this is bbc news. i'm tim willcox. the headlines at 8pm — a major breakthrough in the fight against corononavirus — a new vaccine is developed, and it appears to be more than 90% effective. the drug company pfizer says it's a great day for science, but others urge caution. the prime minister says the nhs will be ready for its roll—out. we have cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go before we know the vaccine can be used. hundreds of thousands of tests are being dispatched by the government to local authorities in a further move towards government targets. this is bbc news. the president can talk or not talk, tweet or not tweet, the us president electjoe biden concede or not concede —

says tackling the pandemic is his it doesn't change reality. first priority as the country's joe biden will be the next president of the united states, number of cases hit 10 million. and donald trump will be leaving we have to come together to heal the soul of this country, the white house. so that we can effectively address this crisis as one country. and 25 years after the disability mr biden is already adopting discrimination act, why many the trappings of power — disabled people still can't access getting briefings, more security what they need. and filling out his team. pfizer says its covid vaccine offers 90% protection against the virus as cases in the us pass 10 million. also in the programme — in the state of georgia, joe biden's win was razor—thin, so what does that mean for two pivotal senate races that will decide the balance good evening, and welcome to the bbc news. could this be the news we've of power in washington? all been waiting for? preliminary results suggest and the future first dogs — a new vaccine has been developed that can prevent more than 90% champ and major, the biden's german 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? our 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. half got the coronavirus vaccine, half a dummy, 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's such a great day for science and humanity. you know, i've never felt, professionally, such a moment ofjoy. and we werejustjumping up and down in the chairs with joy for humanity, joy for medical advances to put an end to this dreadful pandemic. the vaccine uses a tiny part of the genetic sequence of coronavirus rather than the actual virus itself. synthetic material, known as rna, is injected into muscle cells in the arm. this stimulates the creation of antibodies — y—shaped proteins, which should bind onto 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's 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's also ordered 100 million doses of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. we're still awaiting their results. it's thought around 4 million doses will be available here by the end of the year. at the number 10 press briefing, cautious optimism. i have to say that this is really a very important scientific breakthrough. i'm 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's 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 — a first small step, perhaps, towards ending this pandemic. we can speak now to dr andrew preston from the department of biology & biochemistry at the university of bath. how enthusiastic argue this vaccine? pretty enthusiastic. we have a waiting for some time for the nth

efficacy data so how is effective the vaccine actually is to come out. so to have a level of a percent is higher than we dared to hope for throughout the summer. so a really important milestone but as the bromley supported out, if you caveats to clear up. if we now have the vaccine can be used. and how long is the regulatory process because that is the next hurdle for you? could because that is the next hurdle for you ? could that because that is the next hurdle for you? could that be speeded up to a matter of weeks? every part of this vaccine matter of weeks? every part of this vaccine process matter of weeks? every part of this vaccine process could have been speeded up compared to the normal process and it has been. so i would expect the regulatory process to be expedited as well so how long it will take my depend on the complexity of the data. so couple of more weeks left before the sort of two months of safety data is com plete two months of safety data is complete but i would imagine the fda in particular is primed to go through this pretty quickly. help me out. what we know about what this vaccine can do? can it prevent

transmission or does it just vaccine can do? can it prevent transmission or does itjust prevent the illness itself in the individual? these are some of the details that i think need to come out when the trial is actually complete. this trial is not really capable of detecting whether transmission can be broken or even whether somebody is able to still pick up the virus. but it will certainly, indications are it should stop over covid—i9 disease in most people according to the data today. is it the same technology that has been used do we know in the chinese and the russian vaccines and indeed all the other vaccines that have been developed around the world? no, this is one of the really new developments in the vaccine platform. so as was pointed out this isa platform. so as was pointed out this is a messenger rna —based vaccine. used extremely before and if licensed this with the first hour and a vaccine licensed for use in

