this is bbc news with the headlines... six european countries express concerns over delays in delivery of the pfizer coronavirus vaccine, there have now been 2 million deaths around the world from covid—19that's according tojohns hopkins university. the uk is closing all travel corridors from monday with anyone arriving needing proof of a negative test and will still need to self isolate for at least 5 days. and a century after it first happened on stage in london — how magicians are celebrating 100 years sawing their assistants in half.

there's concern about supplies of the pfizer bion tech vaccine after it was announced that shipments are to be substantially reduced for the next few weeks. the vaccine makers say that modifications are needed to the manufacturing process, it's unclear how the uk will be affected. in a letter, six european union countries have described the delay as "unacceptable". the eu commission president ursula von der leyen said she'd been in touch with the head of pfizer about the situation. i think it is very important that immediately we may declare that there is a guarantee of an amount of doses that have to be delivered in the first quarter so it was good to talk to the ceo a little while ago and he confirmed and reassured me that they know that they have guaranteed these

doses and they will deliver these doses. i think it is good that they are aware that for us it's a very difficult situation because as the prime minister rightly said the first shots have been given and a certain amount of time after four weeks, the second. shot has to be given with biontech pfizer... shot has to be given with biontech pfizer... let's talk to dr philippe devos, he is an intensive care doctor in the city of liege, where he joins us from. he is also the president of the belgium's medical union. first of all your reaction to the news. it's obviously disappointing. because we are waiting for this vaccine. we thought that it was starting now and it was just started last week in belgium. and it's already stopped, almost stopped. it's very bad news. and it couldn't committed worse time credit really?

yes, i think it's very dangerous or to stop now. we know that some dangerous strain like the variants are coming in europe. this is a fight against time. we have to vaccine people before the coming of the variant. if we let those kind of variants spreading around europe before vaccination we will have a huge problem to deal with that. pfizer says they are doing this so they can create more vaccines in the long run. is at the right move, you think? ., ., u think? know, we need vaccine right now for that _ think? know, we need vaccine right now for that. also _ think? know, we need vaccine right now for that. also for _ think? know, we need vaccine right now for that. also for people - think? know, we need vaccine right now for that. also for people that l now for that. also for people that are dying in belgium. at this time each day 15 belgian day doing that people are dying each day. so we are at three weeks on eight we can imagine how many lives will will

lose. it's notjust like any delay of anything. it's a delay that create death. d0 of anything. it's a delay that create death.— of anything. it's a delay that create death. do you think all eumpean _ create death. do you think all european countries _ create death. do you think all european countries will - create death. do you think all european countries will be . create death. do you think all - european countries will be affected by this equally overly let there be some that are affected more than others? it some that are affected more than others? , , , ., ., others? it surprising that on the euro ean others? it surprising that on the european country. _ others? it surprising that on the european country. you - others? it surprising that on the european country. you know - others? it surprising that on the | european country. you know that others? it surprising that on the - european country. you know that all the factories are around the world. for example israel is supplied by us and factories. so i don't understand why europe cannot be supplied by those factories. i don't understand why some countries have to have a huge delay. and they are talking about 50% less vaccines during for two weeks without and other countries have doing i don't have any delay. it's i don't know why the

delay are being punished by pfizer. thank you so much for your time. it's estimated that two million people have died with covid—19 since the disease first emerged a year ago, that's according to figures compiled byjohns hopkins university. the united states remains the worst affected country with almost three—hundred and ninety—thousand deaths, followed by brazil and india. in europe, britain and italy have lost more lives to the virus than any other countries. meanwhile, the head of the world health organization says the world is at a defining moment in the coronavirus pandemic. tedros adhanom ghebreyesus said nations are failing to break chains of coronavirus transmission at community and household levels, and putting health care systems under immense strain. some countries in europe, africa, and the americas are seeing spikes in cases with multiple factors

