Coronavirus latest news: UK hits new record with 711,000 Covid vaccines given in one day

• Ursula von der Leyen threatens AstraZeneca with vaccine export ban

• Europe's stance on AstraZeneca jab irresponsible, says vaccine tsar

• Pfizer warns EU to back down on vaccine threats to UK

• Kate Bingham: 'EU leaders undermining vaccine completely irresponsible'

The UK has set a new record for the most Covid-19 vaccines administered in a 24-hour period, with 711,156 people inoculated on Friday.

This is the second time in consecutive days that the daily vaccine record has been broken - the previous record was set the day before when a total of 660,276 doses were given out.

A total of 26,853,407 people have now received a first dose of the vaccine, while 2,132,551 have had their second jab - this brings the overall number of vaccinated people in the UK to over 28.9 million.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi hailed the record as an "incredible performance".

The UK also passed another milestone on Saturday with more than half of the adult population having received their first dose, which the Prime Minister said was a "fantastic achievement".

​​Follow the latest updates below.

05:33 PM

Today's top stories

Here's a summary of today's headlines in the UK and around the world:

• On Saturday the UK reached the major milestone of giving more than 50 per cent of the adult population their first dose of the Covid vaccine.

• The UK set a new record for the most Covid-19 vaccines administered in a 24-hour period, with 711,156 people inoculated on Friday.

• The Metropolitan Police said 13 people had been arrested, mostly for breaching Covid regulations, as thousands of anti-lockdown protestors took to the streets in London.

• EU chief Ursula von der Leyen threatened to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the bloc did not receive its deliveries first, in a worsening row over delayed shipments that has caused international tensions.

• The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organising Committee announced on Saturday that international spectators will not be allowed to enter Japan to watch the Olympics or Paralympics, which are scheduled for this summer.

• Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan tested positive for Covid-19, the country's health minister said on Saturday, a day after receiving his vaccination.

05:28 PM

Brazil in talks with United States for excess coronavirus vaccines, foreign ministry says

Brazil's government has been in talks since March 13 about potentially importing excess Covid-19 vaccines from the United States, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.

The Foreign Ministry and the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, in cooperation with the Health Ministry, are negotiating with the U.S. government, according to the ministry's tweet.

The White House on Friday announced plans to "loan" 4 million AstraZeneca shots that have already been produced in the United States to Canada and Mexico. The White House has no plans to loan doses to other countries, according to an administration official.

Brazil is facing the second-deadliest outbreak of coronavirus after the United States, that has worsened with a new wave in recent weeks pushing the hospital system to the brink of collapse.

05:26 PM

Greece to hand out self-testing kits as coronavirus cases stay high

Greece will start distributing free do-it-yourself Covid-19 tests next month, the government said on Saturday, as it seeks to alleviate pressure on a healthcare system facing a stubbornly high level of new infections.

Everyone with a social security number will be entitled to four of the test kits per month, and they will be distributed at pharmacies.

"It is a new tool in the country's battle against the pandemic. The tests will allow better epidemiological monitoring, and of course prevention," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

05:21 PM

Government urged to allow protests as thousands march over lockdown rules

The London anti-lockdown protest began at Hyde Park at around noon on Saturday, with supporters marching along Oxford Street, Chancery Lane, the Embankment and Parliament Square before heading up Whitehall.

The Metropolitan Police said 13 people had been arrested, mostly for breaching Covid regulations.

The force tweeted: "Our officers are continuing to engage with people attending the ongoing protests in Central London. Those gathering in crowds are being encouraged to disperse and go home. Officers will take enforcement action where necessary. This could be a fixed penalty notice, or arrest."

Sam Grant, head of policy and campaigns at Liberty, said: "In a healthy democracy, protest is a critical way we can fight for what we believe in. The Government's current quasi-ban on protest is completely unacceptable.

"Last week, the police conceded protest is not banned under the lockdown regulations, but used them to threaten then arrest demonstrators anyway.

"The Home Secretary must immediately issue guidance to all police forces to ensure socially distanced protests can go ahead and create an explicit exemption for protest in the current regulations."

