tonight at ten — the prime minister says it's too soon to say if lockdown in england can be lifted by the spring. almost five million people have now had their first vaccination, but borisjohnson says restrictions won't be reviewed until the priority groups have had theirjabs. i think it's too early to say when we'll be able to lift some of the restrictions. as the uk's death toll nears 100,000, a final report from the royal london hospital on the pandemic�*s impact on the nhs. also on the programme tonight... storm christoph brings flooding — hundreds of home in the north west of england and wales had to be evacuated last night. joe biden�*s first full day as president — he lays out a national strategy

to tackle coronavirus and says the worst is still to come. and wuhan — where it all started. a year after china's first coronavirus lockdown, normality has returned. and coming up in sport on bbc news — a strong start to the year for rory mcilroy on his return to the european tour. he leads after the opening round in abu dhabi. good evening. the prime minister says it's too early to say when restrictions in england can start to be lifted, as some scientists suggested that pubs and restaurants should stay closed until may. the experts studying the spread of covid said reopening the hospitality sector too soon could lead to another wave and unsustainable pressure on the nhs. meanwhile england's education secretary gavin williamson said

he certainly hoped schools in england could fully reopen before easter — something downing street refused to be drawn on. the roll—out of the vaccination programme continues, with 65 new centres opened today. almost five million people have now been vaccinated, as our medical editor fergus walsh reports. life in lockdown has become the new normal. most classrooms stand idle. shops, pubs and sports centres are locked up. holidays, a distant dream. protecting lives comes at a heavy price, in ruined livelihoods and loneliness. and it seems there is no clear end in sight. i think it's too early to say when we'll be able to lift some of the restrictions. we are seeing the contagiousness of the new variant that we saw arrived just before christmas. there's no doubt it does

spread very fast indeed. it's not more totally but it is much more contagious. its not more deadly, but it is more contagious. labour, too, can't say when measures should be eased. we need to look at the infection rates. the admission rates and the pressure on the nhs and tragically, the death rates. we need to see those numbers moving. there is no party politics in this. everybody wants those numbers to come down which is why it's very important everyone complies with government guidance. every month, imperial college london sends out coronavirus testing kits to 140,000 plus people across england. it picks up those with and without symptoms, and the latest findings are worrying. the swabs were carried out between january six and the 15th. they suggest that one in 63 people in england was infected. there was no apparent decline in cases during those ten days.

that's puzzling because we look at uk wide positive tests, there was a sharp decline during the same period, from around 60,000 cases a day, to around 40,000. i think it's shown us that the lockdown is partially working. there's been a change of behaviour and the epidemic isn't growing as fast as it would have done but we need it to be shrinking right now. just keeping it level�*s not enough, given the pressure on hospitals and the number of deaths we have each day. that's why vaccination is the hot ticket. this cinema in aylesbury, buckinghamshire, is a covid vaccination centre. no popcorn on offer, but the chance for people to get a jab in the heart of their community. this mosque in birmingham is the first in england to offer the vaccine. bame groups are at higher risk from covid, so centres like this could be important in increasing uptake and countering misinformation about the jab.

there's nothing to be worried about. the mosque is open to tell you that it is genuine and there is in line with the of islam. -- with the teachings of islam. is there any other way of tackling this pandemic than the vaccine? i don't see any other way. 200 covid vaccines a minute are being given across the uk. the aim, by valentine's day, to immunise all over—705, front line health workers and those shielding. nhs england data shows marked regional variations for the roll—out. in the north—east and yorkshire and northwest, around two thirds of over—80s had received a jab byjanuary i7. by contrast in london and the east of england only around 50% of the over—80s had their first dose. the south—west, midlands and south—east were all around the 60% mark. across the other nations,

supply issues continue to hamper vaccine delivery. ok, here we are. 0k, go. less than half of those over 80 have been vaccinated in scotland and northern ireland. so, in the race between the virus and the vaccine, it's covid which still has a commanding lead. fergus walsh, bbc news. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg is in westminster. so uncertainty about lifting lockdown and concern in government about the small minority still openly flouting the rules. well, let's just take stock of what politicians have been saying today. the home secretary priti patel said it's just too early to contemplate lifting any kind of restrictions and introduced a new fine for people in england caught going to a house party. the education secretary said he'd love to see schools backed by easter but there was no guarantee.

