tonight at ten, the vaccine shortage due to hit at the end of the month and last for weeks. it's understood fewer batches of astrazeneca vaccines are available than expected but ministers insist that vaccination targets are still achievable. supply is always lumpy, and we are on course to deliver the offer that everybody who is aged 50 and above will be able to get vaccinated by the 15th of april. shortages are also affecting the eu with a hint that exports to the uk could be stopped unless it's more of a two—way process. all options are on the table. we are in the crisis of the century, and i'm not ruling out anything for now.

we'll be looking at the likely effects of the shortages during april. also tonight... a review of historic cases of sexual abuse in football strongly criticises the football association for failing to protect children in the clubs affected. a leading charity says many thousands of children in syria could lose access to education, if britain cuts its foreign aid. and, in tonight's football, chelsea become the third english team to make the quarterfinals of the champions league. and coming up in sport on bbc news... tiger roll shows he still has what it takes, making a fifth win at cheltenham with victory in the cross—country chase. good evening.

from the end of this month, there will be a significant reduction in the availability of coronavirus vaccines. the shortage of supplies is expected to last a month. the nhs has written to local health organisations, urging them not to take any new appointments from the 29th march. those who already have bookings are not expected to lose their slot. the bbc has been told that fewer batches of astrazeneca vaccines are available than expected. despite that, ministers insist that the vaccination targets they set are still achievable. during the day, the department of health announced that 25 million people have now had their first, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. every jab another step towards the way out. every injection part of what the government is seeing as a huge success. not far off half the adult population with now some protection against covid. i've got some fantastic news

to bring you today... news the health secretary was happy to share. we have now vaccinated over 25 million people. the vaccine is our way out. we are on track so let's stick with it, follow the rules and when you get the call, get the jab. perhaps the journey is less smooth than we might have assumed. a letter from the nhs to local trusts says volumes for the first doses will be significantly constrained because there is a reduction in national inbound vaccines supply. services should close unfilled bookings from march the 29th and not book any further appointments for april. you've just told everybody we are on track with the vaccination but you haven't mentioned this letter from the nhs which says there is a significant reduction in the available supply and that vaccine centres should stop taking appointments for the whole month of april. what is going on? vaccine supply is always lumpy, and we regularly send out technical letters to the nhs to explain the ups and downs of the supply

for the future weeks, and what you're referring to is a standard one of those letters. i am told this is not just a standard glitch. sources suggest fewer astrazeneca vaccines are available than the nhs expected. is the opposition convinced by the government's explanation? no, no, no. he is putting a positive spin on it there. this is a month long pause of appointments, this is a more significant disruption than we have had so far over the last few months. and there may well be a reasonable explanation but we just need those details tonight. and look who popped up with another blast for the health department today. are you missing being part of government, mr cummings? the prime minister's very much former chief adviser dominic cummings surfaced, giving evidence to mps. order, order, the committee... he suggested the department of health had stumbled badly at the start of the pandemic and hadn't been capable of running

the vaccine programme itself. it isn't coincidental that the vaccine programme worked the way that it did. it's not coincidental that to do that we had to take it out of the department of health. in spring 2020, we had a situation where the department of health wasjust a smoking ruin, in terms of procurement and ppe. importantly, no one with a vaccine booked should miss their chance. no one waiting for the second jab should lose out, either. nine doses out of an eight dose vial. but so much of borisjohnson and the country's hopes are based on the vaccine. any slowdown causes nerves. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. our health editor hugh pym is here. what is going on with supplies? it appears to be an issue surrounding astrazeneca's international supply chain, doses coming into the uk. it is a corrugated business involving independent suppliers and

