this is bbc news. the headlines. the uk is the first country to approve the pfizer vaccine for coronavirus initial doses will be here next week. the prime minister praises the scientists but he's got a warning too. as we celebrate this scientific achievement we are not carried away with over optimism orfall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. it is not. jabs at racecourses and sports centres — they could all be used in one of the biggest logistical operations the country has seen. this will take a while before everything changes. but we are hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of this very difficult year that we've had. 55 million go into the strictest

tiers in england — as new restrictions replace the second national lockdown. non—essential shops have re—opened in england for the first time in a month but can they recoup their losses? and coming up in 30 minutes, we'll have a special programme, putting your questions about the future of our planet to sir david attenborough and the un's secretary general. good evening. in less than a week the uk will become the first country in the world to start rolling out the coronavirus vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company pfizer and its partner biontech. it comes after the uk drugs regulator approved

the vaccine in record time. the plan is for the over—80s and nhs and care home staff to be immunised first. after that it will be allocated according to age groups and vulnerability. but it will be a complex operation. our medical editor fergus walsh has this report. this is an historic moment. at last, there is a clear path out of this pandemic, thanks to vaccination. the uk is the first country in the world to approve the pfizer biontech vaccine, seen here on the production line in belgium. the prime minister made clear the vaccine won't change life for now, but hope is on the horizon. prime minister, now we have a vaccine, how important is this moment? when you consider that the damage, as i was saying earlier, the damage that this virus has done to human life across the planet, the economic damage, the social damage, to say nothing of the cost in life and suffering,

it is a fantastic moment. more than 20,000 volunteers got two doses of the vaccine as part of the trials. it proved 95% effective at preventing covid, even among those in their 70s and 80s. side effects were mostly mild. a small minority suffered headaches and fatigue. the independent regulator mh ra began reviewing more than 1,000 pages of data injune and, today, gave the green light. separate teams have been working in parallel to deliver the most rigorous review of this vaccine. no corners have been cut. our expert scientists and clinicians have worked around the clock, carefully, methodically poring over tables and analyses and graphs on every single piece of data. creating a completely new vaccine usually takes at least ten years, from design and development through trials, to regulatory

review and production. this has been compressed to less than a year. many stages were done in parallel and pfizer began vaccine production at their own risk, even before they knew it worked. 800,000 doses of the vaccine should arrive in the uk within days. a0 million doses have been ordered in total, enough to immunise 20 million adults. the only hurdle is the vials have to be transported from belgium in special containers at an ultralow temperature. they then get put into a thermal ship are packed with dry ice that then maintains the temperature at —70, if an open, for ten days. the committee which advises the government on immunisation says the elderly and front—line health and care workers should be first in line.

we are suggesting that vaccines are offered in order to protect people who are most at risk of dying from covid—19, as well as to protect health and social care services, because, by doing so, we also protect lives. age is by far the single most important factor in terms of risk from covid—19. more covid vaccines could be approved within weeks. the goal then, to immunise notjust the uk, but the world. fergus walsh, bbc news. today the prime minister said rolling out the vaccine will be the biggest programme of mass vaccination in the history of the uk. and it will be complex. for example, this vaccine has to be stored and transported at about minus 70 degrees celcius. here's our health editor hugh pym on the challenges that lie ahead. the nhs is ready, though it's a huge task starting next week,

vaccinating its own staff and other priority groups, and those likely to receive the jab soon are already looking ahead to a major milestone in this pandemic. working as an icu nurse, especially in the first surge, a lot of the nurses were living away from home, and they were concerned about bringing it home to their families. if we do have the vaccine, it means we can get back to living a more normal life. life has not been normal for the past several months. the official vaccine priority list in this first phase is headed by care home residents and carers, followed by the over 80s and front line health workers, and then younger groups and the clinically vunerable. nhs staff, care workers and the over 80s are set to be the first. our members are ready to go in the next few days. health leaders say because the vaccine has to be stored at very low temperatures and is not easily moved, hospitals are the obvious place to start. the idea for the first phase is that we concentrate on nhs