05:07 PM

France reports 4,353 Covid patients in intensive care - new 2021 high

The number of people in intensive care units with Covid-19 in French hospitals rose by 66 to 4,353, a new 2021 high, the health ministry reported on Saturday.

Nearly a third of French people entered a month-long lockdown on Saturday as the government aims to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus.

04:58 PM

Exclusive: Europe's stance on AstraZeneca jab is irresponsible, says vaccine tsar

The UK's vaccine tsar has condemned Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel as "completely irresponsible" for undermining the AstraZeneca vaccine, amid fears the EU jabs fiasco has fuelled a third Covid wave that could spread to Britain.

In her first major interview, Kate Bingham, the former head of the Government's vaccine taskforce, accused the French president and German chancellor of encouraging anti-vaxxers after both cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine, developed by British scientists.

Read more from Camilla Tominey, Sarah Knapton and Harry Yorke here.

04:42 PM

French stance on AstraZeneca jab 'completely crackers', says Oxford vaccine expert

France's policy of refusing to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone under 55 having previously said it was unsuitable for over-65s is "completely crackers," Oxford's Sir John Bell has said.

Professor Bell warned the changing advice was undermining confidence in the whole vaccination programme.

"It doesn't make any sense. The whole thing looks completely crackers. They are changing the rules almost every week," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"They are really damaging people's confidence in vaccines generally - not just the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"They are sitting on a massive stockpile of vaccines that they haven't deployed yet and at the same time they have got a massive wave of the new variants coming across the country. You couldn't make it up."

He added: "If there are clotting problems associated with the vaccines - I am not saying there are, but if there were - they are at a very tiny level compared with the problems you get if you get the disease. If you want to die of a clot, get Covid."

04:38 PM

Watch: Arial footage of the anti-lockdown protestors clashing with police in London

04:21 PM

Daily coronavirus figures - United Kingdom

United Kingdom Daily Coronavirus (COVID-19) Report · Saturday 20th March.

5,587 new cases (people positive) reported, giving a total of 4,291,271.

96 new deaths reported, giving a total of 126,122. pic.twitter.com/TR80mZXE8z

— UK COVID-19 (@UKCovid19Stats) March 20, 2021

04:20 PM

Roadmap out of lockdown still on track, says Health Secretary

Britain is on track to ease lockdown measures in line with its roadmap, health minister Matt Hancock said on Saturday after announcing that half of all adults in the country had now had at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose.

"There is no sign that we won't be able to make progress as set out in the roadmap," he told Sky News.

Asked about the threat of a third wave of infections in Europe and what that could mean for Britain, the Health Secretary said the government would be vigilant in protecting the country.

Rising infections in Europe could derail Britain's plan to restart travel, which could possibly be from May 17.

The government is due to say more on April 12, and Matt Hancock confirmed that the judgment on travel was one to make in a few weeks, not now.

"We'll look at the rates both here and abroad and the impact of new variants to understand whether its safe to make that move," he said.

04:04 PM

MPs call on Government to allow protests to go ahead

The Government is coming under renewed pressure to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions to allow protests to go ahead.

More than 60 MPs and peers have signed a letter warning that allowing the police to criminalise people for protesting is "is not acceptable and is arguably not lawful".

It came as thousands of people marched through the centre of London in protest against lockdown restrictions.

The letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Matt Hancock was co-ordinated by Liberty and Big Brother Watch.

The letter said such "shocking scenes" were "entirely avoidable" if the Government had provided guidance to police and ensured protests were clearly exempt from the ban on gatherings under lockdown.

03:42 PM

The Prime Minister and the Health Secretary on England's vaccine record

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

03:35 PM

Pictured: First day of new lockdown in Paris

03:27 PM

Record jabs administered in England on Friday

A record 636,219 Covid jabs were recorded in England on Friday at the end of a week which saw the highest number of doses delivered since the vaccination programme began, NHS England said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among 535,489 people who received their first dose on Friday when he was given the AstraZeneca jab at St Thomas's hospital in London, where he was treated when he was critically ill with the virus.

