The "scales are tipping" in favour of accelerating the process of relaxing restrictions, according to Northern Ireland's health minister.

Robin Swann says the time is right for the executive to further ease restrictions and to give some indicative dates.

"Covid fatigue risks itself mutating into Covid despair," he says at the weekly briefing.

"Frustration is growing and if unchecked, it may impact on adherence with public health advice."

He adds that easing restrictions could offer optimism to people and to businesses.

The NI Executive is due to meet on Thursday, when ministers are expected to outline dates for the lifting of Covid restrictions around hairdressers and non-essential retail.

Image source, Reuters

We told you earlier about a case of the South African variant of coronavirus being detected in Barnet, north-west London.

The local council has now said that it is unrelated to the cluster of cases detected in south London.

There have been 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases identified in Wandsworth and Lambeth, and another in Southwark linked to that cluster.

Surge testing has been extended to Barnet after the discovery there and will begin tomorrow.

Image source, Reuters

AstraZeneca says it respects the decision of Danish health regulators to stop using the company's Covid vaccine because of a possible link to cases of a very rare type of blood clot.

Earlier, Denmark became the first European country to fully halt the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.

In a statement to the Reuters news agency, AstraZeneca says: "We recognise and respect the decision taken by Sundhedsstyrelsen (the health agency) in Denmark."

The company adds it is a matter for each country to decide its vaccination programmes based on local conditions.

"We will continue to collaborate with the regulators and local authorities in order to provide all available data to inform their decisions," the company says.

EU drugs watchdog the European Medicines Agency last week announced a possible link with clots but said the risk of dying of Covid-19 was much greater.

Read the full story here.

Hundreds of residents in the London borough of Lambeth have joined long queues to take coronavirus tests, after surge testing was introduced there. It's one of four boroughs where the testing is taking place.

A total of 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases of the South African variant were identified in Wandsworth and Lambeth, and a confirmed case was found in Southwark and in Barnet.

Image source, Getty Images

The Welsh government and NHS "responded well in challenging circumstances" to prevent health and care bodies running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, a watchdog says.

Audit Wales says arrangements were made to manage risks which helped avoid some problems reported in England.

Wales' spending on PPE increased from around £8m a year to £300m in 2020-21.

You can read more here.

As we've just reported, eight million people are now fully vaccinated in the UK, having had both doses of a jab. And more than 32 million people have had their first dose of a vaccine.

Here's a glimpse of what it feels like to be fully vaccinated.

More than eight million people have now had their second dose of a Covid vaccine, according to the latest government figures, external.

Some 8,170,081 people have had their second dose, and 32,326,604 have received their first.

Another 38 deaths were recorded in the UK of people who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, and a further 2,491 tested positive.

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson will scale down his trip to India at the end of the month due to the deteriorating coronavirus situation in the south Asian country.

The prime minister had been due to spend four days in India, but following talks with Narendra Modi's team, the "bulk" of the meetings could be squeezed into one day.

Covid cases are soaring India, with more than 180,000 new infections identified since Tuesday.

• Coronavirus cases, deaths, and vaccinations by country

India has so far confirmed more than 13.9 million cases and 172,000 dead, in what is likely to be an undercount.

The PM's trip has already been delayed once, having been pushed back from January due to the UK's second wave.

Image source, EPA

We've been bringing you the news that Denmark has become the first country to completely stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns of rare side effects.

Now the Czech government wants to buy Denmark's leftover supplies.

Czech deputy PM Jan Hamacek tweeted that he has asked the Czech ambassador in Copenhagen to negotiate the purchase of all of Denmark's unwanted AZ vaccines. That is about 2.4 million jabs.

"We are looking for vaccines all over the world. We are willing to buy AstraZeneca from Denmark. On Monday, I fly to Moscow, where I want to arrange possible deliveries of Sputnik V after its approval by the European Medicines Agency," he said.

The Czech Republic, like several EU countries, says its vaccination effort is being hampered by insufficient supplies.

The country has registered 1.59 million infections, and more than 28,000 people have died.

Image source, Reuters

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it is expediting a safety review of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine and hopes to issue its recommendations next week.

A number of countries have temporarily stopped using the jab, including the US and South Africa, after some extremely rare side effects of blood clotting.

Shipments to the European Union only started this week, and widespread use of the jab, which is also known as the Janssen vaccine, had not begun. J&J has paused future deliveries to the bloc.

In a statement, external, the EMA said it "remains of the view that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19 outweigh the risks of side effects." This opinion is shared by the World Health Organization.

The agency’s scientific opinions provide EU member states with the information they need to decide whether to include the vaccine as part of their inoculation programmes.

The Covid-19 pandemic is "far from over", the World Health Organization’s special envoy on Covid-19 is warning.

Speaking at a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh symposium, Dr David Nabarro says coronavirus is "surging forward" in most parts of the world and new variants will be a “regular” occurrence.

"The pandemic is nowhere near finished," he says, adding coronavirus is "one of the fastest spreading viruses" he has ever worked with.

But he adds: "The doubling time (of infections) has slowed massively through the behaviours of people - through physical distance, masks, better hygiene and isolating to avoid transmission."

On the lifting of restrictions in the UK and the success of the vaccination programme so far, Dr Nabarro says: "(Some say) this is an opportunity for the UK to emerge from the pandemic, well I say 'perhaps'.

"I have to stress that I am not 100% sure that the world is going to find it easy to vaccinate itself out of this pandemic because of the emergence of variants that are capable of escaping protection of current vaccines."

Image source, PA Media

Surge testing will be extended to a fourth London borough after a case of the South African Covid variant was found in Barnet.

It comes after testing began in Lambeth, Wandsworth and parts of Southwark after cases of the variant were found.

