UK becomes first country in Europe to surpass 50,000 Covid deaths

That's all from me today. I'll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest coronavirus news. But before I sign off, here are your top headlines of the day...

• The UK has become the first country in Europe to record more than 50,000 coronavirus deaths according to its main headline measure. With another 595 deaths recorded today, there are now 50,365 people who have died within 28 days of testing positive. 
• Another 22,950 lab-confirmed infections have been confirmed in the UK, bringing the total caseload number to 1,256,725.
• The second wave of Covid-19 will be gruelling with increased pressure prolonged throughout the winter, UK doctors have been warned.
• Downing Street says the Government intends to go back to regional restrictions when the current national lockdown ends next month.
• Jonathan Van-Tam said he was “very reassured” that the NHS was ready for the mammoth task of administering the coronavirus vaccine.
• Pfizer's CEO sold 62 per cent of his stock on the same day the company announced its experimental vaccine succeeded in clinical trials.
• Total coronavirus infections in Nepal have crossed 200,000, as health workers say the Himalayan nation was facing a "catastrophic" situation.
• Texas has become the first US state with more than 1 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
• Sweden’s government plans to ban the sale of alcohol in bars, restaurants and night clubs after 10pm as it fights to contain a surge in Covid-19 infections.
• Angela Merkel says the Germany's second wave is expected to be more severe than the first, comparing the epidemic to the Spanish flu.
• Spain will demand a negative Covid test for all travellers arriving from countries with a high risk for coronavirus from November 23.
• Millions of people, including in Africa's most populous country Nigeria, risk contracting diseases such as polio and measles as the coronavirus pandemic has halted vaccination campaigns, the UN have said.

Covid-19 cases are still surging in the Americas, averaging 150,000 a day in last week, the World Health Organization’s regional office said.

The United States continues to report record-breaking numbers, while parts of Canada and some states in Mexico, including the capital, are experiencing surges, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) said.

The United States became the first country to surpass 10 million Covid-19 infections, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of the virus surges across the nation.

Other countries in the Americas are doing better. Argentina, Costa Rica and Jamaica have curbed the outbreak with effective contact tracing, and most Caribbean nations have avoided surges by acting fast, PAHO assistant director Jarbas Barbosa said.

Sweden’s government plans to ban the sale of alcohol in bars, restaurants and night clubs after 10pm as it fights to contain a surge in Covid-19 infections.

Sweden did not lock down households and businesses as much of Europe did during the pandemic’s first wave in the spring, preferring mostly voluntary measures to control the spread of the virus.

With case numbers rising again, many countries have reimposed strict controls, but Sweden has left its measures broadly unchanged.

But Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said some people had begun to ignore recommendations aimed at preventing the spread of infection and the government now needed to do more.

“All the indicators point in the wrong direction,” Lofven told a news conference on Wednesday.

“The infection is spreading quickly and just in the last week the number of people with the coronavirus who are being treated in intensive care more than doubled.”

France reported 35,879 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, up from the 22,180 reported on Tuesday but staying well below the record high of 86,852 reported on Saturday and below several highs of over 58,000 and over 60,000 reported last week.

The country also reported a further 328 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, compared to 1,220 on Tuesday, which included a multi-day tally of 754 deaths in retirement homes.

Despite hopes raised by Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, it will take huge efforts for India to defeat the coronavirus, with its 1.3 billion population and the world's second-highest caseload.

Pfizer Inc's Monday announcement that initial trials showed their experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective sparked cheer across the world, scarred by a pandemic has killed 1.2 million people and infected 50.7 million.

But the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at temperatures matching an Antarctic winter - a logistical nightmare for India with heatwaves exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, few ultra-cold freezers, patchy power and a largely rural population.

"The new two-shot vaccine from Pfizer has to be maintained at minus 80°C - nowhere on the planet does the logistical capacity exist to distribute vaccines at this temperature," said Toby Peters, a professor at Britain's University of Birmingham.

"This is a new challenge to be urgently managed," Peters, an expert in cooling technologies who is studying plans to roll out Covid-19 vaccines, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Boris Johnson has urged everybody to get a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available.

Speaking during a visit to a Tesco distribution centre in Erith, south-east London, he said: "The priority list will be decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

"They will look at the groups that really need it first and they will typically be the elderly, the vulnerable, people in care homes and so on. That is how we will do it.

"Certainly I would say to everybody anti-vaxx is total nonsense - you should definitely get a vaccine."

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Italy on Wednesday passed the symbolic one million mark, while almost 43,000 people have died, according to official data.

The country, the first in Europe to be hit by the outbreak earlier this year, recorded almost 33,000 new cases in the last 24 hours to reach 1,028,424 in total.

Hull now has the highest weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in England, after nearly 2,000 cases were recorded in the city in one week.

A total of 1,888 new cases were recorded in the seven days to November 7, new data shows - the equivalent of 726.8 cases per 100,000 people.

It represents a sharp jump from 1,134 new cases in the previous seven days (the week to October 31), or 436.5 per 100,000 people.

Oldham has the second highest rate in England (720.8, down from 741.4), followed by Blackburn with Darwen (715.4, up slightly from 708.1) and North East Lincolnshire (632.4, a big jump from 453.7).

All figures are based on Public Health England data published on Wednesday afternoon.

Shadow health minister Justin Madders warned of the "real risk" of burnout among the NHS workforce.

He said: "That has to be more than a clap or badge, there has to be tangible recognition that there are only so many times people can go to the well before they become physically and mentally exhausted. It is clear that burnout is a real risk."

He added: "I hope that the rumours of another two-year pay freeze for NHS staff are just that, rumours, because if that were true it would send the most appalling message about the value this Government places on the NHS workforce."

The race for a coronavirus vaccine took an unexpected turn when Russia announced that it had produced a jab with even better results than Pfizer's amid growing concern that the US version is "completely unworkable".

Less than 48 hours after Pfizer claimed to have succeeded in producing a vaccine with 90 per cent efficacy, Moscow said its Sputnik-V candidate had reached 92 per cent.

The flagrant one-upmanship may have raised some eyebrows but, after getting so excited about the unverified Pfizer data, the scientific community could hardly blame Russia for failing to produce any evidence to support its claim. 

Yet there is mounting concern that the desire to be first with a vaccine is leading to rushed announcements which send share prices soaring but may ultimately fail to deliver.

Sarah Knapton has more on this story here.

Sir Keir Starmer described the official UK death toll having passed 50,000 as a "grim milestone".

The Labour leader told reporters in Parliament: "It is a grim milestone and we're the first in Europe to hit it.

"Behind these numbers is a devastated family, one for every death, and they have to be uppermost in our mind.

"The Government was slow at phase one and they haven't learned the lesson going into phase two.

"We owe it to all of the families who are grieving to get on top of the virus and head towards a vaccine and that's what the Government must absolutely focus on now."

Sir Keir declined to commit to supporting the Government in extending the lockdown in England if necessary when it expires on December 2.

The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland union has alerted government officials after a GP claimed she received repurposed bin bags to use as personal protective equipment (PPE).

Dr Beth Hadden, a GP at Connel Surgery in Argyll, said they were delivered in place of PPE aprons.

