today at six: a record waiting list for hospitals in england — 4.5 million patients face delayed treatments. surgeons say it's the calamitous impact of covid on the nhs — imagine being a cancer patient waiting for treatment. i've got this tumour, and i've had it for at least 12 months. and to have had no treatment is frightening. it's frightening. as the first pharmacies offer covid vaccinations, new figures show the regional breakdown — london and the east of england are lagging behind the rest of the country. also on the programme... from heat waves to wildfires, the challenge of climate change —

scientists from around the world agree the last decade was the warmest on record. scottish fisherman demand compensation after eu importers refuse to accept deliveries due to long border delays. the next best thing to a session in the gym — england on top form despite five months without top class cricket — sri lanka give away their home advantage. and coming up on bbc news... andy murray's appearance at the australian open is in doubt — he's tested positive for coronavirus and is isolating. he has to wait for australian authorities to say he's safe to travel.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. nearly 4.5 million people in england were waiting to start hospital treatment last november — that's a record and yet another shocking indicator of the cost of the pandemic on the nhs and its patients. behind the numbers are stories of operations postponed and cancer treatments delayed. the royal college of surgeons described the situation as calamitous. here's our health editor hugh pym on how coping with the surge in covid patients has affected the health service. the consequences of coronavirus are becoming clearer. queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham, temporarily halting kidney transplantation programmes because of the surge in covid patient numbers. other hospitals are also postponing known covid work. paul and his wife diane are both living with cancer. her treatment is going well, but he

needs specialist radiation therapy for a rare tumour in his chest. llsed for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot. — for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but _ for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but now— for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but now i _ for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but now i get - for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but now i get out - for a rare tumour in his chest. used to run a lot, but now i get out of. to run a lot, but now i get out of breath going up the stairs. he was said to have _ breath going up the stairs. he was said to have it _ breath going up the stairs. he was said to have it last _ breath going up the stairs. he was said to have it last week _ breath going up the stairs. he was said to have it last week but - breath going up the stairs. he was said to have it last week but was l said to have it last week but was told because of covid pressure of the hospital it had been cancelled. i was devastated. i couldn't speak for ten seconds when they told me on the phone. you know, it's notjust devastating for me, it's my family and friends. they have been rooting for me for the last 12 months. i've still got this tumour. i've had it for at least 12 months. it's frightening. it is frightening. cancer charities say that sort of consolation isn't happening yet at most hospitals, but they are worried it could do. , ., ., it could do. there is a huge need to restore cancer _ it could do. there is a huge need to restore cancer services _ it could do. there is a huge need to restore cancer services to _ restore cancer services to pre—pandemic levels. massive effort has gone into that. but we are concerned now, in this lockdown, that there is going to be increased pressure on services and we fear more treatments will be cancelled.

for routine hospital treatments such as hip and knee replacements, in england in november more than 192,000 were waiting. to give a sense of scale, that is about three times the capacity of london stadium, home of west ham and where the other bits were staged. by contrast, in february, just before the pandemic, the figure was only about 1600. that's below the capacity of non—league margate football club stadium. nhs england said that unlike the first wave, millions of people were being treated in hospitalfor non—covid health problems. government sources said that waiting lists were still a lot lower than some earlier predictions. vaccinations and some pharmacies in england started today, adding two sites run by gps and the major centres unveiled this week. so, how is the vaccine roll—out in england going. up until last sunday, around 46% of the 80 and over age group in the north—east and yorkshire had had theirfirst dose.

in the north—west, it was 38%. in other regions, a little bit below that. in london, it was closer to 30%. in the east of england, it was a bit lower than that. as a percentage of the whole population, northern ireland is ahead of the rest of the uk, with more than 5% having jabs, wales has the lowest so far at about 3.5%. but these are early days. ijust want i just want to pick up ijust want to pick up on what i just want to pick up on what you were talking about, regional differences in vaccine roll—out. why are there these differences? fix, 1th are there these differences? a lot of --eole are there these differences? a lot of peeple will _ are there these differences? a lot of people will be _ are there these differences? a lot of people will be asking _ are there these differences? lr>t of people will be asking that question. just seeing those figures, that if you live in parts of the north of england and you are over 80, nearly half the population has had the first dose. down in london and south—east, it is fewer than a third. one given is obviously local health systems, it is down to them to deliver, gp hubs, and they have been moving at different speeds, to

