Image source, Handout via EPA

And the headlines from further afield...

• The US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel will meet today to decide on whether to authorise a coronavirus jab made by Johnson & Johnson, having already concluded it is safe and effective
• The government in Vietnam say they will acquire 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, through Covax and direct purchases after health officials approved use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and the Moderna vaccine

• A group of diplomats from Russia had to make an unusual exit out of North Korea by using a hand-pushed rail trolley due to strict coronavirus restrictions on travel in and out of the country
• A British man has been sentenced to two weeks in prison for breaking Singapore's quarantine rules

Image source, AFP

Away from the UK's vaccine priorities now, here is an update on coronavirus news around the rest of Europe:

• The EU is still lagging far behind Israel, the US and UK in terms of people vaccinated, so EU leaders have vowed to speed up deliveries and sort out the bottlenecks. The 29m vaccinated so far is 6.4% of the EU’s population. The bloc has ordered more than 2bn doses, for a total population of about 450m. But it is also committed to sending vaccines to neighbouring non-EU countries
• AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said shortages of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine were down to the “very complex biological process that involves thousands of elements to track”. He told MEPs “we are working 24/7 to increase capacity and deliver on these commitments”
• The AstraZeneca vaccine is not being given to the over-65s in France, Belgium and Germany. The authorities cite insufficient data on its effectiveness in the oldest age group. French President Emmanuel Macron has controversially voiced doubts about the vaccine, but on Thursday he said he would gladly have the AstraZeneca jab, if that was offered to him
• Dr Klaus Reinhardt, president of the German Medical Association, described the AstraZeneca vaccine as “just as effective” as the Pfizer and Moderna ones. However, more than a million AstraZeneca doses are currently in storage in Germany, as vaccination progress remains slow
• The Czech Republic is set to tighten restrictions again, amid a big surge in cases. The plan is to extend a state of emergency to the end of March, banning all but essential travel between regions and closing schools, reimposing distance learning. The European countries with the highest Covid deaths per million people are: Belgium (1,900), Czech Republic (1,850), Slovenia (1,830) and the UK (1,790).

Linda Geddes from the Guardian asks when phase two is expected to start and why a number of healthy and young people have already been invited for vaccinations in the current phase.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says he can’t give an "exact date" on when phase two will begin, but it will be as soon as when phase one ends.

He says hopefully phase one will will flow into phase two "as quickly and seamlessly as possible".

Dr Mary Ramsay responds to the question about younger people without underlying conditions receiving the jab ahead of schedules.

She says it’s happened in areas where they’ve been doing "so well" in the programme that they don’t want to waste vaccines.

She says the advice is very clear that they should call people in priority groups, but it may be that it was "opportunistic" in some areas to offer the jab to smaller numbers of people.

She say she hopes this is "very unusual" and believes it is.

The Daily Mirror asks if they are ignoring risks of transmission to focus solely on the risk of an individual dying by not prioritising by occupation.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says "we've been asked specifically to look at how we can reduce the risk of severe disease - hospitalisation and people dying".

That means looking at both exposure to the virus and personal vulnerability to severe disease, he says, and when taking the two together that means the people most at risk are those who are older.

"The same is true in occupational groups," he says.

"So it's the older people who are most at risk even in the most at-risk occupations," he adds.

"By targeting the oldest people first in the fastest way possible we will protect the most number of people in the shortest time."

Dr Ramsay adds that protecting the most vulnerable people first is the quickest way to have an impact on deaths and hospitalisations.

Nina Massey from PA Media asks about what the risks would be of an occupation-based approach to vaccinations.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says if they went down the route of restructuring the programme by occupation they would run the risk of missing some people because not all occupations are well documented.

He says they don’t know all of the occupations that are high risk.

He says going down an age-based programme is simpler and there is less chance of missing people who are at risk.

He adds that an occupational-based programme would slow the rate of vaccinations down.

Image source, Getty Images

Following on from the latest vaccination advice from scientific experts, a UK government spokesperson said: “The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has today published its interim advice for phase two of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, setting out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age.

"This is because age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations, and because the speed of delivery is crucial as we provide more people with protection from Covid-19.

“All four parts of the UK will follow the recommended approach, subject to the final advice given by the independent expert committee. The UK government remains on course to meet its target to offer a vaccine to all those in the phase one priority groups by mid-April, and all adults by the end of July.”

Chris Smyth from the Times says there is some evidence vaccines may be reducing transmission. He asks whether the JCVI is not convinced by this, based on its strategy of vaccinating the most vulnerable rather than looking to prevent transmission.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says there is "increasing evidence" that vaccines block asymptomatic infection and "by inference" are possibly starting to block transmission.

However, he says a vaccination strategy of transmission blocking as a means of reducing severe disease would require a "very large number" of people to be vaccinated first, after which the secondary impact would be stopping severe disease.

He says it is more direct to go to people most at risk.

He says it's a balance of speed and to protect people most at risk.

Sky News asks Dr Mary Ramsay why there is so much hesitancy to take up the vaccines among some groups.

She says "there's not one answer" and there are "different communities with different concerns".

Access is a particular issue with the traveller community, for example, she says.

Others have heard misinformation about what's in the vaccine and we need to correct those kinds of things.

There's a range of different factors and that's where the local intelligence is really important, she says.

Tom Clarke from ITV asks about the lower uptake of vaccine in poorer and BAME communities and whether this is a concern.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says they are "certainly concerned" about any groups not taking up vaccine.

