develop coronavirus vaccines. there are 47 in human trials. the uk government has advance orders for six of them, including 40 million doses of the pfizer/biontech vaccine. that is enough to immunise 20 million people, as you need two doses. pfizer says by the end of the year, 50 million doses will be available globally, but only a minority will come here to the uk. the government has also ordered 100 million doses of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. we are still awaiting their results. it is thought around 4 million doses

will be available here by the end of the year. at the number 10 press briefing, cautious optimism. the year. at the number 10 press briefing, cautious optimismlj the year. at the number 10 press briefing, cautious optimism. i have to say that this is really a very important scientific breakthrough. to say that this is really a very important scientific breakthroughlj am certain of that. how potentially important are the vaccine results today? it is crucial that we do not overdo it. we cannot let our enthusiasm tonight run away with us, folks. i'm very, very sorry to say this. it is more vital than ever now that we follow the basics, that we wait and see whether this vaccine lives up to its promise. we continue with the measures we have in place. pfizer says it will apply for emergency authorisation for its vaccine towards the end of the month. regulatory approval could come in the first half of december. the first small step perhaps towards

ending this pandemic. a small step perhaps. the markets are soaring on this news, how excited should we be? well, i have been giving you bad news it seems month after month. this is really good news and potentially hugely important. there area potentially hugely important. there are a lot of caveats, it is early data, it has not been peer reviewed. the volunteers were only followed four weeks, we need to follow them for months. but let's not be churlish, these results are astounding. 90% effective. now, they need to be followed up for months and months, we don't know whether people might need to have a booster jab, that is possible. but really, it is very, very promising. if the vaccine is approved, there are logistical challenges ahead. the prime minister referred to those. how soon will we get the vaccine, how much will we get, who will get it? it will be nhs front line workers first in line and then

those most vulnerable and that is really the most elderly and then coming down in age groups after that. now, it is a tricky vaccine because it has to be stored at —80 degrees, it is the first rna vaccine ever to be produced which is going for authorisation, so it is a new approach. so it is not going to make any impact at all on the pandemic before christmas. it might, if we start using it and it is approved, start using it and it is approved, start to have an impact by spring. but really good news, there are other vaccines that also use a similar approach, the same bit of genetic material from the spike protein on the coronavirus, they use that approach as well so it looks promising for them, too. fergus, it is good to have some good news, isn't it? thanks very much indeed. while the possibility of a new vaccine can give us all hope, the immediate pressures on the nhs remain. with many wards already full, health unions say staff are complaining of feeling burntout by this second wave

so close to the first one. the department of health says it's committed to giving the nhs in england the resources it needs. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has been to the university hospitals of derby & burton trust, where nearly 600 staff are currently off sick or self—isolating due to coronavirus. everyone's kind of on edge at the moment, like, wondering, is it going to get to that level again? the general state of exhaustion and burnout is still there. there are some people that, it's come as a shock to them, almost like they've been to war and they've got ptsd. the faces behind the masks. they worked through the first wave and now they're facing the second. kellyanne is a nurse in the intensive care unit at royal derby hospital. she says they're feeling the strain. it's scary for us. it was a struggle the last time.

i think we're all still kind of running on adrenalin at this point. even, like, looking back at the last wave feels a bit like a dream or a nightmare. we're exhausted. and it will be a struggle. the atmosphere here is calm. staff are simply getting on with theirjobs as professionally as ever. but that can conceal their private concerns about just what this second wave will mean. caroline is the sister in charge of the intensive care unit. this section for covid patients is nearly full. how do you feel personally? i'm ready and willing, but i'm very tired. my staff, i'm very concerned that they're also very tired and stressed out. and we have a lot of sickness, due to either burnout orjust that they're unwell themselves. how are you getting on? all right.

dawn is one of their intensive care patients. she's 61 and has no underlying health conditions. she wants people to see how serious covid is. at first, you think, oh, you're going to be ok. but then, as things progress, you can't breathe. quite frightening. frightening for family. my husband is absolutely devastated. it'sjust floored me. yeah. so... it can happen to anybody. another patient‘s condition has changed suddenly. greg, who's a consultant, is called over to help. so, this patient‘s oxygenation levels have dropped a lot this morning. and the question is, why, why has that happened? four members of staff at the trust — a health care assistant, two doctors and a cleaner — lost their lives to covid