contractors. the company has made clear tonight its domestic supply arrangements are not affected but there is as we have been hearing a significant reduction from early april onwards. health officials are saying their targets, that is getting the top nine priority groups, including those aged 50 and over and clinically vulnerable, or offered a dose by the middle of april which is on track and the overall target of all adults by the end ofjuly. the big difference is gps and other vaccination clinics have been told don't send any letters out to anyone aged under 50 for the whole of april, pours that. that side of things will be delayed certainly by a few weeks. we often discuss the — certainly by a few weeks. we often discuss the questioning _ certainly by a few weeks. we often discuss the questioning around - certainly by a few weeks. we often | discuss the questioning around how efficient the vaccines are or how they perform. we've heard a little bit more about that today. officials at the downing _ bit more about that today. officials at the downing street _ bit more about that today. officials at the downing street briefing - bit more about that today. officials| at the downing street briefing were understandably saying this remains a very successful programme, more than 25 million people offered a first

dose, who have had a first dose so far. it was said that new research shows that it cuts transmission by 30% from the vaccinated to those who have not had the vaccine. 60% reduction was quoted in catching covid amongst the over 70s, and a bigger reduction in risk of actually becoming seriously ill. that is all very positive but i think today's developments are a reminder that making big predictions about what might happen in the months ahead is very difficult because supplies can never be predicted that accurately. thanks very much. all of which brings us to the latest official figures on the pandemic. the latest coronavirus figures show there were 5,758 new cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 5,665. the number of patients in hospital with covid continues to fall, now down to 7,218. there were mi deaths reported,

of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test, which means 5 on average 121 people died every day in the past week from coronavirus, taking the total of deaths so far to 125,831. more than 433,000 people have had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period which takes the total of people who have now had their first jab past 25 million, meaning 48% of the uk adult population have now received their first vaccination. and more than 1.7 million people have had both doses of the vaccine. those are the latest official figures. the european union has been dealing with its own vaccine supply problems for some time. with some member states facing the very real threat of a third

wave of infections, tensions have been rising between individual countries and the european commission. ursula von der leyen, president of the commission, surprised many today by warning that, unless supplies improved, the eu might need to impose limits on exports of vaccines from european factories. she said that the eu was still waiting for exports from the uk, and it wanted reciprocal treatment. our brussels correspondent nick beake has more details. in prague, in paris, and once again in bergamo, northern italy, covid patients gasping for air. the nightmare prospect of a third wave in europe is now real. the continent is also facing a vaccination crisis. it is not getting the doses it ordered, and today a warning that the eu would do everything needed to get its fair share. all options are on the table. we are in the crisis of the century and i am not ruling out anything for now,

because we have to make sure that europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible. officials in brussels have faced heavy criticism over their vaccine programme and have now come out fighting. the eu says it has sent millions of doses to the uk in recent weeks, but has seen little in return from astrazeneca. but, remarkably, 7 million of the company's jabs are sitting in fridges and its use has been suspended in most eu countries. it is still available here in belgium, but increasing numbers are saying they don't want the astrazeneca shot. i am not sure that it will be ok, if it is astra, for old people. that is why now i am afraid, everybody is afraid of this vaccine. the eu's medicine regulator is assessing the latest evidence from a very small number of cases of a possible link to blood clots. but it stresses the benefits outweigh the risks.

a message amplified in today's downing street press conference. vaccines don't save lives if they are in fridges. they only save lives if they are in arms. and that is a really important fact. all medicines have side—effects and all medicines have benefits, and that is the whole point. that absolute confidence in the astrazeneca vaccine is now very hard to find in many european capital cities, but still the eu is adamant it should get all of the british—made doses it has ordered and has now raised the heat in this latest post—brexit row. and this evening, the government condemned the eu's action, saying it was wrong to threaten even tighter controls on vaccine exports. i am surprised we are having this conversation. it is normally what the uk and the eu team up with, to object when other countries with less democratic regimes than our own engage in that kind of brinkmanship.

