Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Reuters

For the last three weeks, there have been almost daily reports in China’s media on the growing acts of anti-Asian violence in the US and the UK, and protests in response to it.

In many instances, media have highlighted, external that perpetrators of attacks used racially discriminatory language such as the "China virus" or told victims to “go back to China”, external.

There is concern and anger at this among Chinese social media users. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese people work and study in both countries, and recent reports highlight growing concerns about their safety, external.

The national Global Times newspaper warned yesterday, external that even after the epidemic is over, Asian communities may still encounter discrimination overseas long after as a result of weakening relations between China and the West.

In particular, China’s media have condemned former US President Donald Trump for his repeated reference to Covid-19 throughout the pandemic as the "China virus", and have suggested that this has a key role to play for the increased number of anti-Asian hate incidents.

Comments can easily be found on Chinese social media about such attacks being “the legacy of Trump”.

But outlets have also been keen to signal that government failings more broadly in both the US and the UK, with regards to addressing the disproportionate impact of the virus on black and minority ethnic communities, have resulted in heightened ethnic tensions.

It's been an incredibly difficult year for so many people, but we have all found different ways to cope.

For some, it's looking for the lighter moments and what makes us laugh, something that comedians Meggie Foster, Steff Todd and Lucia Keskin know all about.

All three have gone viral on social media over the last year, including Meggie’s lip-syncs of politicians discussing lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic.

"Someone asked me the other day, would this have happened if the lockdown didn't happen? My answer is I don't think it would [have]," she told the BBC.

"I've made the best of a bad situation."

Image source, Warner Bros

Cineworld has announced it will reopen US cinemas next month, followed by the UK in May, after signing a deal with Warner Bros to show films in theatres before they are streamed.

The company will open a handful of its Regal cinemas in the US in early April.

Godzilla vs. Kong will be the first film to make its debut in the theatres.

Cineworld said the deal with Warner Bros means films will have a period of exclusivity in cinemas before being made more widely available.

It follows a row last year when Cineworld and rival AMC, which owns the Odeon Cinemas chain, criticised Universal Pictures for releasing Trolls: World Tour online while theatres were forced to close because of coronavirus.

Read more

Image source, Reuters

The number of coronavirus reinfections appears to be increasing in the Czech Republic, a state health institute says.

Czech’s National Institute of Public Health said 1,456 cases of possible Covid-19 reinfections have been identified since the pandemic began.

"The reinfection rate is growing because of the significant number of Covid-19 cases during the autumn wave," the institute said in a statement, external.

The institute said it defined a reinfection as a confirmed, symptomatic case of Covid-19 that occurs 60 days or more after an initial infection.

“The interval between the first and second episode of the disease was in the range of 68 to 359 days,” says Marek Maly, a researcher at the institute.

Researchers say coronavirus reinfection is uncommon but still possible. Because Covid-19 hasn’t been around that long, it is not clear how long immunity lasts if you have been infected.

But a recent study led by Public Health England (PHE) showed most people who have had the virus are protected from catching it again for at least five months.

You can read our Covid immunity explainer here for more context.

Downing Street has insisted the roadmap to easing the lockdown remains "on course" despite Boris Johnson warning yesterday that Europe's third wave of coronavirus infections could "wash up on our shores".

A row continues with the EU over its threat to impose an export block on jabs and there are concerns over rising infections in France and Italy.

The prime minister highlighted the precariousness of the situation, saying that "experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well".

However, Mr Johnson's official spokesman says cases were already expected to rise as England's third national lockdown is eased and says the plan to ease restrictions is on track.

"Obviously this time we have as a defence our very extensive vaccination programme," the spokesman told a Westminster briefing."We remain on course for the individual steps in the road map. That hasn't changed."

What is the roadmap for lifting lockdown?

Image source, ANNABELLA BARKER

The pandemic has forced many of us to make drastic career changes.

Annabella Barker says her 17-year career as cabin crew was her dream and her life. But in August, as the travel sector struggled under Covid restrictions, she lost her job with Easyjet.

She got in touch with a dairy farmer through a mutual friend and "fell in love with the job" on her very first day.

She says: "I decided to work on a farm because I love cows. They have funny faces and beautiful eyes.

"The job I do here is beautiful because we are in the fresh air and I love to be in the countryside."

Annabella studied for an online course in dairy cattle farm management.

She says: "Do I miss my previous job? If I was thinking about it four months ago, I think I would have gone back to fly.

"Now I am happy here. I found my dream job so I am very happy to stay."

We've spoken to others who say Covid caused them to reconsider their lives and change their careers.

