Coronavirus - 21st January 2021

Summary for Thursday, 21st January

• Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in England say infection levels may have risen at the start of the latest lockdown
  
• Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says parents will be given two weeks' notice of return to schools in England
  
• Williamson says he hopes to be able to restart daily testing in schools, after plans were paused on the advice of Public Health England
  
• Another 65 vaccination centres in England are welcoming their first patients today
  
• People forced to evacuate their flooded homes in England and Wales are being told they won't be breaking Covid restrictions to do so
  
• Among newly-inaugurated US President Joe Bidens's first executive orders are steps to tackle the coronavirus crisis
  
• EU leaders will meet via video later for a summit focusing on the vaccine rollout and how to contain the spread of new variants of Covid-19
  
• A further 1,820 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were reported in the UK on Wednesday
  
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants teachers and police officers to be vaccinated "as soon as possible"
  
• There have been more than 96 million cases of the virus worldwide and two million people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data
  

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s a quick summary of the main headlines in the UK this morning:

• Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in England say infection levels in the community may have risen at the start of the latest lockdown
  
• Another 60 NHS vaccination centres in England, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury, will welcome their first patients today
  
• People have been told Covid restrictions allow them to leave their homes in an emergency, as hundreds are evacuated amid widespread flooding across England and Wales
  
• Anyone going on a Saga holiday or cruise in 2021 must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the tour operator has said
  
• House hunters are taking advantage of lockdown rules to travel hundreds of miles to view homes, estate agents say
  

Analysis: Even tougher measures may be needed

Pallab Ghosh - Science correspondent, BBC News
The findings of Imperial College's React study are seemingly at odds with recent figures from NHS Test and Trace, which has been reporting recent decreases in daily infections and has prompted some experts to suggest that we might be beginning our journey out of the woods.
The study's initial findings suggest infections between 6-15 January were up by 50% on early December, with one in 63 people infected.
The researchers behind the study say the test and trace figures may be reflecting an initial drop in infections just after Christmas, which is only now being registered on the official figures. It takes time for infection to turn into symptoms, for test results to be turned around and then put into the system.
The study's more up to date findings indicate that infection levels did not continue to fall in the first two weeks of January and may even have gone up. So why has this happened?
Data on people's movements has shown that there's been increased activity which the scientists involved say has kept transmission of the virus at a high level. The Department of Health says that the study does not yet reflect the impact of the lockdown in England.
But if this trend continues, say the scientists, the numbers admitted to hospital with severe Covid illness will not fall in the short term, as some had hoped.
This is one set of figures over a short number of days so there might be a more optimistic picture when the study reports its full set of results in a week's time. But there is no getting away from the fact that ministers will be disappointed not to have seen a fall at this stage.
Unless things change, even tougher measures will have to be considered.

Latest around Europe

• EU leaders meet via video late this afternoon for a summit focusing on the vaccine rollout and how to contain the spread of new variants of Covid-19. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning that border controls could be introduced if tighter common measures aren’t agreed. Greece, meanwhile, is keen for an EU vaccination certificate to help cross-border travel.
  
• There's bad news for the French ski industry – as expected ski lifts will remain closed at the start of next month and the tourism minister says it’s highly unlikely they can reopen later on in February. At least a quarter of a million French jobs rely on the ski season and the government is working on economic support measures.
  
• German health officials are seeing a lower trend in infections since Christmas. Although over 20,000 new infections have been reported in the past 24 hours, the Robert Koch institute says weekly incidence rates are now down to 119 infections per 100,000, the lowest since the start of November.
  
• The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, is lifting some Covid restrictions from tomorrow, with city colleges and sport schools allowed to reopen and capacity at theatres and cinemas raised from a quarter to a half. Schools reopened last week and the mayor says more than 220,000 people in the capital have been vaccinated.
  
• Swedish PM Stefan Lofven has extended a ban on alcohol sales in restaurants after 20:00 until 7 February and told bosses the most important thing they can do is to let staff work from home. Sweden has reported a slight fall in the number of Covid patients in intensive care to 327.
  

 

UK giving 200 Covid vaccinations every minute - Hancock

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is making a statement in the Commons on the coronavirus vaccine roll-out.
He says the UK has now given more than five million doses of the vaccine to 4.6 million people.
He describes this as a "huge feat", saying the government is making "good progress" on its target to vaccinate the top four priority groups by mid-February.
It means the UK is working at a rate of giving 200 vaccinations every minute.

Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

US President Joe Biden is planning to revamp the nation’s fight against its worst public health crisis in more than a century, while Pfizer is facing potential legal action over its move to temporarily delay Covid-19 vaccine shipments to European countries.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see Covid-19: MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE
* A third pandemic lockdown appears to be having little impact on rates of Covid-19 in England, researchers warned, with prevalence of the disease ‘very high’ and ‘no evidence of decline’ in the first 10 days of renewed restrictions.

* The more contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain is spreading rapidly across Portugal, pressuring the health service at a time when authorities are scrambling to tackle the country’s worst outbreak since the pandemic’s start.
* Turkey has slowed the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations after an explosive start last week but can quicken it again after the country delivers inoculations to the elderly in care homes and at their houses, the programme’s coordinator said.
* The Index.hu website reported that Hungary’s drug regulator gave the green light to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, while Argentina approved the shot for use in people over 60.
* The Netherlands proposed the first nationwide curfew since World War Two and a ban on flights from South Africa and Britain.

ASIA-PACIFIC
* China plans to impose strict Covid testing requirements during the Lunar New Year holiday season, when tens of millions of people are expected to travel, as it battles the worst wave of new infections since March 2020.
* India’s Bharat Biotech has applied to conduct trials in Bangladesh for its coronavirus vaccine recently approved for emergency use at home, a senior official at Bangladesh’s main medical research body told Reuters.
* Beijing is touting a state programme that gives Taiwanese in China priority for COVID-19 vaccines, prompting concern within Taiwan’s government which sees it as the latest Chinese tool to win over the island’s population.
* Australia recorded a fourth day of zero coronavirus cases, prompting the chief of the country’s most populous state to call for a special travel “bubble” with Pacific island nations.
* Indonesia plans to start giving the general public Covid-19 vaccinations sometime between late April to May, health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said.

