anna collinson, bbc news.tates suggests black people are twice as likely to catch coronavirus as white people. 0ur health correspondent katharine da costa has the details. they are stark figures, katharine, and differences for different members of different ethnic groups? yes, evidence that ethnic minorities a greater risk of covid—19. at nottingham university, researchers looked at 42 studies in the us and eight in the uk and evidence that, as you said, black people were twice as you said, black people were twice as likely as being affected as white people, and from asian backgrounds 1.5times people, and from asian backgrounds 1.5 times more likely and more likely to need intensive care. but there was little evidence the risks we re there was little evidence the risks were being driven by genetics. instead, risk factors could include being more likely to be a key worker, so unable to work from home, more likely to live in urban areas where rates of transmission are higher, and more likely to live in larger, m

anna collinson, bbc news.first minister has announced that all pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes across wales will not be able to serve alcohol and must close by 6pm from friday. the new measures will be in place until at least 17th december and will be reviewed every three weeks after that. 0ur wales correspondent tomos morgan reports. since march, pryzm, ca rd iff's largest nightclub, has been open for only six days. with a capacity for 3000 usually, current restrictions, table service and social distancing, has limited the venue to just 240. but from friday, alcohol will be banned from being sold in venues across wales, and hospitality will have to shut at 6pm, which means this place will have to close again. it's a lot of hard work to get everything right, train the staff, get the building sorted out, make it safe and secure for our customers to enjoy. so, yeah, mega—frustrating, and obviously it's costly and we've had no support from the government for nightclubs specifically. so, yeah, it's a major kick

anna collinson reports.nt that made the oxford university team smile from ear to ear. early data from the oxford and astrazeneca vaccine released on monday suggested it was 70% effective. this figure was reached after two processes were collated. a larger group received two identical doses and were said to be 62% effective, while a sub—group received a half dose followed by a full one, and that was 90%. the us regulator, the fda, says vaccines need to be at least 50% effective, so both results are well above this threshold. some have described oxford's second method as a happy accident because it wasn't initially planned, but some officials in the us say they need to understand what the data shows. an astrazeneca spokesperson said the studies were conducted to the highest standards. the data and safety monitoring board determined the analysis met its primary end point, showing protection from covid—19 occurring 1a days or more after receiving two doses of the vaccine. ultimately what happens will be down to

our health correspondent anna collinson reports. when lockdown ends and the three tiered system is brought in, shops in england can reopen. as for which region will be enriched here, the government are still deciding. we are waiting for the latest date at which we should get tomorrow and make an announcement on thursday and what we will be looking for art the number of cases in that particular area, specifically the number of cases, also the people over 60, because we are considering those people often end up in hospital when fatalities come. the new tiered system will be brought in from december the 2nd, shops, gyms, hairdressers can open but the measures are tough at this time. in tier i, the rule of six applies indoors and outdoors, pubs and restau ra nts ca n serve indoors and outdoors, pubs and restaurants can serve customers, last orders will be at 10p and, closing at 11pm. last orders will be at 10p and, closing at "pm. in tier 2, there is no mixing indoors, the rule of six applies outdoors, pubs and restau ra nts applies out

anna collinson, bbc news. our medical editor fergus walsh is here.und, but who will get this vaccine first? the older you are the more likely you are to be at the top of the priority list, so be at the top of the priority list, so at the very top, at the moment, elderly residents in care homes and ca re elderly residents in care homes and care staff who look after them, and in that case vaccinate as well go into ca re in that case vaccinate as well go into care homes and immunise people, and then it will be people aged over 80, then people aged over 75, in five year age bands, and health and front line care workers will also be in the top priority list, but all that age stratification in those five year bans depends on the vaccine actually working well in the elderly, and we don't have that data yet. we still are waiting for that, so yet. we still are waiting for that, so there might have to be some re—prioritisation if we find it actually doesn't work terribly well in older age groups, but i would expect it to be the older you are the quicker you ge

anna collinson, bbc news.health correspondent nick triggle. we have been listening to matt hancock in the house of commons. what stood out for you? it was clear he was setting out what is an exciting development for the vaccine announcement yesterday. he said that the nhs would be ready by the ist of december to start rolling any vaccine out and injecting people. he said we will be injecting hope into millions of arms. he says gps will play a crucial role as they do with the flu vaccination, but hospitals, pharmacists and even at the army will have a role to play. he was also managing expectations, saying it would be logistically complex, the scale is fast and the challenge is avail. 0ne the scale is fast and the challenge is avail. one of the challenges we have heard a bit about any past 2a hours is the issue of this and need to store it in ultracold conditions. this is the pfizer vaccination? yes, it has to be stored at —80 degrees which means a gp surgeries do not have those sort of facilities but what pfiz

our health correspondent anna collinson has more.rus vaccine has been likened to a light at the end of a tunnel. approval is still needed and there are questions about how well it will work and how long it will last, but the uk may have its firstjabs by christmas. the logisitics are complex, the uncertainties are real and the scale of the job is vast, but i know that the nhs, brilliantly assisted by the armed services, will be up to the task. i know that they will rise to this challenge of being ready when the science comes good to inject hope into millions of arms this winter. early results for the first effective vaccine show it could prevent more than 90% of people from getting covid. with the main roll—out expected to take place early next year, the government has announced extra funding for gps, but many are still urging caution. this is going to take time. it's going to be required to be given to a far larger number of patients than the flu vaccine. secondly, it has significant transportation issues. it has been well reported t