put it ranking. samaria say they want to do more, but vaccines are being held up to move to other areas. there is a bit of a blame game going on between ministers at westminster and the welsh government over why wales, as we heard there, as a percentage of the population, has vaccinated the fewest in the uk. blame is being put on the welsh health system for holding up distribution. ministers in cardiff are saying they know there were problems but they are stepping up the roll—out. the bigger picture is that this is a very big programme. it is early days. it's ambitious. but at least it is now happening. thanks very much. people who've had covid—19 are protected from getting it again for at least five months, according to a study led by public health england. the research suggests that if you've already had it you're 83% protected from re—infection. but you can still carry the virus and pass it on to others. our science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. coronavirus is spreading fast, and the number of people who have been infected with covid is rising.

this latest study looked at how likely they are to catch it again. so, what if you've already had coronavirus? does having a past infection protect you? scientists tracked more than 6,500 health care workers who had already been infected with coronavirus. they found that most had protection from the virus for five months, the duration of the study. compared with people who had never had covid, they were 83% less likely to catch the virus again. it's the big question many have been asking. can you get covid twice? a small number of re—infections have been confirmed around the world. and this study found some, too. 44 potential cases were detected. and some had high enough levels of the virus to risk spreading it to others. there are people who have had infections, who can transmit to others. it's not 100% protected. so we are still asking people,

while we are seeing such a high amount of infection, and we need to do everything to protect the nhs, to take every precaution. if you've been infected in the past, do you still need to have a vaccine? even if this study says that many of us who have had covid—19 might have some residual immunity on board for four or five months, as i mentioned with the common cold viruses, it just doesn't last well. these viruses are very good at subverting immunity and knocking out parts of your immune response. while the vaccines that we have, or the candidate vaccines we are talking about here, are really, really well designed to give you rip—roaring, long—lasting immunity. with new coronavirus variants emerging, scientists will now also be studying their impact on reinfection. but the advice for now is to stay at home, remembering hands, face and space, whether you have had the virus or not. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

travel from all of south america and portugal to the uk is to be banned from tomorrow morning in response to the discovery of a new coronavirus variant. our transport correspondent caroline davies is here. just tell us what has prompted this, exactly? just tell us what has prompted this, exactl ? ., , just tell us what has prompted this, exactl ? . , ., , exactly? there are still relatively little known _ exactly? there are still relatively little known about _ exactly? there are still relatively little known about the _ exactly? there are still relatively little known about the particular| little known about the particular strain that led to this decision. scientists are still at the early stages of checking its genetic changes. the key thing is at this stage there is no suggestion it affects the effectiveness of a vaccine. what we know about this rule, it will be applied across south america and panama and portugal. that's because of portugal's strong travel links with brazil as well. it doesn't apply to hauliers travelling from portugal, it also doesn't apply if you are a british or irish citizen, or if you have residency rights in the uk. you will be able to return, although you will be able to return, although you will have to quarantine. at the moment it is a temporary ban. we don't know how long it'll last. in don't know how long it'll last. in practical terms, what does it mean

for travel in the coming months? relatively little, immediately. at the moment, you can't travel to brazil. brazil has banned flights from the uk. that was to stop the uk strain of the virus spreading there. heathrow and gatwick have said they don't have any imminent flights from south america either at the moment. but, of course, the majority of us can't travel at the moment either. the question is, will we see this more often? we have already seen travel from southern african countries banned, now we have seen an entire continent band. in the long term, are more of these bans likely to spring up when new variants do, and will that continue through the rest of the year? all through the rest of the year? all ri . ht, through the rest of the year? all right, thank you. we've been hearing about the intense pressure on the nhs because of the pandemic. the government wants to free up space in hospital wards by transferring patients recovering from covid into care homes and respite centres with spare capacity. but the plan has hit a major obstacle — insurance companies refuse to back care homes taking patients with a covid history.

