the latest figures from the office for national statistics for the week to the 21st of november say casesand northern ireland, but rising in scotland. after standing empty over the summer, today, exeter‘s nightingale hospital has opened to coronavirus patients due to demand. even if infections do fall, it can take weeks before that's seen in hospitalisations. we have 18,000 cases happening every day. yesterday we had 700 deaths, and hospitalisations are almost near the april peak. at this point in time we really need to learn lessons from why the public health strategy failed in the first place and fix those things. while the end of england's lockdown may be in sight, there's still great uncertainty about what will happen over christmas and beyond. anna collinson, bbc news. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has been providing an update on the relaxing of restrictions in scotland over the christmas period. james shaw was listening. it was a message all about caution delivered in the scottish parliament by nicola sturgeon about an hour ago. essentially she was saying that people sho

that is from the office for national statistics. e minister said at that downing street briefing yesterday, so the number of cases going up and it follows therefore that number of deaths go up. you know, as we obviously look at further mass testing that is being announced by the prime minister, questions still about test and trace and the hope that a vaccine can help get us out of this, but, as the deputy chief medical officer professorjonathan deputy chief medical officer professor jonathan van tam deputy chief medical officer professorjonathan van tam said at that news conference hence said the vaccine won‘t help with this wave, and the news there from the 0ns that the number of deaths involving coronavirus has exceeded 1,000 for the first time sincejune. 1379 deaths registered in the weekend ending 0ctober deaths registered in the weekend ending october 30th. "0ne hurdle cleared but several more to go". that‘s how the prime minister described yesterday‘s announcement about the development of a potential coronavirus vaccine. early

the office for national statistics this week reported that most people don't really understand very mucht economic data understands and i wonder if you should be doing even more to explain and spell at the difference between, say, debt and deficit. some of these concepts for viewers. it depends on the outlet as well but you're absolutely right. i would say that there twin deficits but this would run up against the problem either in my answers. twin challenges of complexity and controversy. and we need to be able to guide viewers, listeners, readers do all of that. on complexity, it is true that we have to bear in mind some basic concepts for an economic audience or political audience such as the deficit needs to be unpacked but i also think there is a challenge as well with brevity. if you tried to explain with the sentence or couple of sentences every single thing of it time you said would never say anything. the numbers we are now talking about are so huge, the scaler borrowing can be hard for many of us to grasp it equally, i am wondering, as an economist yourself, when you report tha

the office for national statistics this week reported that most people do not really understand veryata and its terms, and i wonder if you should not be doing even more to explain, to spell out the difference between, say debt and deficit, some of these concepts for viewers? yes, and i think it depends on the outlet as well, but you're absolutely right. i would say that there are twin deficits, but this would run up against the problem even in my answer, so twin challenges i probably should say, of complexity, and controversy. and we need to be able to guide viewers, listeners, readers, through all of that. 0n complexity, it is true that we have to bear in mind some basic concepts for an economic audience or a political audience, such as the deficit needs to be unpacked, but i also think there is a challenge, as well, with brevity. if you try to explain with a sentence or a couple of sentences every single thing every time you said that, you would never actually say anything. the numbers that we are now talking about, because of the pandemic, are so huge, the scale of borrowing can b

the latest data from the office for national statistics suggests coronavirus infection rates are levellingff in england and scotla nd are levelling off in england and scotland and decreasing in wales. thejermainejenas scotland and decreasing in wales. the jermaine jenas number, the scotland and decreasing in wales. thejermainejenas number, the rate at which the virus spreads, has fallen again and is now between one and 1.1, not reflecting the impact of the second lockdown in england. people aged 50 to 64 are being offered for free flu jabs from first december part of an expanded scheme. just half of close contacts given to england's test and trace are being reached in some areas. our health correspondent is here to talk through some of that. let's start with some of these figures from the office of national statistics today on what they are suggesting is happening. some encouraging news things might be starting to go in the right direction. infection levels in england and scotland are starting to level off and are falling in northern ireland and wales. so, just to remind you, the ons data

the office for national statistics says gdp shot up by 15.5% during the july-to-september period.t's the fastest growth since analysts started keeping tabs more than 60 years ago. but experts caution that the recovery is already petering out as england goes back into lockdown to counter another surge in coronavirus cases. other parts of the world have also been reporting big rebounds. u.s. output grew at an annual rate of 33% following a record slump, and the 19-nation eurozone reported third quarter gdp growth of over 12% from the previous quarter. analysts say japan's economy is set for a double-digit bounce from the term following its record 28% contraction the previous quarter. that figure is due out monday. >>> mushrooms are a prized autumn delicacy in japan. in recent years, china has become the main overseas supplier for this market. but a problem has surfaced in the supply chain. nhk world's kobayashi takeshi has the story. >> reporter: a vast array of mushrooms is on display at the market in hunan province. china is the producer of the fungi. >> translator: these mushroom