our health correspondent anna collinson reports.n days, two potential coronavirus vaccines have provided real hope of normality returning. both the moderna and pfizer vaccines have yet to be approved but millions of doses have been ordered and stjohn ambulance says its volunteers will support the nhs when it is time. we will train, first of all, our 10,000 already trained clinical volunteers, they will have additional training to go into service in a vaccination programme. and then we will move on to recruiting volunteers from outside of stjohn ambulance, from a range of other voluntary organisations, making sure they have the requisite skills to function in a vaccination centre. the most at risk of the virus will be first in line to receive a vaccine, starting with those who live and work in care homes. but a vaccine is a way off yet and we still have winter to get through. with england's lockdown due to end on 2nd of december, there are calls for the covid tier system to be strengthened. currently there are three levels, the mediu

anna collinson, bbc news. the use of £10,000 fixed penalties for breaches of covid rules on gatherings of more than 30 people. the national police chief's council says forces should instead issue court summons to rulebreakers. let's get more on this with our correspondent phil mackie. is this about fairness? absolutely. this emerged today at a meeting of the west midlands panel and it came from the commissioner who asked the question of the chief constable about guidance that was issued last friday. about police forces should be giving the £10,000 fine for people who are in breach of regulations and they should in fact be invited to go to court and that is because it can only pay that £10,000 fine but if you go to court you may end up paying less if the court accesses that your means are such but i can think of at least of a couple of examples in nottingham where students were fined £10,000 for having illegal parties during the lockdown and it may be that their parents have upped the money and they were paying

with our first report this hour here's our health correspondent anna collinson. for weeks they've been, closed but when lockdown ends and the three tiered system is brought in, shops in england can reopen. as for which region will be in which tier, the government are still deciding. we are waiting for the latest data, which we should get tomorrow and make an announcement on thursday and what we will be looking for are the number of cases in that particular area, specifically the number of cases, also, in people over 60, because we are concerned those are people who often end up in hospital and where a lot of fatalities come from. the new tiered system will be brought in from december the 2nd. shops, gyms, hairdressers can open but the measures are tougher this time. in tier 1, the rule of six applies both indoors and outdoors. pubs and restaurants can serve customers, last orders will be at 10pm, closing at 11pm. in tier 2, there is no mixing indoors, the rule of six applies outdoors, pubs and restaurants must serve food. and in the top tier it's takeaway only, m

anna collinson, bbc news.lth correspondent nick triggle is with me now. people will be really alarmed when they hear that stat about some people waiting more than a year. this is for routine procedures, but imean, this is for routine procedures, but i mean, these are still things that are very, very important to a lot of people. explain more about that. yes, they are. they are knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery for eyesight problems and over the summer eyesight problems and over the summer there was eyesight problems and over the summer there was a eyesight problems and over the summer there was a big push by the nhs to get back to doing more of this non—covid work, and let's have a look to see, and we can see a chart to see how they have been doing. hospitals have been struggling to carry out as many operations as they did prior to the pandemic, and we can see that these are the long waiting list, patients waiting over a yearfor are the long waiting list, patients waiting over a year for treatment. t

anna collinson, bbc news. later this afternoon for which the four nations will be discussing what they plan to do about that. now we may not get a final decision today but certainly it does feel like one is imminent. the next couple of days at the latest. and we know the rough shape of what it is they're trying to agree. a common set of arrangements that will apply across england, scotland, wales and northern ireland which will allow families to meet for a short period of a few days over christmas. ministers have been equally clear, though, this isn't going to be a free for all. what they're talking about setting a number of households who can take part in these temporary festive bubbles for that time period. now, of course, the four nations have been starting from different places, because depending on where you are in the uk, the rules are different on who you can meet and how. so some of the things they've had to look at are things like, what should actually count as a household? what should the number of d

anna collinson, bbc news.answer there. it's still too early to say. it's a very, very big decision for ministers in england to make about what will happen after december the 2nd, how the tiered restrictions will continue. we heard yesterday from a senior official at public health england that a slight tightening of the restrictions within each tier might well be necessary through the winter, never mind in the run—up to christmas. she said susan hopkins, phd, said that tier1 really hadn't worked at all. only some parts of tier 2 had worked and the most effective set of restrictions were in tier 3, tier 3 plus, adding on some things, for example in liverpool with more widespread closures than the government's basic baseline, that they had begun to workjust before the lockdown. so ministers will have to decide which areas go into which tier after december the 2nd, whether they will be tighter in some areas and then if there is going to be any relaxation in the run—up to christmas, how that will be managed and whe