She said the box was previously labelled as polythene bags and questioned if the items met infection standards.

A BMA Scotland spokesman said: "Clearly this has caused concern to those who have received this PPE.

"We are urgently bringing this to the attention of the Scottish Government and the chief medical officer, to seek the clear assurances required - in line with the commitment made by the Cabinet Secretary to address any concerns our members have over PPE."

Dr Hadden posted on Twitter:

Many PPE aprons tie around the waist and have a thin neck strap, reducing the potential for contact when removing.

Dr Hadden said the "bin bag" aprons could not be removed as easily, requiring the whole item to be lifted past the face, increasing the risk of contact.

The Press Association has contacted the Scottish Government for comment.

Sir Keir Starmer said the public want Downing Street to be focussing on getting coronavirus under control and not power struggles within No 10.

The Labour leader told reporters: "I think on the day when we've reached this grim milestone in relation to the number of people who have died from Covid-19 the idea of power struggles going on behind the doors of No 10 is not what the public want to hear.

"They want to know that everybody in No 10, everybody in Government, is focusing on getting the virus under control."

Students are finding savvy new ways of making money, as the pandemic has caused jobs to vanish. 

Many university students are struggling this year because of the lack of part-time jobs available. There are 63 per cent fewer part-time jobs for waiters currently available than at this time last year, while job adverts for part-time bar staff have fallen by 50 per cent, according to Adzuna, a jobs board.   

Maintenance loans are typically not enough to cover rent, and two-thirds of students cannot afford to pay their bills without a part-time job or help from parents, according to research by Uswitch, a comparison site. 

Adzuna’s Andrew Hunter said: “In the 10 years we've been collecting data, we've never seen a more challenging job market for young people. Even with the prospect of a vaccine, research suggests we won't see a marked improvement in hiring until the spring of next year.”

Marianna Hunt talks to two enterprising students who have made some cash in the pandemic. 

Ukraine's government said on Wednesday that all non-essential businesses would be shuttered for three weekends in November as authorities scrambled to halt a surge in coronavirus cases.

The new restrictions that will be in force between November 14 and November 30 were introduced despite protests and pleas from businesses to let them continue to operate.

The government said non-essential businesses, including restaurants, shopping malls and gyms, will be shuttered on weekends but grocery stores, pharmacies and banks will be allowed to remain open.

Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said that a "full lockdown" would be a better option but the country's economy "will not be able to withstand it."

Earlier Wednesday nearly 2,000 people protested near the government headquarters in the capital Kiev against the new restrictions.

Some demonstrators held placards that said "Let me work!" and "no work - no taxes".

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold 62 per cent of his stock on the same day the company announced its experimental Covid-19 vaccine had produced positive results in early trials.

The vaccine announcement sent Pfizer's shares soaring almost 15 per cent on the day. Bourla sold 132,508 shares in the company at an average price of $41.94 a share, or $5.6 million total, according to filings registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The 52-week high for Pfizer's stock is $41.99, meaning Bourla sold his stock at almost its highest value in the past year. 

His stock sale was carried out through a routine Rule 10b5-1, a predetermined trading plan that allows company staff members to sell their stock in line with insider-trading laws. Bourla's sale was part of a plan adopted August 19, the filing showed. He continues to own 81,812 Pfizer shares.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Wednesday said it would be challenging to distribute vaccines that use messenger RNA based technology in developing countries, owing to their cold storage requirements.

The comments come days after Pfizer Inc said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective based on initial trial results and that it expects to file for U.S. emergency authorization this month.

The vaccine candidate uses synthetic messenger RNA to activate the immune system against the virus and needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius or below.

"It does have cold-chain challenges as it were. In a country like the UK and the United States we can address them and it still would be challenging. But, probably much more challenging in countries in the developing world," Fauci said at the Financial Times' global pharmaceutical and biotechnology conference.

Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine, which is on track to report early data from a late-stage trial later this month, also uses mRNA technology and needs to be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 F).

"That's the reason why when we put together our plan ... we want to have a diversity of what we call vaccine platforms. It is not just mRNA ... there are three separate platforms that are being looked at in the United States," Fauci said.

 Next year's Tour de Yorkshire event has has been cancelled because of continued uncertainty about the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers announced on Wednesday.

This year's race at the end of April was also cancelled.

James Mason, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire who organise the event along with Tour de France owners Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), explained the early decision.

"During these uncertain times Welcome to Yorkshire need to focus on the immediate needs of the industry without committing both financial and human resources towards any activity or event that we cannot be certain of," Mason said.

"Whilst it is very disappointing that we will be bereft of this wonderful race for another year the decision we have made it the right one and perhaps the only one we could make."

The multi-stage race, which attracts the world's top teams and riders and also thousands of amateurs for a sportive over the hilly roads, will hold its next edition in 2022.

Boris Johnson has said that "hopefully" the four-week lockdown in England will allow restrictions to be eased enough for people to have a Christmas that is "as normal as possible".

In a visit to a Tesco distribution centre in Erith, south-east London, the Prime Minister told reporters:

"Times are difficult but what we have got to do is get through this current period of tough autumn measures through to December 2 then hopefully - hopefully - I think we'll have done the job of getting the R down and people can have a Christmas that's as normal as possible for as many people as possible, and get the shops open as well."

More than 50,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in Britain have now died, official figures showed Wednesday, with another 595 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.

Britain's death toll now stands at 50,365, the highest in Europe, with another 22,950 testing positive for the disease over the last day, according to government data.

The UK is the fifth country to pass 50,000 deaths, coming after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.

There have been some 1.2 million confirmed cases in the UK since the epidemic began, and more than 185,000 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.

No other country in Europe has surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths.

Women bear the brunt of digital abuse - threatened with rape and exploited for porn - as the coronavirus pandemic drives ever more people online, media experts said on Wednesday.

Women's rights campaigners worldwide have warned of an increase in online abuse such as revenge porn as Covid-19 confines many people to stay home in front of a screen.

Girls as young as eight have also been subject to abuse, with one in five young women quitting or reducing their use of social media, according to a recent survey by girls' rights group Plan International.

Britain reported 595 new deaths of people within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since May, government figures showed.

The daily death toll is the highest since 614 deaths were reported on May 12.

There were 22,950 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest daily figures, up from 20,412 on Tuesday.

When Barra Fitzgibbon first noticed Covid symptoms in March, he thought he'd bounce straight back out. It went on to change his life:

If Barra Fitzgibbon is honest with himself – and he tends to be now, after all that’s happened – he’d have to admit that he wasn’t exactly taking the coronavirus seriously. Not back in early March, anyway.

“I think I just believed the narrative at the time that if I got this thing, I’d bounce out of it. A day in bed, maybe,” he says. “That’s sort of what Boris was coming out with at the time. I’m Irish and saw that Ireland had been closed down, cancelling Paddy’s day, and I thought they were crazy, stupid.”

He gives a macabre little laugh. “Of course, in a matter of days I changed my mind…”

Guy Kelly speaks to the former Channel 4 voiceover artist about his run in with Covid-19.

