Hancock: UK orders 5m doses of Moderna vaccine

ModernaCopyright: Moderna

We'll be pausing our live coverage for the evening shortly so here's a quick summary of the main coronavirus stories in the UK today:

• A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows
• The UK has secured five million doses of the vaccine, enough to vaccinate 2.5 million people, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said
• England's tier system may need to be "strengthened" in order to "get us through the winter months", according to Dr Susan Hopkins, a Public Health England director

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson, six Tory MPs and two political aides are self-isolating following a meeting inside Downing Street involving an MP who later tested positive
• The government aims to have coronavirus testing available to allow visits in all care homes in England by Christmas, it has been announced
• Introducing tougher Covid restrictions in the west of Scotland now could help pave the way to easing the rules over Christmas, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

No traces of coroanvirus have been found on trains used by Britain's largest rail franchise, it has said.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said checks on a random selection of carriages used by its Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern brands all returned negative results.

The tests were carried out up to 23 days after surfaces frequently touched by passengers and staff were treated with an anti-viral disinfectant. The surfaces included grab rails, tables, toilet handles and door buttons.

As well as long-lasting disinfectant, all 2,700 GTR carriages are sanitised overnight using short-term anti-viral sprays and an additional 100 cleaners have been deployed.

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The head of the World Health Organization has warned against complacency in the fight against Covid-19, despite the news that some potential vaccines are showing very good results in testing.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus was surging in many parts of the world, and said countries letting it spread unchecked were playing with fire.

The news that two vaccines being tested have shown a success rate of 90% or more have sent stock markets soaring, and sighs of relief rippling through governments.

But today the WHO offered a reality check: it is likely to be months before vaccines are widely available, in the meantime Covid-19 is surging across Europe and North America.

For now, there is no alternative to laborious testing, tracing and isolating.

The WHO also wants to ensure vaccines are fairly distributed and has called on G20 leaders to commit to provide vaccines to poorer countries.

The government is adamant that it wants England’s lockdown to end on 2 December. But what replaces it is still very much a live discussion in the corridors of power.

There was always a question mark about how much infections would fall during the lockdown. And clearly the impact has been undermined by the spike in cases last week, when the daily number jumped by 10,000 to over 33,000 on Thursday.

That rise has been linked to a last bout of socialising before the lockdown came in.

The hope is cases will start falling this week. But it will take much longer for that to filter through into fewer hospital cases.

Hence the suggestion that the regional tiers may need to be strengthened when lockdown ends.

One idea is to create a new tier four, which would see much tighter restrictions on hospitality opening.

But do not expect an announcement soon. Ministers will want to see exactly what happens to cases over the rest of the month.

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Dr Scott Atlas - a controversial radiologist, member of the White House coronavirus taskforce and a skeptic of virus mitigation efforts such as mask- wearing - has clarified a tweet from yesterday condemning the Michigan's governor's newest lockdown order.

In his tweet, he objected to the Democratic governor's order to close many businesses and schools for three weeks amid a surge in new Covid cases. "The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept," he wrote.

The Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was the subject of an alleged kidnapping attempt last month by militia members opposed to virus mitigation efforts. Michigan's state house has also been the scene of several major protests, including one where gun-carrying protesters attempted to storm the legislature.

Amid an online backlash, Atlas responded: "Hey. I NEVER was talking at all about violence. People vote, people peacefully protest. NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!"

Social distancing and mask wearing are recommended by health agencies around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as a way to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Read more: Michigan and Washington State clamp down

South CateringCopyright: South Catering

With many businesses closing their offices amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Christmas party might be a bit quieter this year.

But, like their meetings, some companies have decided to take their festive bashes online.

Food deliveries, workshops and live entertainment have been planned virtually for staff with the aim of boosting morale, when some home-workers are feeling isolated.

Some firms which would have traditionally catered the Christmas do or arranged the space are now focusing on bringing their services online.

Events company Hire Space has created online party maps with different rooms for guests to visit, including virtual bathrooms and smoking areas, while catering firm South Catering is offering a three-course festive meal in a box delivered to employees doors.

You can read more about how businesses are celebrating Christmas here.

Hire SpaceCopyright: Hire Space

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Baseless conspiracy theories about a coronavirus vaccine have been spreading on social media for months - and the latest vaccine news has led to a resurgence.

One false claim circulating is that a vaccine is a means of inserting microchips into the population.

Other popular, unsubstantiated claims include the idea that a vaccine will be used to alter our DNA or even as a weapon of genocide. Reality Check has debunked these claims.

This kind of disinformation is a world away from legitimate concerns about whether a vaccine is safe and properly tested - concerns that were previously raised in the US, for example, over fears that vaccine approvals could be rushed through.

Despite commitments to tackle falsehoods from social media sites and the government, the constant swirl of conspiracies online looks to have already eroded trust for some in an effective vaccine.