it is a deepening rift and will do nothing to ease europe's resurgent covid crisis. and there is growing concern that the rise in new cases, the shortage of vaccines and the reluctance to take the ones that are available could be a deadly combination which is why already some countries have been tightening their lockdown measures to try to fight a third wave here in europe. it feels uncertain. tomorrow all eyes will be on the eu's medicines regulator when it gives its latest assessment on the safety of the astrazeneca vaccine. . ~ ., , the safety of the astrazeneca vaccine. . , ., an independent review of historic cases of sexual abuse in football has strongly criticised the sport's governing body, the football association, for failing to protect children after allegations emerged. the report, which covers the period from 1970 to 2005, says there was no excuse for what it calls the fa's institutional failings.

our sports editor dan roan has the story. it is english football's worst scandal. failures by both the fa and a host of clubs laid bare in a damning report on child sexual abuse. there was an institutional failing by the fa, they acted far too slowly in developing their child protection arrangements once they were aware of child protection being a problem within the sport, and they should have done more to keep children safe. accusing the fa of inexcusable failings, sheldon said they delight in safeguarding measures between 1995 and 2000 but there was no evidence it knew of a problem before then nor that there had been a paedophile ring or cover—up. this is a dark day but we are referring to non—recent cases, we have to hold our hands up and apologise for the mistakes of the past, make sure we don't repeat them, but that is not to say that football is not in a safe environment today. it is.

sheldon found the fa failed to ban two of the most notorious football paedophiles, barry bennell and bob higgins, both former youth coaches now serving long sentences. these were among the survivors present throughout bennell�*s trial and sentencing in 2018. today one of them, gary cliff, abused by bennell when he played for a manchester cityjunior team learned that sheldon found the then senior management of the club failed to investigate despite being aware of concerns. how does that make you feel? sort of vindicated, but i don't think he has gone far enough. throughout the whole report, i have read, it, there is a theme of people knew or suspected, but none of the officials had the gumption to raise it with anyone. it is disappointing in that respect. it has taken too long, it has been hell, you could say i have waited 35 years for this. it was the emergence four—and—a—half years ago of barry bennell�*s crimes when working here at crewe as a youth coach in the 80s and 90s that opened the floodgates. hundreds of former players came

forward with their own allegations. sheldon cleared the club does make former manager of any wrongdoing but found he should have done more to investigate concerns. the scale of abuse is staggering, the investigation spanning four decades, the report saying there were known to be 240 suspects and 692 survivors and eight clubs were criticised. today came apologies from southampton, newcastle united and here at manchester city, whose own independent inquiry found that allegations about purnell were met with a wholly inadequate response by senior management who were worried about the club's reputation. more than two decades ago another one of bennel�*s victims became the first survivor to speak out. bennel's victims became the first survivor to speak out.— bennel's victims became the first survivor to speak out. they didn't know how — survivor to speak out. they didn't know how much _ survivor to speak out. they didn't know how much it _ survivor to speak out. they didn't know how much it was _ survivor to speak out. they didn't know how much it was going - survivor to speak out. they didn't know how much it was going on l survivor to speak out. they didn't| know how much it was going on to what degree notjust in football but in other sports and we need to be ever vigilant and ask the right

questions when we place our children in the care of these people.— in the care of these people. sheldon said safeguarding _ in the care of these people. sheldon said safeguarding could _ in the care of these people. sheldon said safeguarding could still- said safeguarding could still improve. football. confront a scandal that shamed the sport and told to ensure there is never a repeat. dan roan, bbc news. a 50 year—old man arrested on suspicion of the murder and indecent assault of stuart lubbock in 2001 has been bailed. mr lubbock was found unconscious in a swimming pool at the home of the television presenter michael barrymore. he'd been attending a party with 8 other people. essex police said the arrest was made after �*significant new information�* came to light following a renewed appeal last year. social care leaders in england have come together to warn the government that they face a full—on funding crisis at the end of march. that's when emergency funding, which has sustained so many authorities during the pandemic, runs out. the group says the failure to mention social care in the budget was a missed opportunity to tackle