in scotland and england and decreasing in wales and northern ireland according to the office for national statisticsinisterial standards, sir alex allan, has resigned, following the inquiry into allegations of bullying by the home secretary. sir alex's report found that priti patel had not always met the high standards expected of a minister. downing street said borisjohnson doesn't believe mrs patel has breached the ministerial code, and considers the matter closed. mrs patel has said she is sorry to have upset people. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. after months of waiting, there's a verdict and a resignation — but it's not the home secretary's. the report said priti patel had not consistently met the standards of the ministers‘ code of conduct. that she had shouted and sworn on occasion and that some of her behaviour could even be described as bullying in its impact. but only the prime minister can decide if she actually broke the code. borisjohnson said she didn't. instead, he said she had inadvertently upset those she worked with. in a statement, priti patel said, "sorry that he

the office for national statistics survey for the week ending november 1a says in england won in 80 peopleronavirus, which was similar to last week. in scotla nd was similar to last week. in scotland it was won in 155 ad rates had levelled off. in wales, it was one in 165 with rates decreasing in the last fortnight. in northern ireland, one in 135 had the virus, with rates decreasing over the most recent four weeks, some of this might reflect different lockdown plans and timings. one expert says in england there are big regional variations. it seems to be very much that the north—west and yorkshire are going down and almost everywhere else is going up. some places it's going up quite quickly. until we understand that and reverse that everywhere, i don't think we can say the lockdown is working. listers must decide soon what happens after full lockdown ends. —— ministers must decide how strict will restrictions be in england after december the 2nd and how many days might there be some relaxation at christmas? we have not made those decisions yet. over christmas, i know how important it is t

the office for national statistics survey for the week ending november 14th says that in england oneoronavirus, which was similar to last week. in scotland, it was one in 155 and rates had levelled off. in wales, it was one in 165, with rates decreasing in the last fortnight. in northern ireland, one in 135 had the virus, with rates decreasing over the most recent four weeks. some of this might reflect different lockdown plans and timings. one expert says in england there are big regional variations. it seems to be very much that the north—west and yorkshire are going down and almost everywhere else is going up. in some places, it's going up quite quickly. until we understand that or reverse that everywhere, i don't think we can say the lockdown is working. the health secretary said the data was promising and that the second peak was flattening. he and others must decide what happens after full lockdown ends. how strict will restrictions have to be in england after december the 2nd, and over how many days might there be some relaxation during the christmas season? we have still not m

figures from the office for national statistics show that weekly deaths involving coronavirus now exceedgland and wales — for first time since june. our first report tonight, is from our medical editor fergus walsh. this is liquid hope, the first covid vaccine had ——this is liquid hope, the first covid vaccine proven to be effective, in production in germany. if regulators approve it for use, a few million doses of the pfizer biontech vaccine should be available in the uk before the end of the year. so, who will get it first? put simply, the older you are, the sooner you will be eligible for a covid vaccine. currently in pole position are elderly care home residents and staff. then people aged 80 and over, plus front line nhs workers. the vaccine will then be allocated to younger age groups in bands of five years. but that is dependent on it being effective in older adults and we are still waiting for that data. adults under 65 with underlying health conditions will also be given some priority. there should be enough doses of the pfizer vaccine to immunise 20 million people, so younger a

the office for national statistics this week reported that most people don't really understand very muchms, and i wonder if you should be doing even more to explain and spell at the difference between, say, debt and deficit. some of these concepts for viewers. it depends on the outlet as well but you're absolutely right. i would say that they're twin deficits but this would run up against the problem either in my answers. twin challenges of complexity and controversy. and we need to be able to guide viewers, listeners, readers do all of that. 0n complexity, it is true that we have to bear in mind some basic concepts for an economic audience or political audience such as the deficit needs to be unpacked but i also think there is a challenge as well with brevity. if you tried to explain with the sentence or couple of sentences every single thing of it time you said would never say anything. the numbers we are now talking about are so huge, the scaler borrowing can be hard for many of us to grasp it equally, i am wondering, as an economist yourself, when you report that, the biggest debt si

