The health secretary tells the Commons that vaccinations saves lives, and agrees to appear together with his opposite number - shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth - to get vaccinated together.

He jokes: "I recommend we have a professional vaccinating us of course. I don't think he'd trust me to do that."

There may be a theme emerging. During a breakfast TV interview, Mr Hancock agreed to be vaccinated alongside GMB presenter Piers Morgan to try to get his public health message across.

In response to the statement, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says the Pfizer vaccine is “fantastic news” and he wants to congratulate “all who have been involved in making it happen”.

He says that the country has rightly clapped carers throughout the pandemic and suggests we should also applaud our scientists as well.

He offers to stand along Hancock on any platform or any TV studio to show that the parties are united in promoting vaccinations.

Ashworth has a number of questions for Hancock about when different sectors will get the vaccine, including NHS staff and care home residents.

He also asks Hancock to give a time frame for when he expects the country to receive herd immunity.

The health secretary says the government’s strategy to suppress the virus until a vaccine can make us safe “is working”.

He finishes his statement by saying: “This is a day to remember, frankly in a year to forget.

"We can see a way out of this but we’re not there yet so let's keep our resolve, keep doing our bit to keep people safe until science can make us free."

The health secretary goes on to say this will be one of the biggest civilian efforts the country has seen.

He says it will be difficult but "I know the NHS is equal to the task", and vaccinating will start early next week.

He adds that over the next few months, vaccines will be delivered in three different ways - in hospital hubs, in local community services including GPs and pharmacies and later in conference centres and sports venues to vaccinate large numbers of people.

Matt Hancock says the government has spent months preparing for this day.

He says batch testing of the vaccine was completed this morning for the deployment of the first 800,000 vaccines which are for the whole of the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, a statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, external advised women not to come forward for vaccination if they might be pregnant or are planning a pregnancy within three months of the first dose.

Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith later said there was a lack of data to be certain it was safe for pregnant women, although that could change in the future.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has begun making a statement to the House of Commons about the vaccine announcement.

He says today marks "a new chapter in our fight against the virus".

Image source, Getty Images

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has said random border checks will stop holidaymakers going to ski in neighbouring Switzerland.

France, along with Germany and Italy, is shutting its ski lifts over Christmas to stop the spread of Covid-19, but Swiss slopes are already open.

The ski season at Christmas and the New Year is a vital part of the economy for many European countries. But Mr Castex said it was his duty to protect fellow citizens.

"The conclusion you need to make is that 'I'm not going to Switzerland'," he told BFMTV, adding that anyone who did go would face quarantine on their return.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

NHS staff and patients are likely to get the vaccine first because storage of the jab at freezing temperatures is easiest in hospitals.

Some care home staff will be included too.

When more doses are delivered, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that people are given the vaccine in the following order:

1. Residents in a care home for older adults, and their carers

2. Everyone aged 80 and over, and frontline health and social care workers

3. Everyone aged 75 and over

4. Everyone aged 70 and over, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable

5. Everyone aged 65 and over

6. People aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and death from Covid-19

7. Everyone aged 60 and over

8. Everyone aged 55 and over

9. Everyone aged 50 and over

These groups cover 90 to 99% of those at risk of dying from Covid-19, according to the JCVI.

The Pfizer vaccine is a new type of jab called an RNA vaccine, which uses a tiny fragment of the virus's genetic code.

This starts making part of the virus inside the body, which the immune system recognises as foreign and starts to attack, as we've illustrated in our graphic below.

It's the first RNA vaccine to be approved for use in humans.

You can read more about how long it protects us for and who's likely to get it first here.

Image source, Getty Images

The pandemic has had a huge impact on the entertainment industry this year, but there is a glimmer of good news for movie lovers: the 2021 Oscars may be taking place in person.

A representative for broadcaster ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences told Variety magazine that the ceremony would return to its "in-person telecast" format.

But the news has yet to be officially confirmed, and it is unclear how many people will be able to attend - or will choose to.

The awards show was postponed from 28 February to 25 April over coronavirus concerns. Due to wide-scale cinema closures, the Academy has extended its deadline for submissions to 28 February. It has also changed its rules so streaming-only films are now eligible for a coveted gong.

Next year's awards season promises to be different from the norm. The Golden Globes, which usually kick off a run of ceremonies, has been delayed to 28 February.

The Critics Choice Awards, slated for 7 March, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards - scheduled for 14 March - are still on, but organisers told Variety that they were still deciding on the shows' formats.

Image source, Reuters

It's lunchtime in the UK, so if you're just joining us here's a quick recap of the main stories today:

• The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for widespread use
• The first 800,000 doses will be available in the UK from next week but the bulk of the rollout will be next year, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said
• Elderly people in care homes and care home staff have been placed top of the priority list, followed by the over-80s and health and care staff
• BioNTech say they are “absolutely delighted” about getting approval from the UK but they are “not stopping there”, with US and EU announcements due in the next few weeks
• Meanwhile, a new three-tier system of restrictions has come into force in England, following the end of a four-week national lockdown
• Women's fashion chain Bonmarché has fallen into administration, putting more than 1,500 jobs at risk
• And the Debenhams website has been overwhelmed by shoppers searching for bargains after the department store chain collapse
• The United Nations has called for seafarers to be classed key workers so the thousands stranded can return home or to their ship

Image source, Getty Images

As the pandemic continues, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its recommendations for the use of masks in areas where the virus is spreading.