hospitals delivering this vaccine because of the particular requirements of the pfizer vaccine. the expectation is that it would be used on staff. our members are ready to go, they've mobilized, they've prepared very rapidly, but this is a complex logistical task. in northern ireland, officials have set aside a new hospital emergency department as one of seven designated vaccination sites. the scottish government also plans to prioritise health and care staff. the pfizer vaccines against covid will be administered in scotland on tuesday the 8th of december. so you can perhaps understand why i have probably smiled more in the last few minutes than you've seen me do in several months. but care homes are now wondering what all this means for their residents and why they don't now appear to be top of the list. it's really disappointing, and, obviously, there is potential implications for our residents as well should we get another outbreak of covid, then they're more likely to suffer some serious consequences of that. there's now an accelerating drive

to set up vaccination hubs for the wider population, including one at epsom racecourse. and another at a sports hall on the etihad campus in manchester. even a village hall in surrey is being prepared as a site for vaccinations in the local community. but it's not going to happen overnight. there is a long journey ahead. hugh pym, bbc news. let's talk about more details to this. let's talk about more drjennifer rohn is a cell biologist and vaccines expert from university college london. thank you for your time. given that something like this normally takes ten years, shall we start with just emphasising how fantastic this is? well, it's unprecedented. i've been watching the speed of this as it unfolds with just sort of a, utter amazement. as a scientist it's so good to see a lot of money put into a problem and a lot of people working around the world to get a

solution. it has just been unprecedented but wonderful at the same time. now, i don't want to throw in a bot but we are hearing about the logistical challenges of this vaccine. not least i would need to be stored, how many vials each case will have, we've got loads of questions coming in from our viewers. we were all expecting our most vulnerable to be catered for ist. jill asked, what are the logistical challenges surrounding vaccine distribution and care homes? it seems like now they won't be the first to get it. i think it's very difficult. because of the ultra low temperatures that these come at this particular vaccine has to be stored at, this is a problem for dispensing. it's not like you can just go to a care home with a suitcase full of vials. you really need to beat near the cold chain. it's my understanding that the best place to do this will be in hospitals. and mass vaccination centers. so ideally taking somebody to that place but with care homes

that's often more complicated. yes. but it could be done. we could be done let's hope so. brian asked a question that a number of people have been asking. why have uk regulators approve this vaccine so much quickly than regulators in other countries? the nhra has been really prepared for this. they have put together a plan for rapid action. they've been reviewing the data early. they started in october. so they are having a rolling review asa so they are having a rolling review as a data recommend they would review it. instead of waiting to the very end and reading reams and reams of data. they've been following it as accounts. by the end they are already pretty much up to speed playback speed and they had to do final checks was up i don't want to trivialise what they're doing it's an amazing logistical thing in its own right. but they did start in 0ctober. own right. but they did start in october. so how does that compare to say the rest of the eu and the united states to a? i know that the fda in the united states, they are chafing a bit because they have to wait to the very end and then go

through the data. this is an issue. they have a different process. and it takes longer. brian also suggest that he had be more likely to take it if other bodies in other countries also approve it. i guess safety in numbers. safety in numbers. i think it's only a matter of weeks before the us and proves that is. and i think there will be enough people that want these doses that they will be all used up, i'm sure. whaen thinks that it's the health care workers, those front line staff will be the first was up one would assume that they are most knowledgeable about it. yes, i don't knowledgeable about it. yes, i don't know what they are thinking but if i was a health care worker i would be pretty ha p py was a health care worker i would be pretty happy with this vaccine. it's been shown to be incredibly safe. it's gone through all the trials, passed everything. the regulatory body would never approve it if it wasn't safe. the nhra is an amazing organisation and its a mired around the world by how well it does its

job. i put my trust in the nhra. good to hear. what about pregnant women? should pregnant women have thisjob? should women? should pregnant women have this job? should they put their trust in this? i don't know if this is known. and i don't how many pregnant women were on the trials. it would depend on if there were enough of those types of people were tested during the preliminary trials. i don't know the answer to that. i'm sure we will all find out. good to get your honesty. what about geneticists asking about under i6—year—olds, when will they vaccine be offered to clinically vulnerable children under the age of 16?|j don't children under the age of 16?” don't know the answer to that. i think there is a queuing system. we know the nhs staff and care home workers and residents are at the top of the queue. i assume they are going to roll it out then to vulnerable and slightly younger people. i don't think precise order has yet to be delineated. but the achievement so far has been