Millions of people, including in Africa's most populous country Nigeria, risk contracting diseases such as polio and measles as the coronavirus pandemic has halted vaccination campaigns, the UN said Wednesday.

Additional financial resources are needed to safely resume vaccinations, the UN childrens' agency UNICEF and the World Health Organization said in a joint statement.

"We cannot allow the fight against one deadly disease to cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases," said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore.

"Addressing the global Coviid-19 pandemic is critical. However, other deadly diseases also threaten the lives of millions of children in some of the poorest areas of the world," she added in a joint statement wuth WHO.

While Nigeria, home to 200 million people, eradicated wild polio in August, it remains at risk of vaccine-derived polio.

Measles is among the leading cause of death and disability in children in the country, where 54 percent have only received one vaccine dose, according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey.

On Monday, authorities said they were battling a suspected outbreak of yellow fever in two southern states, Delta and Enugu, that left more than 70 dead according to local media.

In neighbouring Benue state, more than a dozen unexplained deaths have been reported in recent days.

The percentage of people immunised against yellow fever remains low in many parts of Africa, even though the vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective.

Coronavirus has claimed 1,160 lives and infected 64,336 in Nigeria but these numbers are thought to be conservative due to a lack of testing.

Spain will demand a negative Covid test for all travellers arriving from countries with a high risk for coronavirus from 23 November, the health ministry said.

Spain, one of Europe’s worst Covid-19 hotspots, had increasingly become an exception for its policy of not asking visitors to provide a test on arrival.

In Northern Ireland there have been 791 further coronavirus cases, up from 514 yesterday and 679 a week ago.

There have been eight further deaths, down from 11 yesterday and 10 a week ago.

Public Health Wales has recorded 928 new coronavirus cases. That is more than double the total for yesterday (444), but less than the figure a week ago (1,202).

It has also recorded 45 more deaths - more than double the figure announced yesterday (22) and one more than the figure for last Wednesday (44), when the number was inflated by the inclusion of some past cases.

The country emerged from its 17-day 'fire-break' on Monday.

Rapid turnaround tests for Covid-19 are accurate and sensitive enough to be used in the community, including for asymptomatic people, a new study has found.

Lateral flow tests deployed in Liverpool as part of the city-wide testing pilot scheme have been shown to have over 99.6 per cent specificity, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The tests can be processed on site without the need to send samples off to a laboratory.

The swabbing and processing needs to be conducted by trained personnel but health officials are now looking at how the test could be self-administered, the DHSC said.

As well as piloting the tests across England, ministers also commissioned a review of the specificity and sensitivity of the tests in different settings.

The coronavirus pandemic may have shut Czech theatres for now but some Prague residents hungry for entertainment have found that watching a live performance can be as easy as grabbing a takeaway.

Prague troupe Cirk La Putyka has opened a "Culture Window" at a Prague marketplace building where an audience of up to four outside can watch a five-minute live show of music, acrobatics and dancing inside, while still observing social distancing rules.

The window, which opened on Tuesday for two nights of performances, draws its inspiration from pick-up windows for food orders at restaurants that have also been forced to shut dining spaces due to tighter restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"This performance is for live culture addicts. They will get a dose of live culture here," Cirk La Putyka director Rostislav Novak said.

The show starts after theatre staff lead the spectators to the window and a gong sounds to open the curtain.

Tickets for the bite-sized performances - offered for free although people are asked to donate to the group - quickly disappeared after going up on the group's website.

Scottish students will be included in a UK-wide initiative to test some asymptomatic students before the end of term, Scotland's Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said.

He told the Scottish Parliament: "We are currently planning on the basis that two tests will be necessary, five days apart, with PCR confirmation for positives, but that position may change as public health professionals and clinicians take account of the new evidence that's coming forward from England where there's a number of pilots."

He said lateral flow tests will be used, which can provide a result in half an hour.

Taxi company Addison Lee is donating £20,000 to youth homelessness charity Centrepoint under a new partnership.

The company will also appeal to passengers to support the initiative through their own donations.

Drivers will deliver presents to homeless young people in hostels later this year and donate rides to help Centrepoint staff get to work over the Christmas holidays.

Addison Lee said its drivers will also use the boards that usually contain the name of their passengers to draw attention to the fact that at least 4,000 young people are likely to be facing homelessness in London this Christmas.

Patrick Gallagher, Addison Lee's chief operating officer, said: "We know that youth homelessness is a major problem in London, however, we were really taken aback by the scale of it.

"The coronavirus pandemic will only make this situation worse and we felt we had to offer our support and raise awareness, particularly going into Christmas."

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa announced on Wednesday the resumption of clinical Phase III trials for China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine.

Anvisa on Monday suspended the trials of the Sinovac vaccine after the death of a volunteer that was registered as a suicide.

The regulator said that it had not been informed of the cause of the volunteers' death when it took the decision and was only provided with the details the following day by the Butantan biomedical center which is running the trials.

"After evaluating the new data presented by the sponsor... Anvisa understands that it has sufficient reasons to allow the resumption of vaccination," the agency's statement said.

"It is important to clarify that a suspension does not necessarily mean that the product under investigation does not offer quality, safety or efficacy," Anvisa said.

Students at Welsh universities will be asked to undergo rapid coronavirus testing before returning home for Christmas, the Welsh Government has said.

Universities will also end the majority of "in person" lessons in the week ending December 8, allowing time for students who test positive to isolate for 14 days before reuniting with their families.

Students will be asked to minimise their social contact with others in the run up to the end of term and told to sign up for the new Lateral Flow Test pilot from their university if they plan on travelling home.

The self-administered test delivers results in 30 minutes and uses a nose and throat swab.

The test should be taken within 24 hours of a student's intended travel date, with testing facilities set to become available at participating universities over the next few weeks.

Read more.

The second wave of Covid-19 will be gruelling with increased pressure prolonged throughout the winter, UK doctors have been warned.

The chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the NHS, the General Medical Council and the medical royal colleges have written to doctors urging them to be flexible during the second wave, which may require them to work in clinical areas outside their usual practice.

The letter, tweeted by England's CMO, Professor Chris Whitty, says the second Covid wave "may well be prolonged throughout the winter period, with wide local variation and fluctuation in cases, requiring a sustained response from the whole profession.

"This will be gruelling professionally and personally," the letter said.

Farmers and bird keepers are being urged to be on the alert for a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu that is circulating in Europe and has led to the culling of more than 13,000 chickens at a farm in Cheshire earlier this month.

The H5N8 avian influenza virus currently poses no risk to humans but the number of outbreaks has been increasing in recent years.

This highly pathogenic strain – meaning that it leads to more severe disease in birds rather than it being more easily transmissible – has been identified on several farms in Europe this year and led to the culling of more than 200,000 chickens on a farm in the Netherlands last week.

Anne Gulland has the story.

Gunners from the Royal Artillery operate a coronavirus disease testing centre at Liverpool Football Club's Anfield stadium.

More than 23,000 people had been tested for Covid-19 in the first three days of the city's mass testing trial. In that time, 154 people tested positive. All residents and workers in the city were offered the test. 