driving transmission risk. this is because we are collectively not succeeding at breaking the chains of transmission at the community level or within households. we need to close the gap between implementation at the country an individual level because at present there is immense pressure on hospitals and health workers. the more the virus is suppressed, the less opportunity it has to mutates. we need to be more efficient than the virus and reach accidents ——excellence in everything we do. there is only one way out of this story and that is to share the tools we have and commit to use them together. from monday anyone arriving in the uk will have to have proof of a negative coronavirus test and will also still have to self—isolate for at least 5 days. the prime minister, borisjohnson has announced the new tighter border restrictions to try to protect the uk from any new strains

of the virus that are emerging. new infections are finally coming down across the uk but still remain high. more than 12 hundred deaths have been reported in the last 2a hours and hospital admissions continue to hit record levels. but the prime minister said there was hope with more than 3.2 million people already vaccinated in the uk. the bbc�*s health editor, hugh pym, reports. this hospital was one of the first to fill up with seriously ill covid patients last march, now the same thing is happening again, only more so. like many other hospitals in south—east england, northwick park is under severe strain. there are more patients now than there were in march, april and may, and if those numbers continue, it doesn't matter how good we are at looking after covid, we will run out of beds. because of pressure on london hospitals, some covid and other patients are set to be moved to this hospital in newcastle,

which will also take patients from elsewhere in the north. nottingham hospitals are also ready to receive patients from southern england who need critical care. trust leaders say hospitals outside london have been asked to help by boosting capacity. we are now moving a small number of patients from london to other parts of the country because london critical care capacity is very full. that's not something we would normally want to do, but i hope in one sense it's a reassuring sign of how far the nhs will go to treat every single patient who needs care. some london and south—east hospitals are so stretched that patients are having to be moved hundreds of miles for treatment. does this not suggest not enough was done by the government to prepare the nhs for the second wave? a huge amount was done to prepare i the nhs continuously for the last i year, since the pandemic became

apparent, and we always knew i we were going to have a particularly tough time now, and actually even i in london, where the situation has been toughest, the london nhs i has been under huge, _ huge pressure, but they really have been coping magnificently. a social media site has put together impressions from the nhs front line. another entry said... another doctor reported that mark admissions to hospitals like this

one in kettering involve patients who picked up infections a couple of weeks before. as the new covid cases, there are a few signs that the recent surge might have ended. recent case numbers show, in the last week, northern ireland, wales and scotland have all seen case numbers fall. it's the same in england, with more cases and a bigger population, including dipped in hot spots like london, but it's too early to say whether these are lasting trends, in some are seeing gains, including councils like knowsley, horton and the isle of wight. with the risk of new strains of the virus coming into the uk, the prime minister said travel corridors will all be temporarily closed on monday, meaning everyone arriving in the country must self—isolate for up to ten days. let's get a little more on the closure of those travel corridors we heard about in hugh pym's report. earlier we heard from simon calder who's the travel editor of the independent. he explained how these changes will

affect travellers heading to the uk. it will have actually minimal impact. i it will have actually minimal im act. ~ �* , ., it will have actually minimal imact. ~' 3 ., ~' , it will have actually minimal imact. ~ �*, ., ~ , ., impact. i think it's more likely to raise eyebrows _ impact. i think it's more likely to raise eyebrows with _ impact. i think it's more likely to raise eyebrows with viewers - impact. i think it's more likely to i raise eyebrows with viewers around the world in places like asia where of course they have had measures like this in place for the past ten months. in contrast and the uk is always been a bit of an outlier in what's been going on. it was the middle of march when the uk and did all of its targeted quarantine and basicallyjust didn't have any checks or quarantine whatsoever for about three months. then it was introduced and applied to everywhere just as this latest move dollars. then it was relaxed in a series of so—called travel corridors. this concept simply means that it's a list of countries to which you can not need to quarantine if you're coming into the uk. and lately it's just been more and more academic.