in the first wave. memories of that are raw. we very rarely are in a position where we have to look after somebody who is a colleague or a friend or an acquaintance. and when you do, you suddenly realise how mortal we all are. because suddenly, it's a personal thing. staff say they feel well supported by the trust. hospital leaders are sympathetic. it's hard. properly hard. they say the workload is more intense than before, as they're trying to keep all types of care going. my anxiety is that it's going to be harder than it was in phase one. we're fighting on multiple fronts. and i hate to be militaristic about it, but that's almost how it feels. and we're relying on our staff bringing the energy again, and their faith and concentration through the whole of winter. how are you? i'm fine, thank you. thanks for asking. back in a covid ward, mick has some

good news for his wife. he's about to be discharged, after nearly a week in hospital. here, i've had the best treatment. fantastic. they've looked after me well. i certainly am looking forward to going home, yes, seeing the wife. first time we've been apart in 54 years. stories like that are encouraging for staff, but they know there's a long road ahead. we've done it before and we'll do it again. we just have to all support each other and... and get through it. yeah. they're tired and often stressed, but they know people are relying on them and many others to keep the nhs going this winter. hugh pym, bbc news, derby. hundreds of thousands of fast—turnaround coronavirus tests are being dispatched by the government to local authorities and the devolved nations — in a further move towards a strategy of mass testing. it was in liverpool where the first

ten—day pilot scheme began last friday. today, the government has indicated a similar mass testing capacity would next be established in universities. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. a rapid coronavirus testing centre in liverpool today, none of the key is here. local officials have tested around 23,000 people across the city in this mass testing pilot. we got out in this mass testing pilot. we got our results within about 15 minutes. mine came back negative. 0urs came backis mine came back negative. 0urs came back is unclear. so we just popped back is unclear. so we just popped back down again and he has had another one now. but it is straightforward. i think they have done a good job here doing it in different places so everyone can go. if i'm honest, i think they are a bit like doing this, they should have been done in the first wave. the prime minister has now said this kind of rapid testing will be expanded. we are now going further by sending out hundreds of thousands

of rapid lateral flow tests to local authorities right across england and also of course to the devolved administrations. we are working with universities to establish as soon as possible similar mass testing capacity for students up and down the country. but questions are being asked about whether the government has had to turn to mass testing because it's test and trace scheme has failed. the percentage of contacts has failed. the percentage of co nta cts of has failed. the percentage of contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus being reached by test and trace has decreased from a high of 90% injune to around 60% male. meaning well over a third of those who might be infected are not being reached. -- 60% now. if we had had an effective te st 60% now. if we had had an effective test and trace scheme, particularly during the summer, then perhaps we would not be in the position that we are now and this sort of mass

screening wouldn't be needed. liverpool is aiming to carry out 50,000 tests a day, but there are concerns about the accuracy of the results and whether mass testing and stop the spread of the virus. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. there were 21,350 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. 194 deaths were reported. that is people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. a 17—day national lockdown in wales has ended, but authorities there say it will be another fortnight before the full impact of the restrictions is known. new, less restrictive measures have now come into force across wales — groups of up to four people can now meet in cafes, pubs and restaurants, while shops, gyms and hairdressers can reopen. 0ur wales correspondent, hywel griffith, is in merthyr tydfil. hywel, the infection rate remains among the highest in the uk there.

yes, the latest rolling data shows around 500 cases per 100,000 people in merthyr tydfil. the test positivity rate is still around 25%, worryingly high, but figures which have started to fall in recent days. the welsh government says keeping a place like method locked down would bea place like method locked down would be a betrayal of trust and so today business is reopened again, extended households could meet once again, but all in the knowledge that yet another so—called firebreak lockdown might still be necessary in the future. unlocked, but still uncertain. as businesses reopen, people here in merthyr tydfil are all too aware that the virus is still spreading. margaret and mavis are meeting again for the first time since the firebreak. we're a bit wary, frightened really. we've maybe put ourselves into something by coming up here today. maybe, oh, we'll have to go back into lockdown. you know, before christmas, or let's. .. let's go and buy some stuff now!

you're filling your shopping bags while you can? yes! definitely. laura's noticed people starting to stockpile — shopping while they can, sensing things could all change again. we're optimistic. we're hoping, and fingers crossed, and hoping we can make it through till christmas, and then we'll tackle next year next year! the buzz of getting back to work is mixed with having to learn a new set of national rules. for example, pubs can welcome four individuals, but they must stay two metres apart. coronavirus, of course, is still very much with us... they are reopening with coronavirus rates across wales higher than they were before the firebreak, but numbers have been falling in recent days. provided people in merthyr, as in the rest of wales, do the things that we are asking people to do as we come out of the firebreak period, we can have some optimism that the path that we are following in that part of wales is showing