He says the JCVI has looked at the information on vaccine uptake and coverage and is in regular contact with the Department of Health and NHS England about keeping close attention to these groups and do everything possible to increase uptake.

Dr Mary Ramsay says local NHS teams and public health officials will know the communities they have difficulties reaching.

She says what they’re encouraging is more work with those communities.

The BBC's Hugh Pym asks why it would be complex to prioritise groups like teachers and the police.

Prof Wei Shen Lim says trying to work out occupation, exposure and risk has been difficult enough.

Structuring the entire mass vaccination programme around occupation would be even more difficult.

The aged based programme is simple and works really well so it seems sensible to continue with that, he says.

The JCVI's Wei Shen Lim says they considered whether people from different occupations should be vaccinated next, but concluded that the most effective way to prevent death and hospital admission is to carry on prioritising people by age.

It said studies indicate that the speed of vaccine deployment is the most important factor in helping prevent severe illness and death.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, says there is evidence one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduces risk of symptomatic case in older people. She says this starts about three weeks after they take the vaccine. There is an even higher level of protection against hospitalisation and deaths.

She says this is really encouraging and supports the rationale of the programme.

She says there are very early signs that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also performing well in these areas.

She says on the basis of this we’re seeing signs that the rate of deaths and hospitalisations are declining faster in vaccinated groups than in the younger population.

She says now we’re ready to think about what to do in phase two.

People aged 40-49 will be prioritised next for a Covid-19 vaccine, Professor Wei Shen Lim from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced.

In phase two of the UK's vaccine rollout, it says priority will be given by age in the following order:

- All those aged 40-49- All those aged 30-39- All those aged 18-29

The briefing from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is now under way.

Speaking at Downing Street, Dr Mary Ramsay, Public Health England, says they prirotised older people and those with underlying health conditions and the "programme has been really successful with the NHS delivering vaccines at pace".

There's now evidence that the virus is having an impact, she says.

We're expecting to hear from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) with an update on the priority groups for the UK's vaccine rollout shortly.

Dr Mary Ramsay, from Public Health England, and Professor Wei Shen Lim, from the JCVI, will deliver the briefing from Downing Street.

Image source, PA Media

We're soon expecting to hear the next priorities for the vaccine rollout in the UK.

So who's already had the jab?

Everyone in the top four priority groups has been offered a jab.

More than 18 million people in the UK have had a first vaccine dose - equivalent to one in three adults in the UK.

Everyone on the learning disability register, held by GPs in England, and other people with severe learning disabilities identified as being at risk will now be offered a vaccine in priority group six, currently being vaccinated.

Many areas are now inviting over-60s, adult carers of disabled people and younger adults in care homes.

Most frontline health and social care staff, elderly care home residents, clinically extremely vulnerable people and over-70s have now been vaccinated.

They were first in line because of their risk from the virus, making up the top four in a list of nine high-priority groups, external.

Image source, Getty Images

Greece and Austria are urging other EU states to adopt coronavirus vaccination "passports" which could help revive Europe's stricken tourist industry.

The idea of the document would be to permit those who have been vaccinated to travel freely within the EU.

The proposal was put forward during a virtual discussion between EU leaders but it faces opposition from some of the bloc's 27 member states.

France and Germany say it could be premature because data on the efficacy of vaccines in preventing a person from carrying or passing on the virus is incomplete.

There are also concerns that enabling a vaccinated minority to enjoy foreign travel while others continue to face restrictions would be discriminatory.

A further complication is the rapid spread of more contagious Covid variants - the English, South African and Brazilian forms - and the possibility of future mutations.

Delayed decisions and party politicking has undoubtedly cost lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann.

He told BBC News NI the public health message was also damaged by politicians failing to stand together.

Speaking as Northern Ireland prepares to mark one-year since its first coronavirus case, Swann said the latest lockdown should be the last.

However, he said that would only be if there was a cautious exit.

"If we come out of this lockdown responsibly, cautiously taking the right steps at the right time, it should be our last lockdown," the minister explained.

"As health minister, I want it to be our last lockdown because I know the damage it brings."

Image source, PA Media

Some of the first people to check into quarantine hotels in England are being released this morning.

Since last Monday, UK and Irish nationals returning from a "red list" country deemed at high risk for Covid-19 have had to self-isolate in hotels for 10 days at a cost of £1,750.

Breaching the rule can incur a fine of up to £10,000 or 10 years in prison, according to the government.

Image source, PA Media

Eritza East, 37, from Southampton, and her three children have been staying at the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel near Heathrow Airport.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my husband, I haven't seen him in seven months," she says.

Eritza said of their stay in the hotel: "It was not ideal, but it wasn't terrible, I've been in much worse accommodation."

She said it was big and the beds were comfortable but the food "wasn't always kid-friendly", adding: "Other than that, the security was really nice and very supportive."

Image source, Getty Images

A petition urging the government not to introduce vaccine passports could be debated by MPs after gaining more than 200,000 signatures.

The online petition says the passports could be "used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine".

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson announced a review of possible vaccine certificates or passports.

Proof of vaccination could allow people to travel or attend large events.

Vaccination is not mandatory, and the petition says passports "would be unacceptable".

The prime minister has appointed Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove to look at the issues involved in any scheme, which could see the existing NHS app updated to include proof of vaccination.