the prime minister said it was too early to be sure that lockdown would be lifted in spring. hop over to northern ireland, michelle 0'neill northern ireland, michelle o'neill and arlene foster extended lockdown there until march. in scotland it's already in place until the middle of february and in wales, there is no sign of anything unfreezing anytime soon and when we go through those list of remarks from the people who will make the decisions about this in the weeks and months to come, clearly the mood is one of caution and the mood is one of real concern. of course there are signs that the of course there are signs that the disease may be slightly losing a little of its grip. cases flattening off, and, of course, who could watch the images of vaccines going into the images of vaccines going into the elderly�*s arms and not feel anything other than cheered and optimistic about the possibility of that, especially in the way in which the uk, although it's patchy, is way ahead of so many other countries. but i think the mood among politicians is this time round is there is no appetite to rush this. i think there is a memory of the

promise that was made to the country about how we might be able to celebrate at christmas but then they had to go back on. so i think any talk of being sure that there will be a rollback of restrictions by early spring is very much a hope were certainly not a guarantee. laura kuenssberg in westminster, thank you. let's look at the latest government figures. and new cases continue to fall. there were 37,892 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 40,485. there were 38,676 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to tuesday. 1,290 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 1,224 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 94,580.

the uk's programme of mass vaccinations continues to ramp up, with a new daily record for the roll—out. more than 363,000 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24—hour period. it takes the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to very nearly five million people. and our medical editor fergus walsh is here. despite the large number of people being vaccinated, still a lot of uncertainty about months ahead. that's right, so 5 million protected so far, 10 million still to go, because there are 15 million in those top four priority groups, with the target of reaching them by mid—february. now, protection builds after immunisation, it takes about three weeks, but even then it's not

total, especially after the first dose were so given the very high rates of coronavirus those who have been immunised have been told to be very careful indeed and stick to the lockdown rules for now. it's not clear, they may still be able to pass on the virus. there is no doubt that the lockdown is suppressing the virus, but if the outbreak is shrinking at all it's not happening fast enough. more and more people are out and about than they were in the first lockdown and we have this more contagious variant. we see the effect on hospitals. nearly double the number of covid patients is at the number of covid patients is at the first peak in april, more i see yous saying they are either at capacity or nearly full and until those early measures in the nhs are eased considerably the pressure there then lockdown restrictions will remain. there then lockdown restrictions will remain-— all this week clive myrie has been reporting from the royal london hospital, which has been inundated with covid patients. in his final report he looks

at the cost of the pandemic on both patients and medics alike, with staff working under greater pressure than at any time in the history of the nhs. just to warn you that clive's report, filmed with camera journalist david mcilveen and producer sam piranty, is upsetting, and does contain flashing images. hello, am i speaking to shamima? my name is doctor healy, i'm ringing from the royal london hospital. it's about your husband, asif. consultant marie healy�*s words will sting. one of her covid patients isn't doing well in intensive care. he is quite sick, he could die from this, i'm sorry to have to say that. we've only been married for two years. he is the light of your life. he is. you know, he's never been away from me, for even a day. this is shamima, who already knows loss in this pandemic. on your wedding day? her brother—in—law was buried last

month, a victim of covid—19, and this week her father—in—law died from the virus. now her husband's life hangs precarious. it is a feature of the second wave that whole families have been blighted. we feel so empty and for me not to have my husband by my side, life is too short and you want to spend it with your loved ones. because i have to be strong for my mother, i have to be strong for my sister—in—law. you know, they kind of rely on me and if i break down, then, you know, i don't know what's going to happen to the family. asif lies limp, one of close to 4,000 people across the uk now breathing with the aid of a machine due to covid—19. that's more than 4,000 families praying for the best, fearing the worst, lives on hold. the nhs is a family, too,

and it has mourned its own. more than 200 front line staff have died in the pandemic. and see you because they didn't want to get you tired. senior charge nurse dom wood at the royal london feared he wouldn't make it after contracting the virus over christmas. i was doing everything i could to try and deep breathe and everything that i tell everyone to do and that's quite a scary moment. because... you see... the trouble is, in the first wave and the second wave, i've seen what can happen. it's scary.

we're all scared... ..that the grave—diggers will keep working due to covid. this cemetery in north—east london has had to expand because of the pandemic dead. today, across the uk, more than 94,000 — that's over 20,000 more than the number of civilians who died in our country in world war ii. we're all scared, that things will get worse before they get better. we're all scared of the cruel ripples of the pandemic — lockdowns, mental health problems, economic shock. so where is the light?

martin griffiths is a consultant trauma surgeon at the royal london, more used to dealing with gunshot wounds and stabbings. now he is helping out giving people vaccine jabs. what do you think of anti—vaxxers? they have my thoughts and prayers. they're wrong. they're so wrong. and either by a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding, an unwillingness to accept reality of what we are seeing, they are actively contributing to the detriment of our society. next, please. salvation, then, at the end of a needle. and maybe soon we'll all be able to smile. it's true, the nhs is here for us from cradle to grave,

part of the origin myth of post—war modern britain, but coronavirus has given us a glimpse into a dark future, a time when the men and women of the service can't help everyone as they would like. is that the true lesson of this pandemic — that to see the nhs crumble means losing a part of who we are? clive myrie, bbc news. hundreds of people had to leave their homes last night as storm christoph caused widespread flooding, especially in the northwest of england and wales. severe flood warnings remain in place, and further rain is expected next week. judith moritz has sent this report. submerged streets and flooded fields. this was warrington today. for months, the message has been to stay at home. this morning, in this area, whether by boat or on foot, it was to get out.