lockdown weren't strict enough and even though the 0ffice enough and even though the office for national statisticsions in england has leveled off over recent weeks, scientists are still keen for the government to keep in placing stricter measures than before and so, less than the lockdown that england is currently experiencing but more so than the 3—tiered system that was before and if there is to bea uk that was before and if there is to be a uk approach of the other nations involved, obviously, borisjohnson, the uk prime minister is going to have to talk to the uk to make sure that the plans i'll tally up. as a positive equity here is christmas is still over a month away and this is fast moving and changing, we do not know exactly where were going to be. so, thejob of predicting what is going to happen very difficult? very difficult. we do not know what is going to happen. and about three weeks to go until christmas, if cases start to race again, we could see a lockdown coming into place we could see things tighten even more and more areas moving into the top tier which is very high and so, it i

but the office for national statistics under the current markdown in england, the cases have been leveling the restrictions and there will be a little that at christmas but it's about balancing that with mental health and whether or not the country can come together christmas. and another thing those mentioned was the change in self isolation time as well? yes, math testing for those in tier 3, the highest tea rs those in tier 3, the highest tears will be following the liverpool trial with 200,000 people helping cases down there and on thursday, we will find out which regions are in which tea rs out which regions are in which tears and repeat testing will also be offered select close contacts also be offered select close co nta cts of also be offered select close contacts of confirmed cases may not have to self—isolate and stead every day, for a week and will need to isolate if they test positive and that repeat testing is starting tomorrow monday and if that works out, thenit monday and if that works out, then it will be in december and then it will be in december and the general public i

the office for national statistics survey covering infections in the community suggest that, in england a similarfigure, again, a little bit higher. in scotland, the estimate is one in 135 people infected, down a bit on the previous week. in northern ireland, one in 105, again, a bit lower. the ons suggests that, in areas of high infections, there has been a bit of a levelling off, but increases in other parts of the country. we are seeing a plateau of cases in certain areas. for example, northern ireland is starting to see a plateau of hospitalisations and deaths and, hopefully, that continues and starts to decrease. however, in certain areas, such as england and wales, it may be too soon to tell if those have had a positive impact. a key measure of how fast the virus is spreading or declining across the population is the reproduction, or r number. anything above one shows it's accelerating. below one and it's receding. the latest uk estimate is a range of 1—to—1.2 — slightly lower than last week's number. that indicates a slowdown for the virus. some health officials think it will fal

the office for national statistics survey covering infections in the community suggest that, in england the previous week. in wales, it was a similar figure, again, a little bit higher. in scotland, the estimate is one in 135 people infected, down a bit on the previous week. in northern ireland, one in 105, again, a bit lower. the ons suggests that, in areas of high infections, there has been a bit of a levelling off, but increases in other parts of the country. we are seeing a plateau of cases in certain areas. for example, northern ireland is starting to see a plateau of hospitalisations and deaths and, hopefully, that continues and starts to decrease. however, in certain areas, such as england and wales, it may be too soon to tell if those have had a positive impact. a key measure of how fast the virus is spreading or declining across the population is the reproduction, or r number. anything above one shows it's accelerating. below one and it's receding. the latest uk estimate is a range of 1—to—1.2 slightly lower than last week's number. that indicates a slowdown for the virus. some

to september, pushing the uk unemployment rate to 4.8% according to figures from the office for national statisticsdant between july and september. the number of people out of work rose by 243,000 in the same period, the largest increase since may 2009. there are now 782,000 fewer people in payrolled employment, compared to march this year. and there are a further 2.5 million people still on furlough. the extended scheme is due to end in march. our business correspondent sarah corker has been meeting people from the travel and tourism industry in cumbria who've lost theirjobs in the pandemic. dusk at coniston water in cumbria. this beauty spot, like the rest of england, is now locked down for a second time. it's been quiet. it certainly going to get quieter in the next few weeks. during the first lockdown, joanne and her husband sean lost their jobs lockdown, joanne and her husband sean lost theirjobs as coach drivers —— drivers. he has found new employment, but it is 450 miles away in cornwall. it is a financial stretch. it cost me hundred pounds to come home for the week, if i come home for the w

to september, pushing the uk unemployment rate to 4.8%, according to figures from the office for national statisticsember. the number of people out of work rose by 243,000 in the same period — the largest increase since may 2009. there are now 782,000 fewer people in payrolled employment, compared to march this year. and 2.5 million people are still on furlough — the scheme which has been extended until march. our business correspondent sarah corker reports. dusk at coniston water in cumbria. this beauty spot, like the rest of england, is now locked down for a second time. it's been quiet. it's only going to get quieter in the next few weeks. during the first lockdown, joanne and husband sean both lost theirjobs as coach drivers with holiday firm shearings. he's found new employment, but it's 450 miles away in cornwall. it is a financial stretch. it costs me £100 to come home for the week, if i come home for a weekend. i try and keep what i spend right down to a minimum, but emotionally, it is having an effect on me. joanne is working again too, but the couple are now £7,000 a year worse off and the

