this is bbc news with me, tim willcox. the headlines at 2:00pm: fresh warnings that the nhs — under increasing pressure — could soon be overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. the health secretary says people should all play their part in helping stop the spread. every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal. the labour leader, sir keir starmer calls on the government to go further to reinforce the stay—at—home message to the public. we have had mixed messages for the past nine months which is why we have a problem. i would like to see

the prime minister out there every day with a press conference making sure that message is getting through because that is the most crucial thing. it comes as the government says a—symptomatic testing in the uk is set to be made available across england this week — and tens of thousands of people over the age of 80 have been invited to book vaccines. rescue teams in indonesia have located the black box flight recorders for the boeing passenger plane that crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff. 62 people were on board. president trump will face impeachment proceedings this week — accused of inciting the storming of congress. and at 2:30, it's hardtalk. stephen sackur speaks to british epidemiologist professor neil ferguson, whose early modelling of covid—19 made him an influential advocate of the lockdown strategy. most lockdown measures, social distancing could be effective as we have seen in italy and china. they only work for as long as they are enforced and so if you relax those

measures it comes to our critical point where transmission starts researching and that is exactly what we saw, really, across europe. good afternoon. the health secretary has warned that every time people stretch the lockdown rules it "could be fatal" and he's urged everyone to follow government restrictions to help stop the spread of coronavirus. matt hancock said the nhs was under serious pressure and could soon become overwhelmed by the spread of coronavirus. his message was echoed by england's chief medical officer, professor chris whitty, who said the new variant of the disease is spreading rapidly across the country, leaving some areas facing ‘the most dangerous situation anyone can remember‘.

the labour leader, sir keir starmer says the current restrictions may not be tough enough. he's urged the government to reinforce the stay—at—home message, and called for a return of the daily downing street briefings, fronted by the prime minister. the government is rolling out rapid flow tests across the whole of england. the tests, which can return results in 30 minutes, will be prioritised for those who can't work from home. and tens of thousands of people in england aged over 80 are being invited to book an appointment to get the vaccine at one of seven mass vaccination centres. today matt hancock also said said he hoped all adults in the uk would be offered the vaccine by the autumn. now, the latest from our political correspondent nick eardley — and a warning that his report contains flash photography. central london this morning is quiet as you will ever see it, with shops shut, pubs closed, some parts of the country are deserted again. but there is also reel concern in government, that not everybody is following the new lockdown

in the strict stay at home message. the government rules only are one part of this, what really matters is what every person does, because that is how the virus spreads, we could all do something to help, which is to stay at home, because every time you try to flex the rules, that could be fatal. the health secretary didn't rule out taking extra measure, because the real concern among experts about the health service in its ability to cope with the rising number of cases. we will go over on three. these pictures from london's university college hospital give a sense ofjust how much strain hospitals are under. it was bad in march, it is much worse now, we have seen record numbers‘ cross the board, record numbers of cases and hospitalisations, record numbers of deaths. we are now in the eye of the storm

so to speak and people need to take this very seriously. labour has said the government should have acted sooner, in and its leader warned further measures may be needed, possible closing nurseries for example. he had this to say on the current restrictions. they are tough and they are necessary. enough? they may not be tough enough, but in a sense i think the most important thing is for people to get that message about stay at home, and it is up to the government to put that message out there the whole time. it has been less than a week since everyone was told to stay at home but with the serious situation in the nhs experts and ministers believe that message is more important than ever. doctors say that action needs to be taken to make sure all frontline healthcare workers get vaccinated as soon as possible. joining me now to discuss this is dr chaand nagpaul, he's the council chair for the british medical council and a gp himself.