The coronavirus crisis remains severe despite recently positive news such as the development of vaccine, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, adding that the government would have to deal with the pandemic throughout the winter.

"As it was the case with the Spanish flu, we now also have to expect that the second wave will be more severe," Merkel said during a video conference with the government's council of economic advisers.

A further 361 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 35,324, NHS England said on Wednesday.

Patients were aged between 43 and 102. All except 20, aged between 58 and 95, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between October 13 and November 10.

Eleven other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

Boris Johnson would be happy to receive a coronavirus vaccine, Number 10 has said.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Any vaccines which are determined for use will undergo a vigorous series of safety checks, they will be absolutely safe for the public to use.

"And the Prime Minister would therefore, of course, be very happy to take the vaccine himself."

Downing Street has said it is the Government's "intention" to go back to a regionalised system of coronavirus restrictions when the current national lockdown in England ends next month.

It comes after senior Tory backbenchers formed a resistance group putting pressure on the Government not to extend the national lockdown.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "When the current national measures come to an end on December 2 we will be returning to a regional tiered approach.

"And we're committed to setting out our proposals for what that system will look like the week before the current regulations lapse on December 2, so MPs will have the time to consider them and to vote upon them.

"But in the meantime the PM continues to urge everyone to come together and follow the rules which we have in place to help to get the R rate down."

Asked to confirm that the current lockdown restrictions in England would not be extended, the spokesman said: "It is a statement of fact that the regulations lapse on December 2 and we're committed to giving MPs a vote on the system which will replace them.

"And as we've indicated a number of times, it is the intention to go back to a regionalised approach."

A debate has erupted in France over whether a Covid vaccine should be made compulsory after a poll suggested that the French were among the most reluctant in the world to take it.

The vaccine issue has leaped to the fore following the announcement by Pfizer of one that is 90 per cent effective against Covid.

While it sparked global optimism about finally vanquishing the coronavirus, an Ipsos poll of 15 countries put France at the bottom of the table in terms of vaccine acceptance. Only 54 per cent of French people said “I would get it” compared to 73 per cent overall and 80 per cent in the UK, according to the poll of 18,500 people. India came top.

The main reasons for reticence cited were fear of side effects, rushed clinical trials, a lack of concern about contracting the virus and a blanket refusal among some to take any vaccines at all.

Henry Samuel explains more here.

Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure over "wildly inaccurate" figures that disguised her coronavirus tracing system's failure to contact around half those who have recently tested positive.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has been forced to revise its Test and Protect statistics after admitting that the data contained errors, with the update showing the system is performing up to five times worse than previously claimed.

The updated data highlights that in five of eight weeks in September and October, Test and Protect officials did not contact about half of positive cases within 24 hours of being notified of swab results.

John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, blamed a "coding error" was responsible for hugely overestimating the number of people contacted and insisted the system was still performing better than the World Health Organisation benchmark.

Simon Johnson has more on this here.

Italy could be creeping towards a second national lockdown as medical professionals and doctors’ unions insist the measures taken by the government are not enough to halt the alarming spread of Covid-19.

The pandemic appears to be worsening rapidly: On Tuesday, another 580 deaths were recorded, the highest daily number since April 14, when Italy was in the grip of the first wave of the pandemic.  Another 35,000 positive cases were also added to the toll, bringing the total number of people who have caught the virus to nearly one million.

Nick Squires has more here.

Shortages of flu shots this year are not related to drugmakers ramping up production of potential Covid-19 vaccines, the head of vaccines at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Financial Times' virtual healthcare conference, Roger Conner said GSK, the world's biggest vaccine maker by sales, had supplied doses for seasonal influenza, commonly known as flu, at its maximum possible levels this year.

A surge in demand for flu shots has led to shortages in some European cities, raising fears of a potentially lethal "twindemic" as Covid-19 cases also spike.

GSK has supplied more than 85 million flu vaccine doses worldwide, with 50 million doses for the United states alone.

"The reason why there's constraint on flu this year is just an unprecedented demand against the normal capacity. I don't think it's actually driven by the fact that coronavirus [vaccine] manufacturing is eating that capacity in any way," Conner said.

He said manufacturing of flu shots at GSK and its vaccine booster for potential Covid-19 vaccines were part of separate production processes. 

Hugh Grant has revealed he and wife Anna Eberstein had coronavirus in February and he still has antibodies for Covid-19.

The actor told The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: "It started as just a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat.

"It was like a poncho of sweat, embarrassing really. Then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big and this... a feeling as though an enormous man was sitting on my chest, Harvey Weinstein or someone."

He added: "I've had an antibody test, only a month ago. I still have those antibodies, so I know that's what it was."

Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it was on track to report early data from a late-stage trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine later this month, two days after successful interim data from rival Pfizer Inc's vaccine.

Hopes of the world soon getting an effective vaccine were raised on Monday after Pfizer said its Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective based on interim trial results.

A total of 4,856 people have died in Scotland with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The figures show 206 deaths relating to Covid-19 were registered between November 2 and 8, up 38 from the previous week

Of these, 143 were in hospital, 53 in care homes and nine at home or in a non-institutional setting.

The statistics are published weekly and account for all deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government because the NRS figures include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.

China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) said on Wednesday the data from large-scale, late-stage clinical trials for its unit's Covid-19 vaccine are "better than expected".

Sinopharm's unit China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has moved two vaccine candidates into Phase 3 clinical trials outside China in multiple countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt involving more 50,000 participants in total.

The trials are nearing their ends, Sinopharm said in a statement on Chinese social media WeChat.

It did not offer details on the better-than-expected data, or specify which vaccine candidate the data are generated from. 

Pfizer's vaccine announcement has offered renewed hope that an end to the coronavirus pandemic may be in sight. While many have warned the public to be cautious in their optimism, Downing Street is already working hard to ensure that the potential vaccine is rolled out at the earliest possible opportunity. 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has already acknowledged there will be 'enormous complexity' in administering the Pfizer solution, which has left many Britons with a number of unanswered questions. 

At 1 p.m. today, the Telegraph's Science Editor, Sarah Knapton, will be answering you questions on what this news means for Britain's lockdown, when you could be offered the vaccine, how the Government plans to roll the solution out and much more. 

How to ask a question Simply leave a question in the comments section at the bottom of the linked article or send an email to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk.

Slovakia's government will extend its state of emergency powers for the rest of the year to battle a surge in new coronavirus cases, Justice Minister Maria Kolikova said on Wednesday.

The state of emergency, put in place at the start of October and which had been due to expire on Nov. 14, gives the government extra powers to implement strict measures.

The country of 5.5 million has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases since the end of summer, like the rest of Europe, coming after it managed to keep infections low during the first wave of the global pandemic.

To battle the latest surge, the government has pushed mass testing using antigen tests - which produce faster but often less accurate results than laboratory tests.

It has also put in lockdown measures including banning indoor dining at restaurants, closing public places such as gyms, cinemas and theatres, and limiting gatherings.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Monday the state's testing and quarantine scheme - under which millions were tested over the past two weekends - has helped cut the proportion of Covid-19 infections by more than half.