the general population. the imperial vaccine is also based on very similar technology, the more they in a vaccine is a dna —based one and of course we have several novel viral vaccines such as the author wimp and a whole host of perhaps more traditional vaccines where we inactivate the environs and inject that so a sweep of different approaches are being used but the pfizer vaccine is one of the real new types of vaccine being developed. one that struck me is it has to be stored at —70 or —80 celsius and that is going to be a problem majestically to get this around the world ? problem majestically to get this around the world? it certainly is. it is perhaps the major drawback of this particular technology. we've done about this for rna is an inherently unstable molecule. so that really low temperature is to keep it intact up until the point where it's delivered. i mean, even

refrigeration cold chains have proven a real problem in getting vaccines to all parts of the world, especially where the infrastructure perhaps is not as developed as we are perhaps is not as developed as we a re fortu nate perhaps is not as developed as we are fortunate to have. so if the rna vaccine are going to be rolled out to all parts of the globe, than that isa to all parts of the globe, than that is a major hurdle to overcome. as an academic and in the department of biology and biochemistry, could it be that this pfizer technique works alongside other vaccines using different techniques which could be equally as effective? could there be a whole menu of different vaccinations using different techniques to actually address the same problem? yes, absolutely. so i think the thing that is really cause for optimism is that we know the immune responses that have been elicited by a number of these different vaccines all appear to have a fairly similar profile to this pfizer vaccine. this is the

first real indication that that immune response is capable of preventing disease in people. so i guess if we extrapolate then, some of those other vaccines that elicit a similar immune response, we would not have even more hope that they would be just is efficacious or certainly have at least a good effectiveness as the pfizer won it, so we might have as you say multiple different vaccine alternatives available to us for use in different types of cohorts people and different age groups and comorbidities and at different points around the world. thank you very much indeed forjoining us here on bbc news. and tonight, we'll be attempting to answer your questions on the news, hopefully, of the first effective coronavirus vaccine. i'll be joined by cell biologist jennifer rohn and infectious disease specialist dr peter drobac to go through the detail. that's at 8:30pm here on bbc news.

while the possibility of a new vaccine can give us all hope, the immediate pressures on the nhs remain. with many hospital wards already full, health unions say staff are complaining of feeling burnt out 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 burn—out 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. kelly—ann 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 burn—out orjust that they're unwell themselves. she coughs. hi, dawn. 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, "0h, you're going to be ok." but then, as things progress, you can't breathe. quite frightening. frightening for family. my husband's 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, just their 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're 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 faiths 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, yeah, and seeing the wife again. it's the 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, erm, 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, and 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 queues of the weekend here. since friday, local officials say they've tested around 23,000 people across the city in this mass—testing pilot. we got our results within about 15 minutes. mine came back negative. 0urs came back as unclear. unclear, so... so, we just popped back down again, so he'sjust had his other one now.

but you know what? it's straightforward. i think that they've done a good job here, and doing it in different places, so everyone can go. if i'm honest, i think they're a little bit too late doing this. i think this should've been done in the first wave. the prime minister has now said this kind of rapid testing will be expanded. we're 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're 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 its test and trace scheme has failed. the percentage of contacts of people who've tested positive for coronavirus being reached by test and trace has decreased from a high of 90% injune to around 60% now — meaning well over a third of those who might be infected

are not being reached. if we had had an effective test, track 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 can halt the spread of the virus. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. the government's latest coronavirus data was released earlier this evening. a further 21,350 cases of coronavirus have been reported over the last 24—hour period in the uk. and there have been 194 reported deaths. those are people who have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

the headlines on bbc news — a major breakthrough in the fight against corononavirus — a new vaccine is developed, and it appears to be more than 90% effective. the drug company pfizer says it's a great day for science, but others urge caution. the prime minister says the nhs will be ready for its roll—out. hundreds of thousands of tests are being dispatched by the government to local authorities in a further move towards government targets. the number of coronavirus cases in the us has hit 10 million this evening, according tojohn hopkins university. in one of his first acts as president—elect, joe biden has today set up a task force of public health experts to advise him on covid—19. he held a briefing in delaware earlier. my advisory council also includes experts on global health security,

