the top priority that the jcvi has identified our care homes for older people, and also the workers inthat the death toll in care homes has been awful in the first wave, and we want to stop people dying. and it's notjust about and we want to stop people dying. and it's not just about the and we want to stop people dying. and it's notjust about the people in the care homes, it is the fact that they are concentrated together, lots of vulnerable people living together, that is one of the factors. and it is very true that the two relatives that your caller mentioned, who are going to be really very substantially at risk from coronavirus because of their e, from coronavirus because of their age, if they are living on their own, then they are not living in the same conditions as in a care home, where spread from one to another can occui’. where spread from one to another can occur. and that is different epidemiologically. nevertheless, the next priority group is everybody aged 80 and over, and your two relatives will definitely be part of that, and! relatives will definitely be part of that,

now, the top priority that the jcvi has identified our care homes. for older people. and the reason for thatis and care homes. and the reason for that is that the death toll in care homes has been awful in the first wave and we want to stop people dying. and it is notjust about the people in the care homes. it is the fa ct people in the care homes. it is the fact that they are concentrated together, lots of vulnerable people living together. that is one of the factors. and it is very true that the two relatives that you call the mentioned, who are going to be really at very substantial risk from coronavirus because of their age, if they are living on their own, they are not living in the same conditions as in a care home, where spread from one to another can occui’. spread from one to another can occur. and that is different epidemiologically. nevertheless, the next priority group are everybody aged 80 and over. your two relatives will definitely be part of that. and i expect there to be some blending of priority one and priority two in the real—life deployment of the

firstly, the jcvi are very confident that there are high levels of protection from both vaccines after the interval between the doses, so that operationally, there is room for manoeuvre now. the second dose of both vaccines is integral, it remains important for longer term protection. but the priority is the first dose. and so, what does that mean in terms of, how has this strategy been put together? i want to try and help people understand that. and basically, you take what you've got, you work out what you're going to get, you look at the aberdeen illogical situation in front of you, and then the scientists and the modellers from the jcvi put all that together and they say, how do we get the maximum benefit for the most people in the shortest possible time? and that's the approach they've chosen. and it has been strongly endorsed by all four chief medical officers of the united kingdom. thank you. thanks very much, jvt, let's go to questions from the public and from the media. first, in buckinghamshire. reports that tier 4 restrictions may be in place until the spring. with so many b

jcvi therefore recommends the delivery of the first dose of covid—19 vaccine should be prioritised forest number of eligible people to receive vaccines in the shortest time possible and that will protect the greatest number of lives. the second vaccine dose is still important because it may impact on the duration of protection. we recommend that the second dose is given up to 12 weeks after the first dose. earlier i spoke to oxford university's sarah gilbert, a professor of vaccinology who was the lead researcher of the team who developed the vaccine. she explained how her team were able to develop the vaccine so quickly. it has been possible because we've been planning to do something like this for quite a long time. we've been working on ways to develop vaccines that mean we can go quickly when we need to make a new one. we've been using this type of technology for many years now in oxford to develop vaccines against other pathogens that can cause outbreaks, but we've never had to work as quickly as we have done this year. it's really been very challenging, but we've had a great team

the top priority that the g sake —— dejcvi has the top priority that the g sake —— de jcvi has identified priority that the g sake —— dejcvi has identified is care homes for older people, and also the workers in care homes, and the reason for that is the death toll in ca re reason for that is the death toll in care homes has been awful. we'll have the latest on how quickly the vaccine can be rolled out. also this lunchtime. students sitting a—levels and gcses in england next year will be graded more generously, to try to compensate for lost learning during the pandemic. the christmas getaway begins for university students — but strict conditions mean tests are required before they can return to their families. for everyone else — rail and road works planned for the festive period are to be modified, to try to make travel a little easier. and, the couple who applied to live on a remote scottish island — even though they'd never been there. in sport on bbc news. champion jockey oisin murphy admits he saw cocaine present the night before he tested positive for the drug, and is now living wit

that is what the jcvi has succumb to the disease.d and quite rightly. butjonathan and simon. thejcvi has decided and quite rightly. butjonathan and simonm i may come in and say, emily, i think your remarks about failure are extremely unfair. when one considers that a new virus emerged less than 12 months ago and we already have our first vaccine. professor stevens has been very clear that as soon as is legally and technically possible to get the vaccine into care homes, we will do so. but, you know, this isa we will do so. but, you know, this is a complex product with a very fragile cold chain, not a yoghurt that can be taken out of the fridge and put back in multiple times. it is tricky to handle so i think we will get there as fast as we can come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hard. come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hardlj come is the answer, and we are trying extremely hard. i think you've both said it absolutely accurately. we are raring to go on the nhs, we want to vaccine people covid in care homesjust