Some 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases were identified in Wandsworth and Lambeth and a further one in Southwark.

• South Africa variant: What's the risk?

Barnet Council, in north-west London, said it will start testing people for the South African variant in specific postcode areas affected in N3, or those who shop on the local high street from Thursday.

Teams of officials will go door-to-door to deliver PCR test kits and a mobile testing unit will be set up in the car park of Finchley Central Station.

Those affected should visit the council's website for more details, it says.

Read more here.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Reuters

China’s National Health Commission says that 175.6 million vaccine doses have been delivered in the country, external.

China aims to vaccinate 40% of the population by the end of June, which would equate to some 560 million vaccine doses. It hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating more than 70% of the population by early 2022.

But vaccination is not happening as quickly as China would like.

At its current pace, the country would be tens of millions of vaccinations short of its goal by the end of June. The current statistics also include the recipients of second doses.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that “the pressure of imported cases has not subsided”, external. He says China could be susceptible to outbreaks, such as the one in the border city of Ruili - caused by infected people entering the country from Myanmar - unless 70-80% of the population are vaccinated. That is about one billion people.

In recent days, some local governments have come under fire for trying to make vaccination mandatory in order to help China achieve its vaccination goals.

This led to medical specialists urging a halt to compulsory vaccination schemes, external, saying that people’s individual wishes should be respected.

Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft questioned Boris Johnson earlier about the lack of a sign language interpreter in the new briefing room used for Covid press conferences.

Watch how she asked him in Prime Minister's Questions - and how Johnson responded.

Image source, Reuters

There is "nothing to suggest" the public "aren't behaving responsibly" since the lockdown easing this week, Downing Street says.

It follows a warning from the deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), Professor Anthony Harnden, that scenes of "crowded spaces" in London could "push infection rates up".

The prime minister's official spokesman tells reporters: "I think the prime minister, as he made clear in his clip [on Tuesday], wants the public - as the vast majority have done throughout - to continue to behave responsibly, follow the guidelines - hands, face, space and, importantly, fresh air as well.

"We're confident that the public, as they have done throughout, will do that to help continue to drive down infections further."

Asked if Number 10 thinks people understand the new rules, the spokesman says: "There is nothing to suggest that the vast majority of the public, as they have done throughout, aren't behaving responsibly."

On the surge testing for the South African variant identified in three London boroughs, the spokesman says Boris Johnson is taking the situation "very seriously".

The spokesman says the prime minister recommends for everyone to "take up that invitation" to get tested in Lambeth, Wandsworth and parts of Southwark.

Image source, Getty Images

Businesses on the Isle of Man should "begin preparations for reopening from Monday", the chief minister says.

There has been no evidence of Covid-19 community spread on the island since 30 March, and the number of cases has now fallen from a peak of 881 to just 21.

• How many cases are there in my area?

Howard Quayle says if the trend continues, all legal restrictions will be lifted on Monday.

Non-essential firms were forced to close on 3 March when the island entered its third lockdown after a sharp rise in cases.

Quayle says: "Unless there are events that give us significant cause for concern before then, our intention remains that we will lift all legal restrictions from 19 April."

Read the full story here.

Denmark's media conference on the vaccine situation was dramatically interrupted when Tanja Erichsen, the director of the Medicines Agency, suddenly passed out and fell to the floor.

The briefing was being broadcast live, and pictures show a shocked Soren Brostrom, head of the Danish Health Authority, rushing to help her.

The Medicines Agency tweeted that Ms Erichsen is ok but has been taken to the emergency room as a precaution.

Image source, PA Media

Here’s an afternoon round-up of the main coronavirus headlines in the UK so far today:

• A major UK trial looking at whether Covid vaccines can be mixed with different types of jabs used for first and second doses is being expanded
• The cost of coronavirus testing for holidaymakers has been cut amid growing pressure from the travel industry
• In Scotland, Covid is no longer the leading cause of death
• Brewers say they are hoping the return of outdoor drinking and dining in England can revive their struggling industry
• Surge testing will take place in a third London borough after a case of the Covid-19 South African variant was found
• Anyone who cannot work from home in Wales will be able to get free rapid Covid home testing kits from Friday, the Welsh government says
• BBC News NI understands driving lessons and tests could resume in Northern Ireland next week
• The family of a pregnant nurse who died with Covid-19 have yet to receive any money from a fundraising campaign that names them as beneficiaries
• Every adult in the Scottish island Fair Isle, the UK's remotest island community, has been vaccinated

Image source, Getty Images

Staff in care homes in England with elderly residents may be required to get a coronavirus vaccine, the government says.

The Department of Health and Social Care has launched a consultation on making Covid vaccination a condition of deployment for care home workers.

The government says experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) advise 80% of staff and 90% of residents need to be vaccinated to provide a minimum level of protection against outbreaks.

Only 53% of older adult homes in England are currently meeting this threshold.

• What are England's care home rules?

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says: "Making vaccines a condition of deployment is something many care homes have called for.

"It is right we consider all options to keep people safe."

The five-week consultation will seek views on the proposal, any potential impact it could have on staffing and safety, how it could be implemented and who could be exempt.

Staff, care providers, residents and their families are being urged to take part. A decision is expected to be made this summer.

Image source, PA Media

March was the first month since October that Covid was not the leading cause of death in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland figures, external reveal the virus-related death rate fell from 259 per 100,000 people in February to 69 last month.

Official statistics also confirm a further 34 deaths where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate were registered up until 11 April.

This brings the total under the weekly measure to 10,031.

• Read more: Remembering the Scots lost to Covid

Since Sunday, a further three Covid deaths have been registered within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

Last week, Scotland passed the 10,000 deaths milestone, 13 months after the first death was reported.

Find the full story here.