AMERICAS
* President Joe Biden signed an order requiring masks and physical distancing in all federal buildings and the development of a testing program for federal employees for Covid-19, in a first step to combat a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans.
* Ecuador said the first batch of 18 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines it contracted for with three pharmaceutical companies and the COVAX initiative arrived on Wednesday for a pilot plan with medical staff from public hospitals and nursing homes.
* Chile’s health regulator approved the emergency roll-out of the CoronaVac vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The World Bank said it had approved a re-allocation of $34 million in funds to support Lebanon’s vaccination efforts as it races to contain the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first such outlay of funds by the Bank.
* Dubai has suspended non-essential surgery for a month and live entertainment in hotels and restaurants until further notice as coronavirus infections surge.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Oxford scientists are preparing to rapidly produce new versions of their vaccine to combat emerging more contagious Covid-19 variants discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.
* The World Health Organisation plans to approve several vaccines from Western and Chinese manufacturers in the coming weeks and months, according to Reuters.
* The new Covid-19 variant identified in South Africa defeats plasma treatment and may reduce vaccine efficacy, scientists said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian stocks rose to new record highs on Thursday, tracking US markets as investors hoped for more economic stimulus from newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden to offset damage wreaked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Germany may need to close borders, warns Merkel's chief of staff

Germany may need to close its borders to neighbouring countries if they do not act to curb coronavirus infections, Merkel’s chief of staff said on Thursday.
Helge Braun told ARD television it was important to get infection levels under control so that countries could protect themselves from new, more transmissible strains of the virus.
“The danger is that when the infections in a country go up, this mutation becomes a quasi majority variant and then the infection can no longer be controlled,” he said.
“And therefore even stricter entry rules at our internal borders are unavoidable, and since everyone does not want that, it is important that we act together now.”

Swiss resort of St Moritz reports 53 coronavirus infections

Mass testing of thousands of people in the Swiss resort of St Moritz, where luxury hotels were placed under quarantine, found 53 coronavirus infections, including 31 cases of a fast-spreading variant, local officials said on Thursday.
Authorities said about 3,200 people were tested this week, and that the 31 infections caused by viral variants were discovered among hotel employees, not guests at the two hotels placed under quarantine, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel and the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski.
St Moritz said it was lifting emergency measures that had been put in place to protect the community. The town of 5,200 people had closed local schools, shuttered ski schools and required masks be worn in all public areas, for fear mutant virus was spreading quickly.
“The mutated virus was found particularly in hotel employees and was not transmitted to hotel guests,” officials with the canton of Grisons said in a statement.
“This shows that the hotels’ protection concepts work and that employee testing is a sensible, effective measure.”

England’s virus levels ‘may have risen’ in January

Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in England say infection levels in the community may have risen at the start of the latest lockdown.
Infections in the period 6-15 January were up by 50% on early December, with one-in-63 people infected, Imperial College London's initial findings suggest.
Swab tests from 143,000 people indicate 1.58% had the virus during early January - up from 0.91% in December.
Ministers say the report does not yet reflect the impact of the lockdown.
But Imperial College London's Prof Paul Elliott warns if the high prevalence continues "more lives will be lost".
Read more.

Pandemic poses challenges for flood evacuations

People forced to evacuate their homes amid widespread flooding across England and Wales are being told they won't be breaking Covid restrictions to do so.
About 2,000 homes in the Didsbury and Northenden areas of Manchester, and in Ruthin and Bangor-on-Dee, North Wales, and Maghull, Merseyside, are affected.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government is "totally prepared" for the dual crises of flooding and the pandemic and that Covid-secure facilities will be available for any people forced to leave their homes as a result of the weather.
One resident in Didsbury, Fari Iravani, tells BBC news the pandemic is making it more difficult to find somewhere to stay.
"During corona where do you evacuate to? You don't want to impose yourself on other people," he says.
"We are trying to hold on as long as we can, and hopefully it will pass... If there is a continuation of the rain and the storm, that's going to be a problem."
Meanwhile, pumps and sandbags have had to be brought in to protect supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being held in a warehouse in Wrexham, north-east Wales, which was threatened by floods.
A statement from Wockhardt, which runs the warehouse, says there is no disruption to manufacturing and the site is now operating as normal.

One in 10 major hospital trusts in England have no spare ICU beds

One in 10 major hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week, figures published by NHS England this morning show.
That was for the week ending 17 January.
The hospital trusts with no spare intensive care beds included University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust - one of the largest trusts in England.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust were also among the 15 acute trusts - out of 140 in England - on the list.

'Two-month vaccine wait' for 84-year-old housebound woman

A housebound 84-year-old woman says she has been told she may have to wait up to two months to have her coronavirus vaccine if she cannot get to her GP surgery.
Stuart Wilson says his mother Julia, from Sketty in Swansea, is immobile and needs two people with a hoist to get her up.
He says her surgery called on Tuesday offering a jab but they were told it would take time to arrange a house visit.
"I'm appalled," says Stuart. "It's completely immoral."
Stuart is one of several relatives of some over-70s who have complained about the waits, while some say the differences in vaccinations between England and Wales is "alarming".
The Welsh government says a mobile service could take a jab to Julia, while Dr Chris Johns, from Sketty Medical Centre, says: "I can give assurances that no housebound patient is being asked to wait this long for their vaccination.
"This is a massive undertaking by GPs and we would ask older patients, if they are mobile, to attend one of our vaccination clinics instead."
Read the full story here.

Moscow to relax some Covid-19 restrictions from Friday

Moscow will relax some Covid-19 restrictions from Friday, including fully reopening colleges and specialist education institutions, the mayor said on Thursday.
The number of daily new cases has started to fall in Russia, which launched a voluntary vaccination programme with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine last month. It has resisted imposing a strict new lockdown, relying instead on targeted measures.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said new daily cases were considerably lower than at the end of December and that a tangible drop in daily hospital admissions to 1,200-1,300 people from 1,500-1,800 had made him cautiously optimistic.
“Vaccination rates have significantly increased. Over 220,000 Muscovites have already received reliable protection from the virus,” Sobyanin wrote on his website.