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS in England, had the jab at Westminster Abbey on Thursday when the service hit another major milestone by vaccinating more than half the adult population.

NHS England said more than 22.8 million people have now had at least one jab in little over 100 days since the NHS vaccination programme - the biggest in the health service's history - began, while another 1.5 million second doses have also been administered.

03:03 PM

Labour calls for 'comprehensive hotel quarantine' in face of Europe's caseload rising

Labour has called for the immediate introduction of a "comprehensive hotel quarantine system" in the face of rising coronavirus infections across Europe.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "The renewed surges of Covid across Europe are really worrying.

"The UK's first priority has to be to protect the progress made by the vaccine - that means we need a comprehensive hotel quarantine system without further delay.

"Of course we all want international travel to resume, but safety has to come first.

"It is too early to say if there can be any changes to travel advice on May 17, as numbers in many European countries are increasing so sharply. We have to be led by the science, not arbitrary dates."

02:48 PM

Ursula von der Leyen threatens AstraZeneca

As reported earlier today, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen upped the ante in an ongoing dispute with AstraZeneca on Saturday, threatening to block vaccine exports if the pharma firm did not meet its delivery targets.

“We have the option of banning a planned export. That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start supplying to other countries,” von der Leyen told Germany’s Funke newspaper group.

The Commision has been in a standoff with the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company since January when it became clear that AstraZeneca would not meet delivery pledges made in its purchase contract.

Read Jorg Luyken's article here.

02:24 PM

At home and abroad, Boris is now winning the Covid political war

If successful politics is all about messaging and news management, Downing Street really seems to have got the hang of it. Either that or the Prime Minister has been on the receiving end of fortuitous triumphs, like a lucky general whose adversaries make spectacular unforced errors.

To have the EU move overnight from trashing the reputation of the UK’s AstraZeneca vaccine – so discrediting its effectiveness that thousands of European doses were going unused – to threatening a block on vaccine exports to the UK and wartime confiscation of manufacturing facilities in a demand for more of the very vaccine that it tried to devalue, would have been good enough.

But no sooner had the bizarre contradictions and alarming legal precedents in the EU position begun to unravel than along came, by an extraordinary coincidence (or not?) on the very same day, a leaked NHS letter showing that the UK’s own immediate vaccine supply appeared to be in doubt.

You can read the rest of Janet Daley's comment piece here.

02:01 PM

'Another wave' of Covid possible in UK, says SAGE member

Prof Andrew Hayward said "another wave" of coronavirus cases was possible in the UK but its consequences would be less due to high levels of vaccination.

Appearing on Times Radio he was asked if a "fourth wave" of infections could be possible if "mistakes" are made during the easing of lockdown measures.

Prof Hayward, of University College London (UCL), said: "I think another wave is possible, likely even.

"I guess the difference is that another wave will cause substantially fewer deaths and hospitalisations because of high levels of vaccination across the sorts of people who would have ended up in hospital or unfortunately dying if they haven't been vaccinated.

"So the consequences of another wave are less. I think the challenge is of course we don't know exactly how much less.

"We know some people are still not vaccinated, because the uptake hasn't been complete. We know the vaccine isn't 100% effective, although it's very good."

He said if there were further rounds of infections, a "very close eye" needed to be kept on who Covid was infecting and whether they were in vulnerable age groups.

01:49 PM

Police clash with anti-lockdown protestors in German city

German police used pepper spray to disperse people protesting against coronavirus curbs in the city of Kassel on Saturday, in one of the country's largest such rallies so far this year.

Scuffles erupted when a group of demonstrators tried to break through a police cordon to join up with other protesters, resulting in shoving and prompting officers to use pepper spray, an AFP reporter saw.

"This is not what a peaceful protest looks like," local police tweeted.

Several thousand people participated in the protests in Kassel, and in addition to clashes with police there were also several scuffles with counter-protesters.

