Covid news – live: EU withdraws controversial plan for vaccine export controls at Irish border
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The EU has backed down over its controversial plan to use a Brexit clause to stop Covid vaccines crossing the Irish border amid the ongoing row over jab supplies.
Downing Street had demanded an urgent explanation after the European Commission said it would trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol to ensure all citizens of the bloc have access to jabs and maintain transparency.
However the move was widely condemned across the UK and Ireland - with both Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party describing the move as “totally ill judged” and '"an incredible act of hostility".
The Commission later confirmed that it would not trigger Article 16 but warned that it would consider taking action if attempts were made to circumvent export controls imposed on vaccines produced within the bloc. The dispute began after AstraZeneca announced it would reduce its initial supplies of vaccines to the EU by 60 per cent.
It came as the European Medicines Agency granted authorisation for the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the EU on Friday.
Meanwhile, a fourth Covid-19 vaccine could be approved for use in the UK in a matter of weeks after clinical trials showed the Novavax candidate was 89 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus.
The Novavax jab, which will be produced on Teesside, will now be assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The UK has secured 60 million doses of the vaccine, which is believed to offer protection against emerging variants, such as the new UK and South African strains.
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New variant ‘proving very difficult to suppress’ as Covid infections remain high
Coronavirus infections appear to be levelling off across the country, according to latest figures - sparking concern that the new UK variant is “proving very difficult to suppress”.
Professor James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, said the figures released by the Office for National Statistics today was “not good news”.
“The prevalence of infection rates remain high and this will translate to a high number of deaths in the weeks ahead. The new variant has, as we feared, proven very difficult to suppress with UK lockdown measures,” he said.
Read the report by Samuel Lovett:
New variant ‘proving difficult to suppress’ as infections remain high
Estimated one in 55 people in England had Covid-19 last week, new ONS figures show
Early Janssen vaccine trials are ‘very encouraging’, says PM
Boris Johnson tweeted: "Very encouraging that early trials of the vaccine developed by Janssen show it to be effective against coronavirus.
"We have secured 30 million doses, and if approved by our medicines regulator we should expect these to be available later this year."
Most hospital trusts have fewer Covid patients than second-wave peak
More than three-quarters of all major hospital trusts in England are currently reporting fewer Covid-19 patients than at their second-wave peak, new analysis shows.
In some regions, such as eastern and south-east England, all but one trust has dropped below the level seen at the peak of the second wave of the virus.
The proportion of trusts still reporting a record number of Covid-19 patients is slightly higher in north-east and north-west England, however.
The analysis by the PA news agency found that of 140 acute hospital trusts which reported figures for 26 January, 122 - or 87 per cent - had fewer Covid-19 patients than at their second-wave peak.
AstraZeneca EU vaccine row explained
A row has erupted between the European Union, the United Kingdom and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca over the supply of coronavirus vaccines.
The EU is frustrated at supply shortages and has demanded AstraZeneca doses be sent from British plants to make up for a shortfall.
Here’s everything we know about the dispute and its potential implications:
AstraZeneca EU vaccine row explained
EU demands jabs be sent from British plants to make up for supply shortfall
UK R value between 0.8 and 1
The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission across the UK is between 0.7 to 1.1, according to the latest government figures. Last week, it was between 0.8 and 1.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-positive person goes on to infect.
When the figure is above 1, it means the outbreak is growing exponentially but when it falls below 1, it means the outbreak is shrinking.
An R value between 0.7 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between seven and 11 other people.
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York couple moving back from Dubai have flight cancelled
Karen and Christian Moran, from York, had booked a flight back to the UK six months ago, after a change in circumstances, having been working in Dubai for seven years.
Events planner Mrs Moran, 34, said they were notified in a text message from Emirates at 3am on Friday that their original flight home to Manchester was cancelled, so they "rushed to the airport" to get aboard the Birmingham-bound plane.
She added: "When we were at the boarding gate (in Dubai) there were extra checks, some people were getting turned away, but it wasn't clear why.
"A member of airline staff said it was because the borders within the UK were closed.
"There was one young girl nearly crying but I did see her later - she got on the plane."
UK’s approach of ‘buying abroad and making at home is paying off’
Health secretary Matt Hancock said the recent news on the Novavax and Janssen vaccines showed the UK's "approach of buying abroad and making here at home is paying off".
"I want to say a huge thank you to everybody involved who has helped get the UK in this pole position to protect our population and to make sure we get out of this pandemic," he said in a video posted to Twitter.
Coronavirus infections have levelled off across UK - ONS
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show coronavirus infections in the UK appear to have levelled off.
An estimated one in 55 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between 17 and 23 January. This is broadly unchanged on the previous estimates for the period of 10 to 16 January.
In Wales, around one in 70 people have coronavirus, also unchanged from the previous estimate, whereas the figure for Northern Ireland has increase slightly from one in 60 to one in 50.
The estimate for Scotland has also remained broadly unchanged, and is even down slightly from around on in 100 to one in 110 people.
Sarah Crofts, senior statistician for the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “In England rates are level but remain high, with the estimated level of infection still over one million people.
"Infection rates across Wales and Scotland have remained level and in Northern Ireland rates of infection have begun to level off.
"The percentage of positive tests compatible with the new (UK) variant of the virus has increased in the East Midlands.
"Across other regions rates remained relatively stable or are declining."
Downing St refuses to say if England will return to tiered system after national lockdown
Downing Street has refused to say if England would return to a tiered system of restrictions after the national lockdown is eased.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “By mid-February we will expect to have a clearer idea on the effect that the vaccine programme is having on hospital admissions, on deaths as well as the transmission rate of the virus across the country.
"It remains the case that we will review that data in the week of the 15 February, and we will then, during the week of the 22 February, set out our plan for the gradual easing of restrictions based on the evidence reviewed."
The spokesperson also said the UK remains confident in its vaccine supply in the face of possible EU action.
"EU policy is a matter for them but I would point back to what I've said and what the prime minister has said about the confidence we have in our supply chains and the fact we remain committed to vaccinating the most vulnerable groups by the middle of February, the rest of phase one by the spring and offer a dose to all adults by September.”
Pressed on whether the UK's stance on sending doses to the EU had altered, Boris Johnson's spokesman replied: "I think the public would expect us to continue to vaccinate as many people as possible, and that's what we will do.”
The spokesperson said he would not comment on the level of vaccine supply the UK possesses but added: "The deals we have in place with the seven vaccine developers will ensure our supply continues to grow as we rapidly expand the rollout of the plan in the weeks and months ahead."
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