:Left Quotes:  In this situation, we can allow ourselves to considerably soften existing restrictions.

State-run universities will continue to operate with distanced learning, but colleges and specialist institutions can reopen fully from Friday, Sobyanin said.
Theatres, cinemas and concert halls will be allowed to increase capacity to 50%, as will museums, libraries and stadiums for sports events.
Restrictions that will remain include bars and restaurants having to close early, the wearing of medical masks in shops and on public transport, and businesses having to limit the number of staff in offices to 30%.
Russia has registered two Covid-19 vaccines and plans to register a third on 16 February.
Russia reported 21,887 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, including 3,458 in Moscow, taking the total to 3,655,839 since the pandemic began, the world’s fourth-highest tally. The official nationwide death toll stands at 67,832.

Indonesia hits new record of deaths from Covid-19 for second time this week

Indonesia has just reported 346 deaths from Covid-19, hitting a new record for the second time this week, as hospitals in the Southeast Asian nation come under increasing strain from the coronavirus pandemic.
Data from Indonesia’s Covid-19 taskforce showed that deaths now total 27,203, while confirmed cases reached 951,651, among the highest in Asia.
The record fatalities and sharp rise in daily cases in recent weeks comes amid warnings that the situation could imminently worsen in Indonesia’s hospitals.
“Hospitals could collapse in the coming days if they’re not managed,” said Irma Hidayana, a co-founder of the data initiative group Lapor Covid-19.
Capacity of isolation beds at Covid-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta had reached 87% and intensive care unit beds were 82% occupied, data from the city government showed as of January 17th.
The high occupancy has seen some patients die after being turned away from hospitals with no space for them.
Indonesia recorded 3,849 deaths from Jan. 1 to Jan. 17.
Indonesia started its mass vaccination campaign last week and aims to inoculate 181.5 million people, or roughly 67% of the population.

India sends 1 million doses of vaccine to Nepal

India has today sent 1 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine to Nepal, a gift that is likely to help repair strained ties between the two neighbours.
The Associated Press reports:

Nepali health minister Hridayesh Tripathi said the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine, manufactured under license by Serum Institute of India, will be given to health workers and other front-line personnel within a week to 10 days.
Tripathi said Nepal would like to purchase 4 million more doses, and asked for the Indian government’s help. There was no immediate response from Indian officials who were the airport when the vaccine arrived.
Nepal foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali flew to India last week to formally request the vaccine. India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, began supplying coronavirus vaccine to its neighbours this week as it attempts to strike a balance between maintaining enough doses to inoculate its own people and helping developing countries without the capacity to produce their own vaccine.
Nepal has a population of 29 million and has had 268,000 confirmed cases of Covid, with almost 2,000 deaths.
Relations between India and Nepal have been strained by a territorial dispute which led to an exchange of strong-worded statements by the two sides. India has also accused Nepal’s Communist government of becoming closer to other giant neighbour, China.

Africa reports 207,000 new cases in past week, 100,000 of those in South Africa

Africa’s coronavirus case fatality rate stands at 2.5%, higher than the global level of 2.2%, a trend that is alarming experts, the head of the continent’s disease control body have said.
Earlier in the pandemic, Africa’s death rate had been below the global average, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) head John Nkengasong told reporters.
“The case fatality rate is beginning to be very worrying and concerning for all of us,” he said. The number of African nations with a death rate higher than the current global average is growing, he added.
There are 21 countries on the continent with a death rate of above 3%, including Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan.
Over the past week, cases decreased by nearly 7% compared to the previous week while deaths increased 10%, according to Africa CDC data. Africa has recorded 3.3 million coronavirus infections and 81,000 deaths as of Thursday, it says.
The continent reported 207,000 new cases in the past week, with South Africa alone reporting 100,000 of those new cases, Nkengasong said.

Mexico reports highest daily death tolls since start of the coronavirus pandemic

Mexico is recording some of its highest daily death tolls since the coronavirus pandemic began, with 1,539 deaths reported Wednesday and 1,584 the previous day.
The Associated Press reports:

There was also a near-record one-day rise in new virus cases of 20,548 Wednesday. Mexico, which has a population of 128 million, has seen almost 1.69 million confirmed coronavirus infections and over 144,000 test-confirmed deaths related to Covid. The country’s testing rate is extremely low, however, and official estimates suggest the real death toll is closer to 195,000.
Hospitals in Mexico City, the current centre of the pandemic in Mexico, were at 89% capacity Wednesday, while 61% of hospital beds nationwide were filled. The difficulty in finding open hospital beds has led many families to try to treat their relatives at home, which has created spot shortages of oxygen and tanks, and sparked an uptick in thefts targeting oxygen tanks.
Mexico has received only about 750,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with about 500,000 administered so far. The country has 750,000 front-line medical personnel, all of whom will need two doses.

Euro 2020: Uefa 'thinking about' switching tournament to one country

Uefa’s president, Aleksander Čeferin, is weighing up whether to stage the European Championship in one country this summer rather than across the continent as planned, according to the Bayern Munich CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
The host cities are due to be London, Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest and Baku, with the semi-finals and final set for Wembley. Uefa is expected to make a decision on the fate of the tournament in March.
Čeferin said last week he was hopeful vaccination programmes, moving at different speeds across the various host countries, would be the key to sticking to the plan.
Read more

EU could ban travellers from Britain to contain Covid variants

The European Union could ban travellers from the UK and restrict movement at the bloc’s own internal borders under proposals to be debated by leaders at a videoconference summit, Daniel Boffey reports.
The need to clamp down on the spread of the new variants of coronavirus will dominate discussions between the 27 heads of state and government on Thursday evening.
The prevalence of the variants in any area, whether the country is in the EU or outside the bloc, would be sufficient to ban travel under one proposal paper drafted by the German government.
For those outside the EU, such as the UK, the prohibition on movement would be countrywide, according to Berlin. “Where member states consider this necessary to protect public health, they are free to impose further-reaching temporary bans on entry and on transporting passengers entering from third countries with virus variant areas,” German officials wrote.
Full story here

Hong Kong considers imposing quarantine for flight crew entering the country

Hong Kong is considering ordering flight crew entering the Asian financial hub to quarantine for two weeks, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday, citing sources.
All pilots and cabin crew, including local staff, will have to quarantine in a hotel if they stay in Hong Kong for more than two hours, three sources told the newspaper.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and the government did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the potential mandate.
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, said earlier this week that social distancing measures set to expire this week would be extended to contain infections.