this week we've seen the uae including the important aviation hubs of dubai and abu dhabi taken off the list. last night it was the turn of qatar. now it basically amounts to a list of even if i were able to travel which i'm not because of the lockdown rose in the uk, they wouldn't let me in anyway. so australia and new zealand, japan, malaysia, vietnam all countries which have got a very good record is why they are under the travel called our lives. but not places again could have any effect on people like me if we were able to go on holiday because we simply would be welcome. british meat exporters say new customs systems post—brexit are �*not fit for purpose'. perishable goods are being delayed for hours, sometimes days, because of extra customs checks and additional paperwork. the new border rules were introduced two weeks ago at the end of the brexit transition period. the uk exports 15 billion pounds worth of food and drink to the eu every year,

a third of that is perishable meat, fish and fresh produce. the bbc�*s business editor simon jack's report begins at a meat processing factory in shropshire, near the border with wales. uk lamb is highly prized. at this abattoir, 70% gets exported to the ego, —eu an export driven success story, but the well oiled machine that gets it there has a new spanner. paperwork that is to take 15 minutes is taking hours and require vet certificates not needed before. we have been having sleepless nights and taking calls in the early hours of the morning. it has been a steep learning curve and we see some of these problems will remain even when we get to the new normal level. for a fresh quality product trading on a daily basis the system is not fit for purpose and it needs to be looked at urgently. the products are still getting through but delays are shortening shelf life, frustrating customers and forcing them to

consider other options. i feel very upset. i am thinking to buy some land in spain. we have some of our competitors who have land in ireland instead. between the seller and buyer are the hauliers. no one is feeling more frustrated this man. last week for me was probably the worst most difficult week in this job in 20 years. we have lost hundreds of hours, dozens of days already with trucks waiting unnecessarily. behind us we are looking at the new border control posts that customers have setup. at the mouth of the eurotunnel is customs expert says problems on the way out main problems on the wien. we have a situation where

border force's car park is full, the roads are heavily congested, exports are grinding to a halt. if you have a lorry that is going to get stuck on the way out then if you are the haulier why would you want to bring it in the first place? so it will slow everything up. it has been a pretty measurable time for hauliers and their customers. ports operating at a fraction of normal volume, which are expected to increase. let's hope any potential chaos will be short—lived. it seems clear this will cost an additional complexity and trading with our biggest trading are here to stay. there was bound to be disruption. the government says it is working hard with business to get to what it describes as a new normal in cross—channel trade. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. washington prepares forjoe biden�*s inauguration on.

a city on edge. just two weeks after the storming of the us capital. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry and one of its biggest. but the industry is nervous of this report, and how it may tend to that stop people smoking cigarettes. there is not in industry that is unaffected. demolished buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she had been given no help and no advice from the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. i tens of thousands of black childrenl in south africa have taken advantage of laws passed by the country's new new multiracial— government and enrolled l at formerly white schools. it's the 9610th performance

of her long—running play. after hearing of her death, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would've been the last person to want such a thing. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... six european countries express concerns over delays in delivery of the pfizer coronavirus vaccine. there have now been two million deaths around the world from covid—19 — that's according tojohns hopkins university. the us president—electjoe biden will outline his plan to ramp up coronavirus vaccinations later. it follows an early rollout by the trump administration which he called "a dismalfailure". mr biden has already set out measures to revive the economy with a huge stimulus package including an extension of unemployment benefits to millions of americans. david willis reports.

