Coronavirus latest news: Germany U-turns on AstraZeneca vaccine for over-65s
Vaccines tweaked for Covid variants will be fast-tracked, MHRA says
Economy 'will bounce back faster thanks to success of vaccinations'
Fears of 'mask apartheid' as schools threaten to segregate pupils
Germany will authorise the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people over the age of 65, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.
The country had previously approved it for under-65s only, citing insufficient data of its effects on older people.
Now, in a significant U-turn, Mrs Merkel said recent studies had now provided enough evidence to approve it for all ages.
She added: "The (German) vaccine commission, whose recommendations we are happy to follow, will authorise AstraZeneca for older age groups."
The change will see Germany follow the UK’s example and space out the first and second jabs of the vaccine by a maximum of 12 weeks, in order to quickly give more people initial protection against the virus.
The German government had been criticised in recent weeks for its comments about the jab, leading to a public perception that the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine was less effective than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
It even led to some of the Germans first in line for a Covid-19 vaccine spurning AstraZeneca shots, leaving the country with hundreds of thousands of unopened doses.
Belgium, who had a similar stance, has now also authorised its rollout to people over 65s.
It comes after the French government said older people with pre-existing conditions can now get AstraZeneca vaccine, revising its stance on the issue.
Follow the latest updates below.
11:00 AM
Over 80s breaking rules after vaccine
Four in 10 people aged over 80 have broken lockdown restrictions to meet up with people indoors since being vaccinated in the past three weeks, ONS figures have revealed.
Behavioural scientists have previously warned that compliance to measures was likely to fall once the vaccination programme was in full swing, but this is the first evidence it is actually happening.
According to latest ONS data, around two out of five (43 per cent) over-80s reported they had met someone other than a household member, care worker or member of their support bubble, indoors since the jab.
READ MORE: Four in 10 over 80s break lockdown rules after Covid vaccine
10:44 AM
Sputnik V vaccine to be reviewed by Europe
Europe's medicines regulator has begun a review of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for possible approval in the region.
The human medicines committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review data from ongoing trials of the vaccine until there is enough clinical data for approval, the regulator said.
Sputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute, was almost 92 per cent effective in fighting COVID-19, based on peer-reviewed late-stage trial results published in The Lancet medical journal last month.
The two-shot vaccine uses two different weakened common cold viruses to deliver immune-building protein to the human body.
EMA's "rolling reviews" are aimed to speed up the process of approving a successful vaccine by allowing researchers to submit findings in real-time, even before final trial data is ready.
Russia expects several European countries to approve the Sputnik V this month, the chief of its sovereign wealth fund said.
Europe currently has approved vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech , Moderna and AstraZeneca /Oxford, while ongoing reviews for CureVac and Novavax's candidates are already underway.
The EMA is also expected to give its verdict on J&J's single-shot vaccine on March 11.
10:34 AM
Number of young people not working or in education rises
The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training has shown its biggest quarterly increase in almost a decade, according to ONS figures.
There were an estimated 797,000 classed as Neet in the final quarter of last year, an increase of 39,000 compared with July to September 2020 and up by 34,000 from October to December 2019.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the latest quarterly increase was the largest since July to September 2011, and was almost entirely driven by economically inactive men.
ONS head of labour market and households David Freeman said: "After reaching a record low last quarter, the number of Neets has now seen its largest quarterly increase since its 2011 peak.
"This follows the economic impact of the most recent heavy Covid-19 restrictions, and tallies with other recent data that suggests almost three-fifths of the fall in employees since the onset of the pandemic has been among the under-25s."
The ONS added that 11.6 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK were classed as Neet in the latest three months, up by 0.6 per cent on July to September.
Around two out of five were unemployed and looking for work, while the rest were classed as economically inactive.
10:22 AM
Vaccine passport idea raises 'legal and ethical' issues, says Sunak
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it was "too early" to say whether he would be minded to support the rollout of vaccine passports.
Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said: "It is a difficult and complicated question because it raises various practical, legal and ethical issues.
"We are working through those, so the Prime Minister has a committee and we have not just ethicists but doctors and business people working together to look at that particular question, to consider all the issues in the round and come up with some recommendations in a few months' time and we will see if they can play a part."
Michael Gove is heading a review into the potential development of Covid status certificates, which will study similar schemes in other countries including Israel.
And when Mr Sunak was asked whether he was "minded to back" the so-called vaccine passports, he said: "It would be too early for me to use a phrase like 'minded to'.