incredible. yes, definitely. and on a positive note thank you so much for joining a positive note thank you so much forjoining us. and tomorrow we'll have a special coronavirus: your questions answered. we'll be joined by the deputy chief medical officer for england jonathan van—tam. to answer you questions on the coronavirus and the vaccine — that will be at nine o'clock tomorrow morning on the news channel and on bbc two. it is feared that conspiracy theories could cause some to be relu cta nt to theories could cause some to be reluctant to be immunised. let's speak to chloe colliver from the institute for strategic dialogue. she leads a global team of analysts studying disinformation and extremism online. we hear about this information so much when it comes to vaccine. a kinda falls into groups. those

people who are completely against it and those who just are unsure. absolutely. we've seen a long—standing and very well established anti—vaccination community online over the past few yea rs. community online over the past few years. and those are generally hard and fast believers in conspiracy theories that undermine any trust in any kind of vaccination. but what we've seen this year around the covid—19 pandemic is a much broader general hesitant individuals who might not have had the correct information about vaccinations. and who might be vulnerable to receiving this information. 0r been exposed to this information. 0r been exposed to this information. 0r been exposed to this information online. that's a much bigger group that we are concerned about as these vaccines get rolled out. this second group, can still potentially spread, continue to spread disinformation how does one counter that? the research has shown bad family and friends of the most viral spreaders

of disinformation vaccination influencers or conspiracy theory they use online and are very critical about the information they are consuming that is correct and that they trust that information. but equally government and public health authorities have a huge role to play here and getting evidence—based information out to people at speed and scale. in what is itan people at speed and scale. in what is it an extremely fast moving situation vels up finally the tech companies themselves who allowed fa cts companies themselves who allowed facts misinformation to flourish over many years. they have a role to play and either removing or demoting 01’ play and either removing or demoting or at least enabling and fact checking. how do you counteract? how do you explain to somebody this idea? you hear about people think it oh there are microchips and arms that's a common when going around for top how do you counteract that? sadly, conspiracy theories are often very well invented and planted in

peoples psyches. it's difficult to cou ntera ct peoples psyches. it's difficult to counteract that. trusted messages are counteract that. trusted messages a re really counteract that. trusted messages are really important for the people from their communities and are they still have faith in could be the best messages to get fact—based information for top necessarily the best information of the media the news 01’ best information of the media the news or government you have to think about other messages might be credible in their eyes to get them the right information.” credible in their eyes to get them the right information. i know that one of the ways that if you see something that makes you anxious is about the idea of taking a step back and thinking, why is that making me feel like this, how do i feel about this? when you are bombarded with so much information, and this is happening especially right now so so quickly. what is your piece of advice to somebody who's got a message, they want to pass it onto somebody else because generally are concerned? as a first check the source. if you know where it's come from and it's an organisation or an institution that you trust and that has a good reputation for evidence based reporting that will give you a strong signal that you can check with something that it will be good information with those around you.

as you noted disinformation as part densely created to play with our emotions to make us want to share and engage was up and make you feel particularly something strong definitely take a second check and make sure that information is coming from a reliable source. thank you so much for that. we will be finding out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages. that will be at 1040 and 1130 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestjoining at 1040 and 1130 this evening in the papers. 0ur guest joining us at 1040 and 1130 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestjoining us tonight will be the daily telegraph chief political correspondent christopher hope and times radio present or do join us, i hope you willjoin for that a little later. let's bring you up—to—date with the latest government figures. the latest government figures show there were 16,170 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number

of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 14,790. there were 1,410 people admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last sunday. and 648 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 453 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 59,699. england has moved out of lockdown and into a three tier system. more than 55 million people are in the strictest two tiers which means all shops are now open but there are still strict rules on who you can meet indoors. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. would you like any drinks, while you're waiting?