in the worst affected nation on earth, the coronavirus is having a devastating effect. hospitals are at breaking point, as cases have spiralled to around 200,000 a day, food banks are inundated as the collapsing economy has caused many businesses to lay off their workers. joe biden promised to make combating the coronavirus his number one priority, and less than a week to go before taking office, he has unveiled a plan aimed at containing the virus and getting the economy back on track. one that will cost this country nearly $2 trillion. we not only have an economic imperative to act now, i believe we have a moral obligation. in this pandemic, in america, we cannot let people go hungry, we cannot let people get evicted, we cannot watch nurses, educators and others lose theirjobs —

we so badly need them. we must act now and act decisively. a month after the first shots were administered here, america's vaccination programme is off to a sluggish start. mr biden is pledging billions of dollars to expand testing and vaccination efforts and enable schools to reopen safely by the spring. he is also pledging larger sums to help individuals worst affected by the crisis. all of it paid for with borrowed money, but necessary, he believes, in order to prevent the world's largest economy from slipping further into the abyss. all this, of course, at a time of deepening political unrest. packed close together and mostly mask free, last week's protests at the capitol building were not only another potential super—spreader event, they also underlined the fact that many here still believe the virus is a hoax. forjoe biden, there is more than one kind of healing to be done,

and ironically, perhaps, the day that he is due to be sworn in marks a rather grim anniversary — the anniversary of the first confirmed case of covid—19 in the united states. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. the dutch government has stepped down over a scandal in which tax officials wrongly accused thousands of parents of fraud, plunging many families into debt by ordering them to repay childcare allowances. the scandal has rocked dutch politics and the government of prime minister mark rutte ahead of a general election in march. ministers apologised to the families and set up a 500 million euros compensation fund. anna holligan sent this report from the hague. mothers like christie were subjected to financial and psychological anguish by overzealous bureaucrats. translation: and it really got to me. i

translation: and it really got to me. . , translation: and it really got to me, ., , ., translation: and it really got to me. . , ., ., ., translation: and it really got to me. ., ., .,, me. i was home for two years with burnout. me. i was home for two years with burnout i — me. i was home for two years with burnout. i really _ me. i was home for two years with burnout. i really didn't _ me. i was home for two years with burnout. i really didn't know - me. i was home for two years with burnout. i really didn't know what | burnout. i really didn't know what to do anymore. _ burnout. i really didn't know what to do anymore. it's _ burnout. i really didn't know what to do anymore. it's a _ burnout. i really didn't know what to do anymore. it's a miracle - burnout. i really didn't know what to do anymore. it's a miracle i'ml to do anymore. it's a miracle i'm still here. to do anymore. it's a miracle i'm still here-— to do anymore. it's a miracle i'm still here. �* ,, �* still here. translation: there were many stressful _ still here. translation: there were many stressful moments. you - still here. translation: there were many stressful moments. you think| many stressful moments. you think what women raise you the strongest years _ what women raise you the strongest years but _ what women raise you the strongest years. but at the moment she broke and i_ years. but at the moment she broke and i had _ years. but at the moment she broke and i had to— years. but at the moment she broke and i had to motivate her myself. testimonies like these along with admissions of racial profiling ultimately made the dutch governments position untenable. translation: we are unanimous when the whole _ translation: we are unanimous when the whole system — translation: we are unanimous when the whole system has _ translation: we are unanimous when the whole system has failed _ translation: we are unanimous when the whole system has failed all - translation: we are unanimous when the whole system has failed all need i the whole system has failed all need to accept— the whole system has failed all need to accept responsibility. _ the whole system has failed all need to accept responsibility. this - the whole system has failed all need to accept responsibility. this is - to accept responsibility. this is let us— to accept responsibility. this is let us to — to accept responsibility. this is let us to the _ to accept responsibility. this is let us to the conclusion - to accept responsibility. this is let us to the conclusion to - to accept responsibility. this is| let us to the conclusion to hand to accept responsibility. this is - let us to the conclusion to hand the ri- let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as_ let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a _ let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a nation— let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a nation of— let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a nation of the _ let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a nation of the whole - let us to the conclusion to hand the rig as a nation of the whole cabinet| rig as a nation of the whole cabinet to the _ rig as a nation of the whole cabinet to the king — rig as a nation of the whole cabinet to the king h_ rig as a nation of the whole cabinet to the king-— to the king. a report published i share calls _ to the king. a report published i share calls in — to the king. a report published i share calls in and _ to the king. a report published i share calls in and precedented l share calls in and precedented injustice for the families who are accused of benefit fraudsters of a minor errors such as missing signatures on paperwork. they were tracked down and forced to repay hundreds of thousands of euros given to them by the government to offset the cost of childcare. they were