Mongolian PM resigns after Covid handling protests

Mongolia’s prime minister has resigned following protests and public outrage over the treatment of a coronavirus patient and her newborn baby.
AFP reports:

Landlocked Mongolia reported just a handful of Covid-19 cases last year after imposing strict border controls, but in November its first domestic transmissions caused a new wave of lockdowns and restrictions.
Anger mounted this week after TV footage showed a woman who appeared to have recently given birth being moved to an infectious disease centre wearing only hospital pyjamas and plastic slippers, despite temperatures dipping to minus 25 degrees Celsius.
After protests outside government buildings on Wednesday, the Mongolian politician apologised on behalf of the government and said he would stand down immediately.
“Unfortunately, we made mistake during relocating that mother,” admitted prime minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. “It was heartbreaking to see how she was treated. As a prime minister, I must take the responsibility.”
The video of the woman in an ambulance clutching her baby prompted fierce criticism, particularly as Mongolian tradition dictates new mothers should avoid the cold weather and cold food for the first month after birth.
On Wednesday around 5,000 mostly young protesters gathered in a square opposite government buildings in the capital Ulaanbaatar, some carrying wrapped up bundles to represent babies.

The vice prime minister - also head of the national emergency commission handling the pandemic - had already resigned on Wednesday evening, followed by the minister of health. The head of the hospital and disease centre in the middle of the row also resigned.
This week’s row is the latest clash over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak as anger simmers over Mongolian nationals stuck overseas after the country closed its borders. Restrictions on movement between provinces have also been imposed since November, leaving about 80,000 people stranded in the capital.
Since March, Mongolia has only allowed citizens to enter the country on chartered flights and required 21 days of quarantine in centralised facilities, followed by two weeks of further isolation at home. There have been 1,584 coronavirus cases and just two reported deaths in the country with a population of 3.3 million so far.


Protest against the government’s handling on the coronavirus disease in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday. (Photograph: Reuters)

Should we have coronavirus passports? Listeners respond...

BBC Radio 5 Live
This morning on BBC Radio 5 Live, Nicky Campbell asked listeners if they’d support coronavirus ‘passports’ - allowing those who’ve been vaccinated access to large gatherings and public events.
Justin in Hertfordshire is a fan of the idea.
"I travel to Africa regularly and have a Yellow Fever vaccination card that’s operated for years. I’m struggling to understand why anyone would have an issue with having a vaccine card for Covid. This virus has changed the way that we have to operate."
But another caller, William, disagreed, saying whilst the vaccine can protect those who’ve had it, it "may not stop transmission".
"I think needing a passport for cinemas, bars and cafes is totally ridiculous. I can’t see it ever happening and it shouldn’t ever happen."
Former police officer Richard questioned how a Covid passport would be enforced. "I have 30 years’ experience of knowing how difficult the police find it to have the right level of enforcement… If this is going to happen, it’s got to be laid down in legislation."
Listen back to Your Call on BBC Sounds.

PM: 'Too early to say' when England lockdown will end

During a visit to an area of Manchester which has been hit by flooding, Boris Johnson was asked about when he thought England's national lockdown could end.
"I think it's too early to say when we'll be able to lift some of some of the restrictions," he said
"We're looking at that February 15 deadline, as you know, for the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advisory body) groups one to four - the elderly, the vulnerable groups that we want to vaccinate first, that 15 million people across the UK that we want to have been offered a vaccination slot by 15 February," he said.
"We'll look then at how we're doing."
Mr Johnson added that data from the Office for National Statistics suggests "we're seeing the contagiousness of the new variant that we saw arrive just before Christmas".
"There's no doubt it does spread very fast indeed. It's not more deadly but it is much more contagious," he said.
There's more on the government's vaccination plan and target of mid-February here.

Biden to sign 10 executive orders to tackle Covid

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president yesterday, and has immediately turned his attention to the pandemic.
President Biden is set to sign 10 executive orders to boost the fight against Covid, which has ravaged the US.
Vaccination will be accelerated and testing increased. Emergency legislation will be used to increase production of essentials such as masks.
In a break with former President Donald Trump, the policy stresses a national strategy, rather than relying on states to decide what is best.
You can read more about his plans to tackle Covid here.

 

Glastonbury Festival 2021 cancelled

Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled due to the pandemic for the second consecutive year.
The organisers say they have attempted to move "heaven and earth" but they are "simply not able" to facilitate it going ahead.
"We are so sorry to let you all down," they say in a statement.
As with last year, people who have paid their deposits will be allowed to roll over their tickets for the 2022 festival.

  Glastonbury Festival:

With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place, and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily

Situation worsens in England's critical care

Ben Butcher - BBC Reality Check
Forty hospital trusts in England – three in 10 of those with adult critical care beds – had more than 95% of those critical care beds occupied in the latest week, according to NHS England statistics.
Fifteen of those hospitals had every bed filled across the week ending 17 January.
As this chart shows, despite the NHS laying on more and more critical care beds since the beginning of November, patient numbers are rising even faster.



Across England, average critical care occupancy stood at 86%, meaning almost nine in 10 critical care beds had patients in them.
In London, occupancy has reached as high as 93%.
The Intensive Care Society notes that increasing beds only goes some way to addressing rising demand – you need extra staff and equipment in place to manage them too
Reports have noted that the number of nurses and doctors per bed has dropped in recent weeks in some NHS trusts.
Read more on this topic: How busy are hospitals in England?