Several groups, most of them far-right opponents of government's regulations to fight the pandemic, had called for protests Saturday in cities across the country.

01:37 PM

Pictured: Anti-lockdown protest in London's Hyde Park

01:28 PM

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweets about UK vaccine milestone

More than half the adult population of the UK have now received their first jab.

Many thanks to everyone involved in this fantastic achievement. Let’s keep going! pic.twitter.com/cf9kWThmuM

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 20, 2021

01:20 PM

China administers 70m vaccines and records first local Covid case since February

China has administered 70 million Covid-19 vaccinations as of March 20, state media CGTN reported on Saturday citing the national health commission.

China last reported four new Covid-19 cases on March 19, all of which were imported from abroad.

This follows another state media report from early Saturday that China's first local coronavirus case since February was a staff worker at a hospital and had received two shots of a vaccine between end-January and early February.

The patient, identified by her surname Liu, had been working in the quarantine area of a hospital in Xian city since March 4, and was mainly responsible for collecting samples of quarantined people for coronavirus testing, reported the Health Times.

The Health Times is listed as a newspaper published under The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party.

China had reported the case on Thursday, making it the country's first locally transmitted case since Feb. 14.

01:03 PM

Watch: 'I think it's wonderful work': Queen hails volunteers who have helped out during Covid

Read Victoria Ward's story about the Monarch's video call here.

12:41 PM

Denmark reports two cases of serious illness, including one death, after AstraZeneca shot

Denmark said on Saturday that one person had died and another fell seriously ill with blood clots and cerebral haemorrhage after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination.

The two, both hospital staff members, had both received the AstraZeneca vaccine less than 14 days before getting ill, the authority that runs public hospitals in Copenhagen said.

The Danish Medicines Agency confirmed it had received two "serious reports", without giving further details. There were no details of when the hospital staff got ill.

Denmark, which halted using the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 11, was among more than a dozen countries that temporarily paused use of the vaccine after reports of cases of rare brain blood clots sent scientists and governments scrambling to determine any link.

European Medicines Agency (EMA) director Emer Cooke said on Thursday the "clear" conclusion of the watchdog's review was that the benefits in protecting people from the risk of death or hospitalisation outweighs the possible risks.

AstraZeneca, which developed the shot with Oxford University, has said a review covering more than 17 million people who had received its shots in the EU and Britain had found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

12:34 PM

Daily Covid figures - Wales

Wales Daily Coronavirus (COVID-19) Report · Saturday 20th March.

208 new cases (people positive) reported, giving a total of 207,646.

6 new deaths reported, giving a total of 5,482. pic.twitter.com/vMYmKYZST8

— UK COVID-19 (@UKCovid19Stats) March 20, 2021

12:16 PM

Exclusive: Pfizer warns EU to back down on vaccine threats to UK

Pfizer has warned the EU to back down from its threat to block vaccines to the UK because the firm needs crucial ingredients shipped from Yorkshire, The Telegraph has learned.

The drugmaker and its partner BioNTech have told Brussels that the UK has the power to retaliate against any export ban by withholding raw materials needed for its jab.

Croda International, a chemicals firm based in Staith, Yorkshire, has been delivering vital "fatty molecules" to Pfizer's factories in the EU since signing a five-year contract with the firm in November.

Read more of the exclusive from Bill Gardner and Ben Riley-Smith here.

11:53 AM

Summer travel to Europe 'unlikely' due to high levels of Covid cases, says Prof Hayward

It is "unlikely" that the Government will want to encourage travel to European countries currently experiencing high levels of coronavirus infections, Professor Andrew Hayward said.

Appearing on Times Radio he was asked if the possibility of permission to travel to Europe without restrictions could come under plans for the easing of lockdown.

Prof Hayward, of University College London (UCL) said: "I think the Government has always been clear that travel abroad... any changes or plans are likely to change on that."

He said there were two things to consider, firstly that "it looks like some European countries are going to be having high levels and I think it's unlikely that we would want to encourage travel to those countries whilst they have high levels of infection".

Secondly, he said it was about "keeping an eye on what variant is predominant within each country or even common".

