Laura Foster
BBC Health correspondent

Image source, PROSTOCK-STUDIO

An "Are You Pregnant?" button is going to be added to the Covid-19 booking website to help make sure anyone expecting a baby receives the correct Covid vaccine.

So far, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation only recommends the Pfizer and Moderna jabs if you’re pregnant, following research from the USA - but that’s not to say others, such as Oxford AstraZeneca, won’t be offered in the future.

But because both of these vaccines need to be kept at sub-zero temperatures, they’re more difficult to store and aren’t offered at every vaccination site.

The move is being welcomed by both the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who say the changes should mean pregnant people are only given an appointment where they will received the appropriate Covid vaccine.

Image source, Getty Images

As Portugal opens its borders to UK tourists from Monday, it's worth reminding ourselves which countries are on the UK's travel green list.

From Monday, foreign travel is allowed for people who live in England, Scotland and Wales, but the latter has asked people to put leisure plans on hold for now.

A traffic light system will divide destinations into three categories - green, amber and red.

The initial 12 countries on the green list include Portugal, Israel, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Many popular destinations, including France and Spain, are on the amber list, while the UAE - home to beach favourite Dubai - is on the red list.

You can read more on the list and the rules around it here.

More than 30 million first coronavirus vaccine doses have been distributed in England, the NHS says.

Hailing the milestone, Dr Emily Lawson, Chief Commercial Officer for NHS England and Improvement, says the programme's success "is not an accident" but thanks to the hard work of staff and volunteers.

She says: “Getting the vaccine is the single most important step we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities against Covid 19, so when you’re called forward, book your appointment and join the tens of millions who have already been jabbed.”

Meanwhile the NHS has tweeted, external urging people not to delay in getting their second dose when offered it.

Image source, Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged rich countries to reconsider plans to vaccinate children against coronavirus and instead donate jabs to the international Covax scheme for poorer countries.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual meeting in Geneva that the second year of the pandemic was set to be more deadly than the first, with the situation in India being a huge concern.

Geneva itself will begin vaccinating everyone over 16 from next week.

Last week, US President Joe Biden laid out plans to vaccinate 70% of US adults by 4 July and roll out the shots for 12- to 15-year-olds as soon as possible.

Dr Tedros said: "I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to Covax."

Here's more on the international effort to share vaccines around the world.

Image source, Getty Images

The Turkish Grand Prix has been cancelled just six weeks after it was put on the Formula 1 calendar, and has been replaced by a second race in Austria.

Turkey was added to the F1 schedule between 11 and 13 June to replace the Canadian Grand Prix - which was cancelled because of pandemic travel restrictions in Canada.

But Turkey has now become unworkable after being put on the UK's Covid "red list" of high-risk countries.

F1 will instead run a race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria between 25 and 27 June.

Read more from BBC Sport's Andrew Benson here.

New record coronavirus low in Walespublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 14 May 2021

14:50 BST 14 May 2021

Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News

Just 700 people are estimated to have coronavirus in Wales, according to the latest ONS figures in the week to 8 May – and that’s a record.

Even when compared to virus levels last August, they are still lower in Wales now with only 0.02% of the population infected.

Across the rest of the UK, infections are falling too - just not as strikingly.

There is also no sign of a rise in infections in any age group.

But there is still concern the variant first detected in India could push up infections in people who haven’t yet been jabbed.

Scientists don’t know much about what it can do – but the good news is that more than two-thirds of all UK adults have now been vaccinated.

If vaccines continue to stop the majority of infected people from ending up ill in hospital with Covid-19, they will have done their job.

Image source, Getty Images

Have you been feeling overwhelmed after socialising since restrictions started to ease? Ever feel the need to stay indoors for a long time, cancel future plans and recharge your social batteries?

Reader; you have a "social hangover". It's what some people call the feeling of exhaustion after depleting all your energy.

And according to clinical psychologist Dr Julie Smith, this is expected after a long period of lockdown.

"What you do every day becomes your comfort zone," she tells Newsbeat.

"So when you do something that is new and different, your brain is set up to give you a little spike in stress."

It's your brain's way of saying "we haven't done this in a while, stay alert and be careful. That's just your survival response".

