a breakthrough with a british covid vaccine — and it's cheap, easily stored and the government's pre—ordered 100 million doses. the oxford university vaccine is shown to be on average 70% effective — up to 90% if the dose is adjusted. i can definitely see a future beyond the pandemic. i think that we will be able to roll out vaccines in the first half of next year and have a big impact here in the uk. we'll be looking at when we might get the vaccine and when next year we can return to normality. also tonight... the national lockdown will end next week and england will be divided into three tiers.

we'll learn which tier will be where on thursday. across all areas in england, shops, gyms, leisure centres and hairdressers will reopen and up to six people will be allowed to meet outdoors. mass testing will be introduced in tier 3, the areas with the tightest restrictions, to try to being infections down. and, for the first time since march, spectator sports can start again, indoors and outdoors, with a limited attendance, in some areas of england. and coming up on bbc news, following the prime minister's announcement gyms and leisure centres will open across all tiers of england for the benefit of the public‘s health. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. there has been another breakthrough in the fight against coronavirus. a vaccine developed by scientists at oxford university has been shown to be highly effective in preventing

covid—19 symptoms. a trial involving 20,000 people showed that the jab was on average 70%, effective but researchers say that could rise to 90% by tweaking the dose. the vaccine is cheap and easy to store and transport. the government has pre—ordered 100 million doses. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has the details. 0xford has created a vaccine not just for britain, but for the world. act for the first time since this wretched virus took hold we can see a route out of the pandemic —— for the first time. to get this result, it is very good news for everyone. we are just delighted here at oxford. after months and months and months of incredibly hard work from a huge team. it's another dose of much needed hope.

it's the third goal in the back of the net now. it really makes it highly likely that in the months that follow we will have in covid a vaccine preventable disease. the scientists involved say it brings us closer to a return to normal life. i can definitely see a future beyond the pandemic. i think that we will be able to roll out vaccines in the first half of next year and have a big impact here in the uk, but forwe humanity but for humanity have to be able to distribute all around the world, and that's going to take a bit longer. in less than a year, scientists here have created a brand—new vaccine and run large—scale trials. now, at last, they know it works. there were more than 20,000 volunteers on the trial in the uk and brazil. overall, two doses of the vaccine were around 70% effective in preventing covid—19. but among volunteers who got a half dose followed by a full one, effectiveness rose to 90%. importantly, there were no cases of serious covid disease among those

who got the vaccine. the uk has pre—ordered enough doses to immunise 50 million people in the uk. the elderly in care homes would be first in line, then the over 80s and front line health workers. along with pfizer and moderna it means there are now three covid vaccines which could be approved next month. like the pfizer and the moderna vaccines, the key to the oxford jab is the spike protein which sits on the surface of coronavirus. scientists have taken the gene for this protein and put it into a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. the virus has been modified and disabled so it can't cause disease in humans. once in the body, the vaccine instructs cells to make the coronavirus spike protein. this prompts the immune system to

create y—shaped antibodies. in event of future exposure they should latch onto coronavirus and prevent infection. and it stimulate t cells, another part of the immune system. these should destroy cells that have become infected. this is a really important day for scientists here in oxford and for the fight against coronavirus. the data is still being analysed but there vaccine appears to prevent serious with covid and most infections. now, that could have a major impact on the pandemic here in the uk and worldwide. although the vaccine was created in record time, oxford says no short cuts have been taken with safety, and side effects have been mostly mild. edward was one of the very first volunteers. it's pretty amazing how fast everything is, but really how careful and considerate of everything has been done.

everything is there, we can trust it —— how considered everything has been done. it is really exciting to see the results. astrazeneca, oxford's commercial partner, has pledged never to make a profit from the vaccine in poorer countries, and there jab is far easier to store and transport around the world than others. the supply chain in place for next year would give a capacity of up to} for next year would give a capacity of up to 3 billion doses which would include notjust the developed world but many regions of the developing world as well. because this vaccine isjust refrigerated it makes it much easier to distribute and administer. but don't underestimate the hurdles ahead. immunising the uk, let alone the world, will be a huge undertaking. drive through centres like this one in greater manchester, currently providing flu jabs, are likely to be used for covid vaccines. and even if a million adults a week are immunised, it will be months before these vials help clear a path through the