11:32 AM

Europe third wave 'very worrying' and shows need for UK to be 'careful', says SAGE member

A rise in coronavirus infections in Europe, which could last "several months", shows the need for the UK to be "careful" as it releases lockdown measures, an expert has warned.

Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London (UCL) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told Times Radio that it was "very worrying" for Europe to be moving into a "third wave" of coronavirus cases with "comparatively low vaccination levels".

Speaking to the station in a personal capacity, he added: "From what I understand, quite a lot of that is the emergence of the strain that came from the UK, the B117 strain, which is more transmissible, which is the same strain that's still here now.

"I think it just shows that the lockdown in the UK is necessary and we need to be careful as we release and to watch the figures because this shows the potential for cases to shoot up.

"Obviously it has implications on travel, I think, and what we plan for doing with that, because these waves of infection will tend to last for several months really before they get back down to low levels.

"But unless there's much travel between the countries it shouldn't directly impact us."

11:09 AM

Half of all adults now vaccinated in the UK, says Matt Hancock

Yesterday we vaccinated more people than any day yet.

I'm delighted to be able to say that we've now vaccinated HALF of all adults in the UK 🇬🇧

The vaccine is a national success story & our way out of this pandemic.

When you get the call, get the jab. pic.twitter.com/hGX0nrRsYV

— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) March 20, 2021

11:02 AM

International spectators will not be allowed to enter Japan to watch the Olympics and Paralympics

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organising Committee said on Saturday that international spectators will not be allowed to enter Japan during the Olympic Games which are scheduled for this summer.

Olympic and Paralympic tickets purchased by overseas residents will be refunded, it said in a statement.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were postponed last year to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers had been hoping this summer's Games could provide "proof of humanity's triumph over the virus," as more than 400 million vaccine doses have been administered globally.

Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said around 600,000 Olympics tickets and 30,000 Paralympics tickets will be refunded.

Read more here.

10:53 AM

Watch: Ursula von der Leyen risks triggering a global vaccine trade war

Most of the EU's worry is over Britain, where the inoculation campaign has progressed at a much faster pace than in continental Europe.

Brussels has accused London of operating a de facto export ban to achieve its vaccine success, a claim furiously denied by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.

The EU's export ban mechanism must first be triggered in an individual member state and then be approved by the European Commission before it can be enforced.

The mechanism has so far only been applied once, with Italy blocking the export of a 250,000 dose shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, citing "persistent shortage" and "delays in supply".

Not all EU members support export bans, which could upset global supply chains, and countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have urged caution.

10:21 AM

EU chief threatens to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if bloc does not receive deliveries first

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday threatened to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the bloc did not receive its deliveries first, in a worsening row over delayed shipments that has caused international tensions.

"We have the option of banning a planned export. That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries," von der Leyen said in an interview with Germany's Funke media group.

The warning comes as the European Union struggles to speed up its Covid-19 inoculation campaign, just as many member states are battling rising infection rates that have forced renewed restrictions.

Von der Leyen said Anglo-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca had delivered only 30 per cent of the 90 million vaccine doses it had promised for the first quarter of the year.

The company has blamed production delays at its EU plants, but European officials are furious that AstraZeneca has been able to deliver its UK contract in full while falling short on the continent.

10:07 AM

Prospect of summer holidays 'extremely unlikely,' says Government scientific advisor

A scientist advising the Government has warned that the prospect of foreign holidays this summer looks "extremely unlikely".

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Spi-M modelling group, said there was a danger travellers could bring back new variants of the coronavirus - like that which emerged in South Africa - which are less susceptible to vaccines.

"I think that international travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"I think we are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July and August because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country.

"What is really dangerous is if we jeopardise our vaccination campaign by having these variants where the vaccines don't work as effectively spreading more rapidly."

09:51 AM

Pakistan PM Khan tests positive for Covid-19, says health minister

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19, the country's health minister said on Saturday, a day after the premier got his vaccination. Mr Khan is "self isolating at home," said minister Faisal Sultan in a tweet.