the immense challenges facing the sector, as alison holt reports. the test before the visit. during the pandemic, this has become a vital part of life at the victory care home in kent. it is a full—time job for someone like kayleigh to organise visits and tests for relatives, residents and staff, and it is paid for with emergency covid funds. it means that geri smith can safely see her mum, julia. hello, mum, how are you? but this vital government money, which also helps with infection control and extra staffing, is due to run out at the end of march. we have not got out of the pandemic as yet so we still need to keep the precautions going for a bit longer until everyone has had the vaccine that is going to have it. today's statement from what is described as an unprecedented alliance of care leaders said the need for certainty over funding is urgent. certainly, those providing services warn fees from councils and the nhs

won't cover the extra costs. we have a sector that will be paying out more than it is getting in and that will lead to people giving up provision. that will lead to care homes closing. it will lead to home care providers leaving the sector. there was real disappointment when there was no mention of social care in the budget, and today's statement from people providing care and those needing it voices their frustration and their desperation for a long—term plan. care leaders want the government to publish long promised ideas for reform by the summer. so if we don't lay out the plan for social care, we are going to continue to limp from crisis to crisis, and that means not enough people working in social care, it means people not getting the support or there being gaps in the support that they have. christie knows what that feels like. she is her mother's full—time carer. both have significant health needs and used to get free council care. but when they moved,

christie no longer qualified for help and her mum had her support cut by a quarter. they were also asked to pay £75 per week towards it. we decided to stop the care. we just couldn't afford it. we really would have struggled. we already needed food banks before, when we were getting free care, and that means now that i have to dedicate my entire life to looking after mum. the government has said it is reviewing the emergency funding, but today it indicated plans to reform support for older and disabled people will be published by the end of this year. alison holt, bbc news. thousands of schools in syria have been destroyed in ten years of conflict — the un says it's a deliberate ploy by president bashir al assad to terrorise communities, a charge he denies. and now the charity save the children warns that planned reductions in british aid to syria could lead to hundreds of thousands of children

losing their access to education. our middle east correspondent quentin somerville has the latest of our special reports on ten years of conflict in syria. to be a parent in syria is to carry the world on your shoulders. forabu, his burden is constant vigilance. for years he has watched the sun set and rise from this hilltop, waiting for the next attack. he is a flight spotter, a one—man early warning system, protecting the village below where his wife and five children live. at the end of another long shift, he calls home.

he knows first—hand the fear and the fury the warplanes bring. the screams in this playground are of terror. these are schooldays in syria, an entire generation brutalised and traumatised, as bombs fall by the school gates. how do you break the opposition�*s will? target their children, their teachers, their schools. there have been thousands of attacks on schools since the war began. they are relentless in opposition areas and come mostly from regime and russian bombs. taken as a whole, it is a systematic

terror campaign against children. in october 2016, a parachute bomb dropped steadily onto this school in hass. inside pupils as young as five years old. 36 were killed in a series of strikes that day. 21 of them were kids. five years later, with their parents�* permission, they told us what happened.

the world has turned its back on these children. it is tired of the syrian conflict. the un does what it can, applying a sticking plaster to a haemorrhaging wound. countries are now looking away from syria. britain, for example, is contemplating a 67% cut in its aid to syria. what would that mean for the un? what would that mean for people on the ground in syria? well, we can only give aid to those 7.5 million people we reach every month if we get the money to do so. the un doesn't have a magic... 350,000 fewer kids in school if britain pulls the plug on that money?

it will mean feeding fewer people, it will mean fewer kids in school, it will mean less medical services and it is the wrong thing to do to balance the books on the backs of these starving and suffering people. ten years of international failure has left syria a landscape in ruin. this was a normal school day just last week. until the aircraft early warning alarm sounds. carefully, the children pack up and evacuate the school. they know the drill only too well. for syria, this is not history, this is now. quentin sommerville, bbc news. england's care regulator, the care quality commission, —— the latest of our special reports, looking back at the