the nhs are saying that they are hoping to get most of the front line vaccinations carried out by the middle of february. do you think that is a realistic target? we actually think it is taking too long because, at the moment, we have about 16,000 reports of nhs staff who are off work due to covid sickness or being positive. we know that this is impacting on the ability of the nhs to south patients. the bma have done a survey that says that about half of doctors are saying shortages of staff due to illness from their own colleagues is affecting their ability to treat patients effectively and adequately so we have a problem as we speak the only way to really address that is to make sure that all health and ca re to make sure that all health and care staff immediately are

prioritised to be protected against this virus with vaccinations, so we are saying that all high risk health ca re are saying that all high risk health care staff should get the vaccine in the next two weeks and everyone else by the end of january. the next two weeks and everyone else by the end ofjanuary. when you are looking at the figures, though, taken together, care homes, gps, people like yourself, just 3 million people. that is a lot of vaccinations, isn't it? it is but if that becomes an absolute priority for the government which has said it is to do2 for the government which has said it is to do 2 million each week, that is to do 2 million each week, that is certainly possible but it needs a very clear directive that health and ca re very clear directive that health and care staff are a priority. the reason why is because if you have further shortages of staff on an nhs thatis further shortages of staff on an nhs that is already severely suffering with workforce shortages that will directly impact on our ability to ca re directly impact on our ability to care for patients and it will be patients who will suffer. the other problem, of course, is that we are

relying on gps, community nurses and practice staff to be carrying out the vaccination programme and already there are doctors and nurses and others who had to cancel their shifts because they have become positive with covid so it is actually also important for the vaccination programme that we protect staff from becoming ill. as well as, of course, treating patients and those in hospital. so to mean it is an obvious priority the government must implement and i will be calling for that action now. you talk about personnel. what about the number of vaccines available. is there a shortage of vaccines or is there a shortage of vaccines or is there enough and are there enough to administer it? retired doctors and other medics having to sort ofjump hurdles to be able to administer these jabs? the bureaucratic hurdles have been absolutely absurd and illogical and we have called for that to be changed and now believe

they are now being changed. the truth is, at the moment, with the government saying that they can vaccinate or they have supplies the 2 million vaccinations per week it is entirely possible to vaccinate the health and care workforce within the health and care workforce within the next two or three weeks and that is what we are calling for. as i said, it is only by keeping our health and care workforce fit and healthy that we will be able to both treat patients and also, of course, carry out the vaccination programme itself. i do think it is important to recognise that in addition to what we are calling for the nhs is under huge strain on already. we are not able to provide a level of care we would like to. we know that, for example, in london where i practice, we have a major mayor has announced because the current trajectory shows that by about the 19th of january, that by about the 19th of january, thatis

that by about the 19th of january, that is what reports are saying, we will probably be about 2000 badge short in london. we have seen hospitals having to divert patients because they are too full. that is having a knock—on effect on other hospitals who become to fool and we are concerned this will be a situation that could spread to other parts of the country. and so the situation is quite desperate to what we cannot is afford to have any doctors, nurses and other staff fall ill. dire warnings today. when you think we will have a clear idea of the impact of the vaccine has had? the government has set a target for the middle february for the first full priority group. those four priority groups are those at greatest risk of the virus and the greatest risk of the virus and the greatest risk of death and hospitalisation. that does not mean that society will be able to resume

normality. far from it. that society will be able to resume normality. farfrom it. but is about protecting people and protecting of reducing the pressure on the nhs. in orderfor us to get reducing the pressure on the nhs. in order for us to get to the point where people can resume some sense of normality we are going to need to have the majority of the population vaccinated and that will take several months. the message now has to be, regardless of this vaccination programme and health and ca re vaccination programme and health and care workers being protected and other vulnerable groups being protected the message is that we have to carry on with the same vigilance and strict rules to prevent this infection spreading and although we do have a more virulent strain of the virus remember, this virus cannot travel across brick walls. it cannot travel between one house on the other physically so if people do stay at home and if they do keep separate when they leave the house, for example, to go shopping. if they stick to the rules of wearing masks et you can bring down the spread. so it is about adherence