Angela Merkel defends decision to extend lockdown in Germany

German chancellor Angela Merkel has urged her compatriots to stop complaining about the slow roll-out of a Covid vaccine and defended a decision to extend a lockdown as necessary to stem a more aggressive variant of the coronavirus.
Reuters reports:

Speaking at a news conference, Merkel said it would be a mistake to ease curbs now given the mutation first identified in England had been found in Germany, Europe’s most populous country and largest economy. “Our efforts face a threat and this threat is clearer now than at the start of the year and this is the mutation of the virus,” said Merkel, adding that the new variant was not yet dominant in Germany.
Merkel defended a decision to secure vaccines against the virus through the European Commission, dismissing advocates of a go-it-alone approach who say Germany could have secured more vaccines faster on its own. Germany has had to delay opening some of its vaccination centres as it received fewer shots than expected due to a temporary slowdown of deliveries of vaccines from US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
“I understand the impatience,” said Merkel, when asked if she owed Germans an apology. “There is no reason whatsoever to criticise BioNTech. Those are people who work day and night ... and we are benefiting from this. How can we even complain?”
Germany, which has been in lockdown since early November, reported more than 1,000 deaths and more than 20,000 new infections on Thursday. Merkel and state leaders agreed on Tuesday to extend a hard lockdown that keeps schools, restaurants and all non-essential businesses shut until 14 February. She added that Germany was not planning border controls to try to stem the spread of the virus as it was vital not to disrupt the free flow of goods within the EU.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a press conference on Thursday. Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA

Northern Ireland health minister asks for lockdown until 5 March

A six-week lockdown began in Northern Ireland on 26 December.

We haven't got a set end date for any of the lockdowns in the UK, with each of the nations responsible for their own rules.
But Northern Ireland is the first nation to indicate the lockdown could be extended into March.
The BBC understands that NI's health minister Robin Swann has proposed extending the nation's current lockdown until 5 March. The Stormont executive will meet later to consider the proposals.
It's not clear whether Mr Swann will suggest any other tougher measures. NI's six-week lockdown began on 26 December.
None of the other nations have committed to an end date for lockdown. Earlier, Boris Johnson said it was "too early to say" when England's rules could be lifted - although we already knew the rules won't be reviewed until mid-February.
In Scotland, the lockdown has been extended until at least mid-February as well, while Wales is to make a decision on whether to extend its rules by 29 January
Read more from NI here.

Lebanon extends lockdown

Authorities in Lebanon have extended a nationwide lockdown by a week until 8 February amid a steep rise in coronavirus deaths and infections that has overwhelmed the health care system.
AP reports:

Despite increasing the number of hospital beds in the country of nearly 6 million, doctors and nurses have struggled to keep pace with patients flooding their facilities. Intensive care unit bed occupancy has been rising, hitting 91% late Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization.
Registered daily infections have hovered around 5,000 since the holiday season, up from nearly 1,000 in November. The death toll has surpassed 2,000 with new deaths of between 40 and 60 a day in the past week.
Lebanon has yet to carry out any vaccinations. The government finalized a deal with Pfizer last week for vaccines that will arrive in early February. The World Bank said Thursday it approved $34 million to help pay for vaccines for Lebanon that will inoculate over 2 million people.
The steep rise in infections and deaths comes despite the strict lockdown in place since 14 January. “Lifting or easing the lockdown at this time will surely lead to a collapse of the health system and result in more deaths. This is unacceptable and unconscionable,” tweeted Dr. Firass Abiad, head of the public hospital leading the fight against the pandemic.

Tunisian youths warned over riots amid Covid curfew

Protesters who broke a coronavirus curfew to continue riots for a fifth night have been warned by Tunisia's prime minister to stop their violence.
More than 600 people, mainly between the ages of 14 and 15, have already been arrested after police clashes.
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi acknowledged their anger about a range of economic and social hardships.
"The crisis is real... but we reject chaos and will confront that with the power of the law."
In a televised speech, Mr Mechichi appealed to the protesters to stop the looting and the vandalism: "Your voices are heard, your anger is legitimate, and my role and the government's role is to work on realising your demands."
Tunisia faces severe economic problems and a third of its young people are unemployed.
The economic crisis has worsened under the pandemic - and a night-time curfew has been in place since October.
Read more here

How a £20 gadget could save lives

One of the mysteries of Covid-19 is why oxygen levels in the blood can drop to dangerously low levels without the patient noticing.
It is known as "silent hypoxia".
As a result, patients have been arriving in hospital in far worse health than they realised and, in some cases, too late to treat effectively.
But a potentially life-saving solution, in the form of a pulse oximeter, allows patients to monitor their oxygen levels at home, and costs about £20.
They are being rolled out for high-risk Covid patients in the UK, and the doctor leading the scheme thinks everyone should consider buying one.
The BBC's James Gallagher takes a closer look at them here.

What's happening around the world today?

If you're just joining us, here's a selection of the day's top coronavirus headlines.

• Nearly two million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine in the past week, government figures show, and the number of vaccinations is going up by around 200 every minute
  
• However, it is "too early" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring, PM Boris Johnson has said
  
• Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled for a second year running due to the impact of the pandemic
  
• Schools in England will be given two weeks' notice before reopening, the education secretary has said, but he added he is "not able to exactly say" when pupils will return to class
  
• Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in England say infection levels in the community may have risen at the start of the latest lockdown
  
• In the US, newly-sworn-in President Joe Biden is set to sign 10 executive orders to boost the fight against Covid, which has ravaged the country
  
• And finally, Hungary has become the first country in the European Union to give preliminary approval to the Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V
  

Vaccination centre in mosque 'a blessing', says imam

The first mosque in the UK to become a Covid vaccination centre has opened this morning in Birmingham.
The Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Balsall Heath is expected to vaccinate more than 200 people today.
The imam, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, told the BBC he hoped the move would help dispel false information that the vaccine was haram – or forbidden – in Islamic law.
“It means a lot to us to open as a vaccine centre. It is a blessing that we have this opportunity to serve not only the Muslim community but also the wider community,” he said.
“It will send a strong message to our Muslim brothers and sisters. We are doing this to say a big ‘no’ to fake news and a big ‘yes’ to the vaccine.
“Muslim scholars advise us to get the vaccine because the sanctity of life is important in Islam.”

