PM promises roadmap to 'steadily reclaim our lives'

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

We are going to be wrapping up the live page for this evening soon.

Let's have a recap of some of the key dates and figures announced today.

• The government will set out a "roadmap" for a "gradual and phased" relaxation of coronavirus restrictions on 22 February, the PM says
• School will not reopen until 8 March "at the earliest", he says

• A further 1,725 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, the government's daily figures show
• It will take weeks for case numbers to come down to "really low levels", says UK's chief scientific adviser
• Travellers to the UK from 30 countries deemed "red list" Covid hotspots will go into 10-day hotel quarantine, the home secretary says
• The EU is urging AstraZeneca to supply it with more doses of its Covid vaccine from UK plants, amid a row over shortages
• The drive to vaccinate hundreds more Holocaust survivors in Austria and Slovakia is beginning today, which is Holocaust Memorial Day
• And we'll leave you with the heart-warming news that a nurse who gave birth nearly three months ago while seriously ill with Covid has held her daughter for the first time

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The United States wants a “robust and clear” international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in China, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says.

She told reporters that the “misinformation” from some sources in China was “of great concern to us” and added that “it's imperative that we get to the bottom of the early days of the pandemic”.

The Biden administration also intends to return to having “staff on the ground in Beijing”, from scientists and policy experts, she said, noting that this was something that “fell back in the last administration”.

President Trump frequently referred to Covid-19 as the "China virus", directly blaming China for the outbreak. Beijing has said it believes the virus originated outside of the country.

A World Health Organization team is currently in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, to begin investigating the origins of the virus.

Cases are beginning to fall in California, but death rates remain the same in the US state.

Governor Gavin Newsom has lifted restrictions, meaning Californians can now eat in outdoor restaurants and beauty salons have opened.

But some accuse authorities of playing politics.

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We know... who could imagine, right?

But in March 2020, as the UK, parts of the US and elsewhere, went into their first lockdown, millions of people suddenly had a lot more time alone at home, with the internet as their friend.

On social media others seemed to be having the times of their lives playing with their dogs, posting adorable photos and recording cute animal-themed TikToks.

The message: a furry friend would make lockdown a lot less lonely.

People who had been putting off getting a dog because of a lack of time at home suddenly had a glut of it. They saw lockdown as the perfect opportunity to finally raise a puppy.

Now, almost a year later, animal shelters are starting to see older puppies with behavioural issues being handed in by frustrated owners, and pet sales websites are filling up with listings for puppies being resold.

Read how some around the world have been getting on with their pandemic puppies here.

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A man making false and misleading statements about Covid-19 tried to remove a sick coronavirus patient from East Surrey Hospital, and is wanted by police.

The man filmed himself arguing with doctors in the ward, demanding to be allowed to take the patient home. Doctors at the hospital are seen in the video warning against such an action - stating that the patient would die if he left their care.

It follows a trend of people filming supposedly "empty hospitals" and then posting them online and encouraging others to do the same, spread on social media platforms.

In a statement, Michael Wilson, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "Any suggestion that Covid-19 doesn't exist or isn't serious is not only extremely disrespectful to the NHS staff caring for patients affected by the virus, but it also puts the lives of others at risk."

The video has been shared thousands of times on social media. The man behind the camera makes a number of discredited claims that are very popular in Covid-19 conspiracy communities online.

What are they - and what's the truth behind them?

ROYAL PAPWORTH HOSPITALCopyright: ROYAL PAPWORTH HOSPITAL

A nurse who gave birth nearly three months ago while seriously ill with Covid-19 has held her daughter for the first time.

Eva Gicain, 30, had the long-awaited reunion with her baby after being discharged from the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge earlier this month.

Baby Elleana had to be delivered about a month early by C-section, but Mrs Gicain has no memory of her birth.

"When I held Elleana for the first time I didn't want to let go," she said.

Her husband Limuel, 30, who also had Covid-19, was unable to visit her and had to wait three weeks to see Elleana, who was in a special care baby unit.

Limuel had to register the birth alone and needed to know how his wife wanted to spell their daughter's name - but he could not contact her. Find out how he did it here.

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Bereavement support charities are calling for more funding in light of what they call the "terrible toll of 100,000 deaths from Covid-19".

They say many families have been unable to be with loved ones as they died or gather to support one another.

They argue there has been "huge demand" for counselling and guidance but some providers lack sufficient resources.

The government says it is committed to ensuring those who are grieving have access to the support they need.

Read more from Hugh here.

Earlier, the home secretary set out how the new UK border measures will work.

These are to ensure "only a small number of people for whom it is absolutely essential to travel are doing so", she says.

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Norway’s borders are to be closed to all but essential visitors, prime minister Erna Solberg has announced.

She said that while exceptions will apply to a few groups, such as health workers: “In practise, the border will be closed to anyone not living in Norway.”

The measures will be reviewed in two weeks, she said.

Norway announced a lockdown of the region around its capital Oslo on Saturday after an outbreak of a more contagious variant of Covid-19 first identified in the UK.

Mark EvansCopyright: Mark Evans

Production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has resumed at a plant after it was suspended when a suspicious package was received.