"It is a committee to look at the various issues that it throws up - there are some obvious challenges - some people are not able to, for health reasons, to get vaccinations.
"And then there is the practical aspect - how do we verify it, what kind of technology would one use, what circumstances would it be appropriate to use it?
"It is too early to say anyone is minded to do anything - that is quite a specific phrase - but I think it is right we go through all of that to surface what some of the issues and benefits might be and then we can decide and make a decision in the round in the coming months."
10:14 AM
Hancock optimistic for 'great British summer'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that he hoped the Government would soon be able to lift travel restrictions in the UK thanks to the vaccine rollout.
He said: "I very much hope that as we are able to lift restrictions then we are all able to travel across the UK.
"I'm confident because of the vaccine we will be able to make that progress and then be able to, all of us, to travel freely wherever we are within these islands.
"One of the factors that we have to be vigilant about in that road map is the emergence of new variants, in case the current vaccines are not as effective.
"I've said before that I'm optimistic for a great British summer and I'm now more optimistic about having a great British summer than I have been at any time, thanks to the speed and the effectiveness of the vaccine rollout.
"By great British summer, I absolutely mean people being able to enjoy travel across the whole of the UK.
"The travel rules for Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government, but I think we can all see that we can make a stride down that roadmap thanks to the speed of the vaccine rollout."
10:07 AM
Prime Minister doing 'all I can' to lose weight
Boris Johnson said he is "doing all I can to lose weight" as he announced funding to help the public get "fitter and healthier".
It comes as the Government announced a £100 million package to help drive down levels of obesity - which increases a person's risk of dying from Covid-19 or severe disease, as well as a number of other health problems.
Mr Johnson said he has been eating fewer carbohydrates, avoiding chocolate and "no more late-night cheese", coupled with early morning runs.
I’ve been doing all I can to lose weight, and I'm not only fitter and healthier but also happier for it.
I'm pleased we’re investing £100 million into services to get the country healthier so we can all – quite literally – bounce back better. pic.twitter.com/twD2EYFwyR— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 4, 2021
More than £70 million of the Government's funding will be invested in weight management services - made available through the NHS and councils - enabling up to 700,000 adults to access support that can help them lose weight.
The remaining £30 million will fund initiatives to help people maintain a healthy weight, including the Better Health campaign, behavioural weight management services and upskilling health workers in "early years services".
Mr Johnson announced the £100 million has been ring-fenced to help people lose weight, which will also make it easier for people to access GP appointments and useful apps.
10:01 AM
No current imperative for fast-track vaccines
Dr June Raine has said that the potential to fast-track vaccines was more about being "prepared" than there being any immediate need.
She said: "We don't have evidence at this moment that any of the vaccines in deployment are significantly lacking in effectiveness.
"They're effective against Kent and we believe South Africa.
"We know that there has been some data from South Africa, we believe effectiveness here is maintained, and we're working hard on the Brazil variant.
"As of today there's no imperative that we fast-track a new variant-effective vaccine - but we are prepared."
READ MORE: Vaccines tweaked for Covid variants will be fast-tracked, MHRA says
09:55 AM
Tweaked vaccine approval will be similar to flu jabs
Dr June Raine, chief executive of MHRA, said coronavirus vaccine modifications will follow a similar authorisation process as flu jabs variants.
She said those which have been authorised but need to be modified for new Covid-19 strains will not need a "brand new approval".
"Of course there will be checks on manufacture, on safety, on quality, but we will be using the approach that's been very successful for flu jabs," she said.
"Every year there's a tried and tested regulatory process for the seasonal flu vaccines so that they match the strains circulating each year."
09:50 AM
Lack of lunch breaks at home driving longer hours
Most people are working longer hours because they are based at home, often not having time for a lunch break, new research suggests.
Workers are also spending an average of just over £1,000 on converting their bedroom into an office.
The poll of 2,000 workers by hotel chain Travelodge found almost nine out of 10 people were working longer hours and were using their normal commuter time as part of their working day.
Around a fifth said they do not take a lunch break because they were too absorbed in their work.
Shakila Ahmed, of Travelodge, said workers were taking inspiration from hotels to convert their bedrooms.
"It's an ideal workable solution when space is limited at home," she said.
09:22 AM
No evidence current vaccines are ineffective on new strains
The chief executive of the the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there is no evidence that current vaccines lack effectiveness against known coronavirus variants.
During a briefing with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Dr June Raine said: "Since December last year we have all been concerned about the appearance of variants - Kent, South Africa, more recently Brazil - and therefore we're well-prepared to look at, when it's needed, updates to ensure the vaccines being used in citizens are fully effective.