The infection rate dropped from 1.47 per cent on the first weekend of testing to 0.62 per cent of those who took part last weekend.

A resident (L) of the Domenico Sartor nursing home in Castelfranco Veneto, near Venice, hugs her daughter through a plastic screen in a so-called "Hug Room".

The Hug Room allows guests and their families to embrace each other, without risking possible coronavirus infection.

Cloth face masks help shield the wearer from coronavirus infection and are not just to protect surrounding people, according to new guidance given by American health officials.

The guidelines from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) go well beyond earlier declarations that masks should be worn in consideration of others, and say they benefit the user as well.

The failure of America and European nations to grasp quickly the protective importance of masks has been suggested as one possible reason their Covid-19 outbreaks have been far more severe than in Asian countries who managed to quickly subdue the virus.

The World Health Organization was also at first reluctant to recommend the wearing of face coverings by the public, because it said there was limited evidence of protection.

While masks are now acknowledged worldwide to be a useful tool for stopping the spread of the disease, their use has become highly politicised in America.

Ben Farmer has more on this story here.

Eleanor Riley, professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, said: "I worry that these data have been rushed out on the back of the Pfizer/BioNtech announcement earlier in the week."The Sputnik data are based on only 20 cases of Covid-19 in the trial participants, compared to more than 90 cases in the earlier trial.

"This is not a competition.

"We need all trials to be a carried out to the highest possible standards and it is particularly important that the pre-set criteria for unblinding the trial data are adhered to avoid cherry-picking the data.

"Anything less than this risks a public loss of trust in all vaccines, which would be a disaster."

Ian Jones, professor of virology, University of Reading, said:

"The Sputnik data is yet more good news for Covid-19 vaccine development.

"Although based on fewer cases than the recent Pfizer data, the vaccine looks as efficient and, like the Pfizer data, confirms and extends the earlier phase two results.

"We still need to know about the longevity of the response and the efficiency in different age groups, but the result bodes well for the other trials currently in progress and for having enough vaccine in geographically diverse regions to enable a comprehensive vaccination programme on a global scale."

Early data for Russia's coronavirus vaccine suggests it is 92 per cent effective, the country's sovereign wealth fund has said.

The announcement on the Sputnik V vaccine comes days after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and biotech firm BioNTech released interim results suggesting their vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19.

The phase three trials evaluated efficacy among more than 16,000 volunteers who received the vaccine or placebo 21 days after the first injection.

Statistical analysis of 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the cases split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo, indicates the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 92 per cent after the second dose.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has been backing the vaccine, said there were no unexpected adverse events during the trials, and monitoring of the participants is continuing.

The results have not been peer-reviewed.

Havana airport will open to regular commercial flights on Sunday after being closed for seven and a half months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cuban state-run media said late on Tuesday citing Cuba's Institute of Civil Aeronautics.

The move comes on time for what is traditionally the Caribbean island nation's high tourist season from November to March although the pandemic is expected to reduce the flow of visitors.

The tourism sector is one of the top hard currency income earners in cash-strapped Cuba which already opened most of the country last month to travelers.

Plunged into crisis and scarcity by tough U.S. sanctions and the Covid-19 outbreak, the import-dependent country is struggling towards a "new normal".

The Cuban government said it was holding off on opening up the capital until its coronavirus outbreak was sufficiently contained.

Authorities will test all international travelers for coronavirus on arrival, state-run media said, and will levy a sanitary tariff in order to cover the extra costs of new hygiene protocols.

Cuba does not require travelers to take a coronavirus test prior to traveling but on Tuesday told tourism agencies to insist to visitors they monitor their own health before traveling after 11 of the 900 Russian tourists that arrived at a northern beach resort last week tested positive upon arrival. 

Texas has become the first US state with more than 1 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Th second-most populous state in the US has recorded 1,010,364 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in early March, according to the count on the Johns Hopkins website. Some 19,337 Texans have died from the virus in that time.

Texas had recently surpassed California, the most populous state, in recording the highest number of positive coronavirus tests. The true number of infections is likely higher because many people haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

Texas recorded 10,865 cases on Tuesday, setting a new daily record, state officials said. An estimated 132,146 cases are active, with 6,170 Texans currently in hospital with the virus, the most since 18 August, according to state figures released on Tuesday.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed an overhaul of the rules on public health which would give the EU the power to declare an health emergency and stress test national plans to tackle pandemics.

The move follows an often uncoordinated reaction by the 27 EU governments to the Covid-19 pandemic, which, mostly at the beginning of the crisis in the spring, led to competition on vital medical gear and export bans on medicines.

"To fight the Covid-19 pandemic and future health emergencies, more coordination with more efficient tools at EU level is the only way forward," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

Under the proposals, the EU would be able to declare an EU-level public health emergency, which would in turn trigger more coordination among EU states.

The EU would help governments prepare pandemic plans and would audit and stress test them, an EU document said.

Total coronavirus infections in Nepal crossed 200,000 on Wednesday, as health workers say the Himalayan nation was facing a "catastrophic" situation.

In the last 24 hours there were 2,569 new cases and 26 deaths, according to government data released on Wednesday. That takes the Himalayan nation to a total of 202,329 cases and 1,174 deaths overall.

Nearly half of all cases are reported in the capital Kathmandu and its surrounding areas, home to 4 million of the country's 30 million people.

A Reuters tally shows the number of daily infections in Nepal is higher than anywhere in South Asia, except its vastly larger neighbour India.

On Tuesday, Nepal said it would provide free tests and treatment in a bid to encourage people to seek help in the low-income nation.

But health workers say the pandemic will only get worse as the winter sets in.

"The government is not prepared to handle the catastrophic situation. There are no community based isolation centres and ICU beds are limited," said Aayas Luintel, a doctor who has been treating coronavirus patients in Patan Hospital near Kathmandu.

In south-west England, the number of hospital patients has jumped sharply in the last two weeks, more than doubling from 300 on October 26 to 667 on November 9.

If this trend continues, south-west England could pass its first-wave peak of 840 within a week or so.

In the Midlands, the number of patients is also rising rapidly and has roughly doubled in the past two weeks - from 1,203 on October 26 to 2,388 on November 9.

The first-wave peak in the Midlands was 3,101.

In other regions of England the numbers are rising at a slower pace.

In London, 1,078 patients were reported on November 9. This is still far below the first-wave peak of 4,813.

In south-east England, 849 patients were reported on November 9. The first-wave peak in this region was 2,073.

In eastern England, 591 hospital patients were reported on November 9 - some way below the first-wave peak of 1,484.

There are now more Covid-19 hospital patients in both regions of northern England than at the peak of the first wave of the virus, latest figures show.

In north-west England, 2,948 hospital patients with confirmed Covid-19 were reported on November 9.

This is 58 higher than the first-wave peak of 2,890 on April 13.

In north-east England and Yorkshire, 2,999 patients were reported on November 9 - 432 above the first-wave peak of 2,567 on April 9.

Together, both regions currently account for 52 per cent of Covid-19 hospital patients in England.

They are the only regions so far to have passed their first-wave peak, though other areas appear to be heading in the same direction.

