tonight at 10: there are more people being treated for covid in the uk's hospitals than at any point in the pandemic. we have a special report from inside the royal london hospital, where staff and resources are stretched to the limit. i wasn't convinced we were going to have a second wave at all and the huge numbers that have just absolutely slammed us, it's just... i never thought it would be possible. and we talk to some of those whose lives have been torn apart in this second wave of the pandemic. nobody wants to go through this. i wouldn't wish this on anybody. it really is horrible. we'll have more on the plight of families and the extreme pressure on the nhs, along with more promising news about the distribution of vaccines.

so far, 4 million have been vaccinated but, as we explain, the roll—out is not rapid in all parts of the uk. the ayes to the right, 278. the noes to the left, nil. mps, most of them voting from home, want to keep paying the extra £20 in universal credit, but ministers don't have to agree. russian opposition leader alexei navalny, who returned to moscow yesterday and was promptly arrested, urges people to take to the streets "for the future of russia". and, in the us, the new presidency will bring a new approach to climate change as part of a massive economic package. and coming up in sport on bbc news: arsenal and newcastle do battle at the emirates, as the visitors hope to turn around their poor league form in the premier league.

good evening. there are more people being treated for covid in hospitals throughout the uk than at any point in the pandemic. the national medical directorfor nhs england, professor stephen powis, reported today that more than 15,000 people have been admitted since christmas eve. he said there was extreme pressure on the service — "more than we've ever seen", in his words. and the numbers continue to rise, as ten hospital trusts across england reported a lack of capacity in intensive care. to illustrate the distressing reality of what's happening on the front line, clive myrie visited the royal london hospital to see how staff and families of patients are coping. there are those who must look into the abyss — to spare all of us. how many floors are taken up

by covid patients here? we've got patients on the third floor, fourth floor, sixth floor, seventh floor, eighth floor... of 548 beds at the royal london hospital, 420 have covid patients. for ten days, we joined staff in one of the uk's biggest intensive care units... yes, still coming. go, go, go. ..at the peak of the second wave... he could die from this, by the way, i'm sorry to have to say that. - ..as a new variant of covid—19 forces a reckoning for our health service... sorry! so we're now going to run into a problem because we haven't got any beds. ..and a reckoning for us. nobody wants to go through this. i wouldn't wish this on anybody. this really is horrible. as london sleeps, the night shift begins at the royal london hospital.

nursing sister carleen kelly makes her way to a job that's crushing her, in the middle of the covid nightmare. sleep isn't what it used to be. there's anxiety when you wake up and you remember what you have to go into. we're fragile and, erm, angry. in the emergency department, consultant nick bunker is up to his neck in problems. so, he's got covid and he's had a stroke. a new covid patient has been admitted for every hour he's been on shift. by sam, eight. so we're now going to run into a problem because we haven't got any beds. no beds? so, i had five beds to start the night. we've got two patients next door who need to come in. just down there. thank you.

all right. and here's another. where will he go? just bring the back of the bed up. see if that helps. and is he on 100% now? yeah. in pressurised rooms, the patients receive oxygen through masks, their condition monitored, but who may need more sustained help from a ventilator? sats below 96. one man's breathing badly falters. just do it, just do it, just do it. he must be intubated, fast. and we watch, as medics put him to sleep and push a long plastic tube down his throat, hooking him up to his new breathing machine. when he'll wake up, no—one knows. soon, he'lljoin so many others here — oblivious to night and day. cared for by strangers like carleen, who we spoke to in the first wave

of the virus, back in may. i've felt broken on many occasion and i think a lot of my colleagues have. now, the intensity of the second wave is even more frightening. i see how i feel about this time, like i'm trapped in a cave and the water is slowly rising, and i'm barely keeping my head above water. it's scarier, it's bigger. i was so naive the first time. i wasn't convinced we were going to have the second wave at all, and the huge numbers that have just absolutely slammed us, erm, it'sjust... i never thought it would be possible to have this many intensive care patients, not at all. nick bunker checks on carleen and all the staff as he helps monitor around 130 icu covid patients, spread all over the hospital.