"Our goal is to ensure that the vaccine modifications in future that respond to the new variants can be available in the shortest possible time but without compromising in any way on safety, on quality and on effectiveness.
"What I would emphasise at the outset is that we don't have evidence at the moment that the vaccines in use in the UK are significantly lacking in effectiveness but we are now well-prepared."
In recent weeks a handful of "concerning" new coronavirus variants have emerged, sparking fears they may be more transmissible, lethal or evade immunity acquired by prior infection or vaccines.
09:16 AM
Fast-track approach to vaccine tweaks welcomed by Hancock
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is "delighted" that there will be a fast-track approach to approving new vaccines for coronavirus variants.
During a visit to Glasgow Lighthouse Lab, the Health Secretary said: "We will have a fast-track approach to safely approving future vaccines that work against a variant of Covid-19.
"The vaccine programme has clearly been a huge UK success story, and part of the reason that we have been able to develop the vaccines so far so quickly is because of the MHRA's rigorous yet flexible approach, which has been based entirely on looking as quickly as possible at the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
"I'm delighted that they're taking that same principled approach to the approval process for vaccines that may work against variants."
09:13 AM
Canterbury Cathedral cats unlikely stars of Zoom sermons
Three cats who regularly interrupt online prayers at Canterbury Cathedral have achieved worldwide fame.
Leo, Tiger and Lilly have featured in the Dean's daily morning prayer services, which have been shown online since lockdown hit in March 2020.
But their antics have become so popular that people have started tuning in from as far away as the Philippines.
Leo, 10, was first to gain worldwide recognition when he was caught on camera wandering into view before disappearing beneath the Dean of Canterbury's robes in May last year.
While Tiger, 14, was also seen stealing milk last year and pinching a whole pancake on Pancake Day last month.
Dean of Canterbury Robert Willis said: "We decided that we would just come into the garden and film, and that was a snap decision and so we began that filming.
"At first we did it for our own congregation and then we realised that people were watching from all over the world... people tuned in as day broke across the other side of the Atlantic or on the other side of America in the Pacific... or the next morning in the Philippines."
He added: "The real explosion came I think with Leo walking into my cassock that morning and people finding that hilarious.”
08:41 AM
Italy to give previously infected people single dose
Italy will administer a single vaccine dose to those who have already been infected with COVID-19, the country's health ministry has said.
"A single dose of vaccine may be considered for individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic or asymptomatic", the ministry revealed in a statement.
The recommendation applies to people diagnosed with COVID between three and six months previously.
France and Spain announced a similar policy last month, in a move that also appears to be aimed at saving vaccine shots and boosting supplies while EU countries are struggling to run their vaccination campaigns due to supply cuts imposed by drugmakers.
Italy, which has a population of around 60 million, had administered 4.76 doses of vaccines as of early Thursday, with some 1.5 million people receiving the recommended two shots.
08:26 AM
Hungary reports highest daily cases in three months
Hungary reported 6,278 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, its highest daily tally in three months, while the number of deaths also increased sharply to 152, government data showed.
Surgeon General Cecilia Muller on Wednesday flagged the possibility of further restrictions in response to the jump in case numbers and deaths.
Current restrictions in place since November include a night-time curfew, the closure of hotels and restaurants, a ban on all gatherings and remote learning in secondary schools.
Meanwhile Russia reported 11,385 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,150 in Moscow, taking the national case total to 4,290,135.
Authorities said 475 people had died in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 87,823.
08:17 AM
Coronavirus bill will take 'decades' to pay off
Rishi Sunak has said it would be the jobs of "many" governments to pay back more than £400 billion of coronavirus spending.
Rishi Sunak on Wednesday announced a five-year personal tax raid that will bring in more than £21 billion as the bill Government spending during the pandemic was laid bare.
Despite the rises, Mr Sunak admitted on Thursday it would take 'decades' to fully pay off the money.
The Chancellor told BBC Breakfast: "The shock that coronavirus has done to our economy has been significant and as I said yesterday, this won't be fixed overnight.
"It will be the work of many years, decades and governments to fully pay all that money back.
"But it is important that we get our borrowing and debt under control so it stops going up even after we've recovered.
"And that's what the measures we announced yesterday (will do), they will help stabilise things.
"That's what the forecasts from yesterday show, that we stop the problem from getting worse and hopefully start improving it over the medium term."
Follow the latest on our Politics Live blog
08:06 AM
Use lessons from coronavirus to fight climate change, scientist says
The director of a state-of-the-art bioscience facility believes lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic could be used to help tackle climate change.