our social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. overlooking southampton water, this home is normally a place for holidays and respite care for people with disabilities. but since november, it's been taking covid—positive patients from hospitals along the south coast. help needed to ease pressures across the nhs. by offering the beds that we got here, we can reduce some of that burden. it is unparalleled. i've been a nursing a long, long time and i have never known anything like this. people end up in an ambulance, sat outside hospitals for hours and hours. or they end up on a trolley in a&e, in a corridor, for hours and hours. it's one of 129 so—called hot homes in england. the government originally hoped for 500. separated from other residents and with infection control. but here they will soon stop taking patients because they cannot get insurance to

cover them for providing vital care. we will shortly be having to turn people away. what do you make of that, given the level of need? shocking. we are truly helpless, because we are here, we have a fantastic team of nurses and colleagues all ready. the facilities are here. everything is arranged and we can't step up to enable ourselves to support our communities at this time. alan is not on the covid floor, but was discharged here from hospital in the first wave of the pandemic. he understands the importance of freeing up beds. the hospital was very busy, in the spinal unit. it was a separate unit, so they wanted to free beds up. i feel very safe here. whereas if i were to go to somewhere else, which is possible, i might not feel quite so safe. with the nhs under such huge pressure, there is a desperate need for more services like this one. but insurance is one of a number of significant barriers which is stopping many care homes from being involved. after so many deaths in the first wave of the pandemic,

a lot of care homes won't consider the scheme, and many are struggling with staff shortages. even the uk's largest care company has said no to hot homes. but the head of hc one says they also can't get the insurance protection needed if someone gets covid in a home and sues. we've got solicitors' firms advertising taking proceedings against firms, taking cases up against firms. so this isn't a theoretical risk that there may be proceedings. it's an actual risk, and therefore we need cover. the nhs wouldn't operate without similar liability cover. and that's what we need to see. and i think governments have a role to play, working with the insurance industry, to work to find a solution. the government says it is working with care providers and insurers to understand the severity of the problem, and it insists there are enough places in the community to provide care for the people who need

it. scottish fishermen are demanding compensation for seafood rejected by european importers after delays at eu borders. post—brexit customs health checks and export declarations have meant the produce has taken too long to arrive. the government says it's working hard to address what it calls teething problems. our scotland correspondent lorna gordon has the details. it isa it is a prime product that usually commands premium prices in europe. live seafood needs to get to market fresh, and that means fast. but for the last two weeks there has been new layers of brexit red tape, paperwork and additional tracks, which has lead to disruption and delays, and warnings that some businesses could go bust. tens of thousands of _ businesses could go bust. tens of thousands of pounds _ businesses could go bust. tens of thousands of pounds a _ businesses could go bust. tens of thousands of pounds a week - businesses could go bust. tens of thousands of pounds a week we i businesses could go bust. tens of i thousands of pounds a week we are losing. we can't afford to lose that. we send stuff to europe last week and it took five days to arrive. it arrived dead and rotten, we lost that product. so we are into

the second week now and we cannot sell to our biggest market, the eu. it mean some fishing vessels are choosing to stay in port. a third of the scottish fleet is now tied up in harbour. some of the boats that are heading out to sea are choosing to land their catch in countries like denmark, to try to avoid bottlenecks here. this processor, which will now have switched to freezing seafood, warns customers in europe could be lost and jobs are on the line. it is lost and 'obs are on the line. it is a lost and jobs are on the line. it is a knock-on _ lost and jobs are on the line. it is a knock-on effect _ lost and jobs are on the line. it 3 a knock—on effect right through the industry, from fishermen to processing plants, to the staff that we employ. even this week, we have had to send stuff home on two days because we didn't have the projects coming in. because we didn't have the pro'ects cominu in. , ., ,, , because we didn't have the pro'ects cominu in. i. ,, , coming in. many of the issues faced b scottish coming in. many of the issues faced by scottish fishermen _ coming in. many of the issues faced by scottish fishermen are _ coming in. many of the issues faced by scottish fishermen are also - coming in. many of the issues faced | by scottish fishermen are also being experienced by fishing communities elsewhere in the uk, prompting questions in the commons and this response. j questions in the commons and this resonse. . . . questions in the commons and this res onse. ., ., ., ., questions in the commons and this res nonse, ., ., ., ., ., response. i am aware that there have been some teething _ response. i am aware that there have been some teething issues _ response. i am aware that there have been some teething issues as - been some teething issues as businesses get used to these new