our health correspondent anna collinson reports.even in just seven days, two potential coronavirus vaccines have provided real hope of normality returning. both the moderna and pfizer chat have yet to be approved but millions of doses have been ordered and st john's ambulance has its volunteers will support the nhs when it is time. we will train, first of all, oui’ time. we will train, first of all, our 10,000 already trained clinical volunteers, they will have additional training to go into service in a vaccination programme. and then we will move on to recruiting volunteers from outside of stjohn‘s ambulance, from a range of stjohn‘s ambulance, from a range of other voluntary organisations, making sure they have the requisite skills to function in a vaccination centre. the most at risk of the virus will be first in line to receive a vaccine, starting with those who live and work in care homes. but a vaccine is a way off yet and we still have winter to get through. with england's lockdown due to end on 2nd of december, there are ca

our health correspondent anna collinson reports. the health service, but never so more than in 2020. this morning, a warning from the head of nhs england that unless more is done seasonal pressures combined with a second coronavirus wave could overwhelm them. the facts speak for themselves. in early september we had under 500 coronavirus patients in our hospitals. by the beginning of october that had become 2000. and 110w of october that had become 2000. and now it is around 11,000. that is the equivalent of 22 of our hospitals full of coronavirus patients. in many ways the nhs is better prepared for the second wave, with better treatments and protective personal equipment. a vaccine is expected to be available at the start of next year and be available at the start of next yearand gps are be available at the start of next year and gps are being prepared to administer them in case one is available before christmas. 92% of beds were occupied last autumn. this year it is estimated it is around 80%. but official data shows coronavirus

now, as promised, i will talk to anna collinson.en hearing from the head of nhs england, sir simon stevens, this week. we already knew he was in favour of the england lockdown, saying it was needed to protect the nhs and prevent it from being overwhelmed, which ultimately means preventing nonemergency care or non—covid care from being postponed, which could lead to a lot of distress. there has been criticism this week some of the data shown during these government briefings. simon stephens almost referred to that, saying he was just going to show one slide to highlight the stark impact that he said the virus is having on people and the nhs. we can see that slide now. it shows the covid hospitalisations in england. as you can see, it is steady and low in august and then it sta rts steady and low in august and then it starts rising in september. multiple things happened in september. schools were going back, students went to university, people returned to work and the weather started to change. people were staying indoors more and tha

anna collinson, bbc news.in north—west england which, along with leicester, has now been subject to the longest period of restrictions on normal life. police chiefs believe the significant difference between the areas may be down to the willingness of people to comply with requests from officers to break up a gathering, along with the amount of police time that has been allocated to investigations. the mass testing of students for covid, so they can go home safely for the christmas break, has started at many universities across the uk today. stu d e nts have been asked to take two tests, three days apart. testing is voluntary and if they test negative, many students will leave university in the "travel window" starting on thursday. the first two vaccines against the novel coronavirus could be administered to americans before christmas. that's according us health secretary alex azar. the news comes as moderna has filed for both us and eu regulatory approval of its coronavirus vaccine so that it can be recommend

with me is our health correspondent anna collinson and i'm joined by drjennifer rohn, cell biologisth, who asks if pubs and restaurants in tier 3 be allowed to open over the christmas period. really good question. one of the big ones people are asking. i can probably start by saying i com pletely can probably start by saying i completely understand why people may be confused. if we don't have any questions people have today, you can go online, on the bbc website and there are links to all of the various uk government advice. so, in relation to tier 3, are you allowed to go to the pub? basically, during the christmas period, three households are allowed to form a christmas bubble. they can mix and households, they can go outside and they can go to places of worship. they can't mix in pubs. but if you are in certain tiers, you can go into a are in certain tiers, you can go intoa pub. are in certain tiers, you can go into a pub. you can mix with other people that are not in your household. so it is a bit complicated. during that christmas period, during those five days, you can period,

with me now is our health correspondent anna collinson. so much positivity around this morning.ays feel magical at the moment, the last year we have had exciting updates about these vaccines. if we lived in a parallel universe where the mud are not and pfizer vaccines didn't exist and these came out today, people would be overjoyed, because the base level for effectiveness that people were hoping for was around 50% and these results that have come out from oxford university show it protects 70% of people, though it can increase to 90% when the dose was adjusted. —— moderna and pfizer. we are not sure why there's been such a difference. scientists are looking to see why that is the case and of the combined data to show that that is the case, that 90% effective, it means there will be more doses to distribute. there are also other positives with the oxford vaccine. it is easier to store and move around. it is cheaper. we have talked about pfizer needing to be stored at —70 degrees. the oxford vaccine can be stored in a fridge, which means it can be used notjust in this country but

our health correspondent anna collinson is here.sions have increased. asi hospital admissions have increased. as i have mentioned before, often what happens, where we see the first drop is going to be in the cases if and when that happens, and it takes awhile for the cases to then into hospitalisations, and that is where we are going to initially first to see that but it is far too soon to be seeing that. another significant element from the data, the virus testing capacity and figures show they have reached 519,000 so that means they have passed the half—million mark the government had promised to reach by the end of october. it is important to point out that capacity is the amount of tests that can be processed but that art necessarily the amount of tests which have been processed —— that aren‘t. so it is the capacity rather than the amount of tests. however, they have reached the mark which will be a relief at the nhs test and trace bars, dido harding, because there were calls for her to be sacked after failures with the system s