Dr Jen Vanderhoven, director of the National Horizons Centre (NHC), a research, teaching and training facility that is part of Teesside University, said the collaboration between academics and industry that helped deliver coronavirus vaccines in less than a year could be used to address other global crises.
Dr Vanderhoven said: "It's about collaboration and how you take ideas from the lab bench right through to commercial manufacture at speed.
"It usually takes between four and 10 years to manufacture a vaccine and yet, when we've put our minds together on it and worked together on it, it's been done in under a year, which no-one would ever have dreamt... it just shows that, when time is of the essence, it's achievable."
She continued: "There isn't a vaccine for climate change so we all need to collaborate together on that and basically do what we've done for Covid, which is don't have money as a barrier, don't have regulations as a barrier, just get the technologies in place to really help curb climate change.
"I'm hoping that the learning from Covid can be passed through to other global crises because we're not going to get a vaccine that we can cure global warming with, unfortunately.
08:00 AM
Wetherspoon will reopen 400 pubs from April 12
Pub chain Wetherspoon is to open beer gardens, rooftop gardens and patios at 394 of its venues in England when the lockdown continues to ease from April 12, the company has announced.
The pubs will be open from 9am to 9pm from Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, although some will have restrictions on closing times.
They will offer a slightly reduced menu, with food available from 9am to 8pm seven days a week.
Customers will be able to order and pay through the Wetherspoon app, and staff will be able to take orders and payment at the table.
Visitors will be able to enter the pubs to gain access to the outside areas and use toilets, while test and trace will be in operation and hand sanitisers will be available. However, the pubs will not be operating a booking system.
Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: "We are looking forward to welcoming our customers and staff back to our pubs."
Pubs and restaurants in England will be able to serve customers outdoors from April 12 as part of the road map out of the lockdown which has devastated the hospitality sector.
Wetherspoon has 875 pubs in the UK, including 750 in England.
07:21 AM
London shops frozen in time
Businesses frozen in time with festive storefronts still on display in spring are looking forward to reopening and giving shoppers "a much-needed post-lockdown mood lift".
Retailers in some of London's major shopping areas including Oxford Street and Regent Street bear the markings of Christmas past, with festive decor and messaging remaining on view.
A spokeswoman for the New West End Company, which represents businesses on Oxford Street, Bond Street, Regent Street and Mayfair, said retailers are looking forward to the year ahead and a festive shopping season "where their decorations and displays won't go to waste".
She said: "The West End's frozen window displays are a symptom of the stop-start lockdowns, and sunk costs that will take a long time to recover from.
"With six weeks to go and new support measures announced this week by the Chancellor, central London businesses can start to plan ahead with more confidence as they look toward the irreversible reopening of stores, reviving their displays and giving their customers a much-needed post-lockdown mood lift.
According to Boris Johnson's road map out of lockdown, non-essential shops in England will be able to reopen from April 12 at the earliest.
06:51 AM
New car sales drop by a third
Demand for new cars fell by 36 per cent last month compared to February 2020 as showrooms remained shut due to the pandemic, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
Only around 51,000 new cars were registered in the UK.
February is traditionally a slow month for car sales as many motorists wait for new number plates to be released in March.
But last month was the industry's worst February since 1959.
Rachael Prasher, managing director of automotive magazine and website What Car?, said: "Online retail and new digital platforms have proven an effective solution to meet the most urgent demand, but the February results once again show the pressing need to safely reopen showrooms.
"With dealers having to keep doors closed through the March plate change - when a fifth of all annual registrations are traditionally completed - all the signs are pointing towards a need for retailers to be ready to satisfy pent-up demand that is building around the mooted April 12 reopening date."
06:11 AM
Vaccines tweaked for variants to be fast-tracked
Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to deal with variants will be fast-tracked without compromising on safety or effectiveness, the UK's regulator has said.
The approach will be similar to the regulatory process for the modified flu vaccine, to deal with new strains each year, with a brand new approval not required.
Scientists have previously said a Covid-19 variant resistant to the current crop of vaccines is likely to emerge at some point, but vaccines can also be adapted quickly.
The guidance states coronavirus vaccine manufacturers will need to provide robust evidence that the modified jab produces an immune response. However, lengthy clinical studies deemed not to add to the regulatory understanding of their safety, quality or effectiveness will not be needed.
05:50 AM
Care for children with cancer hit globally - worse in poorer countries
Care for children with cancer was hit by Covid-19 at more than three-quarters of hospitals around the world, and particularly badly in poorer countries, according to a new study.