conflict in syria over the last ten years. england's care regulator, the care quality commission, in a report to be published tomorrow, is expected to raise serious concerns about the use of do not resuscitate orders during the pandemic. families and charities say the orders, which can deny people potentially life—saving care, have been wrongly placed on elderly and disabled people over the past year at unprecedented rates. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has been hearing the experiences of one family. she wasjust... she was just lovely, in every sense. sonya, son to herfamily, was defined by much more than her schizophrenia and learning disabilities. son had an absolute zest for life, loved being with her family. always smiling, always laughing. when the 58—year—old went to hospital last april, her lifelong conditions influenced her care. initially admitted with a fever and respiratory problems, she tested positive for covid and a do not resuscitate order

was placed in her medical notes. we had no consultation, at no point — at no point — had we been told that had taken place. we would have disputed that and we would have said we don't want that in place. sonya's records contained two do not resuscitate orders. one cites her learning disabilities as the justification for it, breaching nhs guidelines. the hospital said an error was made filling the form. absolutely i feel like son was totally written off, she was dehumanised, and her life wasn't of value. i just thought it was just morally and ethically reprehensible. itjust shocked me to the core. sonia was in and out of southend university hospital throughout april. she died at the end of the month from a heart attack. the hospital say a second do not resuscitate order was appropriate

and was discussed with two family members. sally rose and her 85—year—old mother. i can't describe the love that my mum has for son. my mum has been waiting to hear your voice. there is no way she would agree to that being put in place, absolutely no way at all. the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of people with learning disabilities. they are up to six times more likely to die from the virus, and charities have highlighted the repeated misuse of do not resuscitate orders. we see kind of boxes ticked. we see maybe when conversations haven't happened but a box has been ticked. we see issues like learning disability or nonverbal as a reason for a do not resuscitate order. that's discrimination. an external review of sonia's hospital care found it fell short of expected good practice. a conclusion herfamily had long reached. you know, everyone

was like, "not son". i can't tell you how much we miss her. michael buchanan, bbc news, essex. in our latest look back over the events of the past year since the pandemic struck, we follow the rapid transition from a public health emergency to an even bigger challenge involving an economic crisis, too. the evidence is all around, from record government borrowing to businesses struggling, to family finances stretched to the limit. as our economics editor faisal islam found on a visit to coventry, some have actually prospered over the past year, but the economic impact has been overwhelmingly negative. the big lesson of the past year is that you cannot disentangle the pandemic from economics. there was no simple trade—off between health and wealth. it turned out the countries with the biggest first covid waves

had the biggest economic falls too, with the uk hit particularly hard. coventry is a symbol of recovery from generational challenges, such as the rebuild after world war ii. the pandemic recession was historic but also unique in shape — a very sharp fall with a rapid rebound. that can be seen at sarginson�*s, a local metalforger in the car industry. initially, it was absolute bedlam, itjust disappeared and we had to completely close the business down. we just kept a skeleton crew in and we just tried to work out what we could possibly do. there has never been a recession like this but nor has there ever been £300 billion of government support, limiting the rise in unemployment. here, they had to furlough almost all staff in the first wave but used the scheme to retrain workers in new cutting—edge techniques to win new business. this is precisely the point of support, to bridge over the steep valley of uncertainty,

but it cost historic amounts of public money. it is only really world wars that set any type of precedent for the hit to the economy and the government's finances we have seen over this past year of pandemic and multiple lockdown. the recovery from it should be quicker, but the changes to our economy and institutions could be as profound. given the economic hit, what has perhaps been even more extraordinary is thatjobs and wages have held up. isabel, a mother of four and freelance writer, is spending less on her car but more on a new kitchen. she has gone full—time working from home while home—schooling. that means you work in the evening, which you sometimes do, but suddenly it is every evening and you are working every weekend. when you have got five extra people, particularly four children in your house all the time, suddenly, there is so much more to do. there is no precedent for the amount of savings british households have deposited into bank accounts or paid off from their debts, reaching record levels during the first lockdown last year. that saving is far from

equally distributed.