In updates today, the UN body advises "that the general public should wear a non-medical mask in indoor (eg shops, shared workplaces, schools) or outdoor settings where physical distancing of at least one metre cannot be maintained."

The advice adds: "If indoors, unless ventilation has been assessed to be adequate, WHO advises that the general public should wear a non-medical mask, regardless of whether physical distancing of at least one metre can be maintained."

The WHO also proposes "universal masking" in all healthcare facilities, including common areas and cafeterias.

The recommendations are among the biggest changes to its guidance on mask-wearing, which was last updated in August.

Image source, BioNTech

How can we be sure the vaccine is safe with such a short testing period?

Although it’s been done quickly, this vaccine trial hasn’t skipped any of the usual steps.

The only difference is that some of the stages overlapped so, for example, phase three of the trial – when tens of thousands of people are given the vaccine – started while phase two, involving a few hundred people, was still going on.

Side effects usually show up quite quickly after vaccination and longer-term effects are extremely rare – much, much rarer than long-term side effects of the virus.

Usually vaccine trials are slowed down by long periods of waiting around, applying for permission, funding and resources.

It’s those elements that were sped up, because of the huge global interest in doing so.

Are you protected after the first dose of the vaccine?

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to be fully effective.

According to Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, chairman of the Commission on Human Medicine Expert Working Group, the first jab provides only partial immunity, from about 12 days after the injection.

People will be given a second dose of the vaccine 21 days after the first, and they should be fully immune seven days after that.

More of your questions are answered here.

Image source, Getty Images

People living in care homes are first in line to receive a Covid vaccine.

Those living in care homes in England will also be able to have visits from family and friends by Christmas - if the visitors test negative for Covid-19, the government has said.

More than a million coronavirus tests will be sent to care homes over the next month to allow safe indoor visits.

Strict restrictions have been placed on visits to care homes during the last eight months because of the pandemic.

In new guidance, external, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says the "default position" is now that visits should be enabled to go ahead in all tiers - unless there is an outbreak in the care home.

It adds that hand holding and hugging may be possible if other infection control measures are followed.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also been welcoming the authorisation of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during a coronavirus briefing.

"It is without a shadow of a doubt the best news we have heard since this pandemic started all these months ago," she says.

If the vaccines arrives as expected, she says the first Covid vaccines will be administered in Scotland next Tuesday.

The first minister cautions that we're not at the end of this pandemic yet and "we cannot and we must not ease up in our efforts to control it".

"But today does feel like it may well be the beginning of the end of this horrible experience," she adds.

She also said a further 951 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, while a further 38 coronavirus deaths have been registered.

Reality Check

Anti-vaccine activists have taken advantage of the pandemic to spread misinformation online.

Rumours and conspiracy theories – distinct from valid questions about the speed and efficacy of the various coronavirus vaccines – have been spreading for months.

We’ve looked into the truth behind some of the most widely shared false vaccine claims, including:

• There is no vaccine "microchip" and there is no evidence to support claims that powerful people are somehow planning to use the vaccine to track the world’s population.
• The coronavirus vaccine would not alter human DNA.
• The recovery rate for the virus isn’t 99.97%
• Vaccines do not contain aborted fetal tissue

Read the full story.

Image source, Geography Photos

Its been a grim week for the UK High Street as retailers continue to feel the effect of coronavirus restrictions.

Today women's fashion chain Bonmarché has fallen into administration, putting more than 1,500 jobs at risk.

Administrators said the chain's 225 stores would continue to trade while options for the business were explored.

Meanwhile, the Debenhams website has been overwhelmed by shoppers searching for bargains after the department store chain collapsed.

In both cases, tough trading conditions and long-standing difficulties have been exacerbated by the pandemic, which forced stores to close for lengthy periods during 2020.

Business reporter Daniel Thomas explores what went wrong for Debenhams here and we've also looked at the impact of its demise on one High Street in Bedford.

Image source, HoC

Turning to the collapse of retail business the Arcadia Group and Debenhams, Sir Keir Starmer says the arrival of the vaccine will come too late for those who have lost their job already.

He asks the PM what he is going to do now to protect the jobs and the pensions of all those affected by the closures.

Boris Johnson says the business secretary has asked the Insolvency Service to look at conduct of Arcadia company.

"We will do everything we can to restore the high street," he adds.

He then attacks the Labour leader for abstaining on a vote to approve England's new Covid tier system.

"I think it is a bit much that he should attack the economic consequence of coronavirus when neither he or his troops could be bothered to vote for measures that would open up the economy," he says.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

Image source, Reuters

There have been questions about how the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine will be distributed as the vaccine must be stored at around -70C.

BioNTech has told a briefing that the vaccine can be stored in a normal fridge for five days.

Once out of the fridge, it needs to be used within six hours.

This means that if it arrived in the frozen boxes (-70C) to a hospital or GP practice they could pop it in a normal fridge.

Over the coming days they could send some out to care homes, but it would need to be used speedily - within hours once it is sitting in a room temperature setting.

The vaccine is given to people at room temperature.