there were little more than a0 intensive care beds before the pandemic... yeah, let me know if i need to know. ..and he still needs more tonight. a few minutes later, we find a porter with a priceless possession. we soon find out how he sadly came upon it. martin freeborn said he wanted to speak to us. er, my wife lost her fight for life. erm... it was a mixture of covid and an infection that - finally finished her off. and this is literally in the last few minutes? yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah, in the last half hour, i've lost her. . her name was helen and she was 64. what's your message to people watching this who perhaps feel that there is no covid,

there is no battle that everyone is fighting? it makes me really angry. nobody wants to go through this. i wouldn't wish this on anybody. this really is horrible. it's real, and people. really do need to look after themselves and take care, because you don't _ want this to happen. i wouldn't wish this on anybody. yeah, please wake up, - and please be over—careful. you can't do enough i to keep yourself safe. don't end up like us. please. that's the three grandchildren - and my three daughters, and my wife in the background, looking on. she loved being a grandmother. this letter's from my daughter but, unfortunately, she went _ on the ventilator before

she could see it. - "dearest mum, helen, grandma. "we love you so much. "we miss you more than we can say. "you are so strong and have been through so much... i you are our hero, our inspiration. 0ur light in this darkness. until we see you again, and we will... you stay strong, as always... "all our love, and forever. "laura, lindsay and megan." it's a sad story, isn't it? just one of the family suffering there in this pandemic talking to clive myrie. we'll have more reports from clive, cameraman david mcilveen and producer sam piranty

at the royal london hospital over the course of the week. the vaccination programme being rolled out across the uk continues to offer hope of an end to the pandemic. today, the total number of people who've had their first dose of one of the three approved vaccines passed the 4 million mark. and in the last 24—hour period, 225,407 people have been vaccinated. in england, those aged 70 and over, as well as those listed as clinically vulnerable, will now begin receiving offers of a vaccine this week. but, as our health editor hugh pym reports, how quickly you get called often depends on where you live. with ten new mass vaccination centres opening today, this one at st helens rugby league stadium, the pace of the roll—out was being stepped up. we're going to be giving you your vaccine today, 0k? and there was plenty of praise from those in priority groups who'd been invited to attend for theirjabs. it's been fantastic, so pleased that it's on the way — for everybody, notjust for me, but for everybody.

it was brilliant. i'm really surprised how well... ..how turned on it is. i think it's great. the prime minister was visiting 0xford biomedica, one of the companies manufacturing the 0xford—astrazeneca vaccine. he said good progress was being made, but stressed there was no guarantee of a rapid lifting of restrictions. i'm afraid i've got to warn people — it will be gradual. you can'tjust open up in a great open sesame, a great bang, because i'm afraid the situation is still pretty precarious, as people can tell. priority groups in the vaccine roll—out plan are care—home staff and residents, nhs and care workers, those aged 70 and over, and the clinically extremely vulnerable. that's 15 million people being offered a first dose by the middle of february. after that come those aged 50 and over, and younger adults with underlying health conditions. that's an additional 17 million being offered that first dose

by the spring of this year. so, what happens after that? well, ministers have indicated that teachers, police and shop workers might well be at the top of the list. scratch coming... some vaccination centres and hubs in england have done most of the over—80s in their area and, from this week, will start offering jabs to the over—70s. this gp in kent, though, says he's frustrated he's not yet able to do that. we're still doing the over—80s, and i would like that message to go out there that i know there's been a lot of media attention indicating that the over—70s are going to be invited in but, at the moment, we're not able to do that. not because we don't want to, because we do, it's simply we don't have the vaccine in enough quantity. there are regional variations, although the overall numbers are encouraging. what do you say to local teams who say they can't get hold of enough doses? there are parts of the country that have made very significant progress