Image source, ANNABELLA BARKER

Image source, DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS

The number of workers on company payrolls in the UK climbed by 200,000 in the three months to February, amid signs that the jobs crisis may be stabilising.

However, the number on payrolls is still 693,000 lower than last February, before Covid lockdown measures began.

People aged under 25 continue to bear the brunt of the job losses, the Office for National Statistics says, external.

It came as the unemployment rate stood at 5%, down from 5.1% previously.

Sam Beckett, ONS head of economic statistics, told the BBC's Today programme there was still a lot of uncertainty in the jobs market.

"Furlough is still doing a lot of heavy lifting in the labour market. There are around five million people still on furlough, it's down from its peak of nine million but has been rising recently.

"But you have to remember the underlying picture is that close to 700,000 people have come off the payroll since the start of the pandemic so there has been a large fall in employment since the start.

"Young people have borne much of the brunt, around two-thirds of the fall is under-25s. London has been particularly hard hit."

We've got full analysis of those payroll figures here.

Caroline Lowbridge
BBC News Online

Image source, Sarah Cooper

While many families have found the lockdown limitations of the past few months gruelling, for residents of Leicester a non-stop year of restrictions began 12 months ago.

"It's been awful to be honest because we've not had any help. We haven't seen anyone."

Sarah Cooper's first year as a mother has been one of the most difficult years of her life.

Vanessa was born on 14 March, and complications with the birth meant Sarah had to stay in hospital until 22 March - the day before the first lockdown.

As Sarah remained stuck in hospital the world outside changed - and it has never been the same since.

"My partner Chris was the only one allowed to visit me and every day he said more and more things were closing," says Sarah.

"Then it all became surreal so quickly. I thought when I got out we would be able to go round to stores, to introduce her to family, but we didn't have any of that.

"We just straight away got shut indoors and, being in Leicester, we haven't really got out."

Read more

Bethan Bell
BBC News Online

In their own words, Londoners have been sharing their experiences from the past year. Among them is bus driver Claude Parchment who lives in Dagenham.

"People's behaviour towards drivers has changed significantly since the pandemic," he said. "They are more polite, more thankful, more appreciative of the job we're doing.

"People getting off the bus say, 'Stay safe, driver'. That really makes us feel motivated to come back the next day and do the job over again. Thank you all for that."

Meanwhile 20-year-old Beth Sutton, who lives in Nunhead and is a healthcare worker, spoke about losing her 78-year-old grandmother Eve.

"Me and my mum both felt like it wasn't her time yet because she was fit. She was probably fitter than me.

"I've not grieved properly, it's just not normal. We haven't had our closure."

She added: "My grandma worked in the same hospital that I work in, so I do it with a lot of pride. I think that's what keeps me going."

Read the full piece here.

Image source, PA Media

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also expressed his condolences to the loved ones of people who have died during the pandemic.

He's been visiting healthcare staff in London this morning, including at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and at an ambulance station in Deptford, south-east London, where he observed the minute's silence.

"At midday, our country came together to remember all those who have lost their lives since the pandemic began," he said in a tweet. , external

"Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones. And we thank our heroic NHS staff who have worked so hard and cared for us all."

Image source, PA Media

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The debate on Covid can sometimes seem like it swings between the pandemic is over through to things are about to get a lot, lot worse.

But Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has put it in context in an appearance at the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Public Health conference.

He said the “path from here on in does look better”, but there are still going to be “lots of bumps and twists”.

He said this could include vaccine shortages or the emergence of new variants, while at a local level areas will still be battling outbreaks.

And he once again predicts there will be another surge at some point, may be next winter or even earlier.

The big question, of course, is how bad. Modelling has suggested the UK could see 30,000 Covid deaths by summer 2022 in the best case scenario – that would be in in line with the number of flu deaths seen during a very bad winter.

What should we take from this? The UK is in a strong position – perhaps the strongest position we have been in since the start of the pandemic - but it would be naïve to think it will be plain sailing from here on in.

BBC Radio 5 Live

To mark the anniversary of lockdown in the UK, BBC Radio 5 Live has been broadcasting from a museum-turned-vaccination centre in the middle of Newcastle.

Presenter Naga Munchetty has been interviewing volunteers and patients near the dinosaur exhibition inside the The Centre of Life.

Kent Flanagan is a retired nurse who signed up to help out at the centre. He says it’s been the best experience he’s ever had.

"It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before," he says. "Just knowing that we’re helping so many people is brilliant."

The hub is open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and is responsible for vaccinating about 1,200 people a day.