to the little degree. and for eve ryo ne to the little degree. and for everyone to assume that anyone they come in contact with is a carrier of the infection. and therefore, if you are at work, you may be familiar with your colleagues but that does not mean they are any safer than the stranger you may be next to in a supermarket. there has to be a zero tolerance mindset in all of us in the way we follow the rules. one final question. where do you stand and your fellow gps stand on delaying the second dose of the vaccine? there does not seem to beam the clinical data necessarily to support, in some cases, what the government is now suggesting?” support, in some cases, what the government is now suggesting? i am not an expert on viruses and immunology but of course we, as the bma, have concerns that the approach taken in the uk has not been taken in other nations and we have raised

this with the government. the government's argument is that it is needed and the believe this will confer protection to more people after one dose but i would have to say that our position as we would like to be led by the science and the signs at the moment, you know, in terms of the manufacturers recommendations is 21 days. there is data to suggest that a six—week delay may confer detection before the second dose but it is the scientists who have taken this position and of course what we want to make sure is that that decision can be backed by evidence. is important now to have surveillance and we monitor exactly what happens after the first dose to make sure that the public and health care workers are properly protected and i think the government should review that decision based on that emerging

surveillance. the most important thing is to be led by the science. thank you very much indeed for joining us. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. and, professor chris whitty, england's chief medical officer will be taking your coronavirus questions in a special edition of your questions answered on the bbc news channel and bbc radio 5 live tomorrow morning at 9:00am. the home secretary has defended the way police have handed out fines during lockdown, saying there is a "need for strong enforcement". priti patel said the number of cases and deaths recorded last week means that officers are right to stop giving repeated warnings to those who breach the rules. a 28—year—old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder, after two men died at a property in east london.

police were called to an address in ilford, to reports of a disturbance. two men were found seriously injured inside the property, and both died at the scene. the house where the men died has been cordoned off behind me as you can see and forensic teams have been in and out. now, we are told that police arrived here with the paramedics at around 4:30am this morning. now, there was a disturbance and i havejust morning. now, there was a disturbance and i have just talked toa disturbance and i have just talked to a neighbour here who has told me he heard a woman screaming just before they arrive. she was screaming for help. the police say that when they got here they found two men who were seriously injured and they did what they could to try to save their lives but they died at the scene and we are told that the next of kin have been informed. they

then arrested a 28—year—old woman. she had been injured and they tasered her as she was being arrested. and we were told that she is now in hospital being treated for those injuries and obviously, the police are investigating this and the crime scene behind me was set up very early this morning. the headlines on bbc news... fresh warnings that the nhs — under increasing pressure — could soon be overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. the health secretary says people should all play their part in helping stop the spread. the labour leader, sir keir starmer calls on the government to go further to reinforce the stay—at—home message to the public. it comes as the goverment says a—symptomatic testing is set to be made available across england this week — and tens of thousands of people over the age of 80 have been invited to book vaccines. officials in indonesia say they've located the black box flight recorders from the boeing 737 airliner that crashed yesterday. 62 passengers and crew were on board the jet,

which disappeared from radar screens over the sea, shortly after take—off. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head reports. better weather allowed a small flotilla of ships to make progress in the search for flight sj182 in the sea north of the capital, jakarta. the boeing 737 crashed just four minutes into its journey. the location was quickly identified, allowing teams of divers to locate wreckage on the sea floor, and, they believe, signals from the flight recorders. translation: there are two signals coming from the black boxes. these can be continuously monitored so we can mark their coordinates. hopefully we can retrieve them soon, and identify the cause of the crash. throughout the day, they brought back debris clearly identifiable as from the missing plane, confirming that something catastrophic happened to it

in the last minute of flight before it plunged into the sea. in this wreckage there were personal items belonging to the passengers, and the authorities say they've recovered some human remains as well. relatives have been coming in to give dna samples in the hope friends and neighbours visited the home of the plane's captain afwan to offer their condolences. both pilots were experienced flyers. captain afwan spent many years with the indonesian air force. he was a good man, says his nephew, ferza mahardika. he often gave us advice and was a prominent figure in the neighbourhood, well known for his kindness. the pilots gave no distress calls, leaving no clue as to what went wrong. the continued recovery of wreckage will hopefully provide some answers, and shed light on whether the safety flaws which have long dogged indonesia's aviation industry