and gone a bit faster than the average, and i thank them. what we're doing now is making sure that whilst they, of course, will be able to move on to the next group, we're prioritising the supply of the vaccine into those parts of the country that need to complete the over—805. the cabinet minister therese coffey tweeted something isn't quite right in her constituency because in some places, 70—year—olds were being contacted ahead of older age groups. later she tweeted she'd been assured all those in their 80s and 90s who hadn't heard anything would get letters or messages. in northern ireland, 8.7% of adults have had a first dose of the vaccine. in england, the figure is 8%. in both scotland and wales, it's around 6% of the adult population. around 4 million have had theirfirstjab. the plan seems to be on track, but there's still some way to go. hugh pym, bbc news.

the latest official figures suggest that the number of coronavirus cases is now falling. there were 37,535 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — which means that on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 44,997. across the uk, an average of 35,882 people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to sunday, that includes suspected cases in wales. 599 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 1,129 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 89,860. 0ur health editor hugh pym is with me.

let's talk about this roll—out of the vaccine, and clearly, people are being encouraged by some of the figures that we are seeing, but the roll—out seems to be patchy across the uk? roll-out seems to be patchy across the uk? , ., . .,, the uk? yes, an increasing debate about the varied _ the uk? yes, an increasing debate about the varied speed _ the uk? yes, an increasing debate about the varied speed of - the uk? yes, an increasing debate about the varied speed of the - about the varied speed of the roll—out in different parts of the uk. matt hancock has said again that supply is a rate—limiting factor, as we heard there. he is saying there needs to be a privatisation now in areas which have moved slower than others in england in terms of getting the over—80s and other priority groups jabbed. and there is quite a regional difference between london and the east of england lagging behind other regions. mark drakeford, meanwhile, the first minister in wales, has said also that there are supply limits, but he said there was enough pfizer vaccine to get through until february but it could not all be used at once because vaccinators, he said, would because vaccinators, he said, would be standing around doing nothing. that provoked a tax immediately from opposition parties and the british medical association. later on he clarified, let me be completely

clear, nobody is holding back vaccines. having done about 300,000 a day across the uk of the first doses, that has slipped back a bit, the daily rate, although it could be the daily rate, although it could be the weekend effect. let's be clear, more than 4 million doses administered is pretty much in line with plans. and the uk is still well ahead of other european countries, relative to population, and the us, forgetting vaccines administered. ministers say it won't be easy but they still seem confident they will hit their targets.— they still seem confident they will hit their targets. hugh pym, many thanks, hit their targets. hugh pym, many thanks. our— hit their targets. hugh pym, many thanks, our health _ hit their targets. hugh pym, many thanks, our health editor, - hit their targets. hugh pym, many thanks, our health editor, with - hit their targets. hugh pym, many| thanks, our health editor, with the latest on the roll—out figures. the house of commons has voted tonight to support a labour motion which calls for the £20 increase in universal credit to be continued beyond the end of march. despite the government ordering its mps to abstain, six conservative mps defied their party and voted for the motion, although the result is not binding on ministers. around six million people currently claim universal credit. labour says that at this time of great anxiety, families need certainty

that their incomes will be protected. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports. the view from the rooftops was part of daily life, but the world looks different now for carl, no longer well enough to work as a roofer. this is another new skill i've learned... retraining and relying completely on universal credit, including what's for him a vital extra £20 a week. i've gone from not having enough to barely having enough. it has made a big difference, in real terms, it's an extra £2.50 a day. and i can use that money to have the heating on an extra hour, maybe buy some fruit, maybe buy, you know, some eggs, even at that basic level. everything's got to go in? with thousands ofjobs being lost and hours being cut, there's pressure on so many households. the labour leader says, right now, there's 6 million people on low