so that we can restore us global leadership to fight this pandemic. this is a crisis that affects everyone. as i've said throughout this campaign, i will be a president for every american. this election is over. it's time to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric that's designed to demonise one another. it's time to end the politicisation of basic responsible public health steps, like mask—wearing and social distancing. we have to come together to heal the soul of this country, so that we can effectively address this crisis as one country. 0ur correspondent nomia iqbal is in wilmington, wherejoe biden was giving his covid—19 briefing. the worst he said is to come actually and he wants to make it absolutely clear that this is not a political division any more. that is

right. joe biden showing that he is a politician of unity and emphasising that the only way that americans can get through this pandemic is by not politicizing health care and today he as we heard there announced his task force of 12 people involving top scientists and top doctors. the problem that has beenin top doctors. the problem that has been in america so far with the pandemic is the various states have been left to sort out the pandemic themselves and that has been much of themselves and that has been much of the problem. he wants to have a much more centralised approach to dealing with the pandemic. it is going to get worse between now and inauguration as you mentioned. there isa10 inauguration as you mentioned. there is a 10 million mark and joe biden wants to get on top of that and is urging caution and as we heard there wants americans to wear masks. it was almost a plea to americans and he did welcome the news of pfizer as we heard earlier but he still

emphasises caution at this stage. and yet there is a decision within the donald trump camp about the timing of this new vaccine. —— there is skepticism. that is right. both donald trump and vice president mike pence and donald trump's children have been tweeting about the fact that this announcement has been made under donald trump's watch but i think it's really important to emphasise that pfizer never actually took any money from the american government to my from the trip administration to develop the vaccine. they did not want to politicize the race for a vaccine post of the trial administration will be involved in disputing that vaccine if it indeed should come through but they are not response before developing it. more cases of coronavirus in the white house being reported today. another departure as well. kemen mark esper, once all that about? mark esper and the long

trip of not been getting on for some time and there have been tensions but that deep into following that nationwide civil unrest after the death of george floyd and mark esper was not happy... he is the secretary of state for defence. using active—duty troops to quell that unrest and he felt that should be a la st unrest and he felt that should be a last resort. they did not go down well with donald trump who felt he should agree with his way of doing things. to the writing was on the wall for mark esper. what is interesting is he has already announced a replacement as the acting secretary of defence which is interesting because donald trump only has two months left in office. we know that he is not active in the election results and making these honest attention to claims of election fraud but i think this is his way of showing that he is still in charge and that he is doing what he enjoys doing best which is showing strength. inauguration of

course is injanuary. what is the cut off time for the donald trump tea m cut off time for the donald trump team to continue pushing their lawyers for recounts in all the various states? i really don't know, if i'm honest. forgive me, i'm sorry, it is early december but there is a cut off period for this. this will continue right up to january the 20th in other words. —— this won't continue. you are right and there are deadlines for resolving disputes and there are deadlines for when the electors come back with the final results for each state. i guess the point is well donald trump accepted? he is not showing any signs of doing that so far. he... none of even their public and senators that joe far. he... none of even their public and senators thatjoe biden has been friends with for a long time have congratulated him which i'm sure will be something they probably it may take personally although he is

hitting the ground running. but in the key thing to remember is that when it hits midday on the 20th of january, the constitution is clear thatjoe biden january, the constitution is clear that joe biden will become january, the constitution is clear thatjoe biden will become president of the us. and it will be moving day for donald trump. he will have to leave the white house and if he does not consider it service will remove him. thank you very much from wilmington. members of the house of lords have criticised the government's controversial brexit legislation which ministers admit will break international law. peers are expected to hold a series of votes on the uk internal market bill later this evening. we can speak now to baroness angela smith, who joins us from westminster. it looks like it this will be voted down in the house of lords but the government claims this is to protect the northern ireland peace process. do you accept the logic in that

argument. if we did we would not vote down the clauses. we did not refuse the whole bill but what we're doing is taking out part five for the government really seems to give the government really seems to give the right to ministers to override and ignore the rule of law. and i think the view of the house of lords as we saw in the vote a couple of weeks ago is that nobody is certainly not ministers can be above and beyond the rule of law and that's what this is about. this is quite extraordinary and i think those committees at the house of lords has that it is unprecedented and extraordinary. what is happening is really the treating come of the negotiations, the work that has been done by boris johnson negotiations, the work that has been done by borisjohnson himself, he is now saying is not what he wants and he is trying to undermine his own agreement. is it fair for the government to argue that they want a fallback position for northern ireland if no deal is done? they