my living room floor literally looks like a water bed. because the water has come straight under it, i had to turn off all the electricity and gas, everything. this area wasn't one of those classed as at the highest risk, meaning a threat to life. but there was still plenty of disruption here and across the north west. get back! in gorton in manchester, an investigation is under way to find out whether the sinkhole that caused these houses to collapse was the result of storm christoph. luckily, nobody was hurt. in northwich in cheshire, a retirement village was cut off. the vulnerable and elderly taken out, with covid and safety precautions in mind. in didsbury in south manchester, the prime minister watched defences being shored up this morning, but the area has not flooded as feared. last night, residents here were told to evacuate their homes. today they were allowed

back and were pleased to be clearing away puddles of rain rather than floodwater. did you leave the house? myself and my two daughters did. we went to stay with my mum. she lives nearby. she's only five minutes away, so we were very lucky. some people decided to go, some people decided to stay. we took it upon ourselves to make sure that the river was monitored every hour right through the night by the residents here. it's only when you get up into the air that you can see the extent of the water in manchester and cheshire. it's mostly lying on farmland, by design. as the river mersey was raging, to stop it overflowing they opened the sluice gates here and sent to the water along that drainage channel and out onto the flood plain. i cannot stress how close we got last night. how close did it get? within centimetres, and across greater manchester the systems we have put in place have protected 23,000 properties.

in north wales, there was disruption last night in wrexham, but relief that a centre producing the covid vaccine was spared any damage. this bridge in denbighshire was washed away by the force of the water. in yorkshire, river levels remain high. this is the 0use in york. the environment agency have said people should stay vigilant. they warn that further heavy rain is expected into next week. judith moritz, bbc news. presidentjoe biden has launched a national stategy to tackle coronavirus in the us, as he predicted that america's death toll would reach half a million by the end of next month. joe biden said the pandemic was a national emergency and it was time to start treating it like one. speaking at the white house, he promised a hundred million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office. but he warned that things would get worse before they got better. 0ur north america editorjon sopel reports on his first full day in office.

and the first order i'm going to be signing here... president biden is a man in a hurry. a slew of executive orders has been signed, reversing many trump—era policies. there'll be more later on. and today, the first full day in the newjob, a virtual church service. prayers for the mission ahead, prayers for the united states. and look, everyone in the white house is wearing a mask now. it's obligatory. a big change, and deliberate. one of our 100—day challenges is asking the american people to mask up. unveiling his national coronavirus plan, president biden said the trump administration's vaccine roll—out had been a dismal failure so far and that things were going to get worse before they get better. the death toll will likely top 500,000 next month. the cases will continue to mount. we didn't get into this mess overnight and it's going to take months for us to turn things around.

but let me be equally clear, we will get through this. # meet me in a land of hope.# last night, after a day of tension, amid concerns the inauguration could be disrupted, celebration. with the new president pulling in the megastars for a socially—distanced concert. in the last few weeks and the last few years, we've witnessed deep divisions and a troubling rancour in our land. but tonight we ponder the united states of america. and there was the sense of a new dawn from those performing. # here comes the sun #. joe biden comes to the job with a mountain of problems, and under the watchful gaze of abraham lincoln, a man who led america through its civil war, spoke of the challenges he must now address. the question is, are we up to it?

will we meet the moment like our forebearers have? i believe we must, and i believe we will. to donald trump's fury, he could never attract the big names to play for him four years ago. the new president had no such difficulties. while the biden family tapped theirfeet, there was an important contribution from the three amigos, three former presidents going back nearly 30 years. but all of them still younger than the new occupant of the white house. well, i think the fact that the three of us are standing here talking about a peaceful transfer of power speaks to the institutional integrity of our country. and america's first woman vice president, first vp of asian and black descent, set out the dream. we shoot for the moon and then we plant our flag on it. we are bold, fearless and ambitious. # you just got toi ignite the light #. the evening ended with katy perry

and fireworks shooting to the stars, and the first couple settling into their new surroundings. there had been a peaceful transfer of power, despite the troubling events leading up to this unique inauguration. thanks forjoining l idea . thanks forjoining us. jon, any idea what a biden presidency means for the uk? ~ �* , f for the uk? well, i'm sure they're watchin: for the uk? well, i'm sure they're watching that _ for the uk? well, i'm sure they're watching that closely _ for the uk? well, i'm sure they're watching that closely in _ for the uk? well, i'm sure they're watching that closely in downing l watching that closely in downing street and they are early signs that may give them some alarm. janet yellen, president biden�*s picked to be the next treasury secretary has said thatjoe biden will not sign any new free trade agreements before the us makes major investments in american workers in infrastructure. the biggest thing britain wants and needs from the us is a free trade deal post—brexit and there were hopes it would happen before the spring. may be some alarm. i've seen