secondly, will the jcvi given the pressure on services?gues, we were treating many people who are coming in, sadly, with covid—19 so i'm very aware of the pressures and strains on the health service, on my colleagues and the concerns that health professionals have. at the moment, health professionals and front—line workers are already one of the highest priority groups. with the announcement today, we will see a much greater supply in vaccine availability and that will mean that hopefully all nhs front line workers will very soon be able to be offered a vaccine wherever they are because the constraints will be so much less, and that is the greatest urgency above all. in relation to other nhs workers who are not patient facing, they will also be considered within the groups that are in phase two of the programme, so alongside other key workers and as i've mentioned before, that exact decision hasn't been made yet. just to clarify, there aren't plans to issue new priority guidance? and to my second question i was asking about further guidanc

the top priority that the jcvi has identified our care homes for older people, and also the workers in care homes. the reason for that is the death toll in care homes has been awful. students sitting a—levels and gcses in england next year will be graded more generously, to try to compensate for lost learning during the pandemic. the christmas getaway begins for university students — but they are encouraged to get themselves tested and reduce social contact before they start travelling. there have been "multiple casualties" after a large explosion in a warehouse at avonmouth near bristol, the fire service says. and coming up... the couple who applied to live on a remote scottish island — even though they'd never been there. hello good afternoon. the first doses of the pfizer—biontech covid—19 will arrive in britain very soon. a mass vaccination programme will begin next week after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the jab yesterday. data released last month shows this vaccine offers 95 % protection against covid—19 across all age groups, and any side effects are m

and jcvi has identified that that second part of the programme could take into account, could take intohase one. if you're a teacher who's 58 years of age, you're going to be called in your place in phase one. so it's not kind of all or nothing. and then on the point about children with learning disabilities and other special needs, thejcvi has already identified and i don't go around memorizing the lists. so you'll have to forgive me that i don't have it all instantly at my fingertips. but i absolutely know that children with...adults with profound learning disabilities, severe learning disabilities and with down syndrome are absolutely on the list. and that's been a careful pick through byjcvi to really look in great detail who is at risk amongst the adult population from this disease. anthony fauci, the us infectious diseases expert, has criticised the uk's swift approval of the pfizer vaccine against covid—19, dr fauci said the uk has not applied the same level of scrutiny as the us. the united states of america food and drug administration is the gold standard of regulation. they a

the jcvi made a very special case for father christmas and he will be at the top of the list. that's excellent. that is very reassuring to hear, thank you to jenniferfor that reassuring to hear, thank you to jennifer for that question. reassuring to hear, thank you to jenniferfor that question. i have to say, i have had the prime minister in the studio, debates on brexit and elections and i have never seen brexit and elections and i have never seen the volume of messages that have come through to us this morning for you in particular, and i think people are very much appreciate the fact that when they ask you a question or you are asked ask you a question or you are asked a question, they get a straight a nswer a question, they get a straight answer so a question, they get a straight answer so thank you for your time this morning and we hope you get an opportunity to go and watch your beloved boston united before too long. absolutely! thank you very much. and we absolutely love a straight answer. that's it for this special edition of your call on bbc radio 5 live and your ques

in a statement to the bbc, an nhs spokesperson said: "the mhra, jcvi and uk chief medical 0fficers haves to follow, so as to increase the number of vulnerable people protected against covid over the next three months, potentially saving thousands of lives. that's the latest statement from the nhs. we will take a short break and iam back nhs. we will take a short break and i am back with headlines injust a moment or two. don't go away. hello, cold and wintry end to 2020, mrand merk around hello, cold and wintry end to 2020, mr and merk around in places during today. we've had some sunshine but also some wintry showers. as you can see, speckled cloud, some showers bringing snow to low levels around wales in the south—west. this more general area of cloudiness across scotla nd general area of cloudiness across scotland will sink southwards into northern england and northern ireland, a mix of rain, sleetand snow, most of it over high ground. some slightly less cold air working in with the weather system. a very chilly particular quest the south as we head into the first part of this evening

the jcvi has the covid—19 vaccines going forward.he pfizer one or the oxford one, can be used across those groups, and i think what is really going to determine which vaccine you are offered is the logistics of vaccine roll—out. it might be that some people are offered the pfizer vaccine, easy for them to have it because they are close to a hospital, whereas others will be offered the oxford vaccine because they will receive it through, example, theirgp they will receive it through, example, their gp surgery. what is important is you take the vaccine you are offered, because what's really critical in preventing transmission is that we have good coverage of vaccines, so good uptake across the population. cole what about allergies? linda is asking, she has various allergies, how do i know if it will be safe for me to have? the guidance released by the mhra today is that you should avoid the vaccine if you have had a previous allergic reaction to the components of the vaccine, and the components of the vaccine, and the components of the

the jcvi advice is aimed at maximising benefit from vaccines.rable people, which are people in care homes. whether or not the vaccine itself can be delivered to care homes is obviously an important point and there will be some flexibility in terms of operational constraints. the jcvi advice is that every effort should be made to supply vaccines and offer vaccinations to care home residents whether or not that is actually doable is dependent on deployment and implementation.” doable is dependent on deployment and implementation. i wonder if sir munir would like to add, because clearly the responsibility of mhra relates to the standards of science, but we also look at it in the context of the real world, which is what professor lim has described. we looked at the stability of the vaccine. as you said, it is stored at -70 vaccine. as you said, it is stored at —70 degrees but we were able to look at stability data, and that data is showing it is stable for a short period of time, at 2—8, data is showing it is stable for a short period of time, at 2—