wa nt ireland if no deal is done? they want or don't want the unions to feel they are not part of the uk. that seems to be the thrust of what they are saying on that particular internal market issue regarding the province and the rest of the uk. that's why it's a flawed argument because the northern ireland protocols agreed by the government and the go should mechanism within it for those kind of disputes to be dealt with and discussed in a proper manner. this is trying to override that and i think it's very difficult for the uk that and i think it's very difficult forthe uk and that and i think it's very difficult for the uk and the government to say we wa nt for the uk and the government to say we want to abide by the rule of law but we don't want it to apply to us. and that's what they are trying to do here so they are trying to override what they themselves have agreed. now that has i think very grave applications way beyond brexit for how we as a country are perceived internationally. if we are prepared to renege internet —— unilaterally on agreements we have reach with other countries, who will trust us in the future to do other deals including trade deals.

trust us in the future to do other deals including trade dealsm there is a deal done in the next few weeks and both sides that they are getting closer chemical is notjust be seen as a negotiating gambit?|j think be seen as a negotiating gambit?” think it's a pretty poor negotiating tactic for government to say if we don't get what we want we will break the law anyway. and i don't think it gives us any respect around the world. many of us are concerned about the reputation of the uk and with tickets important particularly i suppose when you seejoe biden being elected in america and having to sort of make the point about how important the northern ireland situation is to americans and eve ryo ne situation is to americans and everyone around the world. the good friday agreement was negotiated in faith it was voted on by the people of northern ireland and we cannot have the government now say if we don't agree with something we have already agreed to we willjust break the law. just explain how joe already agreed to we willjust break the law. just explain howjoe biden thinks this might threaten the peace process. it goes outside the northern ireland protocol which government has agreed and when you are making the earlier point about the backstop, there was a mechanism

in the northern ireland protocol that if there was any disagreement around trade cake to be discussed as around trade cake to be discussed as a mechanism there. to try and override that and what is international agreement and the government say unilaterally we don't agree with that and will break the law. and it took the northern ireland secretary of state to admit that because other ministers were not prepared to. we have lost a government solicitor and have lost a government minister over this and i think it is a very poor way to negotiate and we cannot be trusted to keep our word in good faith and will not be trusted around the world and it damages our reputation which i think is terribly sad and not the way for government to behave. northern ireland very much in the spotlight this evening. lord kilclooney, i don't know if you saw his tweet in regards to kamala harris and i think the tweet has been withdrawn as i can see no apology yet. i did see it and i

think he has withdrawn but no apology and he seems to have dug in to try and justify his comment. remind us of what he tweeted.” basically don't have in front of me but he was saying ifjoe biden does not continue as president and kamala harris takes over as vice president but the point... he said the indian becomes president and who becomes vice president? the point i was going to make and he referred to kamala harris as the indian which many felt was grossly offensive. 0ne of the most successful women in a generation who is become the vice president of the us and he says it's about her. it is because outrage and i cannot tell you how angry peers from all parties are throughout the house today and i written to the commissioner of the house of lords tonight and the lords speaker and askedif tonight and the lords speaker and asked if they can investigate this ultimate this is not the way we would expect anybody in parliament to be speaking about other people in those terms and whether you are in

the house of lords in the house of commons, you have to abide by common decency and this really does not abide by common decency. he called the former prime minister of arlen lee of a raptor an indian before. he says nothing as racist about this and kamala harris is looking about her indian heritage in the same way thatjoe biden speaks about his irish heritage. and he only described her in those terms and nobody else. he said he could not remember her name but in that? twea ks remember her name but in that? tweaks and it is offensive and whatever justification tweaks and it is offensive and whateverjustification he is trying to give is not acceptable and it does not wash. 0k, we will leave it there. thank you very much indeed. 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 reports. 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. dr 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. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith—lucas. good evening. well, on monday, we saw temperatures as high as 17 celsius in the south east, certainly above average for this time of year. as we head through tonight, we keep that mild, certainly frost—free theme. it will be quite cloudy. there'll still be a few showers around and the odd spot of mist and fog around, but not as extensive as it was on monday morning. but there could be some mist and fog over the hills in the north and the east, perhaps the odd patch of mistiness further south as well. one or two showers for england and wales, scotland and northern ireland looking largely dry likely through the night. most of us mild and frost—free