Hungary first in EU to approve Russian vaccine

The Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, has been approved for the first time in an EU country.
Hungary has given preliminary approval to the jab, as well as the Oxford-AstraZeneca one.
The country's foreign minister is travelling to Moscow for further talks, where he is expected to discuss a shipment and distribution deal.
Early results from trials of the Sputnik vaccine have shown promising results.
Russia was the first country to register a Covid vaccine for emergency use - in August - despite it only having been tested on a few dozen people. It is now being offered to Russians as part of a mass vaccination campaign.
There's more from Hungary here, or read more on the different vaccines here.

Opening restaurants before May 'would cause bump in cases'

Bars and restaurants should not open before May, a scientist who sits on a sub-group of Sage (the government's scientific advisory committee) suggests.
Dr Marc Baguelin, from Imperial College London, says reopening hospitality businesses too early could lead to a "bump" in Covid cases.
"We looked at the partial reopening and the increase in the R number, it will generate an increase in the R number, the extent of which we don't know really," he tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.
The R number is the average number of people that one infected person passes the virus on to.
"Something of this scale, if it was to happen earlier than May, would generate a bump in transmission, which is already really bad," he says.
"So you have a lot of pressure on hospitals, you will have another wave of some extent.
"At best you will keep on having a very, very unsustainable level of pressure on the NHS."

Hard-hit Ecuador to start vaccinating frontline workers

The first of millions of vaccine doses arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador by plane on Wednesday

n April last year, coronavirus hit Ecuador so badly that bodies were left in the streets of its largest city Guayaquil as authorities couldn't keep up with deaths.
Today the south American country is to begin its vaccination programme, starting with medical workers.
On Wednesday the first of 18 million doses arrived by plane, secured partly through the global Covax programme that aims to supply vaccines to poorer countries. Ecuador's government also negotiated with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Covaxx to buy the jabs.
It comes as infections are rising, once again pushing hospitals close to capacity. The country has seen nearly 10,000 deaths.
Vaccines will be offered to the wider public from March, the government says, and it's hoped the country's 17.4 million people will be inoculated by October.
Elsewhere in Latin America:

• Mexico is reporting record highs in Covid-19 deaths, with 1,539 fatalities recorded on Wednesday
  
• In Venezuela, two babies aged under six months have died from coronavirus in the past week - authorities are predicting a rise in cases in January and February
  

Growing cases push part of Beijing into full lockdown

Kerry Allen - BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
A district in China’s capital city Beijing has been declared a “high risk” zone, meaning that people have been told to go into a strict lockdown.
Daxing district, in the south of the city, issued a notice yesterday banning people from leaving the city in the wake of rising cases. All public places have closed, and transport links have been restricted.
People in this district have been told to stay at home. In other parts of Beijing, businesses have been urged to cap their visitor flows at 50% capacity.
Nurseries across wider Beijing have announced they are closing amid growing fears of a wider outbreak. Local health officials say that the UK variant has been detected amidst the cases, and that this has made anti-epidemic work “more difficult”.
The district has more than half a million residents, who have been undergoing testing since Monday. Eleven cases have been detected in Daxing district alone since Sunday.
There have been fears of an outbreak in China’s capital since the beginning of the year, when neighbouring Hebei province reported numerous cases. Many people commute from Hebei into Beijing.
However, the national Global Times newspaper says that cases in Hebei have been “significantly curbed” over the last five days.

Fire at world's largest vaccine producer kills five

Five people have been killed in a fire at the site of the world's largest vaccine producer in western India.
The blaze started at a building that was still under construction at the Serum Institute of India's facilities in Pune on Thursday afternoon.
The company says there will be no impact on the production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known locally as Covishield.
India is aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by early August and many other low and middle-income countries are also depending on the Serum Institute for production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.
The cause of the fire, which has now been brought under control, has not been identified.
Read more.

Figures show London lags behind in vaccinating over-80s

Half of people aged 80 and over in London have had their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine - the lowest proportion of any region in England.
For eastern England, the figure is 53%, while for the South East it is 58%, according to provisional NHS England data for the period up to January 17.
By contrast, around two-thirds of people aged 80 and over in northern England have received their first dose - with north-east England and Yorkshire vaccinating the highest proportion at 67%.

Brazilian labour groups step in to help stricken city

In Manaus, people are queuing for hours to fill oxygen tanks for sick relatives

Several of Brazil's largest labour organisations are to help Venezuela supply oxygen to the desperate city of Manaus in Brazil's Amazonas state.
Venezuela responded to a call for urgent help from the Amazonas governor earlier this week. The life-saving supplies are being sent by road across the Venezuela-Brazil border, which is about 1000km from Manaus. The Brazilian organisations have said they would provide trucks, drivers and logistical support for a weekly shipment of oxygen to the city.
The Brazilian government hasn't yet responded to the call for help and has been accused of being too slow to aid the city in the rainforest.
Manaus doctors say patients have to share oxygen tanks and some have suffocated when supplies ran out.
Some families say they are too scared to send ill relatives to the over-run hospitals and are instead trying to save their loved ones at home.

UK reports a further 1,290 Covid deaths

A further 1,290 deaths have been reported in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.
It means there have now been 94,580 deaths by that measure.
There have also been a further 37,892 cases, according to the Department for Health and Social Care.

London Marathon organisers 'optimistic' 2021 race will see 50,000 runners

London Marathon organisers are "very optimistic" a record 50,000 runners will be able to take part in this year's race when it is due to be held on 3 October.
The 2020 race involved only elite athletes running a specially designed closed-loop course because of the pandemic.
Event director Hugh Brasher tells BBC Sport he hopes the vaccination programme will allow amateur runners to participate.
The government is aiming to offer every adult in the UK a Covid-19 vaccine by autumn.
The event has been moved from its traditional April date for the second year in a row.
Read more.