Figures up until the middle of March show that 83% of people aged over 55 have been vaccinated in the North East and Yorkshire.

Prof Neil Watson is in charge of the vaccine roll-out at the centre. He says the supply chain has been “really bumpy” but they are still hitting their targets.

"If somebody had said to me when we began looking at the program: 'Neil, by the middle of April you’ll have done the over-50s,' I’d have said they were mad... and it looks like that’s what we’re going to achieve," he says.

Dentist Elizabeth Ashton also works at the centre. She says she misses it on her days off.

"You’re always wondering when you’re next going to come in, you want to be here you want to be a part of it," she says.

She also says it makes a welcome change from dentistry.

“It’s actually nice having people come to see you who want to see you,” she says.

Listen live on the BBC Sounds app.

Image source, bbc

Image source, EPA

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has received a dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, ahead of a high-level meeting of world leaders to be held in the UK.

The president’s office said Moon, First Lady Kim Jung-sook and nine senior officials had been given jabs in preparation for a G7 summit planned for June.

State media showed images of Moon being given the AstraZeneca jab at a health clinic in the capital Seoul.

South Korea began using the AstraZeneca jab to vaccinate people aged 65 and older on Tuesday. About 680,000 people have been vaccinated in the country so far.

Last month, South Korea’s prime minister told the BBC the country was aiming to achieve herd immunity from Covid-19 by the autumn.

The country has been a relative success story of the pandemic, recording fewer than 2,000 deaths in total so far. From the start, South Korea has been a role model for its mass testing and aggressive contact-tracing measures.

Fergus Walsh
Medical editor

Image source, Reuters

US officials have complained that results on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, published yesterday, included “outdated” information and presented an “incomplete view” of the jab’s effectiveness.

But AstraZeneca says this was an initial analysis, based on data up to an agreed cut-off date of 17 February, and it would share further analysis with the officials - who are on a key body involved in deciding if the jab is approved in the US - within 48 hours.

Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Health, has been at pains to stress AstraZeneca is still a good vaccine, but he wants the company to issue what he calls “the correct data”.

It is worth pointing out that more people are receiving AstraZeneca every hour in the UK than in the entire US trial.

And real world evidence has confirmed that the vaccine is highly effective, and regulators in the UK and Europe have said there is no evidence of a link to blood clots.

But clinical trials are the bedrock of medicine. And it is vital that scientists and the public have confidence in them.

Image source, Getty Images

Opposition to the UK lockdown has led to street protests and campaigns on social media.

Many of the grievances expressed have been fuelled by false and misleading claims.

Among them is this claim: "Here we are a year later - the world shut down for a 99.97% survival rate"

Verdict: This figure, and similar figures being widely shared, are incorrect.

One recent estimate shows that overall, on average, about 99.3% of people who catch coronavirus survive it, according to statistics analysed by University of Cambridge., external

That might not seem like a big difference, but it means that about 70 in 10,000 people are expected to die - not three in 10,000.

The death rate is much higher for older and more vulnerable people.

And many people across all age groups suffer serious long-term effects from the virus.

Read the verdict on the other six fact-checked claims here

It's one year since Boris Johnson announced the first UK-wide coronavirus lockdown on 23 March 2020.

Since then, we've had two further national lockdowns, and more than 120,000 people have died within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.

We look back at some of the key dates and how restrictions became our new normal.

Image source, PA Media

Downing Street has released a summary of what was said in the government's Cabinet meeting this morning, as ministers reflected on today's sombre anniversary.

According to No 10, Boris Johnson began by reflecting on what had been a very dark and difficult year for the country, that we mourn all those we have lost and send our deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones.

He also said the last year had also shown the great strengths of the British public, which had demonstrated such resilience and fortitude and had shown such willingness to work together for a common good. He also paid tribute to all those in the NHS, social care and public sector, Downing Street said.

The PM also paid tribute to UK scientists and said that, if asked last March, he would not have believed it would have been possible to have developed a vaccine and delivered it to half of the adult population within 12 months.

He called it an absolutely astonishing achievement, No 10 added.

Image source, PA Media

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also paid tribute to those who have died.

In a tweet earlier today, external she said: "One year on. Thinking today of all those who have lost a loved one to Covid, and to everyone who continues to make heartbreaking sacrifices as we continue to navigate our way through this terrible ordeal, together.

"Also, many people have lost loved ones to causes other than Covid over the past 12 months. The restrictions in place have made the grieving process even more difficult than it would have been - my thoughts are with you too."

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday afternoon, No 10 has said.

It comes one year on from the day he announced the first UK lockdown.

He will be joined by England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance