so the area that we live in at the moment is bristol. yeah, we walk, there is a parkjust close by where we get our... walks in. our nature fix! it's just a small flat in a block of flats. we'd seen it on the telly and in pictures and that's as far as we went. we googled it an awful lot. here is our van, all packed and ready to go. took part of the day yesterday and a few more hours and part of the afternoon this morning but we are on our way, to the isle of rum! the main thing from the first night i think was the fact that we were pretty chilly. yeah! i think so. it was also pouring with rain, i think it must have done 24 hours of rain. and bristol is a pretty rainy place but this is different, yeah!

being able to walk outside the door and go for a walk within a scenic area rather than having to get ina car. i think life is too short to hold back and say, i'm not sure if i can do it, i'm not sure if it's right for me. i just think take the step and just go for it like we have and if it doesn't work, we will do something else. we have got each other, we have got family and friends so i thinkjust take a step and i think if you put hard work into it and put yourself wholeheartedly behind it, i think you'll be all right on the other side. fantastic. they said it was pretty chilly, they are trying to take your job, darren! it is cold everywhere, a miserable and wet and cloudy day for england and wet and cloudy day for england and wales with heavy rain in the south—east of england. for northern ireland and scotland, mostly showers moving through but we are left with a cold and frosty and icy day. you

can see those shower clouds in the north—west of the uk but this mass of cloud has been sweeping rain eastwards a cross of cloud has been sweeping rain eastwards across england and wales, more to come through today with some snow over the tops of the northern pennines. some drier weather in scotla nd pennines. some drier weather in scotland and northern ireland but temperatures are not far from freezing to. more rain in england and wales which will continue this evening, moving away from most areas overnight as the wetter weather works northward into northern england with sleet and snow over the hills and into scotland as it runs to the colder air and the snow will develop more widely. some wetter weather threatening the south—east of england and east anglia. a messy night, patchy frost in england and wales, more widespread with some ice in scotland and northern ireland. there could be some travel disruption early tomorrow in scotland, particularly the higher levels because of snow put it we might see some snow at lower levels but it will turn to rain and that process will continue on friday. the snow turning to rain across much of scotla nd snow turning to rain across much of scotland and the strengthening winds

pushing wetter weather into northern ireland. prying off quickly in the south—east and east anglia, rain moving into northern england with some sleet possible and snow over the pennines. it should turn drier across the midlands and southern england with some sunshine. another cold day, feeling colder because we have some stronger winds. those winds are around that low pressure which keeps the wet weather going tonight into tomorrow and over the weekend, the low moves into france, the winds ease off and the weather comes down, gradually turning drier is that we can goes on. but we are stuck in that cold air. there is some rain around on saturday here and there, we might see some snow in the peak district over the hills of wales, some wetter weather in eastern parts of scotland as well. the winds gradually ease off through the day but still quite cold, temperatures of 5—7 c. as the winds ease down overnight and the sky is clear, late in the night we could have some frost and fog around as

well as we head into sunday morning. a cold start and the fog will tend to hang around through much of the day, very little rain around, sunday looks generally dry with some sunshine but still cold at 5—7 c. that's all from the bbc news at one so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. welcome to this special edition of your call on bbc radio 5 live, and your call on bbc radio 5 live, and your questions answered on the bbc news channel. good morning and good to be with you. we are going to get through as many of your questions as we can in the next half an hour, from how the vaccine works to how it's going to be distributed and,

importantly, what it might mean for your life. good morning, professor jonathan van tam. thank you for your time to stop before we start, is it professor va n time to stop before we start, is it professor van tam, is a jv tea, as itjonathan, professor van tam, is a jv tea, as it jonathan, what does professor van tam, is a jv tea, as itjonathan, what does your mum call you? she calls me johnny but you can call me what you like. i think professor is probably appropriate. we will start with henrietta. henrietta, you are a co—owner of a ca re henrietta, you are a co—owner of a care home. what would you like to ask? as you can imagine, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the vaccine. however, given the speed of its development and the fa ct we speed of its development and the fact we are the only country so far satisfied with its safety, and negative messaging on social media, some of our staff and residents' families have some anxiety about the vaccine being given to themselves or their loved ones. how would you reassure them that the vaccine is safe for them and our residents,

some of whom might be very frail?” completely understand the anxiety. i think what i would do is tackle this in three ways. number one, to tell you claim and straight that i genuinely have said to my 78—year—old mum, who is probably listening now, that, you know, mum, you must have this vaccine or any of the vaccines the mhra approves as sooi'i as the vaccines the mhra approves as soon as they are available. this is really important, because you are so at risk. so that's a kind of personal peace, if you like. i am very confident in the assessment the mhra makes, and the next piece is, if you witness the press briefing from the mhra from professor lynn, the joint committee on vaccination

and immunisation, dr rain from the mhra, and professor mohammed from the commission on human medicines yesterday, it was a superb and astonishing briefing, which really brought out the thoroughness and the rigour and the caution with which each of these bodies, committees or agencies have taken towards getting this right. i looked at the screen andl this right. i looked at the screen and i thought, you know what, between them, there is more than 100 years of medical experience there, gathered in one place. passing on the wisdom of the work they have done with the teams behind them. i thought that was really impressive and, on the point about us being first, well, i started focusing on

getting vaccines for the uk back in march. it began with a series of phone calls between myself and sir patrick vallance, the government chief scientific adviser, and it was before the formation of the vaccine task force, and the vaccine task force has done a brilliantjob. but thatis force has done a brilliantjob. but that is how early we thought about this, and that is how soon we began to mobilise thinking about how we could get these vaccines, because we felt, if they came along, they may well turn the tide in some way, and so we we re well turn the tide in some way, and so we were very well turn the tide in some way, and so we were very organised. you know, i don't actually think the us or the european regulators will be very many days behind us in authorising the pfizer vaccine, i really don't. so many questions about safety, so it was important we kicked off with that. thank you to henrietta

intended. professor van tam, thank you to use from us at the news channel as well for the saw comments from viewers coming in. praising you for your clear communication, and something you mentioned a couple of weeks ago was a mum test, and you we re weeks ago was a mum test, and you were talking about your own mum and you were on the phone to her, you said, you told her, if she got a cold, —— a pull to go for a vaccine to make sure she at the front of the queue, and the next question we have concerns mum is, it's from claire, who asks, both my 90—year—old mother and 94—year—old mother—in—law live in their own home. will they be prioritised as one of the first to get the vaccine, the same as elderly in care homes, and how will they get it? thank you for the question. it's a very important question. the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, jcvi, is completely independent, but the government

takes its advice extremely seriously and follows it, frankly. the top priority that the jcvi has identified our care homes for older people, and also the workers in care homes, and the reason for that is that the death toll in care homes has been awful in the first wave, and we want to stop people dying. and it's notjust about and we want to stop people dying. and it's not just about the and we want to stop people dying. and it's notjust about the people in the care homes, it is the fact that they are concentrated together, lots of vulnerable people living together, that is one of the factors. and it is very true that the two relatives that your caller mentioned, who are going to be really very substantially at risk from coronavirus because of their e, from coronavirus because of their age, if they are living on their own, then they are not living in the

same conditions as in a care home, where spread from one to another can occui’. where spread from one to another can occur. and that is different epidemiologically. nevertheless, the next priority group is everybody aged 80 and over, and your two relatives will definitely be part of that, and! relatives will definitely be part of that, and i expect actually there to be some blending of priority one and priority two in the real—life deployment of the vaccine. that's because it doesn't make any sense to kind of go, well, very strictly until we have done every last care home we aren't going to touch anybody who is 80 and above who isn't in a care home. it doesn't work that way. several things play into that. one is that we can't waste vaccine. number two is that the bigger principle is to go as

fa st the bigger principle is to go as fast as you can with the volumes you can to get people protected, and so, yes, they are absolutely eligible. now, there is a technical issue relating to the pfizer vaccine that we currently expect to receive very shortly in the uk. i mean hours, not days. there is a technical issue relating to the cold storage, and it does have to be held, because it's quite a friable, delicate vaccine, it has to be held at —70, which is ultra, ultra deep freeze. once it comes out of —70 to defrost, it has to be stored at two eight celsius, which is normal fridge temperature, and that sounds dead simple, and i think i used the yoghurt analogy yesterday at number ten at the press briefing. but this is where the

similarity ends. it's not like a yoghurt that you can just take out of the fridge and put back in the fridge and take out of the fridge and put back in the fridge and it kind of doesn't matter, it's still find it and it still tastes ok. this is one where there are strict rules about the number of times that the vaccine can be taken out of the fridge and moved into what little ambient room temperatures, and so it is going to make it very, very difficult in fact, not viable to ta ke difficult in fact, not viable to take it into individual people's homes if they are housebound. however, they will be able to go to that mass vaccination centres or hospitals, according to a system that i don't have the details of, but the nhs is working on. hopefully, we would get the astrazeneca vaccine, the oxford vaccine, quite soon. can i ask about

that? i need to finish this part. sorry, go ahead. is that one can be held at two to 8 degrees all the way through and it's much easier to split into smaller quantities and probably can go people's homes. on the oxford one, i was going to ask there is some discussion that might be given approval before christmas. can you give us any indication about that? i am hopeful, again, that that would happen, but it's entirely out of my hands. it's in the hands of the regulator, the nhra. they take a very firm line, and we take a very firm line that they are independent, that they must do what they do in their own that they must do what they do in theirown time, and that they must do what they do in their own time, and if that takes them a few weeks, that's fine. if it has to take them a few months because they have to ask further questions or they need more data

from the manufacturer, that's also fine. we go at the speed of science. we do not rush them in any way, shape or form. they have to get it right on effectiveness, efficacy, they have to get it right on safety, and they have to get it right on the quality of the manufacture of the product as well. all three have to be right or we don't do it.|j product as well. all three have to be right or we don't do it. i want to bring in sarah in stockport, a head teacher at a special needs school for children with autism. just tell us about your particular concerns. what would you like to ask? hello, professor. it's kind of you to take the question. i work in a school for children with autism, young people with autism. like all children, they have had this severe disruption to their education over the last 12 months, and it continues. listening to the news this morning about the insistence of government to continue with exams next summer, it just government to continue with exams next summer, itjust puts an government to continue with exams next summer, it just puts an awful lot of staff and children feeling

quite anxious about what's to come so, to help address this, our teachers and school staff likely to be prioritised for the vaccine and, if so, what timescales can they expect? i'm also interested in children and young people with disabilities who have been severely impacted, notjust disabilities who have been severely impacted, not just to disabilities who have been severely impacted, notjust to disruption of education but the loss of additional support and respite that they have had since march. will parents and carers had since march. will parents and ca re rs of had since march. will parents and carers of children with disabilities be able to be prioritised for vaccine and to try and get some normality and routine back into their lives? ok, let's chop the question up into two parts. the first part was about teachers, i believe. is that right? yes. right, so believe. is that right? yes. right, so the jcvi phase one priority list is all about eliminating or getting down to very low levels deaths and

hospitalisations due to covid—19. for that reason, it is very, very highly focused, first of all on care homes, then on age in decreasing order, down to age 50, and also blended in theirare order, down to age 50, and also blended in their are adults of all ages who are clinically extremely vulnerable and have been told they are so as vulnerable and have been told they are so as part of that programme, or who have at risk conditions, typically the kind of at risk conditions that we used to pick out people for flu vaccination every autumn. there are no occupational groups on autumn. there are no occupational groups on the phase one list, and if we can get through the phase one and if it's a highly effective vaccine, and there is very, very high uptake, then we could, in theory, take out

99% of hospitalisations and deaths related to covid—19. so you can see that's why he phase one list is what it is. that's the primary ambition. but it's a completely relevant question that we can't decide on yet, because we don't have the data about how these vaccines will perform in real life. but it's very much on the government's might that it will need to make some decisions about how to go further, whether to go further, and they will be ministerial decisions. the jcvi has identified that that second part of the programme could take into account occupations, potentially, but if you are a teacher and you have an adverse condition, you are going to be pulled in your place in

the order in phase one. —— and at risk condition, you are going to be called. if you are a teacher age 58, you will be called in your place in phase one stop on the point about children with learning disability and other special needs, the jcvi has already identified, and i don't go around memorising the lists, so you'll have to forgive me, i don't haveit you'll have to forgive me, i don't have it all instantly at my fingertips, but i absolutely know that children, sorry, adults with profound learning disabilities, severe learning disabilities and with downstream joan —— down's syndrome i absolutely on the list, and there's been a careful through by the jcvi to really look in great detail and who is at risk among the aduu detail and who is at risk among the adult population from this disease.

i think, as far as teachers are concerned, it will be watch and wait for your profession. yeah, i can see that, and for families as well. i am sure there will be some that awful internet phase one category. —— that will fall into that phase one category for the it'sjust will fall into that phase one category for the it's just the daily impact on staff, having to use agency staff on children and parents in crisis. please don't forget that formal health and social care workers are also part of the phase one priority list, so it's certainly not that care workers have been forgotten. formally engaged health and social care workers are absolutely part of phase one. thank you for raising those issues. that's sarah in stockport. the next question is from a lame, because people are ahead to life beyond hopefully the pandemic, and elaine is asking, are there plans for some kind of certificate to show the

holder has been vaccinated? some airlines like qantas say they will ask for these. is there are definite plans to make sure that we absolutely no and it is linked to health digital records who has had the vaccine, who has had one dose or two doses, if two doses are required, and one of the ones coming tracks potentially for us may only require one dose, but most of them it's two, and which vaccine they had, and when they had it. so your question was actually about vaccination certificates. i don't think thinking is fully complete or as evolved to a point where i can give you any further information on that, but what i can say is that there is an absolute intend to make sure that tip, if you like, that support the vaccination programme means we have a very clear handle on

who is getting vaccinated and when they are getting it. val wants to know, what is your advice for pregnant women when it comes to having the vaccine? ok, so, the manufacturers, all, ithink, of the vaccine manufacturers, all, ithink, of the vaccine programmes, manufacturers, all, ithink, of the vaccine programmes, have taken a view that they wanted to exclude pigment women from their clinical trials. —— pregnant women. that basically means we don't have any data on the use of vaccine in pregnant women but that isn't quite true. of course, you do have women of child—bearing age who volunteer as participants in these trials and, for whatever reason, for pregnant during the course of the trial. and they are very small numbers, but

there is an absolute obligation and determination on the part of the manufacturers responsible for the trials to follow those women all the way through to delivery, and then to follow the baby for a period of time. so we don't have data at the moment in or anything like sufficient quantity, but nor do we have any danger signals, we just don't have data. because of that, the w don't have data. because of that, the jcvi has taken a view that for now the vaccine should not be given to pregnant women, and that is supported by the commission on human medicines, the advisory body to the regulator, the nhra, and i think thatis regulator, the nhra, and i think that is always right, to be safety first in everything you do. in that sense, and there are loads of caveats around this vaccine, can you tell us, where are we at? a lot of people have asked this, in the penalty shoot out at the moment. at what stage are we? if you want me to

doa what stage are we? if you want me to do a football analogy, then i have thought about this, i would say that it's clear in the first half the away team gave us an it's clear in the first half the away team gave us an absolute battering and what we have done now as it's the 70th minute, they got a goal and, as it's the 70th minute, they got a goaland, in the as it's the 70th minute, they got a goal and, in the 70th minute, we have now got an equaliser. we have got to hold our nerve now, see if we can get another goal and nick it, but the key thing is not to lose it, not to throw it away at this point it's a good point on the board. from that perspective, what i am saying is that we need more vaccines, but we also need people to realise that these are not an instant ticket out of anywhere at the moment. we are in for some hard winter months, where people must continue to follow the guidance. they must continue to

follow the guidance, whether or not they have had the vaccine, and let they have had the vaccine, and let the scientists see how this vaccine programme is unfolding, see how it's taken us into a different world and we will absolutely give the signal to our politicians, our decision—makers of what the future is beginning to look like. hopefully much brighter, but, you know, you may have to be patient until may be late spring on this one. thank you, that gives us some sense of perspective on how we look at the future, but there is an urgent question for the immediate future, the next few weeks, whichjennifer would like to ask you for the over to you, jennifer. i have got three children at home, and they were asking this morning about father christmas and wanted to know whether he will be front of the queue to get

the vaccine. oh, absolutely. the ch the vaccine. oh, absolutely. the jcvi made a very special case for father christmas, and he is going to be absolutely at the top of their list. that's excellent. that's very reassuring to hear. thank you for putting the question tojonathan van tam. i have had the prime minister in the studio and we have had debates on brexit, on general elections and all sorts of things, andi elections and all sorts of things, and i have never seen the volume of m essa g es and i have never seen the volume of messages that have come through to us messages that have come through to us this morning for you in particular, and i think people very much appreciate the fact that, when they ask you a question or hear you being asked questions, they get a straight answer, so thank you for your time. we hope you get an opportunity to watch your beloved austin united before too long. absolutely. —— austin united before too long. absolutely. — — austin austin united before too long. absolutely. —— austin united. austin united before too long. absolutely. -- austin united. we love a straight answer. that is it

for this special edition of your call on bbc radio 5 live and your questions answered here on the bbc news channel. thank you to all of you who called in and messaged on various platforms, and a big thank you to england's deputy chief medical officer, jonathan van tam. it's been a cold day, the wettest weather across england and wales, but it's a bit messy overnight tonight, because that wetter weather pushes more towards eastern england and into eastern scotland and, as it moves into the colder air, we will find it turning to snow in scotland and over the northern pennines and cumbrian fails. showers for wales and the south—west and wetter weather for south—east england and east anglia put up a cold night, patchy frost for england and wales, more widespread in scotland and northern ireland stop snow in scotla nd northern ireland stop snow in scotland could bring early travel disruption, tending to turn to rain,

pushing towards northern ireland on stronger winds the rain clears south—east england, up across east anglia and into northern england. there could be some sleet in there. it should turn drier through the midlands and southern england in the afternoon, perhaps some sunshine, but a cold day, feeling colder because the winds will be stronger. over the weekend, it calms down and the winds dropped. gradually turning dry for most on sunday but still cold.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the bbc understands that some of the initial delivery of the pfizer coronavirus vaccine is being brought to the uk today, via eurotunnel. scotland's first minister and england's deputy chief medical officer says every effort will be made to get the vaccine into care homes as soon as possible. the top priority that the jcvi has identified our care homes for older people, and also the workers in care homes. the reason for that is the death toll in care homes has been awful. students sitting a—levels and gcses in england next year will be graded more generously, to try to compensate for lost learning during the pandemic.