steam—rolled by a government that one minister who resigned called the enemy of the people. the tax office also admitted 11,000 people were subjected to extra scrutiny because they had dual nationality. which has reinforced the view of many ethnic minorities in the netherlands at the system is institutionally racist. translation: so much stress, so many sleepless nights, she says. but translation: so much stress, so many sleepless nights, she says.— sleepless nights, she says. but as she he pedaled — sleepless nights, she says. but as she he pedaled to _ sleepless nights, she says. but as she he pedaled to the _ sleepless nights, she says. but as she he pedaled to the palace - sleepless nights, she says. but as she he pedaled to the palace to i she he pedaled to the palace to submit his resignation to the king rather than signaling the end of his premiership this could be interpreted of act of self—preservation. which avoids the prospect of losing a no—confidence vote in parliament next week. he says liberal piracy is performing well in the polls. what's the chances are he may be voted in for a fourth term in march. until then the government will stay on in a caretaker capacity which means they

will continue making decisions on the covid—19 crisis. an area such as cu rfews and vaccines. it's one of the oldest tricks in the book — sawing someone in half. this sunday marks 100 years since a magician called percy thomas tibbles performed the illusion. for the first time in london. david sillito has more. ok, so here we go. michaelj fitch, who is this weekend just one of many magicians taking part in a global online celebration of a magical moment. ah! there we go. whenever anyone says, you know, "oh, you're a magician," the first line, we hear it every day is, "oh, can you saw my wife in half? " or, "can you saw my husband in half? " for some reason, that illusion has stuck in everybody�*s mind and captured their imagination. ladies and gentlemen, my wife! thank you very much. and this is the man who created that

illusion — pt selbit. his real name was percy tibbles, but not everyone was impressed with his new trick. it was performed for the first time on stage without an audience to a bunch of agents and bookers, and nevil maskelyne, who was the owner of one of these, the owner of the very venue the illusion was performed in for the first time, dismissed it. and while this anniversary is a celebration of pt selbit�*s creation, it's worth noting this is very much a two person trick. would i be right in saying that a lot of the work is going on inside the box? of course, yeah. all the hard work goes on inside the box. michaeljust has to stand there and put some blades in, or knives in. what? he gets the easy part. yeah, definitely. no, that's not true! it's magic, it's magic, and it's all me, it's magic. so is this another example of men doing all the talking,

claiming all the glory, while the woman do the work? well, it's always the way, isn't it? always the way, it's always women who do the hard work, yeah. it is, then, a magical landmark, but 100 years on, it is also perhaps a good time to think about exactly who is doing the magic. david sillito, bbc news, colchester. and the freezing blast of arctic weather sweeping across europe is causing widespread disruptions — but for some it's an excuse to get outside for some fun. these children in southern poland are making the most of the heavy snowfall, by throwing on their winter woolies and dusting off the sleds and toboggans. it was a stunning sunrise in denmark. keen skiiers say the combination of sun and snow made for perfect conditions for a day of cross—country skiing. and the animals at this helsinki zoo in finland were a little unsure about the snowy stranger inside their enclosures.