the advantages of the firebreak period that we have just completed. but some here are anxious and think local lockdowns would help. doctor dai samuel lives and works in merthyr tydfil. he says the pressure on the front line is too great to hesitate. things are changing so quickly in our hospitals and in our communities. even within a few days, we're seeing the number of cases coming into hospitals increase exponentially. i think it will only take a few weeks, once those figures climb even more, for us to have to go back into lockdown. a further firebreak hasn't been ruled out but, for now, the hope is that communities can make it to christmas before any shutters have to come down again. hywel griffith, bbc news, merthyr tydfil. the time is 6:18. our top story this evening: the first vaccine has been developed which appears to prevent 90% of people developing coronavirus. and 25 years on from the passing of the disability

discrimination act — what has changed? coming up on sportsday on bbc news: one of the leading voices in sport, footballer megan rapinoe, tells the bbc about the importance of using her platform to help others and her ongoing campaign for equal rights. president—electjoe biden has begun assembling his team for the transition to the white house. today he's convening the members of his coronavirus task force. meanwhile, the current resident of the white house shows no sign of conceding, as donald trump continues to try to fight the result. mr biden was projected as the winner after getting 279 electoral college votes — past the crucial number of 270. and that looks likely to increase — with a few states, seen here in grey, yet to declare. the president—elect said tackling the coronavirus pandemic was key to restoring the country's economy in his victory speech. reported cases continue

to climb across america, and are now nearing 10 million, with more than 237,000 people reported to have died from covid. both are the highest of any country in the world. todayjoe biden welcomed the news of a vaccine, calling it a "cause for hope". 0ur north america editorjon sopel is at the white house. jon — joe biden at pains to say repeatedly in the last hour that the best thing americans can do for now is wear a mask? yes, and gone are the ambivalent m essa 9 es yes, and gone are the ambivalent messages that we've had from donald trump, who has chided people for being politically correct for putting a mask and then on other occasions saying it's a patriotic duty. joe biden was straight down the line, he urged a bipartisan appeal imploring people while we wait for this vaccine to put on a mask, because it could save lives, there was no hay varying at all on that message one bit and it was very striking the difference in tone from him and donald trump. —— there was

no havering. 0n the backs and he was delighted and so is donald trump although you can help wondering if donald trump wishes that pfizer announcement had come a couple of weeks earlier and what impact that might have had on the race. donald trump this morning still have said nothing about conceding, he has fired the defence secretary in what looks like it might be a bloodbath, saying, i have terminated him! but one of his aides was asked about conceding and he said that word is not in our vocabulary. well, brexit negotiations are continuing here and joe biden has made it clear that he is not a fan of brexit nor the government's approach to it. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg is in the house of lords, where voting is taking place on the current brexit bill. as you say, joe biden has been clear he doesn't think very much of brexit and in particular he doesn't like the government's controversial plan to give ministers more control over some aspects of what happens in northern ireland if they can't reach

joint agreement with the eu. the real kicker about that is that the government says ministers should have the ability to break international law if they need to, to do so. butjoe biden is not alone in having distaste for that. but the other members of the house of lords are talking about this right now and think the plan is not much short of an outrage. later tonight they are likely to put it back down there to the house of commons but the government has no intention of backing down and getting rid of these clauses for now at least. laura, thank you. the grenfell tower inquiry‘s heard that a manager at arconic — which made the cladding panels partly blamed for the disaster — wanted to keep a poor fire test result "very confidential". he also warned in internal emails that the type of plastic used in panels was very dangerous on the outside of buildings. arconic says it was for the architects to ensure their designs were safe. the bbc has promised to launch an independent investigation

into claims made by princess diana's brother that he was deceived by the reporter martin bashir ahead of the princess's television interview in 1995. earl spencer says the former panorama reporter had false bank statements made in an effort encourage the princess to give him an interview. the bbc‘s director general says the corporation is taking the matter very seriously. jonny dymond reports. your royal highness, how prepared were you... it was one of the biggest tv interviews of all time. princess diana laying bare her loveless marriage, a love for another man, her suffering. and you think you have the knowledge... butjust how did martin bashir get the interview? diana's brother, charles spencer, says martin bashir showed him forged bank statements suggesting conspiracy to win his trust and gain access to his sister. and matt wiessler, the graphic artist that created those bank

statements, has now spoken out. i got home from work and i got a phone call from martin bashir, and he wanted me to do a favour for him and it was really urgent and really important. martin asked me to make up a couple of bank statements that he needed the following day. and he did say that they were just going to be used as copies. so, on that night i was just making some props forfilming purposes. charles spencer says he's speaking out now, 25 years later, because he found out recently that the bbc knew about the forged bank statements. the men and women who ran bbc news in the ‘90s have all moved on. the new director—general has acknowledged the deceit and promised an independent inquiry. there are a lot of questions. christian leaders have... but so far, no answers from martin bashir — now the bbc‘s religion editor.