Older people will get priority for the vaccine at first, but over time that could change, Prof Wei Shen Lim, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told the Downing Street briefing.

Prof Lim said, in the second phase of a vaccination programme, the priority order might change.

He explained: "In phase two of the programme it’s likely that we’ll prioritise individuals who may suffer because of the need for hospitalisation because of Covid or perhaps because of long Covid. The reason it’s not been decided is because we need to also balance the possible prioritisation of individuals who are transmitting Covid instead."

And he said there could be different priority groups for different vaccines, because vaccines may act differently on older people, that may of course impact on how we prioritise the use of vaccines.

As new vaccines become available we may prioritise vaccines differently for different people.

Jonathan Van-Tam said he was “very reassured” that the NHS was ready for the mammoth task of administering the coronavirus vaccine.

England's deputy chief medical officer told a Downing Street briefing that the health service has been quietly preparing vaccine administration channels for months.

"An absolute army of people have been working on this for months, behind the scenes, quietly, well away from media attention," he said.

"I am absolutely convinced that the enormous NHS team behind this has grasped that nettle [the challenge of this] and understands the scale and challenge of the project, and is up for it."

He said the vaccination programme would be “innovative”, involving pop-up vaccination centres and the housebound getting the vaccine at home.

He also added that he was ready to volunteer to help administer the vaccine himself in his spare time, making the point to illustrate how committed health professionals were to this programme.

"This is one of the most important, if not the most important, vaccination programme we’ve done for decades," he said.

"And from that perspective I don’t mind telling you I’ve had the conversation at home; if I can help with this in some evenings and weekends doing some extra vaccinations sessions myself then I’m going to. That’s a given if I can get on the list and be useful.

Soldiers observe a two minute silence to mark Remembrance Day at Liverpool Exhibition Centre, where the UK military are assisting with mass Covid-19 testing

The European Commission said on Wednesday it had sealed a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for the supply of up to 300 million doses of their Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

The move follows Pfizer's announcement on Monday that its experimental vaccine developed with BioNTech was more than 90 per cent effective, making them the first drugmakers to show successful interim data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine.

Under the EU deal, the 27 EU countries could buy 200 million doses, and have an option to purchase another 100 million.

The EU has already signed supply deals with AstraZeneca , Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson for their experimental Covid-19 shots, and is talking with Moderna , CureVac and Novavax to secure their vaccines.

Dentists should help doctors during the vaccine rollout to allow cancer patients' treatment to continue, the chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners has said.

Prof Martin Marshall said GPs should be at the centre of delivering the jab, as they have a track record of conducting large-scale vaccination programmes, such as for flu.

However, he said they are under significant pressure and "can't do everything with the current resources", so need support from NHS England.

"The issue here is mostly about the staff," he said.

"We can't do the usual things we do in general practice - looking after acutely ill patients, dealing with people who might have cancer, those who have long-term conditions, continuing to deliver other immunisation programmes - at the same time as delivering the vaccine without extra staff.

"This is an opportunity for the NHS to pull together. Staff un-deployed in the hospital sector because of the acute crisis can help out, dentists might be able to help out, a whole other range of community staff may be able to help out - that's really what we need."

There is "absolutely no chance" that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will compromise on safety standards in order to rush out a vaccine, the body's chief said.

Dr June Raine told a Downing Street briefing: "This is a critically important point.

"Although we have adapted our processes to undertake our rigorous review of effectiveness and safety in a rolling way, there is absolutely no chance that we will compromise on standards of safety or effectiveness.

"The steps that help to reassure on that include our independent expert advisory committee, which is an even greater layer of independence."

England's deputy chief medical officer has played down the prospect of wealthier people being able to jump the queue when it comes to getting the Covid vaccine. 

Asked about the possibility of people being able to pay to get ahead, Jonathan Van-Tam told the press conference: "I'm giving you my views as a clinician, that I think these vaccines need to be prioritised to those who need them, not those who can afford to pay for them privately."

He added: "One of the things I like about the NHS is that it's there for everybody, irrespective of their level of wealth, or who they are, in society.

"That is a really really important principle to me personally."

There is "no short-cut" out of the second wave, Jonathan Van-Tam has said as he sought to play down the chances of the coronavirus vaccine enabling a return to normality by spring. 

England's deputy chief medical officer told a Downing Street press conference that neither production nor delivery of the vaccine would be "instant", despite Matt Hancock yesterday saying he had put the NHS on notice to be ready for December 1. 

It "would be wrong" to think that things would be "completely back to normal by Easter", he added. "I am very hopeful that over time vaccines will make very important difference to how we live."

"Will these vaccines be a get out clause for current second wave? Absolutely not. We are going to have to push the second wave down by non-pharmaceutical interventions. There is no shortcut to the future you and I both aspire to."

England's deputy chief medical officer has set out how the timetable for developing and approving a vaccine had been condensed from the usual several years due to the coronavirus crisis.

At a Downing Street briefing Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the three phases of clinical trials overlapped, instead of taking place sequentially, and pharmaceutical firms had begun manufacturing before final approval had been granted - taking on the risk that their work may have to be scrapped.

Prof Van-Tam said: "Everyone knows that this is a public health emergency. We are in a much more difficult position."

But he said that the three phases of clinical trials were no smaller and "the standards are no lower just because this is a public health emergency".

Jonathan Van-Tam said if he could be "front of the queue" for the coronavirus vaccine he would be - but stressed it is "not right" to give it out to people who are not the most vulnerable. 

Asked if public figures like the Prime Minister or himself should be prioritised, the deputy chief medical officer said "if I could, rightly and morally, be at the very front of the queue, then I would do so, because I absolutely trust the judgment of the MHRA on safety and efficacy.

"But that clearly isn't right, we have to target the most highest risk individuals in society and that is how it should be in terms of our system.

"If I could be at the front of the queue, then I would be," he added. "I think the 'mum test' is very important here. My mum is 78, she will be 79 shortly, and I have already said to her, 'mum, make sure when you are called you are ready, be ready to take this up, this is really important for you because of your age'."

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee will look at how Government policy could support festivals due to take place in 2021.

Following the cancellations of Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, TRNSMT and smaller grassroots events, the sector has seen revenues fall by 90%.

Some 4.9 million people attended a festival in the UK in 2018, with festivals estimated to have generated £1.76 billion in gross value added last year.

Festivals can currently take place if they are Covid-secure and comply with all relevant legislation.

However, social distancing remains an issue as many events will be unable to break even with substantially reduced ticket sales.

Industry bodies including UK Music and the Help Musicians charity have touted festivals as an essential stepping stone for future stars in developing an audience.

The inquiry will also consider the potential impact of festivals collapsing on local communities, ticket holders and suppliers, as well as the freelance workforce.

"At this point I don't think those questions can be answered," said Professor Jonathan Van-Tam

"Delivery is not going to be instant across all of those groups, vaccine production is not going to be instant across all of those groups.

"We don't yet know if this vaccine is going to prevent transmission as well as preventing illness, and from that perspective it would be wrong of me to give you a sense that whoever told you that we'd be completely back to normal for Easter is right.

"I don't think I know the answer to that. I think I can tell you that I'm very hopeful that over time vaccines will make a very important difference to how we have to live with Covid-19 in the long run."