but as you can see, they showed their guest a great time and were on their best behaviour. hello. parts of scotland and northern england have seen some disruptive snow in the past few days. more to come through this evening and overnight, and also some snow across east anglia and south east england. more on that in just a moment's time. through this evening, we've got this band of rain pushing in from the west, bringing some milder air, but ahead of it, we're still in the cold air. so further snow through scotland, northern england, and then later in the night, we start to that snow arriving into the midlands, east anglia and perhaps south east england as well. where we've got the rain, it's falling onto saturated grounds. we've got flood warnings in place, and also some ice warnings ahead of the rain and the snow as temperatures fall close to freezing. but those temperatures recovering as the night wears on. so we've got more snow to come to top up the significant levels we've had in places across scotland and northern england. but as i mentioned, later in the night, we could see some snow

developing across east anglia. and here we have an amber weather warning from the met office from 5am on saturday morning through until 2pm into the afternoon. so whilst there will be some snow across scotland, northern england and south east england, it's east anglia that we're most concerned about, and some places could perhaps see 5—10 centimetres. so once again some disruption is very likely. it's all down to this frontal system sliding its way south and eastwards through saturday. should be clearing from northern ireland through the morning, although we'll see a scattering of showers here. but further snow for a time on saturday through parts of scotland, northern england, as i mentioned east anglia, and also south east england could see a couple of centimetres here, too. slowly pulling away south and eastwards. some sunshine behind, but also further showers piling into scotland, northern england and for a time across northern ireland through the morning. it's quite a windy day, particularly the further west you are, but it won't be feeling quite as cold. temperatures through tomorrow in a range of 5—11 celsius. it may struggle to get much above 3—4 across east anglia and south east england. as we go into sunday,

it's a day of two halves. we actually see this area of high pressure building across the south of the uk. meanwhile, we keep low pressure to the north, so that's going to keep further showers pushing into much of scotland, a few across northern ireland as well, maybe one or two across the far north of england. but for much of england and wales and northern ireland on sunday, it's mainly dry with some sunshine. and once again temperatures not as low as they have been recently, so typically 5—9 celsius. not as cold as we start next week as well. there'll be some spells of rain and some windy weather, and then turning colder later in the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines. six european union states have complained to the european commission over a significant reduction in deliveries of the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine. pfizer has warned that modifications to its plant in belgium will lead to temporary fluctuations in production but will boost its capacity in the longer term. globally there have now been 2 million deaths from covid—19 — that's according to research from johns hopkins university britain is tightening border controls to block new variants of covid—19. the new rules will come in from monday and anyone flying into the country from overseas will have to show proof of a negative covid test before setting off. us president—electjoe biden has outlined a 1.9 trillion dollar spending package to combat the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the economy. he described his proposals as a two step plan of "rescue and recovery." you are watching bbc news with me maryam moshiri.

it's estimated that 2 million people across the world have died with covid—19 — since the disease first emerged a year ago — that's according tojohns hopkins university. let's take a closer look now at the latest daily coronavirus government figures for the uk — they show that — there were 55,761 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — the first time this number has crept above 50,000 this week. but numbers are still almost 14% down on this time last week. on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 51,221. hospitals have had an average of 35,110 covid—19in—patients. 1,280 deaths were reported — that's people who have died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week — 1,066 deaths were announced every day.

the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 87,295. let's get an update on the uk's programme of mass vaccinations, more than 316,000 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 2a hour period. taking the overall number of people who've had at least one jab in the uk to more than 3.2 million at today's news conference, the government's chief medical adviser, chris whitty, gave a very stark warning that we haven't reached the peak in terms of deaths. but it wasn't all bad news as our health editor hugh pym explained. on the encouraging side, he said the peak of infections has probably now passed in london and parts of the south of england, although it will be a bit later elsewhere. when it comes to hospital admissions, with yet more pressure on the nhs as we were hearing earlier, he said the peak

there might come in a week or ten days' time depending where in the country, maybe a bit later further outside london. but in terms of daily reported deaths, he said the peak would happen sometime in the future. he wasn't exactly clear about when that would be. but the sobering reality is his suggestion that it will carry on rising from here before it reaches that peak, but when that's going to happen is still not clear. knowsley on merseyside has the highest rate of coronavirus cases in england. in the last 3 weeks alone — the number of new infections has been doubling on average every week. our special correspondent ed thomas has been to knowsley to find out why case numbersjust keep rising. the messages are clear, they are heard and seen. stay safe. thank you. stay safe. from asymptomatic testing to the specialist covid prevention officers.