the office for national statistics found in its latest weekly survey that infections appeared to be flatteningon ahead. we will talk much more about coronavirus and more about the home secretary as well and that report, but right now we will talk about the weather. here is sarah keep lucas. it was a cold night last night for some of us, particularly in the east, but we have had cloud and rain spreading across the course of today, turning things milder. that is the story for the rest of today into this evening, that rain continuing eastwards and things turning milder than yesterday. temperatures in the west 13 degrees, still chilly around the east coast, eight or 9 degrees, outbreaks of rain that will be clearing out towards the east through this evening and the rest of the rain working infant through in the north—west, really strong winds especially across the north of scotland, gales up here western isles and north—west scotland, many other staying in double figures tomorrow night —— like tonight. introducing cooler conditions coming in from the north—west, further heavy and blustery showers

coronavirus infections in england have stabilised at about 50,000 a day, according to the office for national statisticses had started to level off at the end of last month. so, what effect could the new lockdown have? 0ur health correspondent james gallagher has this assessment. lockdown is the measure nobody wanted, but the government has decided we need. the aim is to avoid hospitals buckling under the weight of coronavirus and to stop people dying. the number of covid patients in hospital is already rising. without a lockdown, there are fears about the nhs‘s ability to cope with covid and the impact it would have on other patients too. remember, this virus can spread easily. at the start of the pandemic the number of people each infected person passed the virus onto, known as the r number, was three. this is explosive growth. the changes we all made to our lives did make a difference. 0n the eve of lockdown, the r number was around 1.2. look at the impact — the virus was spreading far more slowly. but cases were still growing. lockdown should make it so hard for the virus to spread that cases actual

the latest survey by the office for national statistics covering household infections last week showed the 0ns said there had been some levelling off. in wales, it was one in 185. in northern ireland, one in 145. in both, said the 0ns, there had been a fall in the rate of those testing positive. in scotland, it was one in 115. the 0ns said there had been an increase the rate. an increase in the rate. the 0ns said there had been an increase in the rate. the survey suggests there are regional variations in england, with some areas still seeing rising cases. until very recently, cases were still rising in the south, particularly, so in london and the south—east, and that is actually even more worrying because we really need to understand why lockdown has not worked in terms of reversing case increases in some areas. officials hope that more extensive testing will keep track of the virus, paving the way for some areas to move to higher tiers if needed and allowing others, perhaps, to move down to levels with looser restrictions. hugh pym, bbc news. the government's chief scientific adviser

according to the office for national statistics' latest household survey, infection rates vary acrossrthern ireland one in 80 people is estimated to have covid—i9. in scotland, it's one in mo. in wales, it's one in 120. and in england, the average is one in 100. but in the north—west it's one in 43, and the south—east, it's one in 220 people. the prime minister says the measures are to prevent the nhs being overwhelmed, which would be a medical and moral disaster. currently, there are more than 9,000 people with covid—i9 in english hospitals. almost 500 are on ventilators. i think the prime minister had no choice but to act on very clear evidence that the trajectory of hospital admissions, demand on the health service, was such that we just would have been overwhelmed in the coming weeks, to the point that it wouldn't just be a case of not managing the surge in patients with covid, but actually the nhs would not have been able to provide services to large numbers of non—covid patients. rapid testing has been pointed to as one of the ways out of the shutdown, and is being trialled at t

figures out today from the office for national statistics show that although the number of people withowth is levelling off. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes has spent the day in liverpool. is this the way out of liverpool's covid dilemma? mass testing has begun in the city that has seen some of the highest infection rates in the uk. it's a bit of an inconvenience, but at the end of the day, if that means you can spend your christmas with your grandparents, why wouldn't you ? you haven't got any symptoms? no, asymptomatic. it'sjust because i feel like the more people get tested, the sooner we can get out of this, get it over with, and try and get back to normality, really. already, a significant queue has built up here at one of the testing centres in liverpool. none of these people have any symptoms. many of them haven't even been tested before, but that's the point of this pilot, to try to identify people who are asymptomatic, who don't have any symptoms, and yet still may be infectious. the latest data shows that infections across the uk are still rising, but the rate of incr

drop among major economies listed by the office for national statistics. why are we seeing that and what's going on over there? well ran a lot of things actually contributed to this g.d.p. drop or one of the main anthrax where the guy had prince initial iraq counteracted way longer than an up and absolutely hammered disturbances in the streets, which makes the economy so and look like regular coverage brains work takes far longer than what many people think. so while the situation is improving a little bit, the case and the momentum of the recovery is now slowing down. and this is all, i have the fact that the entire economy is being caught up by more than 200000000000 pounds of emergency spending and tax cuts ordered by the finance minister sanat and the bank of england's almost $900000000000.00 pound farm micro. so right now, just to put things in perspective, g.d.p., is still remains almost 10 percent smaller than that b. and $29.00 t., which is why i wouldn't be as it only germany, france, and nearly 3 times the size of the us and strong. so they are t

the latest survey by the office for national statistics, covering household infections last week, showedave the virus. the ons said there had been some levelling off. in wales, it was one in 185. in northern ireland, one in 145. in both, said the ons, there had been a fall in the rate of those testing positive. in scotland, it was one in 115. the ons said there had been an increase in the rate. the survey suggests there are regional variations in england, with some areas still seeing rising cases. until very recently, cases were still rising in the south, particularly, so in london and the south—east, and that is actually even more worrying, because we really need to understand why lockdown hasn't worked, in terms of reversing case increases in some areas. officials hope that more extensive community testing will keep track of the virus. in liverpool it's help cut infections by more than two thirds which has prompted a move down from tier 3 into tier 2. hugh pym, bbc news. if you want to read more about the new tier system being introduced next wednesday, you can go online to bbc. co. uk

in the latest office for national statistics survey, one in 80 people of england were thought to have one person in 155 and rates were levelling off. in wales, it was one person in 165, with rates decreasing over the last two weeks. in northern ireland, rates have been decreasing over four weeks, and one in 135 people are infected. the deputy chief medical officer for england is cautiously optimistic. overall, clearly, it is an improving picture. these are very early signs that the epidemic is beginning to level, but we should be cautious about interpreting that, and please everyone remember that it just takes a few seconds to create new infections. christmas family get—togethers may still be in doubt, but some restrictions are being lifted today. the government has changed lockdown rules in england so that christmas tree farms and sellers can start trading from this morning. anna o'neill, bbc news. a possible alternative to a covid vaccine is entering its final stage of trials. it's being developed for people with weakened immune systems who cannot be vaccinated. 5,000 patients from

according to the office for national statistics, four fifths of the deaths registered in england andpeople over the age of 75. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns has been speaking to some of those who have lost loved ones in the second wave of the pandemic. peter davies and steve horsfall lived less than a0 miles from each other and died 11 days apart, both in the second wave of coronavirus. that's been the hardest thing, not being able to hug people. my dad was 79, but i do believe he had a lot of years left. peter was a family man, he died the week before his 52nd wedding anniversary. he was a brilliant dad who also doted on his grandchildren. he was overweight but healthy until he went into hospital with a water infection. he was not an ill man, he was not a frail man, he died purely of covid. if covid didn't exist, my dad would still be here. steve was a teacher but that barely begins to sum him up. he was in a rock tribute band, photographer and a biker. wherever he went on his bike, he'd take an ice cream selfie. he had asthma and type 2 diabetes but did not think he woul

figures from the office for national statistics suggest that, before the pandemic, more than two and number had risen to more than four million. elaine dunkley reports from huddersfield. loneliness and isolation feels... it feels like being in a grave. it's cold, it's dark, and it's pointless. we are trying to find the next of kin of this gentleman that we are really concerned about at the moment. loneliness and isolation drives everything. at huddersfield railway station is platform one... ..a charity on the front line of isolation, loneliness and crisis. this 1950s carriage is used as a workshop, a place for men to talk and get mental health support. lockdown and regulations have stopped many coming here. before the pandemic, we were seeing up to 50 guys a day. they came in here and they wanted community and they wanted connection. when covid came, that stopped the connection, and so far this year we've had 15 guys on suicide watch. last year, we had one. people in a crisis can turn up here without an appointment. platform one works with more than 500 men across yorkshire, but such

figures from the office for national statistics suggest before the pandemic more than 2.5 million adultsy has been speaking to one charity in huddersfield that's helping bring people together. loneliness and isolation feels... it feels like being in a grave. it's cold, it's dark, and it's pointless. we are trying to find the next of kin of this gentleman that we are really concerned about at the moment. loneliness and isolation drives everything. at huddersfield train station is platform 0ne. it's a charity on the front line of isolation, loneliness and crisis. i've never struggled before in my life, but before this time you could go and unload a bit of your baggage with a friend oi’ whoever, 01’ you can go out and socialise with somebody and let that steam off, you can't at the moment. you're sat at home looking at the four walls, and you end up getting in that dark place. this 1950s carriage is used as a workshop, a place for men to talk and get mental health support. lockdown and regulations has stopped many coming here. before the pandemic, we were seeing up to 50 guys a day. they ca

the office for national statistics survey covering infections in the community suggests that in englandin 85 people had the virus, a bit more than the previous week. in wales, it was a than the previous week. in wales, it wasa similar than the previous week. in wales, it was a similarfigure, again a little bit higher. in scotland, the estimate is one in 135 people infected, down a bit on the previous week. in northern ireland, one and 105, again a bit lower. the 0ns suggests that in areas of high infections, there has been a bit of a levelling off. but increases in other parts of the country. we are seeing a plateau of cases in certain areas, for example, northern ireland is starting to see a plateau of hospitalisations and deaths. and hopefully, that continues and starts to decrease. however, in certain areas such as england and wales, it may be too soon to tell if those have had a positive impact. a key measure of how fast the virus is spreading or declining across the population is the reproduction, or r number. anything above one shows it is exhilarating. below one, and it is exhila

registered during the three months, up by 181,000 from the quarter before, according to the office for national statisticsunemployment rate of 4.8% in the three months to september. andy verity reports. she wants to do 11. few businesses are more sensitive to the jobs market than recruitment consultants, like this small firm in canterbury. today's figures reveal even in the third quarter when the economy was supposed to be bouncing back, the number of people starting newjobs was even lower than in lockdown. robbing firms like this of much of their income. almost overnight, to be honest, a lot of our clients just fell off a cliff. we didn't have a lot of work, so we were all feeling quite panicked, working from home, doing what we could to all together keep the business alive. of three staff furloughed at this office, one has returned to work and another is branching out on his own. the market is definitely changing. we're seeing a massive pick up now that companies are decided to chuck budgets at different marketing strategies, within it as well as in marketing. so our main focus will be trying to fill as

who are always or often lonely, that's according to a pandemic tracking survey by the office for national statisticsst seven days, figures up to november 8th have shown. baroness barran, the minister responsible for loneliness, told us "there are going to be very challenging months ahead" for loneliness, particularly going into the winter. we're nowjoined by nazia hamidah who became a mum for the first time during lockdown in april and bob morse, project manager of platform 1, a men's mental health and crisis charity. you are both very welcome today and thank you forjoining us. and congratulations, first of all, on your baby, but what a time to become a new mum. difficult to get out and about, and really explore the normal avenues that would be open to new mothers by way of meeting other new pa rents, mothers by way of meeting other new parents, so what has that experience been like for you? definitely been challenging. i think when you become a new mum you have an expectation of able to meet other mums through baby century classes, nct groups, and family and friends being able to visit your home an

we know the official monitoring programme run by the office for national statistics show that by theg around the 22,000 a day on average. it suggests it may have peaked before lockdown, the regional tier programme might have slow the spread of the virus. government advisers are concerned that it wasn‘t going to come down quick enough and that is why they introduced lockdown. what we should see in the next couple of weeks is infection levels really coming down, rather than just plateauing, hopefully coming down during lockdown. thank you. cheshire police says it has re—arrested a health care professional as part of an investigation into deaths of babies at a neonatal unit. the woman arrested is understood to be nurse lucy letby, who was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019. police say the woman has been re—arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies at the countess of chester hospital. there‘s a warning that the pandemic has caused most children in england to fall behind with their learning, and for some their socia

this latest graph from the office for national statistics shows how deaths have increased since octoberlth secretary answered a question in the commons from the shadow health secretary jonathan ashworth about the possibility of tighter restrictions next month. mr speaker, testing, backed up by tracing and isolation, is key to avoiding further lockdowns. yesterday at the press conference, we heard tier1 has had very little effect and that the tiers must be strengthened. so can he confirm that it isa strengthened. so can he confirm that it is a government's intention to impose a tougher set of restrictions on tier1 areas post this lockdown? it is too early to do the announcements about the honourable gentleman requests, but of course we remain vigilant. we will soon be asked to make a decision on the future of the lockdown, so the earlier we get that information the better. testing is crucial, testing for nhs app is crucialfor better. testing is crucial, testing for nhs app is crucial for dealing with the backlog and nhs care. last week we had 139,000 people waiting more than 12 months fo

deaths were significantly above the rate expected at this time of year, according to the office for national statisticsand, northern ireland and wales if for lockdown ends in december. our you getting clear answers?” lockdown ends in december. our you getting clear answers? i wish. there is an urgent question in the house of commons for the treasury minister and we may hear about it. it was something the prime minister was asked about yesterday. by the conservative scottish leader who said well the furlough be made available in scotland should scotla nd available in scotland should scotland go international lockdown, if england is not in a lockdown. don't forget the england wide lockdown ends on second december so the question was would scottish people access the furlough even if there was not one in england. the prime minister said this would apply not just now but prime minister said this would apply notjust now but in the future as well. many scottish politicians and welsh and northern irish trying to get clarity on whether that means after december two when england isn't enough or lockdown and has

we've also had confirmation from the government surveillance programme today run by the office for national statisticsust rely on people coming forward for test and it shows infection rate stabilising and perhaps also too coming down. there were 11131; new admissions to hospital. just after lockdown we were seeing close to 2000 admissions per day in the uk so again that is stabilised and may be coming down. deaths sadly are still rising. 498 new deaths reported. but they are people who were infected three orfour they are people who were infected three or four weeks they are people who were infected three orfour weeks ago, they are people who were infected three or four weeks ago, and we know if the infections are coming down and hospital cases are coming down, we will soon see the numbers of deaths coming down. the impact of the lockdown and restrictions seen elsewhere in the uk are it seems having an impact. what sort of impact can we expect the new tier system that starts in england next week, what impact can that have? the government have gone in cautiously. they have gone in tough, we have been ta

the office for national statistics survey for the week ending november 14 says in england won in 80 peopled to have coronavirus, which was similar to last week. in scotland it was won in 155 ad rates had levelled off. in wales, it was one in 165 with rates decreasing in the last fortnight. in northern ireland, one in 135 had the virus, with rates decreasing over the most recent four weeks, some of this might reflect different lockdown plans and timings. 0ne expert says in england there are big regional variations. it seems to be very much that the north—west and yorkshire are going down and almost everywhere else is going up. some places it's going up quite quickly. until we understand that and reverse that everywhere, i don't think we can say the lockdown is working. listers must decide soon what happens after full lockdown ends. —— ministers must decide how strict will restrictions be in england after december the 2nd and how many days might there be some relaxation at christmas? we have not made those decisions yet. 0ver christmas, i know how important it is that we have a system in pla

for today's to to sticks, but on thursday there were record statistics. and then friday was a drop by about 6000 on that. nevertheless, the office for national statistics says that the general trend remains up, that is the number of cases are increasing, but not quite at such a high rate as a fast rate as they were before. so they're still going up just not quite by as much every day. and one of the government's main scientific advisors has been on the radio this morning saying basic the next 2 weeks are absolutely crucial in her, words. as to the trajectory of. 'd the virus here in the u.k., we're 10 days into a one month lockdown here. and this scientist was basically saying that behavior needs to stay strict. if we return, she says we'll get complacent. then it will all be for nothing. the warning that she said was that if we return to the tier system that was preceded, this lockdown then frankly will be back at square one within a matter of weeks and has the rest of europe fairing knockdowns is still in place in a number of countries yeah, it's pretty bad, frankly. i mean, what you mentioned austria just a 2nd ago chancellor kurtz is due

here in the uk, new figures from the office for national statistics show over one in ten businesses haveend of october —— into force. after the circuit breaker began in wales and tier 3 restrictions in scotland but before the lockdown began in england. even before that began, businesses were saying, lots of fun, they had little or no confidence they would survive the next three months —— lots of fun. especially marked in the food and accommodation services sector because they are the ones where most businesses have had to close. 0nly 63% of those businesses are trading at the moment and 34% of businesses in food and accommodation believe they will not be able to survive or have little or no confidence they will survive the next three months. across all of industry, it is 14%. it may sound relatively low but it is really serious. 10% of the uk‘s businesses is about half a million businesses, hundreds of thousands of businesses, hundreds of thousands of businesses which are telling official researchers they are not sure they will be able to survive. businesses also had the challenge of not

in the latest office for national statistics survey, one in 80 people in england were thought to havelar to the week before. in scotland it was one person in 155, and rates were levelling off. in wales, it was one person in 165, with rates decreasing over the past two weeks, and in northern ireland, rates have decreasing over four weeks, and northern ireland, rates have decreasing overfour weeks, and one in 435 people are infected. the deputy chief medical officer for england is cautiously optimistic. overall, clearly it is an improving picture. these are very early signs that the epidemic is beginning to level. but we should be cautious about interpreting bout, and, you know, please everyone remember that it just takes a few seconds to create new infections. christmas family get—togethers may still be in doubt, but some restrictions are being lifted today. the government has changed lockdown rules in england so that christmas tree farms and sellers and start trading from this morning. anna o'neill, bbc news. just after 9:00 this morning we'll be joined by virologist professor calum s