were a factor here too. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. the outgoing vice president, mike pence, will attend the inauguration ofjoe biden on january the 20th. donald trump has said he won't be at his successor‘s swearing—in, breaking with tradition. democrats in the house of representatives say they'll start impeachment proceedings against president trump on monday. they've accused him of inciting his supporters to storm the capitol building in washington. meanwhile, a prominent follower of the baseless conspiracy theory qanon has been charged over the riots. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports. the images that shocked america and the world. video and photographs that are now being scrutinised by the authorities to bring those responsible to justice. this man, dressed in a bearskin headdress and carrying a six—foot spear, was among those that stormed the us capitol and gained access

to the senate chamber. prosecutors say he is jacob chansley, a prominent follower of the baseless conspiracy theory qanon, now in custody for charges that include violent entry and disorderly conduct. adam johnson was pictured carrying the lectern used by the house speaker, nancy pelosi. he is now in custody in florida. protests for and against donald trump have continued this weekend. heavily armed supporters of the president gathered in minneapolis... we want donald trump to resign! ..while in chicago, opponents of the president rallied outside the city's trump tower. in washington, there is now intense security. the national guard is on patrol around the capitol, wherejoe biden will be inaugurated as the nation's next president in ten days' time. donald trump has said he won't be there, but the vice president, mike pence, and his wife, do plan to attend the ceremony. in the meantime, democrats plan

to move forward with a second impeachment of the president, starting on monday. it was an act of sedition that was incited and encouraged by donald trump, and that is why he must be held accountable to the full extent of the law. the claim in the draft articles of impeachment is that donald trump's behaviour "gravely endangered the security of the united states." but some republicans think the process could fuel further unrest. 0thers argue there simply isn't enough time. i've got enough decisions to make about things that can happen rather than to spend time on things that can't happen. if the house of representatives votes to impeach the president, the earliest the us senate could begin a trial of mr trump is january 20th — the day he is due to leave office. peter bowes, bbc news. it was a year ago today that two

scientists published the genetic code of covid—i9, which has gone on to kill nearly two million people worldwide, and left governments searching for the best way to treat the virus. sequencing the genome of sars cov—2 has been vital in allowing scientists to track how it mutates, and spot any potential outbreaks. emma thomson is professor in infectious diseases at the university of glasgow and is part of the covid—i9 genomics uk consortium, which monitors the virus and has analysed the new uk variant. thank forjoining thank for joining us thank forjoining us here. this comes as the you who team has been denied access on the ground so there is still a lot that we don't know about this virus but how important was that first testing in terms of the development of vaccines and where we are now in combating the

virus? well, it was essential for the development of vaccines and these vaccines have been more rapidly developed than any other vaccine in our history. so, getting the genetics sequenced so rapidly is so extraordinary. if you look at the history of virility it took us years to identify the sequence of hiv and we are now in the position where we can sequence the genetic code of a virus incredibly rapidly and it was essential so all of the vaccines have been based on those original sequences. just talk us through, how many mutations have there been and have they followed to the sort of pattern that you would expect? well, viruses do evolve and that is expected and they evolve much more rapidly than we as humans do, for example. initially, we were seeing perhaps one or two changes in the genetic code of the virus on a

monthly basis. and that has now resulted in the accumulation of around 4000 different mutations in the genome and what is critical is that very recently with the emergence of these new variants that the one in the united kingdom which isb the one in the united kingdom which is b 117 and the south african variant also and of course there will be more in other countries who are doing less sequencing, they have arrived with more changes in the genome then we might have expected so for example the uk variant has 17 changes, eight of which having that protein which is essential for recognition by antibodies. and binding to the receptor in the lungs. in terms of the speed with which you and your colleagues were able to identify how these mutations have occurred, is that a race against time, what is the timeframe involved in that? it is a race against time. an arms race between us and the virus and the virus will