Almost five million people in UK have now received first vaccine dose

A total of 4,973,248 people have now received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose in the UK, according to the latest government figures.
There have also been 464,036 second doses administered in the UK.

NI Lockdown extended to 5 March

Northern Ireland's top team have been meeting to discuss whether to extend the coronavirus lockdown - and the BBC understands they have agreed an extension until 5 March.
NI's health minister Robin Swann recommended the proposal and Stormont ministers agreed at a meeting on Thursday. Another review of the measures will take place on 18 February.
Ministers were also told that restrictions may have to remain in place until after the Easter holidays in order to continue pushing down the rate of transmission.
NI's lockdown began on Boxing Day.
Read more here.

Patel to lead government's coronavirus briefing

t's not long now until the government's coronavirus press conference from Downing Street.
Home Secretary Priti Patel will lead today's briefing at 17:00 GMT.
She'll be joined by the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Martin Hewitt, and NHS England's regional medical director for London, Dr Vin Diwakar.
It comes after Boris Johnson said it was "too early" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring - there's more on that here.
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, the health minister has suggested lockdown restrictions may last until Easter, the BBC understands.

NI first minister announces 'disappointing' lockdown extension news

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has just given a press conference announcing that lockdown will be extended for a further four weeks until 5 March.
NI's lockdown began on Boxing Day, and the restrictions will still be reviewed on 18 February.
"I appreciate this will be disappointing to many people," said Ms Foster, adding that she thinks "particularly of those who are feeling the pain of separation from loved family members and friends" as well as workers, employers and parents.
The executive will discuss the return date for schools next week, she added.
"I know the sacrifice you are all making to save lives," she said, and added: "We have made progress but our war against Covid-19 has not been won and our hospital case numbers remain at extremely high levels."
Read NI's full story here.

When will restrictions begin to be lifted?

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
This is a debate that is going to start to dominate public discourse.
With the vaccination programme under way, there is huge clamour to know what will happen once the most vulnerable are vaccinated by mid-February.
The problem is there are still so many unknowns.
Firstly, it is hard to predict by how much lockdown will have reduced infection levels considering there is a new faster-spreading variant to deal with.
The level of uptake will also be crucial.
Surveys suggest as many as one in five may not have the vaccine - although the older, more vulnerable groups tend to be the most willing to be vaccinated.
And the fact that no vaccine is 100% effective means, come February, there could still be significant numbers of very vulnerable people who are not protected.
Another factor is whether the vaccine stops transmissions - so-called sterilising vaccination.
Trials have shown the vaccines are good at stopping symptoms developing.
But that does not mean someone who has received a jab will not pass on the virus.
If it does not, that of course has implications on how many control measures have to be kept in place.
It will take us at least until spring to know the answer to this.
At this stage, it seems hard to see much beyond the possible re-opening of schools come March.

New police enforcement powers in England

Chris Mason - Political Correspondent
The home secretary announces a new £800 fine for attending house parties in England.
it will double for each repeat offence up to £6,400.
Organisers - as was already the case - will be fined £10,000.
It applies to those who attend illegal gatherings of more than 15 people in homes.

'More than half a million' vaccinated in London

NHS England's regional medical director for London, Dr Vin Diwakar, says dozens of new vaccination centres have opened around England today.
Dr Diwakar emphasises there are now a "growing network" of vaccination hubs, and says more than half a million people in London have had a dose.
Dr Diwakar also applauds the imam of a Birmingham mosque operating as a vaccination centre, who has been fighting back against vaccine misinformation. He encourages people across the UK from all communities to accept vaccine offers.
"It could save your life," he says.
On reports of people sharing online links to vaccine booking websites, he adds that it is "morally reprehensible" to try and skip the queue.

House parties - list of shame shared

Chris Mason - Political Correspondent
Alongside the news conference, the Home Office has just sent reporters other examples of house parties or illegal gatherings the police have come across in England.
So, for instance, in Greater Manchester, police responded to three separate parties over the weekend, the largest involving more than 40 people at a flat in Cheetham Hill.
And the Metropolitan Police in London issued more than 140 Fixed Penalty Notices totalling £39,000 last weekend.
"These included a house party of more than 40 people in Tower Hamlets and a large party at a place of worship in Hackney," the Home Office says.
And note the language that once again compares today to the Second World War: Dr Vin Diwakar of NHS England suggesting a house party was the equivalent of "a light in the middle of a blackout in the Blitz".

What did we learn from today's press conference?

Today's government press conference was led by Home Secretary Priti Patel. She was joined by the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Martin Hewitt, and NHS England's Regional Director for London Dr Vin Diwakar.
Here's what they told us:

• From next week, the police in England will be able to issue a first fine of £800 to anyone attending a house party, up from £200
  
• The fine will double for each infraction, up to a maximum of £6,400
  
• It will apply to any gathering of more than 15 people in homes
  
• Between August and 17 January, police in England have issued 250 fines to people organising large gatherings of more than 30 people. Each of these fines is for £10,000
  
• There was encouragement for those from minority backgrounds to get the vaccine when they are called
  

Priti Patel announces party-goer fine

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the police had her "absolute backing" to enforce coronavirus restrictions, as she announced a new fine for people attending house parties.
The £800 fine, for people attending illegal gatherings of more than 15 people, will double with each repeat offence up to a maximum of £6,400.

The practicalities of enforcement

Chris Mason - Political Correspondent
A few more thoughts on the communications balance the government faces on enforcing Covid rules and the practicalities the police face doing exactly the same.
There were just under 130,000 police officers in England and Wales at the end of March last year.
The population of England and Wales is about 60 million.
Clearly, there aren't enough officers to police whether you or me are nipping around to the neighbours' for a glass of wine.
And is it a glass of wine or is it a legitimate and legal support bubble?
No one actually knows from an enforcement point of view - because what happens inside a private home is private.
Except, of course, when it's so loud the whole street can hear it and the police are called.
These breaches - which most would regard as outrageous - are easier to spot, to police and easier to secure the backing of the majority for the toughest policing.
Hence, these new measures: tough new measures likely to be supported by the vast majority.
The government keeps the vast majority on side with this particular measure and they tool the police with greater powers to deal with the problem.
But, how we all behave, hour by hour, day by day, with potentially minor breaches here and there, has the potential - cumulatively - to be much more significant when it comes to transmission of the virus.
But the government and the police only realistically have one tool there: persuasion; the hope we will be responsible.
Ministers will also hope that by being seen to be tough on the worst rule breakers, it won't leave the rest of us feeling like mugs for doing our bit.