effort will be made to get the vaccine into care homes as soon as possible the top priority that the jcvi has identified are care homes for older people, and also the workers in care homes. the reason for that is the death toll in care homes has been awful. a major incident is declared following a large explosion at a site in avonmouth near bristol — police say there have been "multiple casualties". all i heard was a big bang and the whole warehouse was shaking. like, the ground was vibrating, everything. here's the scene live at avonmouth — a police press conference is due to take place shortly. students sitting a—levels and gcses in england next year will be graded more generously, to try to compensate for lost learning during the pandemic the christmas getaway begins for university students — but they are encouraged to get tested and reduce social contact before they travel. the premier league has agreed a 250 million pound rescue package for lower league clubs in england — to stop them from going out of business — due to the pandemic. more than 60,000 people in the uk have now died wi

that has been considered by the jc vi and i think it is very important that we accept and follow the jcvigland has returned to a three—tiered system of coronavirus restrictions after the second national lockdown ended at midnight. the tougher new system came into force hours after being approved by mp5 in a commons vote. more than 55 million people find themselves in the strictest two tiers. in tier1 — which currently only applies to cornwall, the isles of scilly and the isle of wight — up to six people can meet indoors or outdoors and pubs and restaurants can re—open. tier two — covers more than 32 million people. people there are not allowed to mix with anyone indoors unless in a support bubble. the rule of six applies outdoors. pubs and restaurants can re—open — but alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal. more than 23 million people living in large parts of the midlands, north east and north west, as well as kent, are now in the strictest tier — tier 3. this means no mixing with other households — indoors or outdoors — and hospitality venues will stay closed except for take

the jcvi made a very special case for father christmas.y the top of our list. professor van-tam answering that very important question about santa claus put to him by my colleague rachel burdon. if you want to get in touch about the vaccine roll—out or the other stories today, do get in touch with me on twitter. and we will try to lead out some of your comments. a new, tragic record from the united states. more than 2,700 people died with coronavirus on wednesday alone — the highest figure since the pandemic began. the country has been hit by a surge in coronavirus infections. more than 100,000 americans are in hospital and health resources are becoming increasingly stretched. the top disease control official, dr robert redfield, has warned the next three months could be the most difficult in america's public health history. and he said the us is facing a devastating winter unless public health advice is heeded. you know, we looked at the original spring, we lost about 100,000 we lost about 100,000 people, in the summer, 100,000 people in

can he clarify what the jcvi's guidance is for that group today?rtunities it has for further variants to emerge. the new b 117 variant is 56% more transmissible, it is the dominant strain in london, and the east of england. the nerve tag minutes from 18th december suggest it could add at least 0.4 to the r. given the first lockdown brought r to about 0.6 and the second to about 0.8, it surely means it will be harder to bring infections under control and so hard measures will be needed. so will he publish, in real time, the advice he is receiving from sage on restrictions needed? advice he is receiving from sage on restrictions needed ? this advice he is receiving from sage on restrictions needed? this is a global crisis, but let us be clear, this is a national emergency. our national health services becoming overwhelmed. i hope the tier 4 restrictions are enough, but many believe even tougher restrictions are now inevitable. does he agree? we need not put more lives in jeopardy when vaccines are so near. let's give the achievements of our scientist

the definition of nhs and social ca re the definition of nhs and social care staff set out by the jcvi this vaccination programme started sooner than many people anticipated. people told me it was not going to be possible and that was all very difficult, and it has been, but we have got there and we have got there because of international science, working with german scientist, american pharmaceutical companies, people right around the world working on this project. i do have high confidence that the summer of 2021 will be a bright one, without the sort of restrictions that made the summer of 2020 more restricted. i have booked my holiday, i am going to cornwall. we believe the house of commons. might hancock talking about the roll—out of the fights are biontech vaccine, which has started to be administered from today. you can see more of that on bbc parliament. you can see more of that on bbc parliament. the rugby league legend kevin sinfield has raised more than £2 million, smashing his £77,000 target, in his extraordinary effort to raise funds to tackle motor neurone disease. yester

with the greatest clinical need and as you said, there are more details to come out today from the jcvin to me, listen to jonathan dan time, listen to doctors, is on others. —— jonathan van tam. listen to others. are you concerned about the take—up? when there is talk about a vaccine, there is always talk about its efficacy. the work on the vaccine does not stop here. as it is rolled out, there will be careful monitoring of there will be careful monitoring of the effect of the vaccine, any side—effects will be recorded and there is a yellow card system which exists for all vaccines. all side—effects will be recorded. any adverse effects will be reported and people will be really careful if there is any effect, even at the injection site, how does it feel, does it feel different from the flu vaccine which we should all be taking? 0ver vaccine which we should all be taking? overtime we will gain confidence. i would encourage people, particularly those who are vulnerable, to come forward for the vaccine. as jonathan van vulnerable, to come forward for the vaccine. asjonathan van tam has sa