with double figures holding on into tuesday morning, but a little bit colder than that across scotland. there could be a touch of frost for the most sheltered glens. now, through tuesday, high pressure sits to the east, but we've got a weak weather front moving through. and that's just going to bring the odd light shower across parts of england and wales in particular. perhaps a few showers to western scotland later in the day as well, but most places will avoid the showers on tuesday. so, a drier day than monday, a bit more in the way of sunshine coming through. still mild for the time of year, with temperatures around 12—15 degrees. bye— bye. hello, this is bbc news. i'm tim willcox. the headlines. a major breakthrough in the fight against corononavirus — a new vaccine is developed — and it appears to be more than 90% effective. the drug company pfizer says it's a great day for science. but urges some caution.

hundreds of thousands of tests are being dispatched by the government to local authorities — in a further move towards government targets. the us president—electjoe biden says that tackling the pandemic is his first priority — as america sees its number of cases hit 10 million. and 25 years after the disability discrimination act — why many disabled people still can't access what they need. hundreds of thousands of tests are being dispatched by the government to local authorities in a further move towards government targets. let's move on. a story about panorama. the bbc has promised to launch an investigation into claims by princess diana and his brother al spencer that he was deceived by the reporter by cher and head of the

princesses television interview back in 1995. spencer says the former reporter had falls bank statements made up in an effort to encourage the product not princess to give an interview. the corporation is taking the matter very seriously. johnny diamond reports. it was one of the biggest tv interviews of all time. princess diana laying bare her loveless marriage, her love for another man, her suffering. loveless marriage, her love for another man, hersuffering. butjust how did martin as cher get the interview? diane his brother charles spencer says martin showed him forged bank statements suggesting conspiracy to win his trust and gain access to his sister. the graphic artist that created those bank state m e nts artist that created those bank statements has now spoken out.” artist that created those bank statements has now spoken out. i got home from work and i got a phone

call from martin that share, he wa nted call from martin that share, he wanted me to do a favour for him. and it was really urgent and really important. martin asked me to make up important. martin asked me to make upa important. martin asked me to make up a couple of bank statements that he needed the following day. and he did say that there were just going to be used as copies. 0n did say that there were just going to be used as copies. on that night i was just making some props for filling me purposes. charles spencer says he speaking out now 25 leaders 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. but so far no answers from martin to share. now the bbc‘s religion editor. seen up now the bbc‘s religion editor. seen up at about this weekend the bbc says he is recovering from heart

surgery and is unable to answer questions. now you have been sending in your questions on the news of the first effective vaccine here to answer your questions i am here withjennifer rohn and dr peter drobac. welcome to you both. with that quite a lot of questions coming in for what appears to be quite exciting news. let's just go to you peter, first of all. this is from david on twitter. although the vaccine for covid—19 is a good thing, would be compulsory? interesting. i think this is unequivocally good news today. but it's very preliminary i want to urge cautious optimism here. i think it's

extremely unlikely the vaccine will make compulsory. in fact demand is far going to outstrip supply. even the scenarios widespread availability is unlikely well into 2021. what we need to do is focus now on actually convincing people of the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines as they come forward. that's why these rigorous clinical trial processes are so important.” suppose the question is predicated on the fact that the anti—vax or movement seems to be growing on both sides of the atlantic. if there wasn't a big pick up on this with the government step in?” wasn't a big pick up on this with the government step in? i suppose it's possible. even in the cases of other vaccines with a template are compulsory they are opt outs. i think we need to be fighting this fight through science. and demonstrating the safety and effectiveness. i think for most people, people are sceptical for different reasons. i think for most people provide with the right evidence, hopefully they can be