The Wockhardt UK plant on Wrexham Industrial Estate in North Wales was evacuated and the Army sent a bomb disposal unit.

Police say the package was made safe and its contents "taken away for analysis".

Wockhardt says staff had been allowed to return and its production schedule had not been affected.

Both Downing Street and Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford had been receiving updates on the incident since police were called at about 10:40 GMT.

One of the big headlines today has been that most children, who are not at school, will not go back until at least 8 March.

At the Downing Street press conference, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Jonathan Van-Tam was asked about the vaccine and children returning to school.

Here he sets out, and answers, some of the key questions around children and the virus.

Here are some of the latest stories about the coronavirus from around the world:

The EU has urged AstraZeneca to supply it with Covid-19 vaccines from UK plants as production issues at European plants have delayed supply of the first batch of at least 300 million requested doses. The issue has raised tensions between the firm and the EU bloc.

French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi says it will start mass production later this year of the vaccine developed by its rivals Pfizer/BioNTech in a bid to help the EU meet its vaccination targets.

An 11-year-old Colombian boy says he has received death threats after calling for better access to education during the pandemic. Francisco Vera is a known campaigner on the environment and children’s rights.

Peru has announced a two-week lockdown covering a third of the country until mid-February following a spike in infections.

Iceland has begun issuing digital vaccination certificates to residents who have had two doses. The certificates are designed make it easier for people to travel but are not recognised in Europe.

Japan’s prime minister has apologised after several of his ministers visited nightclubs despite his government urging the public to avoid unnecessary outings

Earlier today, a further 1,725 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK - the second highest daily figure since the pandemic began.

It comes a day after the UK surpassed 100,000 deaths by this measure.

Below we look in more detail at the UK's coronavirus numbers.

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Dominic Yeatman from the Metro asks whether the prime minister agrees with a figure given by the head of AstraZeneca in which he apparently said the number of people vaccinated in the UK could be 28 to 30 million by the end of February.

Boris Johnson says he can't confirm the numbers but is "confident" of the UK's vaccine supply and pleased the UK has the "fastest roll out in Europe".

Mr Yeatman also asks whether the Covid public health advice should be changed after a study found people affected with the new variant are less likely to lose their sense of smell and taste.

Jonathan Van-Tam says health advice is under "regular review" but the cough and fever symptoms are still "extremely important".

Adam Vaughan at the New Scientist asks for more information on the vaccine's impact on transmission or if there are any cases of people who have been vaccinated being hospitalised with coronavirus.

Patrick Vallance says data from Israel on the effect of the vaccines on covid transmission "is preliminary".

"We've got to be extremely cautious and wait until we've got proper data," he says.

"You shouldn't expect to see nobody getting ill who has been vaccinated, vaccines are not 100% effective...we will still see people who get the disease, we will still see people who get severe disease, but it'll be much, much reduced with the vaccine."

Jonathan Vam-Tam says: "I know everyone is straining to get information but we can't get it any faster than we can get it."

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Tom Newton Dunn from Times Radio asks what we know so far about the rate at which people who have had the vaccine can transmit coronavirus.

Jonathan Van Tam says there is no clear data on how the vaccine impacts transmission of coronavirus but there are studies working on finding out and we will have that information in time.

He said the question is less "will they" and more "to what extent" do they stop transmission.

Sir Patrick Vallance says "you don't have vaccines of this efficacy without there being some effect on transmission".

He says it's an important question as "it will also determine to what extent these vaccines can be used across wider society to reduce transmission overall".

Newton Dunn asks how the prime minister came to the date of 8 March to reopen schools and whether it would have been "wiser to wait until you were sure".

The prime minister says the date depends on the vaccines working in reducing mortality and serious disease.... and we need to make sure the infection rate is in the right place.

"We will keep it all under constant review," he says.

The prime minister repeats that he takes "full responsibility" for the government's handling of the crisis. But the "brutal and difficult dilemmas" faced mean there are no "good answers", he adds.

He is asked about the row between AstraZeneca and the European Union over vaccine supplies - the bloc has asked the company to supply it with more doses from UK plants.

Boris Johnson says he is "very confident" that jabs for use in the UK will continue to get through. He adds that the creation of vaccines, and their distribution, is a "great multinational effort".

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In Downing Street, the prime minister is asked a question by Henry, who's in Cornwall.

Henry says many clinically vulnerable children have been shielding since the first lockdown and have been unable to return to school at all during that time - even when schools were back for a while.

He asks the briefing when children may be able to receive the Covid vaccine.

Jonathan Van-Tam says the current advice is that children who are extremely at risk can have a discussion with their physician and parents about the benefits of vaccination in children under 16.

However, this would be using the vaccine in an "off-licence way" so it needs to be a "carefully discussed, individual decision" - but it is possible to go down that route.

He adds that "we are some way off" getting clinical trial data for vaccines authorised for use in children - but believes "that will come in time".

An update now from the latest twist in the row over the AstraZeneca vaccine supply to the EU.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has called upon AstraZeneca to "deliver on its commitments" to supply vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tensions have risen after the pharmaceutical company said its rollout of at least 300 million doses in Europe had been hit with delays and supply problems.

Ms Kyriakides said vaccine suppliers have a "moral, societal and contractual responsibility which they need to uphold".