incomes or out of work who receive universal credit... it better not all fall off now! ..just can't afford to lose that £20 top—up, which is due to disappear in march. this £20 uplift has been the difference between making ends meet or not for many, many families. we're still in the middle of a pandemic, and the government wants to get rid of that uplift, which is vital to those families. it's the wrong thing to do. but keeping going would have a huge price tag. making the £20 permanent would cost about £6 billion a year. that wouldn't even be covered by a penny increase on income tax. so, as one minister put it, the treasury is fighting this exceptionally hard. but growing numbers of tory mps themselves worry that at the end of march, too many people's finances will be just too shaky to cope with losing the cash. so a sprinkling of them defied party bosses to vote with the opposition tonight, to preserve the payment. the ayes to the right, 278... it doesn't force the government

to change tack but the pressure just might. people have lost their livelihoods, they've lost their incomes, so i absolutely believe that universal credit should be extended. how often does new stuff come in? all the time. and while the prime minister's focus is on the vaccine, a decision has to be made before too long. we've got to get our country through the health crisis. i think that, actually, the uk is capable of staging a very, very powerful economic recovery, but we've got to look after people throughout the pandemic. a hint the £20 top—up could last as long as the restrictions? carl believes that's claimants' due. a lot of the people who depend on universal credit are in work, and they are the people that the country's relied on. i think they should be shown a little bit of gratitude, and at least dignity. a pricey decision for the government

to pursue, but cutting off the cash would have a political cost that ministers might want to avoid. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the inquiry into the manchester arena terror attack in 2017, in which 22 people died, has resumed today, focusing on the response of the emergency services. new questions have been raised about whether the youngest victim, saffie roussos, could have survived if medics had responded differently. one member of the public, who tried to help the eight—year—old as she lay injured, has been speaking to our north of england correspondentjudith moritz. i saw a little girl lying there. i bent down to her, she was still conscious. i asked her her name and i thought she said sophie. her name was saffie. eight years old, and lying on the floor of manchester arena after the bomb went off. the first person to reach her

was poster seller paul reid. and shejust started... she wasn't upset, she just got a little bit upset. she asked me for her mum and i said not to worry, we were going to find her in a minute. and do you remember anybody trying to bring bandages or anything to try to stop the blood? there was nobody, there was no bandages. paul has been commended for helping to carry saffie out and get her into an ambulance quickly. experts appointed by the manchester arena inquiry say her injuries were unsurvivable, but a different team commissioned by the roussos family has said she might have survived if she had received better medical treatment. the little girl died more than an hour after the attack after losing a critical amount of blood. her parents have only recently learned the expert opinion that she didn't get the help she needed. there was a member of the public with her. i can't expect them to tourniquet her, splint her legs and so on. but the medically trained people

that were with her didn't apply basic first aid to give saffie a chance. paul reid says he's still haunted by the memories of that night. just a sense of failure. you know saffie's parents have said they wouldn't expect a member of the public to have had that training, known what to do. i'm first aid trained, but the most i'd done was put a plaster on. i mean, to step on that foyer, some of them people, it was carnage. the manchester arena inquiry will now examine the emergency response to the attack. the inquiry has heard it's important to acknowledge the enormous pressure which those who responded that night came under. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. let's take a look at some of today's other news. fish producers and businesses have staged a protest at westminster to highlight the problems they've been having exporting their produce since the uk's brexit transition

period ended this month. exports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely disrupted by new customs controls. more than 20 lorries drove up whitehall. a number of people were reported for covid—related offences. the head of the world health organization has said the world is on the verge of a catastrophic moral failure over the way covid vaccines are being shared out. dr tedros ghebreyesus said the current approach would lead to hoarding, delaying the delivery of vaccines to poorer countries and prolonging the pandemic. china is on course to be the only major economy in the world to have grown in 2020. strict containment of coronavirus and emergency relief for business helped to stimulate the economy. it grew 2.3% over the year, although that is china's slowest rate of growth for more than 40 years. russia's most prominent opposition figure, alexei navalny, has urged people to take to the streets "for the future