back in business, the lucky ones maybe. wilmslow, like the rest of cheshire, woke up in tier 2 this morning. so, halil, who lost 40% of his business to the virus, shedding staff, is able to get going again. i am very glad. i'm very happy to see the customers come back in here. rob's a local church leader, and is relieved to be out. we have escaped what has become at home a delightful little prison. but only 20 miles down the road in manchester, life feels very different, and so was the mood on a radio phone in today. radio jingle: the sound of manchester. like more than 20 million others, they are living under the tightest rules still. pubs and restaurants shut, travel restricted, too. the only thing i want to say to boris johnson is its unjust and it's unfair. why is it we have come out in a higher tier than london? if he thinks that london's economy is more important than the north, thenjust come out and say it. we are having a furlough system

in place, which is great, job retention, but there will be no jobs, if this carries on. reporter: have you lost authority within your party? that fear is one of the reasons why borisjohnson was told in no uncertain terms by dozens of his own mps last night that the tier system is not universally popular, but limits are here to stay, with jobs in particular under pressure. now, the arrival of the vaccine is obviously wonderful news, but it will come too late to many who have lost theirjobs already, and i want to turn to the collapse of the arcadia group, and debenhams, in the last 48 hours. that's put 25,000 jobs at risk. what is he going to do now to protect the jobs and the pensions of all those affected by these closures? of course, supporting everyjob that we possibly can, as well as supporting every life and every livelihood, mr speaker, with a £200 billion programme. but i'd take him more seriously, frankly, if he actually could be bothered to vote for a moderate programme to keep the virus down and open up the economy. news of the vaccine has lifted people's eyes towards the end of this pandemic,

but, in truth, whether in westminster, in edinburgh, cardiff or in belfast, politicians are still going to be grappling with managing this virus and its effects for months to come, and for all of us, that means limits on our lives that ebb and flow in different corners of the country, and that don't always seem fair. but the disease doesn't care about fairness, and how everyone responds to the rules in place across the country will affect how the virus shapes the future for us all. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. as we've heard non—essential shops have re—opened in england for the first time in a month. some shoppers queued from the early hours of the morning and the debenhams website crashed because of the interest in its closing down sale. as our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker reports, some businesses are extending their trading hours to try to recoup their losses during the lockdown. the decorations are up, the festive discounts are on,

and lockdown is lifted. county durham is in the highest tier 3 level of restrictions, but for retailers here in bishop auckland, it's a relief to be trading again. november, it was so difficult, closing. it's one of the busiest months of retailfor trade, so we really to get december you know, people outspending money to see us through. we have taken such a massive, massive hit this year, and unlike some of the bigger chains, we don't have the financial support that they get, so we will lose a lot of our little independent businesses if people don't start to come back. and there clearly is pent—up demand. in birmingham, they queued before dawn for primark. 0n london's oxford street, trade was brisk, but it's been a difficult week for retail. the collapse of debenhams and arcadia, the owner of brands like topshop and dorothy perkins has put 25,000 jobs at risk. the demise of these retail giants

will leave a big hole here in newcastle city center and on high streets across britain. and today, bonmarche went into administration with 1,500 staff affected. but shopping centers are trying to sparkle. tier 3 rules mean shops at the metro center in gateshead can open postop cafes can only do takeaways. i went to have a sandwich, but we had to go outside, so that was a bit difficult. i'm shocked it's so quiet. i was expecting it to be quite busy. there's a lot more in the shops, i think, then you can get online. managers hope longer opening hours will boost sales. stores can trade 24 hours a day. family and friends are being allowed to visit care home residents indoors if they get a negative result from a rapid coronavirus test. more than a million tests will be sent to care providers in england over the next month, in the hope that visitors will be

able to hug and hold hands again with their loved ones. jon kay reports. nine long months without a cuddle, but for audrey, today's the day. i'm just going to get everything ready now, all right? if all goes well, the 95—year—old will finally be able to see her daughter. it'll be grand. it'll be grand to hug her. it'll be good. it will be good. i can't wait, i can't wait! it's so exciting for you. 0utside, her daughter christine is having a rapid covid test, with results in half an hour. 0ne nostril and then the other, all right? after months of having to chat on screens and through plastic, they will be able to have physical contact again, if this test comes back clear. how are you feeling? oh, it's really exciting, and i can't wait! i really can't wait. i can't say any more than that. ijust hope i don't cry. go away, i want to see her! while she waits for the result, there is ppe to put on.

