Covid news - live: Biden and Boris Johnson discuss ‘green and sustainable’ coronavirus recovery in first call

All the day’s events as they happened

BMA criticises 12-week wait for second Pfizer dose

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden discussed the future of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic as the world leaders grapple with high levels of infection of death in their first call since the Democrat was named US president.

Sharing news of the call on Twitter Boris Johnson said they had discussed the forging of a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19 - the death toll for which now stands at 97,329 according to the department of health.

It comes as a leading scientist defends the government’s decision to describe the new coronavirus variant as more deadly after others claimed the evidence is still unclear

Professor Peter Horby, who chairs the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), defended Boris Johnson’s decision to reveal the information on Friday, but cautioned that the news needed to be “put in perspective” and that the risk of the strain being more deadly was still “very, very small” to most people.

But others cast doubt on the PM’s claim, saying it is still an “open question”. Some said they were “quite surprised” that the government chose to make the announcement, as the evidence was “based on a relatively small amount of data”.

Public Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said it is still not “absolutely clear” that the new variant is more deadly, adding that there are “several investigations going on at the moment” and more work needed to be done to determine if that was actually the case.

And as the number of people to have received at least one dose of a vaccine reached more than 5.8 million, the nation’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam urged those with the partial immunity to continue to socially distance.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Regardless of whether someone has had their vaccination or not, it is vital that everyone follows the national restrictions and public health advice, as protection takes up to three weeks to kick in and we don’t yet know the impact of vaccines on transmission.”

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Key Points

• Delaying second dose of vaccine increases risk of new resistant strain - Sage
• Biden and Boris talk Covid in first call
• PHE boss defends decision to delay the second vaccine dose
• Ministers to discuss hotel quarantine for arrivals into the UK
• More than 5.8 million given vaccine
• Scientist calls for tougher lockdown
• Scientific adviser defends decision to announce new variant might be deadlier as govt could face ‘cover-up’ claims
• UK records further 33,552 new Covid-19 cases and 1,348 more deaths

[23 January 2021 17:22 · Vincent Wood]

More than 6.3 million UK jabs administered so far

Government data up to January 22 shows of the 6,329,968 jabs given in the UK so far, 5,861,351 were first doses - a rise of 478,248 on the previous day's figures.

Some 468,617 were second doses, an increase of 1,821 on figures released the previous day.

The seven-day rolling average of first doses given in the UK is now 328,882.

Based on the latest figures, an average of 397,333 first doses of vaccine would be needed each day in order to meet the Government's target of 15 million first doses by February 15.

[23 January 2021 17:55 · Vincent Wood]

A vaccine 50 years in the making

 Our Health Correspondent Sean Lintern looks into how a London scientist laid the foundations for the coronavirus jab decades before Sars-Cov-2 reared its head.

[23 January 2021 18:25 · Vincent Wood]

Spanish military chief resigns over vaccine queue jump

In Spain the nation’s top general has resigned following allegations he had received a vaccine ahead of priority groups, one of a number of public officials who have sparked public anger because of reports they have jumped the vaccination queue.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles had asked General Miguel Angel Villaroya, chief of defence staff, for explanations after media reports on Friday that he had received the vaccination.

In a statement on his resignation, the defence ministry indicated but did not explicitly state that Villaroya had had the vaccination. The general "never intended to take advantage of unjustifiable privileges which damaged the image of the Armed Forces and put in doubt the honour of the general," it said.

It added that Villaroya "took decisions which he thought to be correct" but which "damaged the public image of the Armed Forces".

[23 January 2021 18:42 · Vincent Wood]

Forcing UK arrivals to stay in hotels could curb new strain spread, key adviser says

Forcing travellers arriving in the UK to stay in hotels will help curb dangerous new Covid-19 strains, a key government adviser says, heaping pressure on Boris Johnson to act.

[23 January 2021 19:05 · Vincent Wood]

Je ne parle pas français

The French Academy of Doctors has issued guidance saying people should "avoid talking or making phone calls" in subways, buses or anywhere in public where social distancing isn't possible. 

Masks have been required since May, but travelers often loosen or remove them to talk on the phone.

Here is pollster Matt Singh on the unspoken rule of silent travel in the UK capital:

[23 January 2021 19:28 · Vincent Wood]

Police officers injured breaking up party with ‘200 people’ in London

Two officers were injured last week while breaking up an illegal party in London, where around 200 people were gathered. 

More below:

[23 January 2021 19:52 · Vincent Wood]

Sweden to temporarily ban entry from neighbouring Norway

Sweden plans to introduce a temporary ban on entry from Norway due to the spread of the UK variant of the coronavirus.

Norway's capital Oslo and nine nearby municipalities earlier in the day imposed some of their toughest lockdown measures yet after an outbreak of the more contagious coronavirus variant.

Sweden's health authority earlier on Saturday recommended that travellers from Norway self-isolate for at least a week and test for COVID-19 upon entry to Sweden.

Concern over the new variant means travellers from Britain have been banned from entering Sweden since December.

"The government is also working on introducing an entry ban for Norway to reduce the risk of contagion. The decision will taken shortly," a spokesman for Swedish interior minister Mikael Damberg said.

[23 January 2021 20:22 · Peter Stubley]

Egypt to start vaccinations on Sunday

Egypt will begin coronavirus vaccinations on Sunday, beginning with medical staff, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has announced.

The country received its first shipment of vaccines developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in December.

Egypt will get 40 million vials via the GAVI vaccine alliance for 20 million people, or 20 per cent of the 100 million population.

On Friday, Egypt recorded 748 new cases and 52 deaths. However, health officials say the real number is likely far higher because of the relatively low rate of coronavirus testing and the exclusion of private test results.

[23 January 2021 20:30 · Vincent Wood]

Sir Kenneth Branagh to portray PM’s covid response

Sir Kenneth Branagh will play Boris Johnson in a TV drama about the Prime Minister's handling of the coronavirus.

This Sceptred Isle, which was first announced last year and has now been commissioned by Sky, will be directed by Michael Winterbottom, who will also co-write, while Tim Shipman, the political editor of The Sunday Times, will act as a consultant.

Starting with his appointment as Prime Minister, the five-part drama will recount the first Covid-19 cases in the UK, through to Mr Johnson falling ill with the virus, and the arrival of his son.

[23 January 2021 21:00 · Vincent Wood]

Jenrick praises role of faith leaders in Covid response

Faith leaders play a "vital role" in encouraging people to get a coronavirus vaccine, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said, as he visited the UK's first vaccination centre opened in a mosque.

Mr Jenrick met with the imam at Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, as well as the pharmacists and staff who run the vaccination centre and people who received their first dose of the vaccine on Saturday.

The mosque is one of dozens of new sites across the UK offering coronavirus vaccinations, with others to open at Stoneleigh Park near Kenilworth in Warwickshire, Salisbury City Hall in Wiltshire and Bath Racecourse in Somerset next week.