pandemic. fergus — what is the route map for the coming months with this and the other vaccines that have been developed 7 you are at the lab where they developed the vaccine. yes, this is one of the rooms where volunteers rolled up their sleeves on the coronavirus vaccine trial back in april. that's when it started. but before the general public can have the jab, there are a lot of hurdles that need to be crossed. first of all, astrazeneca has to submit its final dossier, then regulators have to approve it. all that could take several weeks. so we might see some immunisation this side of christmas, but most will happen next year. there are 4 million doses of the astrazeneca vaccine already in—store with the uk government, and millions more of the pfizerjab. although the astrazeneca jab is 70% effective in these trials and the pfizer and

moderna jabs were 95% effective, that 70% is still more effective than most annual flu jabs. that 70% is still more effective than most annualflu jabs. it's going to be a huge undertaking, getting that jab going to be a huge undertaking, getting thatjab to everyone, every adult, because they need to enact doses, a month apart. so we shouldn't expect the vaccine to make a difference to the way we live this winter —— they will need to enact doses, a month apart. but the light at the end of the tunnel has gotten at the end of the tunnel has gotten a bit brighter. it certainly has. fergus, thank you very much. the lockdown in england will end next week to be replaced by 3 regional tiers of restrictions. we have to wait until thursday to find out which area goes into which tier. but the prime minister told the commons today that in all areas in england six people will be able to meet outdoors again, and all shops, gyms, leisure centres and hairdressers will be able to reopen. in tiers one and 2 pubs and restaurants will have to shut by iipm.

but in tier 3, all hospitality will remain closed except for delivery and takeaway. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, has more. what will we wake up to next wednesday? in england, at least, how we have to live with the virus will change again. after four weeks of closed doors, tight limits on our lives will loosen once more. butjust as the prime minister is still stuck inside, some restrictions will stay. speaker: prime minister boris johnson... as he explained to the commons from inside no 10. the national restrictions in england will end on the 2nd of december, and they will not be renewed. without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus escalating into a winter or new year surge. the incidence of the disease is alas still widespread in many areas. so we're not going to replace national measures with a free for all. uniform instructions that closed pubs and so many firms will

disappear, replaced by a stricter tier system. where the disease is at its most dangerous, the rules will be drawn tighter. but the map of who and where is not yet final. this will be still a hard winter. christmas cannot be normal and there's a long road to spring. but we have turned a corner and the escape route is in sight. labour's consistently backed the government's big decisions on coronavirus, but will they this time around? too early to say. the prime minister proposes a return to the three—tier system. that's risky. because the previous three—tier system didn't work. tieri areas drifted to tier 2. almost all tier 2 areas ended up in tier 3, and those in tier 3 couldn't see a way out, and we ended up in national lockdown. the tier system hasn't always been easy to explain. speaker: i think we're just

going to have to stop for a moment so we can have it checked. and borisjohnson were struggling to make it heard when his it misfired this afternoon. it is not our end, prime minister. it could well be yours. i wonder if mr hancock would like to take over with the answer. laughter and this is far from sudden freedom. the disease is still very much here. swale in kent, now the worst hit area, where businesses aren't sure how customers will react. having that out there, swale is highest in infections, i think a lot of people will be a bit more cautious and it mightjust stop a few people going places and doing things like that usually would, or being a little bit more careful. eloise grove, who had the virus is calling for caution. having recovered from it, it knocks you off your feet. i don't want a longer lockdown but i think we are going to have to have a longer lockdown. i think we are going to have to be a little bit stricter. it's not yet clear how much of england will be under close controls. wales has recently lifted another lockdown.

northern ireland is about to tighten its rules, and scotland is under five different categories. so it's no surprise while all four nations are trying to work out a common plan for christmas, it's not straightforward. i'm afraid the virus won't take christmas off. so we are trying as hard as we can to reach a sensible balance. so it is possible, likely in fact, that some households may be able to form slightly larger bubbles with each other for a short period over christmas. yet the virus, the pandemic, has already taken so much. change, if not a certain end, is now in sight. three quick things to remember tonight, the owner. lots of england will be under rules when this new system will be under rules when this new syste m co m es will be under rules when this new system comes in, not a sudden leap and everybody is free. secondly, lots of different parts of the uk living under different systems. different levels of systems, five tiers in scotland, northern ireland

