UK

The first assessment of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19, newly identified in the UK, shows it may spread more easily – and evade the immune system. Scientists from Brazil and the UK estimate the variant, known as P1, is 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than previous versions of coronavirus circulating in Manaus, the Amazon

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalisation among the over 80s, the health secretary has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock hailed “exciting new data” showing the effectiveness of the two COVID-19 jabs. According to a pre-print study from Public

The Brazil COVID-19 ‘variant of concern’ first detected in the city of Manaus has been discovered in the UK. Three cases of the new variant, known as P1, are understood to have been detected in England – and the Scottish government has said it has found three cases in the north of the country. The

A hunt is under way for one of the first people in the UK believed to have contracted a Brazilian “variant of concern”. The COVID-19 variant, first seen in the city of Manaus, is thought to spread more rapidly than the original virus and to be more capable of evading existing vaccines. Three cases pf

Anyone living with school-aged children in England will be entitled to two rapid coronavirus tests a week when pupils return to the classroom, the government has said. All secondary school and college students will be tested twice a week when they go back on 8 March, according to the prime minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.

A Second World War plane soared over the funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore in a military flypast as his family paid tribute to the 100-year-old veteran whose “message and spirit lives on”. The C-47 Dakota flew over Bedford Crematorium to mark the death of Captain Sir Tom, who raised more than £33 million for

Rising coronavirus cases in a small number of areas in England has led the deputy chief medical officer to warn: “Don’t wreck this now.” Jonathan Van-Tam was speaking at Friday’s Downing Street briefing on the fight against coronavirus. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world As the UK’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues

Let’s start with the good news. COVID cases are gradually slowing down; they’ve become just another part of a shift for the paramedics in North Wales and the rest of the UK. The Welsh Ambulance Service still has 89 soldiers helping them through the end of the winter peak but the COVID calls are usually

IS bride Shamima Begum should not be allowed to return to the UK to fight a decision to strip her of British citizenship, the Supreme Court has ruled. The unanimous decision – with all five justices in agreement – comes six years after the then 15-year-old left with friends to join the Islamic State group.

The Queen has said that having a COVID-19 vaccine “didn’t hurt at all” as she encouraged those who are hesitant about getting jabbed to “think about other people rather than themselves”. Her Majesty, who never talks about her own private health matters in public, endorsed the importance of the vaccination programme during a video call to

Senior hospital staff have admitted the prime minister’s roadmap out of lockdown is making them “a bit anxious and nervous”.  Doctors and nurses at Warrington Hospital have weathered the first and second wave of the pandemic and are now bracing themselves for the “cold wave”. This is the winter surge of patients coming into their

More than 18 million people have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK. The NHS has been edging towards the milestone over the past few days amid a slight drop-off in the number of jabs being administered, which the deputy chief medical officer has blamed on “supply fluctuations”. Live COVID

An apparent fall in the number of Britons being vaccinated against COVID-19 each day is down to “supply fluctuations”, England’s deputy chief medical officer has told Sky News. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it “will take a few months” before vaccine manufacturers are able to produce doses in a “steady routine”, adding that “global supply restraints”

Scotland’s route out of lockdown will come in stages, with the country’s stay-at-home order set to end on 5 April, followed weeks later by a return to a system of levels. Unveiling the plan, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that at present there is “limited scope” to ease restrictions. She said the Scottish government

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned the government’s timeline for unlocking coronavirus restrictions won’t be sped up – and could even be slowed as ministers remain “vigilant” against infection rates. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a four-stage roadmap for lifting England’s lockdown over the next four months, with a five-week gap between each

England is set to remove all legal limits on people’s social contact by 21 June, the prime minister has announced. After schools reopen on 8 March, with some outdoor restrictions lifted by 29 March, Boris Johnson said the next step will be to reopen beer gardens and hairdressers in England from 12 April at the