persuaded to take a vaccine. jennifer, i got a really complicated wa nt jennifer, i got a really complicated want for you. which i know you want to answer. i don't understand half of it. there with me, i understand the fines of fragments in a lipid wrapper, you can unpack that, the rna is then used by human cells to manufacture a spike protein, i think he's been right in fergus walsh's graphics for him. to manufacture spike protein which provokes in immune response was up what controls this process of spike protein manufacturer? does the body keep creating or it is this time limited? amazingly good question. i must say. it's really an exciting strategy. we've never use this sort of strategy before. we are directly injecting muscle with the blueprint for one of the virus proteins. this is unprecedented, this exciting scientific advance. basically, these rnas will go inside the cell, your

cell acts like a factory and makes a lot of spike protein. this bike is a sticky bit which the immune system sees. this rna will instruct ourselves, to make this protein and then we will use that to educate our own immune system. the rna will be time—limited. it won't last forever. it's not like if i some vaccines are based on viruses that process. not this one. this will make a big burst of spike protein activity, educate our immune system and will die away from some in fact, there will be a nether booster required in about three weeks. is that part of the dual vaccine process? one followed by two weeks later the second? many vaccines require boosters. notjust this one many. it really depends on the immune response was up i think they only tried two doses in this trial. they know that to work so they are going to stick with too. it may very well be that one is enough or maybe threet would be better. we just don't know. interesting. will

special needs children who have additional medical needs sleep apnea and those who are more prone to respiratory infections be able to access the vaccine sooner or even respiratory infections be able to access the vaccine sooner or even at all? in this next phase is going to be really important to have clear policies about whose can have access to these vaccines 1st. every indication is that front—line workers, health care workers, care workers, health care workers, care workers will have first priority along with those who are most vulnerable to severe infection and death when infected with covid—19. which of course includes a number of groups. there are certain special populations who are not included in many of these phase three clinical trials that we are now starting to see the results are. among them children. so pfizer actuallyjust started enrolling children in the trials and about three to four weeks ago. we don't yet have data on how

this vaccine performs in children. still quite a few questions about what this vaccine can do. how long do the scientists think the vaccine protects for? is it a one—time inoculation or do we need a new and each year as for flu? that is the £6 million question. we just don't know. these studies have only been going on for a few months. we don't have enough data to know how long it will last. but based on the close cousins of the coronavirus because the common cold. we do know that you get the common cold every year. and this is why people think perhaps immunity won't be that great or long—lasting. and it could be we are looking at a situation as with seasonal flu when we really need to have a booster or shot every year to keep up the memory, the bodies memory. really, we don't know. what if the virus mutates? stories of the

past day or two have been about the mutating virus involving mink. i think it's denmark, where 17 million minks are being destroyed because of that. would this vaccine be com pletely that. would this vaccine be completely ineffective if the vaccine, the virus doesn't mutate? there's good news on two fronts. the first this virus is fairly stable. compared to something like influenza it is known to be relatively stable and it's not very likely to mutate. but if it does, the beauty of the pfizer strategy is that it uses the blueprint and if there is a mutation in the virus, they can just tweak these sequence of the rna that they put in. it's a very readily adaptable system. hopefully it won't be any need for that. we seem to have temporarily lost peter. can i ask you a another supplementary? how similar is this vaccine to the others that have been produced? as

if the same technology, is it vaccine out already and china and russia, is at the same technology? the good news about the world vaccine strategy is that we have so many different kinds on the go. there are 11 in late stage in about a altogether. all different strategies. there is a another one very similarto strategies. there is a another one very similar to the visor vaccine made by a company combo during her which is very close to reporting its first interim results for its late stage trial. we got at least two that are based on this novel rna —based mechanism. we have other old—school virus spectres, old—school virus spectres, old—school proteins, things that we re old—school proteins, things that were done many, many years ago. i like the fact that we have this variety. it means that at least some are likely to work. and if others don't work, that's ok because we have more things in the pipeline. 0k, jennifer. next question for you, as well were waiting for peter to dial back in. this is from john in