some stuff aboutjoe biden removing from the oval office a bust of winston churchill. if that's going to be the metric by which you measure the relationship i think it would show a good deal of insecurity on the british side. the relationship when the us and the uk is built on much firmer foundations and defence and intelligence sharing are the real measures by which it should be looked at but i think the trade thing is the most immediate concern and that's one to watch very closely. concern and that's one to watch very closel . . ~ concern and that's one to watch very closel . ., ~ , ., a bomb attack on a busy market in the iraqi capital, baghdad, has killed more than 30 people and wounded at least 100. it's the city's deadliest attack in three years. witnesses say two blasts exploded in quick succession. no group has claimed responsibility. but authorities say it could be a sign of the re—emergence of the islamic state group. it was a year ago this week that the chinese city of wuhan went into a coronavirus lockdown,

the first in the world to do so. almost 60 million people were confined to their homes in the city and the surrounding province, the first real glimpse of the devastation soon to sweep the world. but one year on, china is hailing wuhan as an example of a great victory, not disaster, asjohn sudworth reports. nowadays in wuhan it's the mundane normality that's striking. with the traffic jams and the bustling streets — all such a far cry from this. in january last year, wuhan was ground zero, the place where the pandemic began and the first to experience lockdown. one year on the city's moved on and a remarkable new narrative has taken hold. "the virus came here

from other countries," this stall owner tells me. "china is a victim." where did it come from? "it came from america," this woman insists. there's even official backing for the idea the virus may have come from somewhere else. can you tell us why china is promoting this narrative, in the absence of scientific evidence? translation: your question reveals your prejudice against china. - reports have emerged from australia, italy and many other countries that the coronavirus was found in multiple places in the autumn of 2019. from the scientific consensus that the outbreak began here, to the more controversial theory that it leaked from this wuhan laboratory, all are now rejected with equal force. instead, this giant wuhan exhibition

celebrates a great victory. the allegations of cover—up, the suggestion the authorities hid the initial outbreak, rejected too, with one man centre stage offering lessons for the world. there may well be something to learn, of course. china's mass testing programme, for example. but other aspects of its approach — perhaps not so much. in the harsh enforcement of its lockdowns, the need to balance control with individual rights has been far less of a constraint on its model of success. the struggle of democratic countries to contain the virus is viewed here less with sympathy and more with a sense of vindication. for china, wuhan is not a reminder of a political disaster that allowed a virus to spiral out of control, its a symbol of triumph.

with her brother one of the first to die from covid, ms wong — who doesn't want to use her full name — believes the authorities should have warned people earlier. she shows me the letters she's written in her futile fight for justice. china is celebrating what it calls a great victory over this virus. do you think it's a victory? "it's their victory," she tells me. "it has nothing to do with me." this city's past has been turned into propaganda, and truth — just like the virus — is being brought under control. john sudworth, bbc news, wuhan. glastonbury festival has been cancelled for the second year in a row due to the impact of the pandemic. the organisers — michael and emily eavis — said they had made the decision

with "great regret", but that they were confident they'd deliver something "really special" in 2022. the french government will recommend that people wear surgical masks in public. wearing a face covering in public is already the law there, but now officials say fabric face coverings don't provide enough protection from covid—19 transmission. football now, and the champions liverpool have suffered a major setback in their defence of the premier league this evening. burnley pulled off a shock victory at anfield with a 1—0 win to end the hosts' 68—game unbeaten home run in the league. the only goal was scored from the penalty spot by ashley barnes, after he was fouled by the liverpool goalkeeper, alisson. they're small, cheap devices that you slip on your finger. but they can help save lives. the nhs in england has bought hundreds of thousands of oxygen monitors for patients with coronavirus to use at home — in what's an unprecedented roll—out. the devices are being given

to patients aged 65 and over and others at high risk, but the doctor behind it says everyone should consider getting one, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. it could've ended completely differently. so, you know, i suppose i do owe them my life, really. dorset, where they've taken the fight against the coronavirus into people's homes. lessons learned from the first wave have highlighted the danger of leaving some patients to sit out the infection alone. we have seen people who are critically low on oxygen, and we've heard stories of people dying at home, because they haven't been recognised. so, i do think this simple bit of kit really could save your life. the bit of kit is a small relatively cheap device known as an oximeter, which measures oxygen levels in the blood. covid—positive patients like michael kerr, who are aged 65 and over, or who are at high risk, are now being given the devices by gps and then monitored. yeah, i'm fine. i feel certainly...

0ximeters are seen as vital because some patients with the virus