tightening up again, i'm not that long ago wales coming out of its own lockdown. and that patchwork is one of the reasons why, lastly, there is not yet agreement among our politicians about how to manage the situation over the christmas holidays. there is a determination to try to create a little bit of space to allow people to be able to meet up with their nearest and dearest, but there is no resolution to that because the risk is certainly there. the last thing politicians, whether in westminster, edinburgh, belfast or cardiff, want to create a some kind of free for all which could see the disease which is still very, very serious somehow take off again. whatever the politicians decide, at the end of the day what happens notjust in the next few weeks but the next few months depends on how we all react as well. laura, at westminster, thank you. well, the hospitality sector has been hit particularly hard with coronavirus restrictions. what will the new tiered

system mean for them? our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker is in manchesterfor us now. these new tiers look in some ways tougher than what went before. yes, fiona. here, the christmas decorations are up and shops in manchester and across england are fiow manchester and across england are now gearing up to reopen next week. that has come as a huge, huge relief for retailers, but as you say still challenging times ahead for pubs, restaurants and their suppliers, especially in areas with the highest levels of infections. in tier 3 areas hotels, bars, restaurants, cinemas, they will have to remain closed. they can only do deliveries and take aways. in tier 2 only pubs doing substantial meals will be allowed to reopen, and there will be fio allowed to reopen, and there will be no household mixing indoors. essentially, the christmas party season in those highest tier areas is effectively cancelled. businesses will be starved of that lucrative christmas trade. hospitality businesses say they have invested huge sums of money in making sure

their premises are safe, and they say, arguably, people socialising in these covid secure venues is safer than people gathering in private households. uk hospitality, the group representing the industry, has described these tougher restrictions as devastating, and say that nowi millionjobs are at as devastating, and say that nowi million jobs are at risk. in manchester, sarah, thank you. the latest government figures show there were 15,160 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 2a hours. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 19,545. just over 1,665 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. day over the week to last thursday. 206 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. the figure is usually lower after the weekend. it means on average

in the past week, 4111 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 55,230. well, since the first national lockdown was announced back in march, the city of leicester has been living continuously under some form of coronavirus restrictions, longer than any other uk city. and yet, infection rates there have risen significantly in the past few weeks. now there are fears the region may be placed in the strictest tier 3 on thursday. our midlands correspondent sian lloyd looks at why leicester has been hit so hard and how it's affected people there. now in its third lockdown, will leicester face the most severe restrictions again?

people living here and across the wider county have been warned that with cases rising sharply it's looking likely. back injune when the rest of the country was getting used to life out of lockdown, leicester went back in and julie clapham's business had to close. she's checking up on the city—centre premises she's run for 35 years, excited to learn today that she will be able to reopen. but says uncertainty has taken its toll. the mental anguish of being a shopkeeper of a small family business in this town has been unbelievable this year. i talk to people on this street every day that don't know how they are going to pay their rent. remember this is leicester's third lockdown. it might be a second national lockdown, but have we ever come out of lockdown in leicester? local public health officials are concerned that transmission rates are still being pushed up due to household mixing. they have implored people to stick to the rules. but there is an acknowledgement too of so—called lockdown fatigue. it doesn't seem like anybody's listening and it just seems to get worse. and that's society for you. perhaps people are not taking it as seriously

as they should do, maybe. but that's understandable because they have spent so much time in lockdown and they need to enjoy their life and do things they normally do. when i had covid ifelt completely, totally wiped out. normally i've got a lot of energy. 20—year—old chloe has just got over covid. she's trying to establish her career in the hospitality sector. having been made redundant once she had hoped to start a newjob in a hotel. it has been a waiting game for a very long time now, to be honest. and obviously it is nerve—racking because you don't know what's going to happen and i hope that we are not in the highest tier. local health services are under strain. there are more patients being treated in hospitals in the region now than during the first wave of the crisis. people living in the city famous for unearthing king richard iii fear a winter of discontent lies ahead. sian lloyd, bbc news, leicester. we've had to get used to watching sport in cavernous, empty stadiums on our televisions.