processes — businesses get used to these new processes. authorities in the eu countries — processes. authorities in the eu countries are also adjusting to new procedures. we are working closely with both _ procedures. we are working closely with both industry and authorities in the _ with both industry and authorities in the eu — with both industry and authorities in the eu to iron out these issues and ensure — in the eu to iron out these issues and ensure that goods flow smoothly to market _ and ensure that goods flow smoothly to market. the and ensure that goods flow smoothly to market. ., , ,., to market. the scottish government sa s to market. the scottish government says wasted — to market. the scottish government says wasted lows _ to market. the scottish government says wasted lows like _ to market. the scottish government says wasted lows like this _ to market. the scottish government says wasted lows like this one, - to market. the scottish government says wasted lows like this one, with | says wasted lows like this one, with £10,000, was foreseeable and acceptable. £10,000, was foreseeable and acceptable-— £10,000, was foreseeable and accetable. , ., ,, ., , acceptable. jobs and livelihoods mi . ht acceptable. jobs and livelihoods miaht not acceptable. jobs and livelihoods might not matter _ acceptable. jobs and livelihoods might not matter to _ acceptable. jobs and livelihoods might not matter to tories, - acceptable. jobs and livelihoods might not matter to tories, but| acceptable. jobs and livelihoods - might not matter to tories, but they do matter— might not matter to tories, but they do matter to — might not matter to tories, but they do matter to scotland. _ might not matter to tories, but they do matter to scotland. i— might not matter to tories, but they do matter to scotland. i understandl do matter to scotland. i understand the prime _ do matter to scotland. i understand the prime minister— do matter to scotland. i understand the prime minister indicated - do matter to scotland. i understand the prime minister indicated that. the prime minister indicated that compensation _ the prime minister indicated that compensation would _ the prime minister indicated that compensation would be - the prime minister indicated that- compensation would be forthcoming. that needs _ compensation would be forthcoming. that needs to — compensation would be forthcoming. that needs to happen, _ compensation would be forthcoming. that needs to happen, and _ compensation would be forthcoming. that needs to happen, and it- compensation would be forthcoming. that needs to happen, and it needs i that needs to happen, and it needs to happen _ that needs to happen, and it needs to happen now _ that needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. the _ that needs to happen, and it needs to happen now-— that needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. the uk government insists the issues _ to happen now. the uk government insists the issues are _ to happen now. the uk government insists the issues are temporary. i insists the issues are temporary. fishermen are hoping this means their votes will be back at sea soon. —— boats. our top story this evening. we now have record hospital waiting lists in england — 4.5 million patients face delayed treatments. and coming up, the surprise that took nine months in the making,

and that's despite a stay in hospital with covid. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, we speak to arsenal legend thierry henry about life at his new club in montreal, coaching in the pandemic, and whether we'll ever see him take charge in the premier league. scientists from five key agencies around the world have confirmed that 2020 was one of the hottest years ever and brought to an end the warmest decade yet recorded. the un secretary general, antonio guterres, said the findings showed the planet was on course for a "catastrophic" rise in temperatures this century. here's our science editor david shukman. a desperate rescue in indonesia after torrential rain triggered landslides earlier this week. scientists say a warmer world

will bring even heavier downpours in some countries hotter, drier conditions are on the cards. the wildfires in australia last year are nothing new in themselves but the more human activity releases the gases heating the atmosphere, the greater the risks of more violent conditions. and although the pandemic lockdowns have reduced traffic, they haven't made much difference to the carbon dioxide that keeps being added to the air. year on year we that keeps being added to the air. year on yearwe are that keeps being added to the air. year on year we are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, notwithstanding the pandemic we are still increased the carbon dioxide levels by over two ppm carbon dioxide levels by over two ppm last year. as long as that continues to happen, we are putting our foot on the accelerator of climate warming.— our foot on the accelerator of climate warming. our foot on the accelerator of climate warminu. ,., , ' :: climate warming. over the past 170 ears the climate warming. over the past 170 years the average _ climate warming. over the past 170 years the average global _ climate warming. over the past 170 l years the average global temperature