As part of a nationwide campaign to encourage vaccinations, the 67-year-old was inoculated on Friday.

He then appealed to Pakistanis to follow a slew of new rules introduced to prevent a surge in cases. Pakistan has historically seen high levels of vaccine hesitancy.

As the UK variant spreads across the country, officials have begun locking down hotspot neighbourhoods and closing schools.

Pakistan appeared to have escaped the heavy death tolls of many countries, but a new flare up is worrying officials.

“Please be very very careful. The new strain spreads faster and is more deadly," Asad Umar, the minister overseeing the government's Covid-19 response, said on Thursday.

Pakistan is offering the vaccination to people over the age of 60 and frontline workers.

Read the full story from Verity Bowman here.

09:45 AM

Coronavirus around the world, in pictures

Miami, Florida

Brighton, England

Carmarthenshire, Wales

09:20 AM

Almost 50pc of adults have received first dose of vaccine in the UK

The UK is on the verge of reaching the major milestone of giving more than 50 per cent of the adult population their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Government data up to March 18 suggests that 49.9 per cent of the population aged 18 and over have received a first dose, with an estimated 73,000 more jabs needed to pass the halfway mark.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday evening.

His jab comes as England became the first of the four UK nations to pass the milestone of giving a first dose of vaccine to more than 50 per cent of the adult population.

A total of 22,337,590 people had been given a first jab as of March 18, according to NHS England.

This is the equivalent of 50.5 per cent of the population of England aged 18 and over, based on the latest estimates by the Office for National Statistics.

08:51 AM

'Difficult to say' how successful vaccines have been in reducing transmission

A professor who is leading Covid-19 vaccine research at Imperial College London said it was "difficult to say" how successful the vaccination programme had been in reducing transmission.

Professor Robin Shattock told BBC Breakfast on Saturday that the jab could be contributing to lower numbers of hospital admissions with coronavirus and rates of infection.

Asked how well the vaccine was working in terms of reducing transmission, he said: "I think it's really difficult to say at this stage.

"We are seeing a reduction in hospitalisation and in some parts of the country, a reduction in transmission, that's a good thing. The vaccine may be contributing to that.

"But we are seeing in other parts of the world, it's going down in the US for example and they're not as far ahead with their vaccine campaign, so we can't be complacent."

08:35 AM

Domestic abuse and sexual assault victims urged to contact the NHS

Women who have suffered domestic abuse and sexual assault are being urged to contact the NHS for support, with fears over the numbers seeking help falling dramatically during lockdown.

Senior NHS leaders have written to staff reminding them how to spot signs a patient may have experienced abuse or assault, and what support is available.

It comes after the number of people receiving help from NHS Sexual Assault Referral clinics (SARCs) halved after the first lockdown compared with the previous year, despite official figures showing that domestic abuse and sexual assault increased.

The call comes amid the recent outpouring of anger over the death of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, with thousands of women sharing their experiences of assault and harassment in the home and in public.

Read the full story from Patrick Sawer, here.

08:05 AM

Philippines posts another record high in daily cases

The Philippine health ministry on Saturday recorded 7,999 new coronavirus infections, the second straight day that the country posted a record high in daily reported cases.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases have risen to 656,056 while confirmed deaths have reached 12,930, after 30 more were recorded on Saturday.

The Southeast Asian nation is battling a renewed surge in infections, including those of the new and more transmissible variants, delaying the further reopening of its pandemic-stricken economy.

07:50 AM

Susanna Reid gets first dose of Astrazeneca vaccine

Susanna Reid joked she "didn't see Boris, do need a haircut" as she revealed she has had her first dose of the Covid vaccine.

The Good Morning Britain star, 50, said she received the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at St Thomas' Hospital in London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson also received his first dose on Friday.

Sharing a photo of herself on Twitter getting the injection, she wrote: "JABBED! Thanks to Kamilah who administered the AZ vax (& Graeme who booked me in).