but at last, the news that sports fans have been waiting for: up to 4,000 spectators will be allowed back into some events, after the current lockdown in england ends, as our sports editor dan roan reports. commentator: jamie vardy has got his second! eight months have passed since this, the last premier league match fans were present at, but today finally came the news sport had been desperately hoping for, crowds will be allowed back into the grounds and venues in low—risk areas from next week. under the new system 4000 people can attend outdoor events in tier! areas, or 50% of capacity, depending which is smaller. in tier 2 the number will be capped at 2000 but spectators will continue to be banned in the highest risk tier 3 areas. this could be a lifeline particularly for those clubs in league1 could be a lifeline particularly for those clubs in league 1 and league 2 and national league for which 4000 fa ns and national league for which 4000 fans is a significant amount. of course, we don't yet know which geographical area the clubs will

fall in and it probably won't make a great deal of difference to the big clu bs. great deal of difference to the big clubs. for months now sports have insisted the return of fans can be achieved safely, and indoor events such as last week's atp finals tennis in london will now be able to have up to 1000 spectators if they are in low—risk areas. with fans not allowed inside grounds and venues like this since march, today's news will come as a major boost to sports that depend on gate receipts, and a first step back, perhaps, towards the return of the passion and the atmosphere that clubs up—and—down the country have missed so much. there was further good news today for a grassroots sport with organised outdoor activities able to resume from next week in all tiers. former international robbie savage who coaches a junior football team and campaignfora who coaches a junior football team and campaign for a return of children's sport told me just how much the decision meant. like you can see i have a big smile on my face. it means so much to the

youngsters all around the country, it was imperative that it was brought back for the physical and mental well—being. the pressures on children in modern day society is massive anyway so they needed a release and that release coming now is going to be welcomed. there was welcome news for cash—strapped indoor sports too with facilities like pools able to reopen next week in all tiers and former olympic gold medalist rebecca adlington who now spends time coaching the next generation of swimmers believes the move is essential. for many people swimming is their only form of exercise that they can do, especially for the kind of elderly 01’ especially for the kind of elderly or rehab, orany especially for the kind of elderly or rehab, or any sort really concerned that the obesity i'd be really concerned that the rise as well, so we the number of inactive adults will rise as well, so we really side as well. there are still frustrations. while gins can also reopen, group activities such as exercise classes will be restricted in tier 3. today is an important milestone, but for sport lots of

ha rd milestone, but for sport lots of hard work still lies ahead. dan roan, bbc news. at the moment, if you've come into close contact with someone who's tested positive for coronavirus, you have to isolate for 14 days. but that could soon all change under plans to introduce daily rapid testing. any close contact would be tested every day for a week and only have to isolate if they tested positive. if trials are successful it could be rolled out across england in the new year. there are also plans to introduce mass testing across all tier 3 areas in england following trials in liverpool, as our health editor hugh pym reports. mass testing in liverpool. a trial run for a policy which will now be rolled out much more widely in england, offered to all residents, administered partly by military staff, it has picked up some people who didn't have symptoms. the city's leaders say along with local restrictions it has helped get on top of the virus. it is not a panacea on its own but together with the other measures, the social distancing measures

and the other things in place, it can help reduce the spread of the virus. the infection rate has been cut by two thirds but there has been a big variation in take—up of testing, with a lower response in more deprived areas. the rapid testing kits used in some areas like liverpool are now being sent out to many other communities. they will also be used in the new plan to transform the way self—isolation is administered. if you've been in contact with someone who has the virus, you currently need to self—isolate for 14 days. under the pilot scheme you'd be tested every day for seven days. you should get the results within 30 minutes, and if negative, you can go about your normal daily routine. if positive, you will have to self—isolate. rapid virus testing is to be used at care homes. today, caroline had a temperature test as a precaution. but she could only see her mother—in—law wendy through the window. there is no plan for testing in all care homes in england by early next

year to allow proper visits. one owner welcomed the idea but said it would be hard to administer. it can't come soon enough, really, because it has been heartbreaking for people who haven't been able to see loved ones since march. we want it to happen quickly in the right way and safe. we have got to do it. it's just the speed that worries me and the expectations government has given. we will cooperate but i don't want it to be all the blame on care homes if it doesn't quite work properly. but some academics argue that the rapid testing technology is not as accurate as the established system so would be unreliable if used as a model for mass testing in every community. i haven't seen evidence that that would do more good than harm. that's my great worry. and i think we should do a lot more research before rolling this out on a huge scale at huge expense. government advisers say these kits with rapid results are accurate and could play a major role in suppressing the virus. but it's a highly ambitious plan

and a step into the unknown. hugh pym, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the supreme court has started to hear an appeal by the government against the possible return to the uk of shamima begum. she was one of three east london schoolgirls who joined the islamic state group in syria in 2015. she's currently barred from the uk after being deprived of her citizenship — but wants to be allowed back to challenge that decision. overall levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have continued to rise, despite coronavirus lockdowns. emissions of co2, which cause global warming, fell sharply in the first half of the year as governments shut down their economies because of covid. but in its annual assessment, the world meteorological organisation described the impact as a "blip". ministers at stormont have agreed to give every household prepaid cards to use at high street businesses. the full details are yet to be announced but it's thought every household will get £200.