has been monitored by teams in britain, america and other countries and although it has varied year by year, the recent trend has been dramatic as the planet has heated up. the result, the most recent decade was the hottest on record and also getting closer to an increase of 1.5 degrees and internationally agreed limit that scientists would be safe —— so it is dangerous to cross. the risk is more extreme as the world over. this village in the vale of glamorgan was flooded over christmas after the heaviest rainfall therefore 70 years. and as temperatures rise, heatwaves will become more common. like the one in the uk last summer. the met office says the latest records are part of a pattern. says the latest records are part of a attern. :: :: ., , a pattern. 2020 we are seeing temperatures _ a pattern. 2020 we are seeing temperatures that _ a pattern. 2020 we are seeing temperatures that are - a pattern. 2020 we are seeing temperatures that are yet - a pattern. 2020 we are seeing. temperatures that are yet again giving us one of the warmest years on records, despite some factors such as conditions in the tropical pacific is that in 2020 would

normally suppress temperatures. 50 normally suppress temperatures. so will anything be done? joe biden has promised that america will lead a big push to tackle climate change. and china for the first time has committed to going carbon neutral. negotiations at un glasgow later this year, there's a lot at stake. david shukman, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the scottish labour leader richard leonard has resigned. he said that it wasn't an easy decision — but he was stepping aside in the best interests of the party. mr leonard has led the party for the past three years but faced repeated calls to quit from a number of his own msps. a team of scientists from the world health organization has finally arrived in wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus after being delayed by the chinese authorities. it's emerged two of the team have contracted the virus while travelling. the remainder will have to quarantine for two weeks before starting work. china has just recorded its first

coronavirus death in eight months. globally, nearly two million people have died in just over a year. former world tennis number one andy murray has tested positive for coronavirus. he's said to be "in good health" but there are doubts over whether he'll play in the upcoming australian open. he had been due to fly out to melbourne this week, but instead is isolating at home. heavy snow has caused travel disruption in the north of england and scotland. older people due to get their covid—19 jab at newcastle's vaccination hub have been asked to rebook appointments. weather warnings for ice are in place for much of scotland, the north of england and west midlands until friday morning, with more snow expected at the weekend. we've been reporting onjust how tough its been for children keeping up with their lessons during the pandemic. now there's evidence that their physical well being may be suffering as well. according to an annual survey by sport england children have been

less active and less engaged in sport. here's our sports correspondent natalie pirks. we are going to go a little bit faster now. for the children of st margaret's lee primary in south—east london, lockdown learning begins with fitness with mr toby. get those knees up. it makes me happy, and it's fun. we can't go to the park, we can't have parties. . so fitness will keep you happy. it makes me feel happy and joyful. the school says that happiness is key to their learning. it is 15 minutes, gets the kids ready for the first lessons in the morning and just gets the day off to a very good start. as much as gabriel loves his online sessions, it is not quite as good as the real thing. i like my netball lessons that we used to do in physical education. but without my friends, i can't do those any more, and also

with the lockdown we can't communicate. he's not alone. this pandemic has hit children hard. a survey today shows activity levels — already too low — have decreased further, with only 44.9% of children and young people in england getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity. that's a drop of almost 2% from the last academic year. there's been an across—the—board drop in the ten most popular activities, like team sports, swimming and active play, with school and pool closures hitting the figures, only walking and cycling have gone up. most worryingly, there has been a significant decline in key factors associated with children's enjoyment of sport and fitness, with the report showing motivation and confidence have fallen. as we do start hopefully returning to a bit more normality, you want your kids to go back to the sports they were doing before. so, it's about putting the work in now and try to get them involved, making everything

as fun as possible. it's not all bad news. today's figures actually saw a rise in girls being fitter. but overall, the pandemic has seen a million fewer children being active in england, with some groups worse hit than others across the whole of the uk. there's been a negative effect on children's physical and mental health, driven by disturbed patterns of sleep, inactivity, that has been exponentially worse for those who are on lower incomes and we are really concerned about the effect on health inequalities. keeping kids active and happy is crucial for their futures. while that may have become more difficult now, it may also have become more important. natalie pirks, bbc news. cricket — and any fears that england might suffer from a lack of first class action for five months have been wiped away. the team have made a flying start in the first test against sri lanka, in the southern city of galle. joe wilson's been watching. escape for a moment into a different