Thumbs up to all the hard-working staff & volunteers at St Thomas' Hospital vaccination centre (where Boris Johnson also got his today) on a record day for jabs."

She shared a different picture on Instagram, which showed her looking away from the needle.

07:13 AM

Cases in India surge to four-month high

India reported 40,953 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest daily jump in nearly four months, with its richest state and economic backbone Maharashtra accounting for more than half the infections.

Deaths rose by 188 to 159,404, the health ministry reported, underscoring a resurgence of the virus in the world's third worst affected country, after the United States and Brazil.

Some regions in India have already reimposed containment measures, including lockdowns and restaurant closures, and more are being considered.

Read more: India’s second wave gains momentum as infections rise

06:49 AM

Pioneering treatments to be tested on clinically vulnerable

Pioneering treatments which could stop Covid spreading are to be tested on hundreds of thousands of clinically vulnerable people and care home residents as part of two major trials.

The two studies will be backed by up to £3.2 million in government funding, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Saturday.

The Protect-V trial, run by the University of Cambridge, will test drugs that may prevent Covid infection among immunocompromised groups.

Read the full story

06:25 AM

I know how you feel, Prince Harry tells bereaved children of pandemic

The Duke of Sussex has written a deeply personal message of comfort for children of key workers bereaved during the pandemic, telling them: “You’re not alone. I know how you feel.”

Prince Harry, 36, drew on his own experiences of grief to write the foreword for a new book, Hospital by the Hill, created for young people who have lost loved ones over the last year.

Released to mark next week’s National Day of Reflection, it will be available for free to any child or young person who has been affected.

Read the full story

Read more: Prince William: Mental health is 'complex subject' that is 'close to my heart'

05:50 AM

Ecuador health minister quits after 19 days on the job

Ecuador's health minister resigned on Friday after just 19 days in the job, the government said, amid a growing scandal over the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to well-connected figures.

In his letter of resignation, Rodolfo Fardan stressed that he was stepping down for "strictly personal" reasons.

Mr Farfan replaced Juan Carlos Zevallos, currently under investigation for influence peddling, who fled the country for the United States after his resignation.

Mr Zevallos had admitted that his mother, aged 87, and others close to him had been vaccinated with the first doses received in Ecuador.

05:41 AM

China's first local case since Feb was reportedly vaccinated

China's first local coronavirus case since February was a staff worker at a hospital and had received two shots of a vaccine between end-January and early February, state media reported on Saturday.

The patient, identified by her surname Liu, had been working in the quarantine area of a hospital in Xian city since March 4, and was mainly responsible for collecting samples of quarantined people for coronavirus testing, reported the Health Times.

The Health Times is listed as a newspaper published under The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party.

China had reported the case on Thursday, making it the country's first locally transmitted case since Feb. 14.

04:24 AM

Large parts of France goes into lockdown

A third of France's population was under a new partial lockdown on Saturday to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Parisians packed trains leaving the capital and crammed into shops ahead of the new restrictions coming into force, which will apply to Paris and several other regions for a month.

The mayor of Yerres, just outside Paris, told AFP he had told businesses there to remain open, defying the "totally incomprehensible" restrictions.

Bookshops are considered essential under the new measures, and later on Friday the government added florists, chocolate shops and cobblers to the list.

Read more: Europe braces for nightmare Easter as third wave takes hold

03:05 AM

Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort partially closed after outbreak

Former president Donald Trump's Florida resort Mar-a-Lago has been partially closed after some members of staff tested positive for the coronavirus, US media reported on Friday.

It did not specify how many members of staff had been infected.

Read the full story

01:20 AM

Colombia's president offers to receive AstraZeneca jab

Colombia's President Ivan Duque on Friday offered to receive the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca to demonstrate its safety, following concerns over blood clotting.

Mr Duque told Colombia's Health Minister Fernando Ruiz that while he has so far waited to receive a vaccine, he would accept the AstraZeneca jab to reassure people of its safety.

Colombia has reported more than 2.3 million infections and 61,771 deaths. So far, the country has administered more than 1 million vaccine doses.

01:13 AM

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