i am part of the covid team. you have probably seen us wandering around. yeah. despite this, in knowsley, covid cases have surged, and not all lockdowns are equal. are you worried more and more people have got covid? yes, definitely. it's every other person saying, such and such a person has got it. it's scary. amanda has to work. bills and rent need to be paid. i wake up through the night, so it's just stressful. what's tomorrow going to bring? i'm just about covering my bills and there is no spare cash. knowsley is one of the most deprived parts of england. it's been a perfect storm. the public health director here believes that inequality is fuelling covid cases. we have a low—wage economy, low car ownership, so people have no

choice other than to travel. people have no choice other than to go out to work. a lot of people in our communities have uncertainty around theirjobs, and they may fear that, if they take the precautions they are supposed to do and self—isolate, they may not get money coming in. i live on the 13th floor and i think that i'm safe up there because it's down here. we spoke to peter during the last wave in knowsley. since then, two family members have died with covid. i'm keeping myself safe, keeping my distance and if somebody's going to come close, i say, woah, and i'll back off. what has covid done to your extended family? decimated it. a single parent, he works on food production lines across the north—west. if you don't work, you can't play, and playing is eating, surviving, clothes on your back, food on the table. if you don't do that, you are going to struggle. do you worry when you go home to your daughter?

of course, i'm scared to go anywhere near her. on average, covid cases in knowsley have doubled every week for three weeks. all i want to do is get my needle. the government promised. for vulnerable people like edward, a sense of helplessness. i had long covid for ten weeks in april. i've been in the royal twice. the new covid, lots of people are catching it. how does knowsley get out of this situation? by following the rules and getting the injection. the vaccine? yes. after three national lockdowns and months of restrictions, that is the hope so many here are relying on. ed thomas, bbc news, knowsley. most outbreaks of covid—19 reported to public health england are now taking place in care homes. there were 977 suspected outbreaks in care homes reported in the seven days to january 10,

an increase of more than 200 from the week before. the nhs has been told to vaccinate care home residents by the end of next week. so far 40% of care home residents have been vaccinated. our reporter crispin rolfe has been to two carehomes in hull in the north of england whose experiences couldn't be any further apart. we managed to miss it completely until november, and it got all 27 residents and 20 out of 28 staff. and, unfortunately, we lost 18 of our lovely ladies and gents. it's been absolutely horrendous. it's like losing your family. the old hall care home, staff had lived in caravans, tried everything, but still in november, the home caught coronavirus. we were losing three in a day. and there were no symptoms, but the residents were walking around one minute absolutely fine, and then next minute they've gone. it was as quick as that. it was awful.

little wonder, then, that with new residents, the team here are desperate to get their first round of vaccinations. butjust a0 miles away at the old vicarage care home, the mood is different. they've had their first doses of the vaccine. how did the nurses do? very good. people are quite excited that it happened. it's just given everybody that great boost, to say there's a light at the end of the tunnel at the end of this, yes, it's a good feeling. we've managed to vaccinate 14 of our individuals and ten staff members. have you had your second dose or just the first? yeah, just the first. and when are you getting your second? it'll be about 28 days. they will communicate with us afterwards. - bit despite the delight, for now at least, restrictions still remain in place. still need to do our part, evenl for the staff and the individuals

that have had a vaccine. the same with the rest of the country. - we will follow strict ppe guidelines and advice. l like you said, getting back to day—to—day, that's - the goal we want to achieve at the end of this. - back at the old hall care home, they're now hoping that their first vaccinations will be given next week, with the aim of relieving pressure that they've lived with since march. the more people get vaccinated, the better. and i have had some staff that have been a bit wary about having it, but i think we've managed to persuade them that this is the way forward. i just think everybody needs to get out there, get vaccinated and get rid of this virus altogether. it's just taking far too many people, far too many loved ones. crispin rolfe, bbc look north. exam results for a—levels and gcses in england could be published in earlyjuly this year, according to proposals for replacing cancelled exams. a consultation launched by the exams watchdog and the department for education confirmed that grades will be decided by teacher