Head over to Newsbeat's full story for more from Dr Smith and people who have been feeling the social hangovers.

Can the COP26 climate summit really be in-person?published at 14:33 British Summer Time 14 May 2021

14:33 BST 14 May 2021

David Shukman
Science editor, BBC News

Image source, COP26

It’s as if two universes are running in parallel – one focused on climate, the other on Covid.

How the two intersect will determine whether or how the crucial COP26 summit on climate change goes ahead in Glasgow in November.

On the one hand, health experts, trying to keep a lid on the new Indian variant, are sounding cautious about allowing too many people to mix.

On the other, the man in charge of the summit, former Business Secretary Alok Sharma, spoke with determination this morning about testing, vaccines and "other measures" to keep the conference and Glasgow itself safe.

Given the importance of the gathering, one option might be to send doses to the delegates of countries that don’t yet have them.

But that would raise an ethical question about whether healthcare workers in those countries – some of the world’s poorest - should be vaccinated instead.

Sharma has promised we’ll hear more about his plans soon.

Image source, PA Wire

Bolton Council's leader has said there have been discussions with the government about the introduction of "surge" vaccinations in the area, where a high number of cases of the Indian variant have been recorded.

This would mean giving out extra doses of vaccine in the area to immunise a larger section of the population.

David Greenhalgh told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "This is an issue of capacity but we have had very, very constructive talks and certainly all the soundings are is that they are looking to progress that as soon as possible."

He said the "vast majority" of cases are in their teens, 20s and 30s - and that getting those aged over 16 vaccinated "will make a total transformation of transmission as it moves forward".

Earlier, Downing Street declined to say whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) needed to sign off on surge jabs in some areas.

Asked about it during a Westminster briefing with reporters, the prime minister's spokesman said the JCVI's "remit is to advise on the prioritisation order and set out the details and the rationale of that to government".

He added: "Throughout the vaccination programme, we have accepted their advice and we have rolled out the vaccinations accordingly."

Image source, Getty Images

Greece has launched its tourist season, lifting most remaining restrictions on movement and declaring "we are putting the lockdown behind us".

Although an average of 2,000 daily Covid cases are still being reported, vaccinations are being rolled out with the Greek islands as a priority.

German tourists have begun flying in, but Britons will not. The government has included Greece on its "amber list". For people in England, that means that leisure travel to Greece is not recommended, and arrivals require tests and isolation. There are similar rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Read more about the traffic light system of travel rules here.

Image source, Getty

The R number - the number of people that someone infected with Covid-19 will pass the virus on to, on average - has risen slightly in England, figures show.

It means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 11 other people.

Sage has also estimated a growth rate of between -3% and 1%.

This means that the number of new infections could be broadly flat, shrinking by up to 3% every day, or growing by up to 1% every day.

These estimates paint a picture of transmission between two and three weeks ago, rather than now. That's because there is a time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.

During a coronavirus press conference in Wales, the BBC's Sarah Dickens asks First Minister Mark Drakeford how the cases of the Indian variant are reaching Wales, how concerned he is and what actions he might consider.

Drakeford says the 26 cases are "almost entirely" the result of people returning to Wales from overseas travel and that all those involved are self-isolating with their households.

He says it's "not that we need to be overly concerned about the position in Wales at the moment, it's more that the significant spread of that Indian variant across our border is something we need to understand better".

He says there is a "significant cluster" of that variant in the north west of England, and that the border with the north east of Wales is "a very porous one, so we are keeping a particular watch on developments there".

He says if scientific advice is to "recalibrate" the vaccine programme to provide even more defence then the authorities will do so.

Northern Ireland has recorded its lowest weekly number of registered coronavirus-related deaths since October.

The NI Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) says the virus was mentioned on the death certificates of three people in the week ending 7 May - a decrease of five on the previous week's toll.

It brings the agency's total of Covid-19 related registered deaths to 2,960.

Nisra counts deaths by recording mentions of the virus on death certificates, regardless of whether it was confirmed with a test.

As a result, its figures are higher than the Department of Health's total of 2,147 for the same date. That number is based on a positive test result being recorded.

