Newspaper headlines: Shot in the arm for Britain and jab Brexit row

By BBC News
Staff

Published: 2 hours ago

image captionUnsurprisingly the news that the UK authorities have approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine gets widespread coverage. "Covid you're about to take one helluva beating" is the Sun's headline as it prepares to bid farewell to "bog roll bandits" and empty pubs among other features of the pandemic.

image captionThe Daily Telegraph front page declares "Now we can reclaim our lives" as it quotes the prime minister as saying 2.5 million people will be given a dose by the end of the month. The paper says the over-80s, care home staff and frontline NHS workers will receive the vaccine first. The paper also covers the story of an investigation by the Care Quality Commission which found care homes had used "unlawful" Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders during the height of the pandemic.

image captionThe Daily Mail says "What a shot in the arm for Britain!" as it points to the vaccine approval, the reopening of shops and pubs and the return of visitors to care homes. The front page includes a picture of John Cutter and his daughter, Liz, hugging for the first time since February. The paper also offers its essential family guide to getting the jab.

image caption"First vaccine jabs for NHS staff and elderly patients" the Times said. It reports that the head of the health service Sir Simon Stevens has said the initial distribution of doses will begin from 50 "hospital hubs" next week. It also features a story on gas boilers being "in the firing line" as part of a promise to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 2050. Boris Johnson will make the announcement of a new target on Friday, the paper says.

image captionThe Guardian ties together two of the major political topics of the moment with the headline "Vaccinations next week as PM caught in Brexit row". The story refers to Mr Johnson trying to "diffuse a diplomatic row over claims Brexit was responsible for the fact-track approval" of the vaccine.

image captionThe Eurosceptic Daily Express takes a different view, saying "We've done it! But guess who's having a dig at us". It says "European health chiefs could only rubbish the historic achievement".

image caption"V-Day" is the Metro headline as it says the approval of the vaccine is a "historic moment" in the war on Covid-19. The paper's front page also carries a picture of crowds queuing at JD Sports on London's Oxford Street, with the caption "Crush hour at the shops" as it describes "chaos" as stores reopen.

image captionThe i newspaper says "vaccines to start on Tuesday in the UK". The paper reports teachers and bus drivers could be next on the priority list to get the jab after high-risk groups and NHS staff.

image caption"On its way" is the Daily Mirror's take, as it carries the picture of a lorry which it says is loaded with the vaccine and heading to the UK. The paper says trucks left Belgium with 800,000 doses on Wednesday.

image captionThe Daily Star keeps up its habit of using mocked-up images of politicians on its front page, this time with the prime minister as Fred Flintstone saying "Jabba dabba doo". It says people will have to "form an elderly queue" for the vaccine.

"What a shot in the arm for Britain," is the Daily Mail's reaction to news of a coronavirus vaccine being approved by regulators. The paper says officials hope to have the bulk of the most vulnerable groups immunised by the end of next month. This would then reportedly allow for the most stringent restrictions to be potentially eased in February.

Metro's headline suggests Wednesday should be known as "V-Day", calling the approval of a vaccine an "historic moment". The Sun also evokes the spirit of the Second World War on its front page, with the V in its "Covid" headline replaced by the two-fingered V for Victory salute made famous by Sir Winston Churchill. The paper points out that the rollout of the vaccine will bring an end to "bog roll bandits, bad hair days and the quibbling over a Scotch egg".

image copyrightPA Media

image captionHealth Secretary Matt Hancock started a "row" over Brexit's influence in a Covid vaccine being approved in the UK, several papers report

"On its way" is the triumphant headline on the front of the Daily Mirror. It pictures a vaccine lorry leaving a Pfizer site - carrying what the paper calls a "truckful of hope". The paper says that for a nation "worn down by Covid", normality is "in sight", with the first vaccines set to be administered by a London hospital trust at 07:00 on Monday morning. The i newspaper, however, suggests on its front page that the immunisation programme will begin a day later.

The Times reports care homes have demanded clarity over when their residents will get the jab after it emerged homes will be excluded from the first wave of doses. It's because they do not have the ability to store the vials at -70C (-94f) and the medical regulator has only approved its use provided the packs of 975 doses are not split up, the paper says. The Guardian points out this is the "fragility" of Pfizer's creation - while the National Care Forum is quoted as saying "energy and ingenuity" is needed to ensure homes can benefit from the vaccine.

image copyrightGetty Images

image captionA limited number of fans have been welcomed back to sports stadiums but the Daily Telegraph says capacity crowds could return by the summer

The Daily Express uses its leader to accuse the European Medical Agency and other EU bodies of "sour grapes" for criticising the UK's "speedy approval" of the vaccine. Ministers had insisted the UK got the green light first because Brexit had "freed" the country from Brussels red tape - only for the medical regulator to insist it had been working under European law. The Times describes the row as "unseemly and pointless", while Huff Post UK points out "it was only a matter of time" before the twin preoccupations of Brexit and Covid collided.

And finally, with a vaccine on the way, the Daily Telegraph tells its readers to "get set for a golden summer of sport". It says organisers of Wimbledon, Royal Ascot and the British Grand Prix have stepped up plans to host capacity crowds next summer. The vaccine rollout has reportedly come too late for the Six Nations and the Cheltenham Festival to be staged without social distancing - but the Telegraph suggests England's Euro 2020 opener against Croatia on 13 June could be the first major international event in the UK with a full crowd.