continue to evolve and, at the moment, the key questions in terms of changes like this in the vivus are, does it affect the disease itself? does it cause more severe illness or a change in transmission? and does it affect the immune response to things like vaccines which are obviously critical for us. at the moment we know that this new variant does result in an increase in transmission and that has been shown both by the genetics which has been carried out by the consortium which is now sequence 170,000 genomes across the uk but also importantly by genomes across the uk but also im porta ntly by test genomes across the uk but also importantly by test and tracer. the secondary attack rate is higher in people who have had this new variant so we know that it is likely that there is something about the biology of this virus that makes it transmit more readily and that is critical because it means that we have to be more stringent and it is really, really important that we get the

vaccine rolled out rapidly. so none of the changes in mutations of ever good four hours? most mutations that occur in the viral genomes, they are not directed in any particular sort of direction. they are random and most of them actually probably are not that helpful for their virus to transmit a replicate but now and again something will pop up which results in the moving forward of the evolution of the virus, allowing it to have some sort of advantage like it may transmit more readily. some of the changes, for example, in that pa rt of the changes, for example, in that part of the virus which is on the surface, the projections that stick out on the tv screen, the spike protein, can make the vivus a bit more sticky and likely to adhere to the receptor in the lungs. so that can pose problems and if we let the virus replicate in an uncontrolled way we may develop difficult,

further difficulties and so this lockdown is actually really important both in terms of reducing the number of cases but also stopping the evolution of the virus before it evolves to escape vaccines and, you know, because other issues. paradoxically, the london figures are one in 30 orfewer have paradoxically, the london figures are one in 30 or fewer have maybe got the virus and a lot of people are asymptomatic, i will at the same time then, as you are studying those mutations, building up herd immunity? we are building up herd immunity? we are building up herd immunity but it is a very slow process. what will allow us to build up process. what will allow us to build up herd immunity for real is the vaccine so if we were that the vaccine so if we were that the vaccine to enough people we will develop a level of herd immunity and the virus can stop, we may see a very significant reduction in the virus so that is the strategy now however we have not, i think we can be pretty clear that we have not yet built up enough herd immunity

naturally to prevent transmission of the virus and if we just let things go at the moment we would really certainly overwhelm the nhs. just a final thought. when you are studying the mutations of any of these mutations seriously affecting the impact of the two vaccinations that are on the market at the moment? we've got a third just authorised as well. 0ther valid lights flashing on that that the way this virus is moving it might affect the efficacy of the vaccine? we have seen no experimental data so further suggesting that these vaccines won't work so i think it is very likely that they will but the difficulty is if we allow the buyer is to keep changing over time, the risk is that we will develop vaccine resistance and we must do everything to prevent

that happening, to safeguard these new fantastic vaccines. thank you very much indeed. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. we are starting to see some changes after what has been a very cold week by day and by night. slightly less cold there, pushing across the country 39 some heavy and persistent rain. drizzle over western areas further south. mainly dry with clear spells in the south—east and away from here it will be a much milder night on fast free for most. a lot milder than the weekjust gone. there will be some rain at times, heavy across the west and snow mainly over the hills in the north. ina mainly over the hills in the north. in a pressure chart for monday showers these by the front across the north of the country thanks to the north of the country thanks to the low pressure. higher pressure towards the south and we will be pushing that mardi gras in over the atlantic. cold to the north of the country will impact the northern

scotland, turning that to snow. some of it can be quite heavy. dry further east but much milder. 7—11 . hello this is bbc news with tim willcox. the headlines — fresh warnings that the nhs, under increasing pressure, could soon be overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. the health secretary says people should all play their part in helping stop the spread. we can all do something to help which is to stay at home, because every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal and we all have a part to play. it comes as the goverment says asymptomatic testing is set to be made available across england this week, and tens of thousands of people over the age of 80 have been invited to book vaccines. rescue teams in indonesia have located the black box flight