lincoln. what does 90% effective mean? does it affect 90% of the population or does it make infection less surveyor for all of us? that's a fantastic question. it's the 1st. it means that 90% of people will not get covid. we don't have any information about whether it prevents may be a more severe infection. all we know from the interim dater which is very very sparse click next part is that it prevents infection. maybe it doesn't presented in all cases but makes it less surveyor, we just don't know that yet. everybody wants to know the answer to that. ok peter we lost you for a couple of moments. the question about the 90% efficacy. whichjennifer has question about the 90% efficacy. which jennifer has answered question about the 90% efficacy. whichjennifer has answered in a way. how much longer before we get to a nswer way. how much longer before we get to answer some of these questions about this particular vaccine? i we

looking at weeks in terms of those questions that we were discussing, does it prevents transmissions and what? they are so many questions. i think we will know a lot more of the next several weeks. all we have are the reports from the press release, really. we need to see the full data. they need to be subjected to scientific scrutiny. i think that will answer some of these questions. certainly questions like for example, whether the study was able to determine whether people may have asymptomatic infection even after a vaccine. because that has major blick health implications. i think that some of these questions are still going to require further study. we've only followed most of the subjects out for 28 days from the subjects out for 28 days from the time they were vaccinated. so it is still quite early days. i think these questions are going to carry forward even into the new year. this is from clive. wondering if the uk government has taken into account

the logistics of distributing this vaccine. 0ther announced syringes fora? vaccine. 0ther announced syringes for a? are they are storage facilities? because it needs to be capped at —80 —70 celsius storage temperature before it can be used. excellent question. if you are banking on one particular race this is one that you won't want to end this is the most fussy when it's really ha rd this is the most fussy when it's really hard to store rna. —80 is very cold this is like dry ice. it's going to be difficult to get this ultracold supply chain going. it's going to be hard to store. apparently, they won't come in these boxes of dry ice and you can only open it twice on monday. it will have a thousand doses in there. it's going to be a military operation, i think. in fact i heard that the military might be involved in helping to roll it out. not only that you have to vaccinate people three weeks later as well. the same people that got the first vaccine. it is going to be a logistical nightmare. we always knew that was

going to be the case but with this particular vaccine, going to be the case but with this particularvaccine, it's going to be the case but with this particular vaccine, it's really exacerbated. peter, that might suggest that the developed nations will be able to handle this much more effectively. certainly in the initial period then developing nations. yeah, i think it highlights that this vaccine as exciting as it is is not necessarily the best. it happens to be the first for which we have results. the reality is we need billions and billions of doses of effective vaccines and probably a variety of different vaccines is going to be more effective. the setting is different the populations are different. we hope that good news is followed by a good news from trials on some of the other vaccine candidates as well. and we will actually have a variety to choose from in the months to come. will people who have previously tested positive for covid receive the vaccine? i don't know the answer to that question. presumably people have recovered from infection, we've beenin

have recovered from infection, we've been in almost all cases harbour some immunity. we still don't know how long that lasts for. in other vaccines other infections will sometimes check antibody levels to determine whether a person already has enough immunity and if not give them the vaccination. we don't really understand enough yet about immunity and about how antibody levels correlate within. my guess is in the short—term people have documented infected and recovered would not be candidates for the vaccine. but that certainly may evolve over time. one of the big antilock town arguments way back in spring was to try and create herd immunity. some suggest and also that the government had thought about trying to go for that as well. do we know with the herd immunity is at the moment in the uk?” know with the herd immunity is at the moment in the uk? i don't think anybody thinks there is any more about 15 to 20%. is nowhere near the level you would need. also we don't know if the presence of antibody in

every cove red know if the presence of antibody in every covered persons blood is really effective enough to stop another infection. there are certainly reports out there all the rare reinfection can occur and it is not always a milder version of the second time. herd immunity we are nowhere near it. and usually you need a decent vaccine to achieve herd immunity. ithink need a decent vaccine to achieve herd immunity. i think that's what we should be looking towards. jennifer, should people be tested before being given the vaccine? going back to the previous question. you as peter suggested, look for the antibody levels in a person if you are vaccinating them and maybe rule them out if they have sufficient levels. but we don't know what sufficient levels are to prevent infection. i don't know, could be a case of you are in the age group that's now allowed to be vaccinated you go and get your vaccine. peter, what about the cost of all of theirs in terms of the vaccine race and how much money will big pharma companies make? this is from ray in