Nisra has said it will end its weekly explanatory bulletin about Covid deaths and will only publish it when five or more deaths are recorded in a week.

Wales will use the same traffic light system for international travel as the rest of the UK, the first minister says.

Mark Drakeford says everyone returning from a green list country will have to book and pay for a test on their return. They should use lateral flow tests to follow up on their negative test at home, he says.

"Here in Wales we will not adopt the English test to release scheme for travellers returning from amber list countries," he says.

"This is because the evidence we have is that about a third of people who develop coronavirus linked to travel do so five days after arriving back in Wales.

"I believe if ever there was a year to holiday at home and to enjoy everything that the wonders of Wales has to offer then this surely is the year to do just that."

The Prime Minister will host a coronavirus press conference at 17:00 BST, Downing Street says.

Boris Johnson will be joined by England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.

They are expected to address concerns over the Indian variant after UK cases doubled to 1,313, according to this weeks' figures from Public Health England.

We will bring you updates from that briefing later on.

Image source, Getty Images

Tourists from the UK will be allowed to visit Portugal from Monday, the country's minister of state for foreign affairs has said.

Anyone arriving in the country will need to have had a PCR test 72 hours before departure, according to VisitPortugal, the website developed by the country's National Tourism Authority.

Work is also under way to ensure there is enough testing capacity in Portugal, it adds.

The announcement comes despite Portugal extending its "state of public calamity" on the mainland - the second highest level of alert - for a further 15 days from Monday, until 30 May.

Authorities in the UK already announced that travellers from England and Scotland wouldn't have to quarantine upon their return from Portugal and other "green list" countries from 17 May.

However, those countries have their own restrictions on who can visit.

At present, Portugal allows flights to and from the UK, but only for essential travel, such as for business, study, family reasons, health or humanitarian reasons.

Those travel restrictions will only be lifted from 17 May.

Wales' first minister is outlining the places that can reopen on Monday when the country moves to alert level two

• Indoor hospitality for groups of six people from up to six households
• Holiday accommodation
• Cinemas, bowling alleys, bingo halls, indoor play centres, casinos, amusement arcades, theatres and concert halls
• Indoor visitor attractions
• Up to 30 people can take part in organised indoor activities
• And up to 50 people can participate in organised outdoor activities
• This includes wedding receptions and funeral wakes

Mark Drakeford says on 24 May the limit on the number of care home visitors will be lifted. You can see the rules in detail here.

Image source, Welsh Government

Wales will move to alert level two of coronavirus restrictions, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

Before giving more detail on which restrictions would be lifted, he told a coronavirus press conference he wanted to discuss the Indian variant.

He says: "This pandemic continues to be full of unpleasant twist and turns.

"We are closely monitoring the Indian variant which has caused 26 cases in Wales but more than 1,500 across our border in England.

"It appears to spread easily between person to person like the Kent variant now which is now widespread in the UK but it may travel even faster."

The UK Sage committee met yesterday to discuss the India variant and we will follow the latest scientific advice, he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Four in 10 adults say they would be more likely to attend an event if they were required to show proof of a negative Covid test, a study suggests.

Some 41% of adults were more positive about attending an event such as the theatre or a concert if they were required to show a negative test, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.

But a majority - 71% - said they would be less likely to attend if it meant spending an extra two hours in the venue to allow for a socially-distanced exit.

An event without any social distancing, being required to wear a face covering for the duration of the event, and being unable to eat food and drink also put adults off.

The ONS asked 7,617 people in Britain about their likelihood of attending organised events between 28 April and 3 May.

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

Estimates from the Office for National Statistics survey suggest about 47,000 people in the UK would have tested positive for coronavirus in the week to 8 May, down from 57,000 people the previous week.

This is 0.07% of the population – or one in 1,375 people.

It has roughly halved in a week in Wales and Northern Ireland, nearly halved in Scotland but has only decreased slightly in England.

Here's a breakdown of the latest statistics compared with a week ago.

• England: 1-in 1,340 are estimated to be testing positive for coronavirus vs 1-in-1,180 last week
• Wales:1-in-4,230 vs 1-in-2,070
• Northern Ireland:1-in-1,430 vs 1-in-750
• Scotland:1-in-1,250 vs 1-in-760