Newspaper headlines: Vaccinated told to follow rules and PM's jab 'gamble'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionThose who have had the Covid-19 vaccine must stick to lockdown rules because they "may still give [it] to someone else". England's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, writes in the Sunday Telegraph that scientists "do not yet know the impact of the vaccine on the transmission". The paper also reports that the government "has quietly extended lockdown laws" to give councils the power to close some venues until July. The story is accompanied on the front page by a smiling Sir Kenneth Branagh, who will play Boris Johnson in a Sky drama about the pandemic.
image captionThe Sunday Express also leads on Prof Van-Tam urging people to "stay patient with lockdown restrictions" as the UK approaches six million vaccinations. The paper notes that doctors have criticised the extension of the gap between doses of the Pfizer vaccine and have disputed the deadliness of the UK variant. It concludes that Prof Van-Tam is "a voice of reason".
image captionThat contention over the gap between the first and second Pfizer jabs makes the front page of the Sunday People. The paper says the decision to extend the wait from three to 12 weeks so that initial injections could be given to more people sooner is "the biggest gamble" of the prime minister's career, as it reports that "dozens of care home residents have died with Covid after the jab".
image captionA picture of Boris Johnson is juxtaposed with a hospital scene on the front page of the Sunday Mirror, which reports that the UK is set to reach 100,000 coronavirus deaths this coming week. It says families of those who have died want an inquiry into his "handling" of the pandemic as the country approaches "another grim milestone".
image captionThe Observer claims that more than 500 cases of coronavirus have been recorded at the DVLA in Swansea, sparking an "explosive row" over ministers' "failure to protect workers". Employees claim "people with symptoms were encouraged to return to work" and vulnerable workers were not able to work from home, the paper says. The DVLA insists safety is a priority and "staff in roles that enable them to work from home are doing so and have throughout".
image captionThe Mail on Sunday reports that head teachers in the "Britain's top schools" have "unveiled a bold plan to vaccinate the country's entire teaching staff" over the February half-term. It urges Mr Johnson to back the plan - which aims to get pupils back to school "within weeks" - as it "could prove a political lifeline" for him.
image captionAnd a frayed Union Jack dominates the front page of the Sunday Times, which says polls it commissioned suggest "the majority of" Scottish and Northern Irish voters "want referendums on the break-up of Britain". The paper suggests it reveals a "disunited kingdom" and laments that "the sense of British identity that once bound the country together is disintegrating".
image captionAnd the Daily Star suggests that John Altman, who played "Nasty Nick Cotton" in Eastenders, is in a pop chart "battle" with Charles Bronson, who has served more than 40 years in jail. "It's true, honest," the paper says.