seen up and about this weekend, the bbc says he is recovering from heart surgery and is unable to answer questions. jonny dymond, bbc news. it's 25 years since the disability discrimination act was passed — landmark civil rights legislation protecting disabled people in employment, education and the provision of goods and services. despite that, new research for the bbc suggests nearly a quarter of young disabled people feel they can't lead independent lives. 60% say they find pubs and clubs inaccessible. and four out of five people asked feel the needs of disabled people have been overlooked during the pandemic. 0ur disability news correspondent nikki fox reports. the voices of disabled people in the uk. if you see me walking up a flight of stairs and your heart breaks because i'm struggling to walk up the stairs, you should ask why i am taking the stairs, you should ask why there is no step free access into the building.

just some of the problems nearly 14 million people face right now. we're still getting driven past on the street by taxis. that's, like, basic. that's super basic. 25 years on from a breakthrough in disability rights, what has actually changed? i often feel like a second—class citizen. sam lives and works in the city of london. but she's quickly falling out of love with her adopted home. because i can't cross over there, i can only get to these shops here. this is as far as i can go on my own. pretty much, this is my lot! i kind of feel a little bit like rapunzel, trapped in a tower, if i'm honest. despite some obvious improvements over the last 25 years, sam still has to fight for her independence, because of a lack of access and social care support. and she's not alone. in an exclusive survey for the bbc, nearly a quarter of young people told us they don't either. do you think much has improved

in the last 25 years? a lot of non—disabled people, because we have got the equality act, they think, we can't be discriminated against, it's fine! when in actualfact, you know, we've still got a very long way to go to really, truly say that we live in an equal society. what is interesting is that young people are finding it so hard to live independent lives. —— why is it that young people are finding it so hard? you know, something as simple as drink in a pub orjust get around on public transport. well, that's why we will have the national strategy for disabled people, which the prime minister has personally raised, and what that is doing is challenging each government department to remove barriers in society and to help create a more inclusive society. i'm tess, and i'm from sheffield. the disability strategy, which has been delayed until next year, isn't going to give tess, a young social media influencer, the changes she needs now. she just wants to have the same opportunities as everyone else.

we need to start thinking bigger, like putting wheelchairs on aeroplanes, because correct me if i'm wrong, but haven't we landed on the moon? how is it not possible to put a... something's not adding up there for me. summat‘s not adding up. nikki fox, bbc news. time for a look at the weather, here's sarah keith lucas. it was a mistake, murky and mild start to monday. we had quite extensive fog around through the course of the morning, but the fog has been breaking up so there has been more sunshine coming through. and some showers as well, but what you will notice is it has been particularly mild. temperatures of 17 in the south—east of england, not bad for the middle of november. this is the picture in county tyrone earlier in the day. a bit of blue sky breaking through. we also had some heavy showers around so some rainbows across many parts of the

country earlier. this theme continue through tonight, very mild, pretty cloudy for most of us through the night as well. so a frost free start to your tuesday morning. and still a few showers particularly over the next few hours, some of those could be quite heavy across parts of england and wales. you can see the moving north—east, perhaps the odd thunderstorm and rumble of thunder as well. fewer shares tonight across parts of scotland and northern ireland and most showers across england and wales should ease away later. the clearer skies will be across the northern half of scotland. it is here temperatures will fall there was, perhaps 3 or four celsius but most of us, 10 or 11 to start tuesday morning. another mild start, some mist and fog patches in the north and east but they will not be as extensive or as long—lived as they were earlier today. tuesday, bit of a cloudy start but the cloud will thin and a break, allowing more sunshine. fewer showers as well but there will be one 01’ showers as well but there will be one or two splashes of light rain

particularly across parts of wales, southern england as well, elsewhere mostly dry. temperatures about 12 to 15 but they notch down on recent days. moving through into the middle of the week, there will be a change into wednesday. a front will be moving from the west, quite an active frontal system. so on wednesday we will be seeing some outbreaks of rain, especially in the west. strong southerly winds will pick up through the day so some gusty winds, some rain around on wednesday, it looks like the rain will just push its wednesday, it looks like the rain willjust push its way towards the south—east on into thursday. so a drier but a colder day on thursday. but things are going to be turning again for the unsettled, wet and windy from the west through the day on friday. not quite as mild as we have started the week with. a reminder of our top story...