it's part of a package of business support measures announced by the northern ireland executive today to help those hit by tightened coronavirus lockdown. back now to the development of the oxford university vaccine which is very good news. but who will get it, when, and how will it help us all back to normality? our health correspondent catherine burns has been answering your questions. there is no such thing as a vaccine thatis there is no such thing as a vaccine that is 100% effective for every single person. researchers trying to find a vaccine for coronavirus were set a target, to make it at least 50% effective. this oxford vaccine averages out at about 70%, so it has done that and then some. so how does it stack up against other vaccines? there is a range. the flu tends to be about 40—60% effective. at the other end of the scale chickenpox is about 98% effective for children. the important thing to remember is that this vaccine has been shown to

be highly effective. some people are asking, how can scientists be so confident in a vaccine they have come up with in less than a year? a lot of it comes down to cash. there has been a huge global effort with massive amounts of money. but also brain power. these vaccines that we are seeing now have been through all the usual processes, just streamlined. and remember, this isn't from a standing start. we are dealing with the coronavirus. scientists have been studying them for yea rs scientists have been studying them for years and they knew what the possible weak spots could be. more than 10,000 people have had this vaccine so far. none has had any serious issues. there are the kind of side effects you might expect after a vaccine. a sore arm, maybe a headache, temperature or feeling a bit fluey for a few days. the team behind this point out that normally vaccines that are regulated in europe might have safety data on 3,000 to 5,000 people, and they have thousands more than that and have been following them for months.

so far we have had a few teams of scientists assessing how effective their vaccines are. in other words, how good are they at stopping people from getting sick with coronavirus? what we don't know yet is how long they will offer them protection for. another unknown is how good they will be at stopping the virus spreading. for example, if someone someone is infected, doesn't have any symptoms, but could still pass it onto other people. there are some early positive signs on this from the oxford trial, though. if you wa nt to the oxford trial, though. if you want to pick which vaccine you will be given, the short answer is no. the slightly longer answer is that the uk government has ordered 100 million doses of the oxford vaccine. more than any other. so it is most likely you would get this one. the next question is when. well, first of all it has got to be approved by the regulator. and once that happens there are about 4 million doses ready to be shipped out, so we could see some of them before christmas. realistically, those first doses will go to the most vulnerable,

probably people in care homes, over 80, and health workers. after that it will get rolled out across the rest of the winter and spring. health correspondent catherine burns answering some of your questions there. time for a look at the weather here's matt taylor. another lovely day across eastern areas but temperatures for many tonight rising overnight. at the moment 6-8 6—8 on eastern england by the end of the nightjoining the rest of the country with temperatures around 10-12 to country with temperatures around 10—12 to see in tomorrow morning because of a developing south to south—westerly wind continuing to pick up through the night. it has been feeding weather front in across northern ireland and western scotla nd northern ireland and western scotland all day and will do overnight, more rain to come, though the far north of scotland willjust sit clear of that in some colder air, 7—9 here, whereas the rest of the country, as i said, double—figure temperatures into the morning. the pressure chart for tuesday shows a fairly similar story for what we had today. this weather front has a wave on it, this buckle,

meaning it is not moving eastwards very quickly and will sit across the same areas much of the day, south and western scotland, northern ireland with further rain at times, heavy now and again, further north in scotland, brighter and cooler, to the south, a much milder day to come tomorrow compared to today thanks to the southerly wind. bringing in a few breaks and an overall cloudy picture, the best conditions in east anglia and the south—east in the afternoon with temperatures peaking at 13-14 . the afternoon with temperatures peaking at 13—14 . the weather front from western scotland and northern ireland will move eastwards through tuesday night into wednesday. another wave, this buckle develops through the bay of biscay delaying the clearance from the south—east on wednesday, holding on to something milder here, but other than that colder air will slip back into place once again. wednesday is almost your transition day and that we will have the weather front in the south—east of england, further rain and drizzle to come, but from the midlands, wales north woods, a few showers around, but a lot more sunshine generally and temperatures dropping. no widespread frost will follow wednesday night into thursday and more frost to come to see the week

out.