that said, if office for national statistics says the overall trend remains upward, albeit at a slightly slower rate. so the numbers going up, but just not quite as fast as they had been in previous days. unfortunately, the latest figures for the new deaths, which has been released this afternoon, is up. it's now 462 in the last 24 hours that's up from 376 on friday. and there was a warning today from one of the scientists who is on that advisory committee that advises the government, the sage committee saying that the next 2 weeks will be absolutely critical in deciding whether or not christmas as a it is normal. for there is a possibility here in the u.k. saying that the current lockdown, which is due to end on the 2nd of december, she said, she said if the government went back to the old teared system, then frankly, the number of infections would be right back where it was in october. what about the rest of europe? lockdowns are still in place in a number of countries. yeah, i mean we touched on austria very, very announcement is bearing to the inevitable, frankly, austria taking quit

well yes, i mean, the office for national statistics has said that the acceleration in infection rates does seem to be slowing as a result of the lockdown, the national lockdown that we are in here currently here in the u.k. . but that's not to say that the actual number of cases is not still increasing. it is just that a slower pace, so you can look at it from the point of view. there are some glimmers of hope. for example, the government has announced the from monday, friends and relatives of those people who are currently being looked after in care homes will be able to get testing at the moment those people living in care homes have been essentially cut off from their loved ones outside because of the fear of putting coronavirus into those care homes, which are very vulnerable populations in the introduction of testing for friends and family specifically should mean that those friends and relatives can actually see their loved ones for the 1st time in many, many months. but the other thing that sadly a grain of salt is some of the data from the sage group, which is a scientific adv

figures from the office for national statistics suggest before the pandemic more than two and a half concerned about at the moment. loneliness and isolation drives everything. at huddersfield train station is platform 0ne. it‘s a charity on the front line of isolation, loneliness and crisis. i've never struggled before in my life, but before this time you could go and unload a bit of your baggage with a friend oi’ whoever, oi’ you can go out and socialise with somebody and let that steam off, you can't at the moment. you're sat at home looking at the four walls, and you end up getting in that dark place. this 1950s carriage is used as a workshop, a place for men to talk and get mental health support. lockdown and regulations has stopped many coming here. before the pandemic, we were seeing up to 50 guys a day. they came in here and they wanted community and they wanted connection. when covid came, that stopped the connection, and so far this year we've had 15 guys on suicide watch. last year, we had one. platform 0ne works with more than 500 men across yorkshire, but such is the dema

there were nearly 3,000 covid—19 deaths in the week of 13 november according to the office for national statisticshead of statistics, robert cuffe is here to explain. give us a view on what is happening with deaths related to covid—19. 600 up with deaths related to covid—19. 600 up on the previous week, between a quarter and a third up, the numbers continuing to rise. they are rising more slowly than they had been in the week before and if we look forward , the week before and if we look forward, since the 13th, may be some positive news. these official deaths that involve coronavirus, the ones mentioned on the death certificate, behaving very differently to the first wave. in the first wave they ca ptu red first wave. in the first wave they captured an awful lot of deaths that we re captured an awful lot of deaths that were not being captured by the figures we hear about everyday, people testing positive but the numbers are looking very similar and we get the daily deaths, we know what is happening, we know on sunday they reached 3000 deaths in a week for the first time but they hadn't really bee

new figures from the office for national statistics show that this month has seen the highest levelsof the pandemic. 11.2 million people said they were "always" or "often" lonely — up from 2.6 million in april. young people are most likely to feel isolated according to the report. elaine dunkley has more. especially caring for my mum and my little sister, itjust leaves you isolated from your friends and everyone around you. everything when you're pregnant is unknown, but to deal with a global pandemic, my mental health has suffered because of it. you know, not having my friends around. a lot of care leavers tend to be quite isolated anyway, but i think with the lockdown in place, it's more a sense of feeling trapped. for poppy, pregnancy and becoming a parent has been a difficult journey. she is in stockport, her family are nearly 300 miles away in scotland. ijust really miss my mum. i wish i could go and see her. you know, i feel bad that she is missing out on so many things with arlo. i've been really anxious all day today. just thinking about if we're not allowed to go to scotland

the latest survey by the office for national statistics, covering household infections last week, showeds, there had been a fall in the rate of those testing positive. in scotland, it was one in 115. the ons said there had been an increase in the rate. the survey suggests there are regional variations in england, with some areas still seeing rising cases. until very recently, cases were still rising, in the south, particularly, so in london and the south—east, and that is actually even more worrying, because we really need to understand why lockdown has not worked, in terms of reversing case increases in some areas. officials hope that more extensive testing will keep track of the virus, paving the way for some areas to move to higher tiers if needed, and allowing others, perhaps, to move down to levels with looser restrictions. hugh pym, bbc news. an independent inquiry into the avoidable death of a baby, has concluded that there was a 20—year cover—up by the authorities after her death. elizabeth dixon died in 2001 after being born prematurely in a hospital in surrey. her parents have