staff here say the pilot scheme has gone well, but they do worry about getting enough tests, and the added costs, especially for smaller homes. i think it will be expensive, because we'll have to upskill our staff. we will probably have to put more staff on the floor. it's quite hard to recruit care staff at the moment, and i think even for things like ppe, and just finding those added areas for us to do it, i think it is going to be an expensive time. the test has come back negative, so it's finally time for that hug. how exciting is this? it's very, very exciting. it's not quite normal. all right, audrey? you can have a hug! ..but it's a start. and it's much, much better than nothing. applause. oh, this is amazing. this is amazing. just like the old days, mum, isn't it? laughter. this is just brilliant. it's grand. it will be even nicer when we can touch skin, but this is pretty good, isn't it? yes.

pretty good. jon kay, bbc news, devon. disabled children's long term development is being severely affected by the pandemic, that's the warning from a coalition of 80 charities. research by the disabled children's partnership has found that crucial education and health support has been significantly reduced since the outbreak with hundreds not back in school full time. 0ur disability news correspondent nikki fox has been speaking to one young boy who is desperate to return to school. ifeel like i'm not normal sometimes. it's like everyone's back at school, and guess who isn't back? me. jacob has a very rare type of congenital muscular dystrophy, an aggressive type. jacob is losing skills all the time. it's progressive, there is no cure forjacob, there's no treatment. jacob loves school. but, since march, he's only been

able to attend four times. my old school couldn't touch me, they refused to touch me, because of corona and everything. i miss all my friends. i've forgotten most of their names, because i haven't seen them since march. it seems like almost a complete breakdown in the system somewhere. he does have a school place, he does have funding, he's identified his training needs, everything's there but it's almost like the whole process has fallen apart somewhere. and i don't understand, jacob has always been in full—time school. the family has been told that, because of coronavirus, his support needs can't be met. not only could he not finish primary school in july, his transition to secondary school has now been delayed because a plan is yet to be finalised to make sure he can return safely. itjust seems like i'm always breaking bad news in everything in his life. for me to have to say to him, "you can't go to school," it's awful. it'sjust horrible for him. for families of young disabled

people, getting the right specialist support in schools is difficult enough anyway, but the coronavirus has only added an extra layer of complexity. we are concerned that the cracks in the system before covid have been made significantly worse, and that education and health support that is really crucial to learning, is not yet at pre—pandemic levels, and this is meaning that disabled children are falling further behind their peers and a risk to their longer term development. you obviously like learning, don't you? no, i hate maths. apart from. 0k, fairenough. jacob, along with many others in his position, are desperate to get back to school full—time. they don't want to miss out any longer. it's just heartbreaking for us. you know, time is incredibly precious, and to think that he's spent so much time out of school, it'sjust wrong. the children's minister has written an open letter to all families with disabled children to reassure them that education is her top priority. ifjacob was to write a bucket list,

number one would be to go to school, and that, for me, is so wrong. so, so wrong. you know, he should be dreaming big dreams, and wishing for great things, not for something he's actually, you know, fundamentally entitled to. random border checks will be brought in to stop french holiday—makers travelling to neighbouring switzerland for skiing holidays. there's been anger in france as the government demands all ski stations close their lifts over the christmas period. germany and italy are doing the same. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. today it's been turning colder from the northwest with quite a few blustery showers blowing in. 0vernight those showers in northern ireland especially scotland are going to be turning more and more wintry. it's to lead to icy conditions here as well. we're more likely to have frost in scotland and northern ireland. probably not so cold for england and wales.

cloud will be increasing again winter weather pushing into wales and the southwest it will be a wet day here on thursday. that cloud and rain will the midlands through east anglia and the southeast. further north, maybe some brightness for a while a few wintry showers, wintry showers in scotland and northern ireland should get pushed away. increasing amounts of sunshine as it tends to dry off here. it's going to be a cold crisp sort of day. temperatures barely above freezing here. the highest temperatures will be along the south coast of england but that rain is going to be developing. all of us of the next few days it is going to be feeling cold. wetter weather most will be rain, some sleet around and the threat of some snow and hail. the uk is the first country to approve the vaccine for coronavirus in the initial doses will be here next week. the prime minister

praises the