The impact on care meant that almost half of the hospitals made fewer new cancer diagnoses than expected, while a third saw a rise in treatments either being delayed by a month or more or not starting at all, according to the first global study of the pandemic’s impact on the sector published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
Paediatric cancer units closed completely in seven per cent of the 200 hospitals surveyed, or 15 hospitals. Thirteen of them were in lower and middle income countries, or 87 per cent, and on average they were closed for 10 days.
05:06 AM
Efficacy data for India's own vaccine could boost public acceptance
Indian doctors and politicians on Thursday welcomed efficacy data for a state-backed coronavirus vaccine that was given emergency approval in January without the completion of a late-stage trial, making people reluctant to receive the shot.
Government data shows that only 10 per cent of about 12.6 million people immunised in India have taken the COVAXIN shot, which was found to be 81 per cent effective in an interim analysis of the late-stage trial, its developer Bharat Biotech said on Wednesday.
Any boost to the vaccine's acceptance in India, which on Thursday reported a new cases at their highest in five weeks, could also brighten its export prospects. Bharat Biotech said 40 countries were interested in COVAXIN.
Many Indian doctors and opposition politicians had rejected COVAXIN because it was approved by the drug regulator only on the basis of data from intermediate trials. The regulator has also authorised the use of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, marketed as Covishield in India, which was found to be 70.42 per cent effective based on overseas trials.
04:36 AM
Biden calls decision to lift mask mandate 'Neanderthal thinking'
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said decisions to end the required wearing of masks - such as those by governors of Texas and Mississippi - amounted to "Neanderthal thinking" given the rising death toll from the pandemic.
Asked if he had a message to Texas and Mississippi, Mr Biden told reporters: "I think it's a big mistake. Look, I hope everybody's realised by now, these masks make a difference."
Mr Biden said the increasing availability of vaccinations was making a difference in containing the pandemic, but it was critical to remain vigilant about wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
"The last thing, the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that, 'In the meantime, everything's fine, take off your mask, forget it.' It still matters," Mr Biden said.
12:53 AM
Pandemic shuts down Sao Paulo as Brazil nears Pfizer deal
Brazil set a daily record for Covid-19 deaths for the second straight day on Wednesday, as a raging resurgence of the virus led Sao Paulo state to shutter businesses and the government to try to close vaccine deals with Pfizer and Janssen.
With a new variant from the Amazon spurring more infections, according to studies, 1,910 people died from the virus in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data. In a year, Brazil's death toll has nearly topped 260,000.
A sputtering vaccination campaign has also put pressure on Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, who said on Wednesday he was close to an agreement with Pfizer, effectively overcoming a dispute over liability clauses.
The government said it intended to buy 100 million doses from Pfizer and 38 million from Janssen, the pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
"We've reached a grave moment of the pandemic. The coronavirus variants are hitting us aggressively," Mr Pazuello said in a video posted on social media, adding he expected Brazil to receive the Pfizer and Janssen vaccines by May.
12:31 AM
Venezuela detects Brazilian variant
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said authorities have detected the Brazilian variant in the country.
Officials have recorded cases of the variant in Caracas, the capital, and in two states in the centre and south of the country, the president said in a live appearance on state television.
"We have 10 patients: six in Bolívar, two in Caracas and two in Miranda," Mr Maduro said. "It is a variant that is more contagious, transmits more viral load and is more dangerous, more serious," he said, adding "You have to cut the chains of contagion."
Venezuela has reported more than 139,900 cases and 1,344 deaths, but medical experts believe the figure is higher.
12:26 AM
Today's top stories
Britain's Covid death toll has been fuelled by its obesity epidemic, experts have said, as global research finds nine in 10 fatalities occurred in countries with a weight problem.
Rishi Sunak announced a five-year personal tax raid that will bring in more than £21 billion as the bill for vast Government spending during the Covid pandemic was laid bare.
Pupils face “mask apartheid” as parents are told that children who refuse to wear one will have to sit at the back of the class and will be banned from eating lunch with their friends.
The coronavirus crisis has helped cut workplace absence rates, as people have worked from home or forced to shield, said a report.
A rise in excess pensioner deaths from coronavirus has seen the Treasury pay £1.5 billion less in state pensions.
Ophelia Lovibond will play Carrie Symonds in the upcoming drama about Boris Johnson's handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Care for children with cancer was hit by Covid-19 at more than three-quarters of hospitals around the world, and particularly badly in poorer countries, according to a new study.