assessment. but results this summer are likely to be released much earlier than usual. there are also likely to be written test papers — set by exam boards, but marked by teachers, with some later checks if there are concerns about fairness. more than 200,000 fingerprint, dna and arrest history records have been accidentally deleted from the national police database because of "human error". the number is higher than originally thought when the mistake came to light this morning. the home office says the data doesn't relate to convicted or dangerous criminals, but it's feared that the error may compromise future police investigations. ever since the new variant of covid emerged in the uk — there've been questions about its impact on children and whether they are more likely get it or help spread it. as our science correspondent rebecca morelle explains — the new variant is reported to be no more harmful to children than before. children have been one

of the pandemic�*s biggest puzzles, with the young less likely to get the virus than adults, but does the arrival of the new variant change this, and is it affecting children more? initial data was analysed for all ages, and something stood out. this red barfor ten to 19—year—olds suggested the new variant was particularly infectious for this group, compared with the old one, in blue. but this was during november's lockdown, when much was closed apart from schools, and this may explain that bump. the latest evidence shows the new variant is 50% more infectious, but not especially for children. it's just that it's better at infecting everyone across every age group. is the new variant different for younger and older children? nurseries are still open in england and wales, and scientists think the youngest are less likely to catch the variant and pass it on than older kids. we know that, in all variants, children less than ten

were less susceptible but, you know, susceptibility and transmissibility increased by age. especially over the age of 15, transmission dynamics are almost similar to adults. does the new variant make kids more ill? the latest evidence suggests that it isn't causing more severe disease in the young. children can need hospital treatment, but they still make up a tiny proportion of cases overall. we are seeing slightly more children because there are more people being infected, but we are not seeing children being disproportionately infected and certainly not seeing wards full of children with covid. with classrooms empty, schools are part of the uk lockdown, but this isn't about risks to children, it's about controlling the spread of the virus. the science of the variant is fast—moving, and researchers

will continue to monitor its impact on the young. rebecca morelle, bbc news. a charity is calling on children and young volunteers to help cheer up vulnerable people in care homes with a video call. some residents have been unable to spend time with family and friends for almost a year — the charity is encouraging teenagers to connect with them online, in a scheme that brings something for everyone involved, as sian lloyd reports. there you go. he's lovely. saying hello to benny the guinea pig. 87—year—old mary is connecting with children and their pets. this is dot. we got her from father christmas. mary is supported by her carer jackie but hasn't felt able to leave her room in the care home since april. video calls are a highlight of her week. i cannot wait to see them. whenever the kids have come on and animals, it's beautiful. i really love it. from their homes, young people

with an interest in volunteering are able to make a virtual visit to an elderly person who is isolated by lockdown. mary, i went on a drive on christmas eve to look at the lights. did you see any lights through your window? not this time, not this year. but before, when i used to go up to west bromwich on the bus and see all the lights, some houses have got it beautiful. jill fraser has been helping bring the generations together, running zoom calls for people right across the country. when young meet old, both benefit. the older people feel valued and the young people feel valuable. and that's been so important at these times when the future is so uncertain for young people, that they can get that recognition of an older person saying, thank you so much. see you, mary. see you, jackie. itjust makes me feel happy. and i also get to gain a bit-

of empathy for how vulnerable they have been over this time. everyone on here makes me laugh and smile. reaching out with kindness and giggles, and brightening up an older person's day, as well as their own. sian lloyd, bbc news. now on bbc news, mark kermode brings you the film review. hello and welcome to the film review with me mark kermode. and despite the fact that covid has closed cinemas and put us in lockdown once again, there is still plenty of new movies for you to experience and enjoy in the comfort and safety of your own home.