Portugal closes all schools for 15 days

Alison Roberts - Portugal Correspondent, Lisbon
Portugal's government has announced the closure of all schools and other educational institutions for 15 days from tomorrow, with no provision for remote learning to replace face-to-face classes, as part of attempts to limit the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
The whole of mainland Portugal has been under lockdown since Friday, with still tighter restrictions having come into force yesterday, but all schools, colleges and universities remained open.
Announcing the decision, which was taken at today's regular weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister, António Costa, said that although schools "were not and are not the main focus of transmission" of the virus, the government had decided to apply the "precautionary principle".
He also cited the rapid spread of the "UK strain" of the virus - which hesaid this week accounted for 20% of new cases and could "in the coming weeks" account for 60% - as a factor in the decision.
The prime minister warned that a move aimed above all at protecting pupils and staff should not prompt people to flout lockdown rules - such as the obligation to wear masks in public places where physical distancing is not possible.
Classes that do not take place over the next two weeks will be compensated for later in the school year, in ways to be agreed with headteachers, he said.
Portugal has today reported the highest number of deaths associated with Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours, and 13,544 new confirmed cases - the second-highest daily figure, after yesterday's 14,647.

Isle of Man to begin easing lockdown restrictions

The Isle of Man will begin easing its lockdown restrictions this weekend.
From Saturday, socially distanced outdoor meetings will be permitted and trades will be allowed to return to work under certain rules.
The island entered a second lockdown on 7 January following a rise in cases.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle said the island had to "tread carefully" as restrictions were relaxed but the changes were the start of the "path back to normality".
He added that, “subject to no further community cases”, the remaining restrictions could be lifted "as early as 1 February".
There have been no new cases of Covid-19 on the island for three days and the number of active cases has fallen to 48.
You can read the full story here.

How do introverts cope in lockdown? Marian Keyes knows...

Away from the party-goers and the fines, Irish novelist Marian Keyes has been sharing some of her tips on coping with lockdown with BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.
She said being an "acute introvert" who is used to working from home meant she found it easier to manage without human contact than others might.
Keyes said she found breaking down time into "manageable" chunks and focusing on small tasks was "the best way to survive something uncomfortable or grim or bleak" without becoming overwhelmed.
The author has also been running writing workshops on Instagram Live, setting daily challenges to help people fill their time during lockdown.
“It has been so rewarding for me to do it," she said.
"People have talked about the fact that they are unemployed and they are at home and they don’t know how to pass the time. But when they see my writing prompt in the morning it gives them something to do.”

Offshore platform shut down amid Covid cases

Production on a North Sea platform has been shut down because of a Covid-19 outbreak.
Four crew members from Ithaca Energy's FPF-1 floating production facility in the North Sea, about 150 miles (240km) east of Aberdeen, have tested positive for the virus.
They have been taken off the platform, while close contacts are in quarantine and are also being taken onshore.
Ithaca Energy said production on the FPF-1 had been shut to ensure the safety of all those onboard.
Read more.

Why hasn't the UK banned all international flights?

Eleanor Lawrie - BBC News
Everyone entering the UK now has go into quarantine, after the government suspended its travel corridors with other specific destinations.
Travel is only permitted for essential reasons and people entering the UK must show evidence of a recent negative coronavirus test before boarding their flight.
The country has also extended a travel ban to South America, Portugal and many African countries, amid concerns about new, potentially more infectious variants of coronavirus.
But it has never banned international travel altogether.
Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, says that by far the best time for the UK to have introduced a travel ban would have been back in January 2020, when the virus was first identified in China.
But he warns closing the borders is "not a silver bullet".
You can read more about the arguments for and against travel bans here.

Biden to speak soon on his Covid 'fight plan'

President Biden is due to give more details about his action plan to boost the fight against Covid-19, which has ravaged America.
Earlier, he said he would sign 10 executive orders, and the administration has already unveiled a seven-point plan which included efforts to facilitate effective distribution of vaccines and reliable access to testing.
In a break with his predecessor, Trump, Biden is stressing the need to have a federal strategy rather than relying on individual US states to decide what is best.
Read more about Biden's Covid executive orders here.

20:02

'Mask up!' Biden tells the US, as he unveils national plan

US President Joe Biden is now speaking from the White House about how his administration will tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
He says he has been meeting with his Covid response team, and it will “take months” to turn around the situation in the country.
Today he is going to unveil a “national strategy” on Covid-19, he says, which is “comprehensive” and is based on “science and not politics”.
The plan, which consists of 198 pages, will start with an “aggressive, safe and effective” vaccination campaign.
But it will take months to protect everyone, he says, so in the meantime, "mask up", he tells the American people.
Wearing a mask, he says, is "a patriotic act".
To follow our coverage of his first day, head here.

What's happened today?

We’ll soon be pausing our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Before we go, here’s a round-up of today’s main headlines:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is "too early" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring
  
• The government has announced that from next week, there will be fines of £800 for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people in England
  
• Lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland will be extended until 5 March, the first and deputy first ministers have said. The move will be reviewed on 18 February
  
• Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled for a second year running due to the impact of the pandemic
  
• US President Joe Biden has signed 10 executive orders to tackle Covid, including accelerating vaccinations and increasing testing. Emergency legislation will be used to increase production of essentials like masks
  
• And French President Emmanuel Macron has promised all university students two meals a day for one euro (88p; $1.21) to help them cope during lockdown
  

Updates today were brought to you by Becky Morton, Claire Heald, Francesca Gillett, Georgina Rannard, Hamish Mackay, James Clarke, Kate Whannel, Katie Wright and Lucy Webster.

Join us again tomorrow.