The case at Maidstone Crown Court was halted when three cases were confirmed and a fourth juror reported symptoms.

All remaining members of the jury have been instructed to self-isolate and the trial will not resume until it is deemed safe to do so.

It is believed to be the first time positive tests among jurors have led to such issues.

However, England and Wales's most senior judge has warned it will become an "increasing problem" if the pandemic is not contained.

Speaking to the Justice Committee on Tuesday, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett of Maldon told MPs: "That's deeply regrettable. This is going to become, I think, an increasing problem in the event that Covid is not contained."

An HM Courts and Tribunals spokesperson said: "One case has been adjourned as a precaution, in line with public health advice, but the court remains open and other cases are being heard safely."

Pictured are Syrian children playing together at a refugee camp earlier this year.

Doctors and aid agencies working in northwest Syria have warned that coronavirus is spreading out of control in Idlib’s overcrowded displacement camps.

“It’s out of control, yes, absolutely,” Syrian doctor Mouheb Kadour told the BBC.

So far this month, there has been an almost 300 percent increase in Covid-19 cases in northwest Syria, according to International Rescue Committee.

Read more here.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of the airline and tour operator, said delays in making payouts during the coronavirus pandemic has given "a very bad impression" of the travel industry.

He expressed hope that his firm's commitment to paying timely refunds will be rewarded with future bookings.

Recent analysis by consumer group Which? claimed more than £1 billion is being withheld in partial or full refunds from package holiday customers.

Mr Heapy said: "Some companies in the travel sector have not been refunding customers, which I think gives a very bad impression for the travel industry as a whole.

"We've respected that it's customers' money at the end of the day, and they should have it back. That's been our guiding principle.

"We have no problem refunding our customers' money. At the end of the day it's theirs. Not refunding the money, well, it's a bit like theft really."

Dr David Nabarro, one of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) special envoys on Covid-19, said it is "necessary" for people to understand that the coronavirus vaccine is "effective and safe".

On the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine announcement, he told Sky News: "I'm smiling, and I'm happy, because I think we've all been waiting for the news that there will be at least one vaccine candidate.

"Let's be clear though, this is not going to be available in large amounts for quite some time, the new vaccine.

"It's also quite a difficult vaccine to deal with; you have to keep it really cold, really cold - about minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

"And also, it's going to be necessary to really make sure that everybody believes this to be an effective and safe vaccine.

"So there is still work to be done to go through all of the safety protocols."

Professor Robin Shattock, from the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, said: "The current vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine, has been studied in 43,000 individuals, so we know it's safe in terms of it doesn't cause any acute problems.

"Long-term side-effects will be studied for the next two years. I think they are likely to be rare, but it's something that will be followed very carefully.

"And it's always worth putting it in context - the long-term side-effects of Covid-19 are way more dramatic than anything that we get from a vaccine.

"So, when you're balancing that risk, obviously it's going to prevent you from getting Covid-19, and it's going to prevent you from all the risks of long Covid, or serious illness.

"So that equation is very clear in my mind. Vaccines are exceptionally safe medicines and they prevent really serious disease."

Professor Robin Shattock, from the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, who is leading the vaccine team, said scientists are "really hopeful" of news on other vaccines before Christmas.

"Obviously, the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, we anticipate that there may be a result anytime soon, before Christmas," he told BBC Breakfast.

"And there are a number of other vaccines that may come through shortly after that.

"All these vaccines will have different levels of immunity and may be useful for different populations, so we need as many vaccines as possible to be able to combat this pandemic, and make them globally available."

The Oxford jab is cheaper because it relies on traditional methods of vaccine production. In this case, the spike protein of coronavirus, which helps it attach to human cells, has been inserted into a common cold virus. 

Once in the body, the immune system spots the new invader and produces t-cells and antibodies that will kick into action should the real virus turn up.

In contrast, the Pfizer vaccine is a ‘messenger RNA’ vaccine which sends a piece of genetic code into cells instructing them to make the spike protein themselves. No vaccine has ever been successfully created in this way before, so it carries the expense of novelty.

And because the Pfizer drug relies on a live piece of RNA it needs to be kept at super cold temperatures to avoid the genetic code being destroyed. 

Read our science editor Sarah Knapton's full analysis here.

The news that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may prove up to 90 per cent effective at preventing symptoms of Covid-19 has sparked something approaching euphoria across the globe. Stock markets have soared and there is speculation everything could return to “normal” by the spring.

But with this optimism, there will come FOMO – the fear of missing out – and huge pressures will mount on political leaders everywhere to vaccinate their people first.

The danger is that national self-interest will override the common interest, creating not just an inequitable distribution of vaccines globally with terrible human cost but a strategic disaster in which the pandemic is prolonged for everyone. 

Read The Telegraph's full analysis here.

Schools exams should be held "in some form or another" in England next year to avoid disrupting pupils motivation, the chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee has said.

Asked if Wales was right to scrap end-of-year exams in 2021, Robert Halfon said: "Ideally exams should take place in some form or another.

"I agree with what the chief inspector of schools, Amanda Spielman, told my education committee yesterday in Parliament - that if you didn't have exams, it could disrupt the structure and motivation of pupils, that many might not return over the academic year."

Mr Halfon, a Conservative MP, said the Government needed to assess with schools how much "lost learning" there has been for pupils, how much "catch-up" is needed and how to ensure there is a "level playing field" for disadvantaged students.

Three in four Britons would take the Covid vaccine, including nearly nine in ten elderly, according to a Daily Mail poll. Only 7 per cent said they would not have it under any circumstances.

The poll also showed that Pfizer’s breakthrough jab was the best news of the year for many – and as significant as the fall of the Iron Curtain.

However there was a note of caution, with seven in ten feeling lockdown restrictions should stay in place for now.

Four in ten said the Prime Minister and fellow politicians should take the vaccination first to show it was safe.

The poll came as Matt Hancock unveiled details of the "mammoth logistical operation" required to inoculate huge swathes of the population within weeks.

The Health Secretary said the roll-out would "inject hope into millions of arms this winter".

Heathrow Airport has criticised a "lack of Government action" after it recorded a "catastrophic" 82% fall in passenger numbers last month.

Some 1.25 million people travelled through the west London airport last month, compared with 7.06 million during October 2019.

North American routes saw the biggest drop, down 95% year-on-year.

Heathrow described October as "the eighth consecutive month of catastrophic decline" and warned that England's ban on leisure travel means "November is likely to be even worse".

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "Aviation is the lifeblood of the UK's economy, critical for exports of goods and services and imports of vaccines, as well as inbound tourism, students and foreign direct investment.

"Lack of Government action is weakening our sector, making it harder for us to support the eventual economic recovery and help deliver the Prime Minister's vision of a global Britain."

Universities in England have been told to switch from in-person teaching to online classes by early December and set staggered departure dates between Dec 3 and 9 to allow families to be reunited.

Jo Grady, the University and College Union general secretary, said the plans were "riddled with holes" and "raise as many questions as they answer".