of russia", after he returned to moscow for the first time since being poisoned last year. mr navalny was speaking at a court hearing, which took place inside a police station, having been accused of breaking the terms of a suspended jail sentence. tonight the foreign secretary dominic raab condemned the deccision dominic raab condemned the decision to detain mr navalny. from moscow, our correspondent steve rosenberg reports. "we're for navalny," it says. "alexei, alexei," they shout. mr navalny�*s supporters came to the police station where he was being held. a makeshift courtroom had been set up inside. it would rule on whether the kremlin critic should be sent to jail. in a freezing cold russian winter, piping hot tea was a welcome relief. it's bitterly cold here, it's —20, and supporters of mr navalny are waiting for the result

of the court hearing and shouting, "let him go." in a video message from the court room, mr navalny denounced the hearing as a mockery ofjustice. after he was ordered to be kept in custody for 30 days, he called on russians to take to the streets and not stay silent. alexei navalny is the russian opposition leader most capable of organising large—scale anti—government protests. it's why the kremlin sees him as a threat. navalny was and is danger number one for vladimir putin in russia. it's very difficult to fight against massive public protests. mr navalny is convinced it was the kremlin that ordered his poisoning by nerve agent. the russian authorities

deny any connection. but the decision to detain him will have been taken at the very top. navalny! for now, he's going to jailfor a month. that could turn into years, and if it does, the authorities risk turning alexei navalny into a political martyr, something the kremlin always wanted to avoid. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. by this time on wednesday, the united states will have a new president. and whenjoe biden replaces donald trump in the oval office, there will be an immediate reversal on climate policy, with the us rejoining the paris climate agreement. its aim is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius. reducing emissions will be a key focus of mr biden�*s $2 trillion package for the us economy, and the new president could transform the prospects for international climate diplomacy, as our chief environment correspondentjustin rowlatt reports.

tackling climate change was not... how shall i put this? ..a priority for president trump. all of this with the global warming... a lot of it's a hoax, it's a hoax. i mean, it's a money—making industry, 0k? forjoe biden, it is at the heart of everything he plans to do. ..in the battle to save our planet by getting climate under control. todd stern is democratic royalty, 0bama's climate envoy, bill clinton's chief—of—staff. climate — it's going to be a key priority, shaping his national security policy as well as domestic. i don't think he's going to get every single thing he wants done because that never happens, but do i think he's going to get a significant part of his... ..of his plan and his strategy executed? yes, i do. mr biden says he wants us electricity to be carbon—free by 2035, so, much more renewable power.

fossil fuel subsidies will go and they'll be cash for electric and there will be cash for electric vehicle infrastructure. 4 million us buildings will get a green makeover. it is an ambitious agenda and the biden team knows there will be push—back. we're talking about a really sort of almost a handbrake turn in how the economy works. carbon has been the lifeblood of the economy, and so it's going to require a deeply coordinated effort across the economic management of the united states in order to be able to get to the kind of speed of change he wants to see. with a wafer thin majority in the senate, mr biden can't be certain to get the cash or the legislation he needs for his radical plans but he has a much freer hand internationally. glasgow will be hosting a landmark international climate summit in november, cop 26. with biden in the white house, it stands a much better chance of making significant progress on climate change, says the woman who negotiated the paris climate agreement

on behalf of the un. the new biden administration is absolutely key to success at cop 26. i have no doubt that they will reach out and they will begin to weave together a collaborative spirit for cop 26, which has to be a spirit of increased ambition beyond what we have today. the wildfires and hurricanes america experienced last year have added fuel to the debate. president biden plans to change america's policy on climate and the world's, too. his challenge will be keeping the american public with him. justin rowlatt, bbc news. let's get the latest from washington now. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, is there. so, talking about climate, produce our, but other things as well, what kind of range of policy reversal do

people see? kind of range of policy reversal do peeple see?—