birmingham. how much will pfizer charge for the vaccine and are they physically capable of making 6 billion doses? pfizer and several other companies with the leading vaccine candidates have already signed advance purchase agreements where the governments from many countries and some international bodies gives them a guarantee that allows them to start scaling up their manufacturing in advance. we are already manufacturing millions of doses of this vaccine millions of the oxford vaccine and others in hopes that they will be effective and be deployed. the pricing for some of these vaccine has not always been made public. for the pfizer vaccine, the agreement they may be the us government was at a charge of $19.50 per dose. which is sort of middle of the pack of the pricing that we have seen reported for these vaccines. it substantial. is there anything to stop profiteering by these companies? what theyjust anything to stop profiteering by these companies? what they just turn around and say actually we change

our minds can be $40 or does? well they have signed contracts we hope that wouldn't happen. that's not a lwa ys that wouldn't happen. that's not always the case was out look at the rest of the world. it's a priceless commodity at the moment. it's a sellers market. let's hope that doesn't happen. let's go on to the last 1, can someone please explain to me the logic behind the decision to me the logic behind the decision to prioritise the order in which the covid vaccine would be rolled out? yeah, ican covid vaccine would be rolled out? yeah, i can understand why people in ca re yeah, i can understand why people in care homes and the start that look after them at top of the list. and i can understand my health care professionals are the top of the list. you really have to preserve the people who are looking after the re st of the people who are looking after the rest of us. and the people in care homes are exquisitely vulnerable to this virus. it's going tojust be a question of priorities. and these

will be considered as public health priorities. and it may not to be to everybody's liking but there has to be some order because we are not can have more than enough for 20 million people next year if it works. peter just intense sec. you agree?” people next year if it works. peter just intense sec. you agree? i do. it's a matter of what gives you the most good for the public health standpoint. also humanitarian work protecting the most vulnerable. thank you both for taking us through some of those questions and answers. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. good evening. monday brought us a mild and fairly cloudy day with showers but they were clearer spells around. this was the scene in motherwell as the sunset a little early on in the evening.

as we head through this evening and overnight, we are going to keep a lot of cloud around for most areas. temperatures mild for the time of year and certainly frost free tonight. a few showers around chilli us across the north of scotland under those clearest skies but we still have what is fairly a weak weather from tripping it's way east but that will bring a few splashes of rain as we head for the overnight period across parts of ammon and wales, some showers. an odd rumble of thunder but the showers are few and far in between. scotland and northern ireland look at drier through the night with the clearer skies across the northern half in scotland and here to purchase will follow us. in the countryside the could be down to about two or three degrees but elsewhere frost free with the could be down to about two or three degrees but elsewhere frost free with this temperatures staying mild. first things murmuring double figures. high—pressure dominating to say setting out towards the east but we have this week weather front which will be pushing its way slowly eastward through the day. one or two showers perhaps

coming with the morning. they should ease away later on but most of the places looking mainly dry for us. temperature is still mild between about 12—15 degrees butjust down a notch to recent days. it's a 17 celsius for instance on monday. it will be all. and active weather front with deepening low pressure squeezing isobars and windy are woelfel —— whether developing with particular wind around the south west coast. rain pushing into northern ireland and western scotland later it will be all. and active weather front with deepening low pressure squeezing isobars and windy weather developing with particular wind around the south west coast. rain pushing into northern ireland and western scotland later in the day western fringes and further east most places are looking marjorie dry through the day. still mild around 11—14 degrees cooler in recent days and you will notice the strength of that wind in the west where there could be gales at times. still some wet and windy weather

lingering in the south on thursday, then more rain heading into the north—west of the uk on friday so turning fairly unsettled to the second half of this week. 00:58:08,873 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 bye— bye.