"If the Government instead told universities to move online now it would provide much more time to stagger the movement of students and better protect the health of staff, students and their wider communities," she said.

The Government said Covid-19 tests will be offered to as many students as possible before they travel home. They will have enough time to complete the self-isolation period and return home for Christmas if they test positive.

If a student decides to remain on campus later into the month, they will need to self-isolate in their student accommodation for 10 days if they test positive for coronavirus.

Universities will be asked to provide additional help and support - including affordable food - to students who remain on campus over Christmas.

The executive did not reach consensus after a lengthy and at times acrimonious meeting on Tuesday night.

It was the second night in a row the executive broke up without agreement.

Ministers are expected to resume debate later today on proposals that would see a partial reopening of the hospitality sector.

The current four-week circuit break lockdown ends at midnight on Thursday, at which point regulations that have forced the closure of much of the hospitality sector will fall away.

Ministers are facing mounting criticism for failing to tell businesses whether they will be able to reopen on Friday.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said existing pressures meant family doctors will need help from colleagues in hospitals.

NHS England has told England's 1,250 primary care networks to designate a single practice to administer vaccines in their area capable of delivering vaccines from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, including on bank holidays if needed.

Prof Marshall said surgeries are experienced at successfully delivering mass vaccination programmes, but that the new scheme would be an "enormous challenge".

He said: "The workload and resource pressures that were facing general practice before the pandemic still exist and they need to be addressed. GPs and our teams won't be able to deliver this programme alone.

"We will need the support of other healthcare professionals in the community, and potentially from secondary care colleagues, such as those delivering outpatient services.

"More consultations are also being made in general practice than before the pandemic, we are preparing for usual winter pressures and delivering the expanded flu vaccination programme, so we also need clarity on what work we should stop doing in order to create capacity to deliver the Covid vaccination programme."

Some 32 Conservatives rebelled against the Government when the Commons approved the second lockdown for England which lasts until Dec 2.

The Prime Minister said he expects the nation to return to a tiered local system by then and promised MPs a vote for the replacement to the four-week lockdown.

Former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker will lead the "Covid recovery group" to resist any extension of the measure in the Commons vote.

Mr Harper said: "The cure we're prescribing runs the risk of being worse than the disease."

The group outlined three guiding principles calling on ministers to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of restrictions, to end the "monopoly" of advice from Government scientists and to improve measures to tackle Covid-19 such as test and trace.

Mr Baker said: "We must find a more sustainable way of leading our lives until a vaccine is rolled out, rather than throwing our prosperity away by shutting down and destroying our economy, and overlooking the untold health consequences caused by lockdowns and restrictions."

Sir Graham Brady, the influential chair of the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, is among those said to have joined the group. So too are William Wragg and Sir Robert Syms.

Institutions will be told by the Department for Education (DfE) to end in-person teaching and switch to online classes so they can return between Dec 3 and 9.

The boost for students comes as the NHS was preparing to be able to start delivering a potential Covid-19 vaccine from the beginning of next month in the event it is approved.

Under guidance published today, universities will be told to set staggered departure dates during the "student travel window" so they can safely return home.

It is hoped the risk of transmission will be reduced as students will be travelling after the four-week period of national restrictions in England.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said: "The mass movement of students across the country at the end of term presents a really significant challenge within the Covid-19 response.

"The measures announced today will help minimise that risk and help students get home to their families as safely as possible for Christmas. It is crucial that students follow the guidance in order to protect their families and the communities they return to."

The Health Foundation said that during he first eight months of 2020 there were almost five million fewer people referred for routine hospital care in England.

The think tank said the figure represents a "hidden backlog" of care as it called for a sustainable way forward to treat non-Covid patients.

Without action, "long waits could become the norm for millions of people", it warned.

And the Royal College of Surgeons of England said: "We cannot accept that the 'new normal' means waiting a year for an operation."

Analysis conducted by the organisation found that there were 4.7 million fewer people referred for routine hospital care - such as hip, knee and cataract surgery - between January and August 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

This is a reduction of 34%, the Health Foundation said.

The North has been hit harder than the rest of England during the pandemic, increasing the levels of inequality in the country, according to a study.

Even after factoring in deprivation, ethnicity and the age structure of the population, the mortality rate in the Northern Powerhouse region was worse than elsewhere.

The report, compiled by the Northern Health Science Alliance and other organisations, included a list of 12 recommendations to "level-up" the country, including renewed efforts to tackle child poverty.

The study put a conservative estimate on the economic cost of the increased mortality in the North at £6.86 billion. It also estimated that the pandemic's impact on the region's mental health would cost around £5 billion a year.

The report led by scientists from the universities of Newcastle, Manchester, York and Liverpool found 57.7 more people per 100,000 died in the Northern Powerhouse than the rest of England between March and July.

They also said that since the pandemic, adverse trends in poverty, education, employment and mental health for children and young people have worsened.

GPs in England have said they need to know which work they should stop in order to deliver the coronavirus vaccine programme.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said existing pressures meant family doctors will need help from colleagues in hospitals.

NHS England has told England's 1,250 primary care networks to designate a single practice to administer vaccines in their area capable of delivering vaccines from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, including on bank holidays if needed.

Prof Marshall said surgeries are experienced at successfully delivering mass vaccination programmes, but that the new scheme would be an "enormous challenge".

"The workload and resource pressures that were facing general practice before the pandemic still exist and they need to be addressed."GPs and our teams won't be able to deliver this programme alone."We will need the support of other healthcare professionals in the community, and potentially from secondary care colleagues, such as those delivering outpatient services."More consultations are also being made in general practice than before the pandemic, we are preparing for usual winter pressures and delivering the expanded flu vaccination programme, so we also need clarity on what work we should stop doing in order to create capacity to deliver the Covid vaccination programme."

 

In the US, a record 200,000 new Covid-19 cases were registered in one day.

The novel coronavirus has infected close to 51 million people worldwide, with more than 1.2 million deaths.

On Tuesday, 6,867 new deaths were recorded worldwide, with the highest daily tolls in France, Spain and the United States.

The US remains the hardest-hit nation at more than 10 million cases and nearly 240,000 deaths, with shocking new data now including a record 60,000 current hospitalisations.

The pandemic was one of the top issues for voters in last week's presidential election.

Joe Biden, who had slammed President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis, spared no time in announcing a Covid-19 taskforce on Monday after being declared president-elect.

"We're still facing a very dark winter," Biden said.

Good morning - here is this morning's top coronavirus news:

• The NHS has been instructed to prepare for mass Covid-19 vaccination of the public from December 1, in one of the biggest immunisation drives in British history

• Boris Johnson thanked the head of the UK’s vaccine taskforce on Tuesday after sources close to Kate Bingham revealed she had felt “hung out to dry” by Downing Street amid a slew of negative publicity

• The number of foreign-born workers employed in the UK fell by almost 600,000 in the past year as Covid laid waste to the jobs market and sparked an exodus of migrants

• The tier system of Covid-19 restrictions will be changed before it is reintroduced because of concerns over compliance, it has emerged

• The 14-day quarantine introduced by the Government is the least effective of all strategies to prevent the spread of Covid into the community, a groundbreaking study has found