world called cricket. england's players say they try to retain a social distance when they celebrate. well, celebrate was really all they did. for kusal mendis batting's miserable. got him. that's the fourth in a row. more success for stuart broad in his headband era. parreira improvised...badly. first success for spin bowler dom bess. galle's cricket ground famously nestles between sea and fort. spectators aren't allowed near this game. well... rob lewis arrived in sri lanka last march for england's suspended tour. he stayed, waited. after ten months he was allowed to sing on the fort before being moved on. now restricted by quarantine, england's players had little preparation but they were sharp. angelo mathews gone. next watch shanaka's shot hit

the leaping bairstow and then see the ball loop tojos buttler. england's luck was truly in. sri lanka was soon all out — ouch! — for 135. bess took five wickets in various ways. test match rhythm meant england were now batting. playing it with wonderful control. a bird—scattering sweep from the captain as they thrived. route 66, bairstow a7. england 127—2 and the view getting better. joe wilson, bbc news. now a story that may surprise some. it was certainly a surprise for samantha hicks from bristol. as a careworker, 2020 was a pretty busy year. and at the end of it, she got covid and had to go to hospital. recovering at home over the new year, her husband noticed something unusual about her shape. jon kay picks up the story. new year's day, and joe and samantha hicks think there are a family of four.

until... my husband felt a kick on my tummy. ijust knew that it was a heel that i felt on my palm. ah, 0k. that's. .. that's a bit of a shock. ok, so here we have sam, and our new baby, julia. we were not expecting julia. just ten days later... she is absolutely stunning. at seven and a half pounds, apparently full—term, still in hospital tonight, but doing fine. i was more concerned thatjulia were healthy than anything, that they were 0k. lo and behold, here she is. so, we've got three beautiful children now. which i couldn't be more happier. sam thought she might be pregnant last summer, but all the tests came back negative. in november, she was hospitalised with covid. and even then, baby julia wasn't spotted. unreal, definitely. unreal. two weeks ago, you didn't know she was pregnant.

and now you've got a full—term, healthy baby. yes! i know... it's really, really strange to think of it that way. i can't imagine any better feeling than what i'm feeling right now. jan is now getting used to having a surprise granddaughter. i will not believe it until i see the little one in my arms. - and then when i can give her a big cuddle and a kiss, then _ the tears will form. she is beautiful! look at that. sam and julia should be home at the weekend, when four becomes five. jon kay, bbc news, portishead. time for a look at the weather. what a day across the uk. some heavy snow has caused some transport

disruption, also some disruption with some of the vaccinations in newcastle but for some, it gave you an opportunity to enjoy the beauty that snow can bring. county durham. a different story for some because it wasn't snow it was rain and i would rather have the snow than this. the rain quite heavy in places, producing localised flooding. we have seen over 50 millimetres across the north west today. this has been the story over the last few hours. the rain is starting to ease up just a touch and through the night, it turns much quieter. lighterwinds, the through the night, it turns much quieter. lighter winds, the rain, snow easing off but that will allow those temperatures to fall away quite sharply. down close to freezing, just below in many rural spots, so ice and fog could be the issue first thing tomorrow morning. yes, lots of icy stretches, almost anywhere where we have seen some moisture today and some of the four could be freezing in places, so

please tune in to your local radio station to find out if there are any travel problems if you had to venture out tomorrow. we are in this cold air mass through friday so it stays quite cold before the next area of low pressure moves in from the atlantic. on friday it looks like a quiet start. the fog will slowly lift away but in some places it will take its time and where we have a lying snow and lingering fog, temperatures struggling tomorrow afternoon, two or three degrees at the best. perhaps out to the west, slightly milder, six or seven. all change as we start the weekend. another area of low pressure moves in and the wind direction changes so a south—westerly flow, slightly milder but it will bring rain and some of it heavy. it will linger across the south—east during the day on saturday, brighter conditions follow on behind and there will be some squally showers up to the far north—west as well. around 8—10 to

the rest but still on the cooler side on those exposed east coast. quieter for sunday