The anti-vaccine movement, of course, pre-dates the pandemic - perhaps because vaccinations have always involved a combination of science that is difficult to understand, and emotive reactions, including worry, excitement, and anxiety about being jabbed by a needle.

But it is not the only thing responsible for the latest spread of these conspiracy theories online.

Pseudo-science figures with large online followings - who have spread other false claims such as linking coronavirus to 5G - have also turned their attention to vaccines.

Have you seen suspect posts about vaccines on your social media feeds? Get in touch - marianna.spring@bbc.co.uk

Jamie Kaffash, from primary care publication Pulse magazine, asks Matt Hancock if he can reassure GPs he will reduce their non-urgent workload to free up time for the Covid vaccination programme.

The health secretary tells every GP that he is very grateful for the work they are doing on flu vaccines and on the "normal pressures of primary care".

He says he hopes a Covid vaccination programme will be ready to go, with 1 December the earliest the roll-out could begin.

Jonathan Van-Tam says the roll-out is "going to be biggest and most important thing NHS has done for a very long time".

He says he understands workload pressures but says it will be "incumbent on all of us" to make sure this programme moves as fast as it can with highest uptake possible.

"It is a big opportunity to change the way the pandemic will roll out over 2021," he says.

Will England come out of lockdown on December 2nd? Boris Johnson’s always been keen to emphasize that the rules legally expire on that date.

But Matt Hancock strikes a more cautious note, saying it’s too early to be sure although it’s his “hope” that it will be time to go back into the tiered system.

This is a question that will need to be answered soon; MPs have been told they’ll get a vote on what happens next before the month-long lockdown is up.

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A journalist from the Independent asks Matt Hancock whether NHS staff are going to get an above-inflation pay rise.

In reply, the health secretary says the government has already agreed a three-year pay deal for nurses.

He says an independent pay review of NHS wages is ongoing - and he is "not going to prejudge" the results of that.

It looks like some fervent negotiations have been going on behind the scenes. Just a few hours ago, the government said it was in advanced discussions with Moderna to gain access to the vaccine.

Now Matt Hancock has announced a preliminary deal for 5 million doses.

Some Tory MPs think ministers like Matt Hancock have pinned too much, in terms of their Covid strategy, on the prospect of a vaccine but of course early results from Pfizer/ BioNTech and Moderna have raised many people’s hopes that this could be crucial in helping the country emerge from restrictions.

Gordon Rayner from the Daily Telegraph asks if the 14-day isolation period may be reconsidered, particularly in light of the prime minister isolating despite "bursting with antibodies".

Hancock says the prime minister going into self-isolation is a clear demonstration that everybody, no matter who you are, needs to follow the rules.

He says they keep such things under review but are not in a position to make any changes.

BBCCopyright: BBC

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There's another question from a journalist from Channel 5 about what measures could replace the England-wide lockdown in December, and whether a return to local tiers could increase infections.

Dr Susan Hopkins, from Public Health England, says the tiered restrictions have had a "different effect" in each area.

She says there is evidence that in tier two - the middle tier - restrictions "hold in some areas, not so well in others".

She says the rules in tier one - the lowest Covid alert level - have had "very little effect" and may need to be "strengthened" to help the country "get through the winter months".

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Sky's Thomas Moore asks why the UK government has not bought up some of the Moderna vaccine before now.

Matt Hancock says there is not a stockpile, the vaccine has not yet been manufactured and in Europe first availability will be in the spring.

"It is critical we have been buying the first vaccines that will be available," he says.

He adds that, if you take the Astrazeneca agreements and Pfizer vaccines into account, the UK has more than 100 million doses on order.

Jonathan Van-Tam says the spiked coronavirus protein is being targeted by most of the vaccine trials around the world and these early results are beginning to show us this is a "plausible target for vaccines to be working against".

"When we started this journey in February/March we didn't even know that, so we are in a happier place than we were," he says.

BBC Medical Editor Fergus Walsh asks Matt Hancock if he "regrets" the UK has not signed a deal for more Moderna vaccine.

The health secretary says this vaccine won't come in until the spring - but the UK has already got 40 million of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccines on order, and they are likely to come on stream earlier.

He adds though that neither is currently approved.

Jonathan Van-Tam says the UK has purchased vaccines across "multiple targets".

Reaching for a football metaphor, he says that positive news on Moderna, following the encouraging news earlier this month from Pfizer, is the "second penalty that has gone into the back of the net".

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Diviya from Leicester asks if the national lockdown in England will be extended beyond 2 December if cases and deaths continue to rise.

Matt Hancock says it is too early for us to know what the number of cases will be at the end of the current lockdown.

He says: "At the moment most of the tests we are getting back, most of the positive cases, are from around the time when the lockdown came in so it is too early to see in the data the impact of the second lockdown.

"But we absolutely hope to be able to replace the national lockdown with a tiered system similar to the one we had before."

But he says that is still being assessed.