UK

The start of the “biggest vaccine campaign in the UK’s history” will mark a “decisive turning point” in the coronavirus fight, the chief executive of NHS England has said. Sir Simon Stevens said that dozens of hospital hubs across the country will see people older than 80 vaccinated against COVID-19 from tomorrow, followed by a

The fight against COVID-19 has taken a historic leap forward after the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine was given to someone outside a clinical trial for the first time. Grandmother-of-four Margaret Keenan, 90, has become the first person in the world to receive the jab as part of a vaccination programme. Mrs Keenan, who has lived in Coventry

COVID-19 vaccines could be airlifted to the UK next year if Brexit trade talks collapse and cause delays at Channel crossings. The government is hoping to receive millions of doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by the end of the year, with the first vaccinations due to begin this week. However, the NHS doesn’t expect to

Britain and the EU have made “significant progress” in the Brexit negotiations on the rights of European fleets to fish in UK waters, two EU sources have told Sky News. They added there is now a “landing zone” which involves a phased introduction and also specific quotas for different species. However, they said this has

Brexit trade talks are “in a very difficult position, there’s no point denying that”, Environment Secretary George Eustice has told Sky News. Speaking to Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said progress was being made but then the EU “added a whole load of additional demands” which created problems and was a “setback”. The minister said

Talks between the EU and UK have paused after both sides said there were “significant differences” on key issues. Negotiators hoped that a conversation between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen would provide the political impetus to unlock the deadlock. But with gaps still existing between both sides, what

GP surgeries in England have been told to prepare to start staffing COVID-19 vaccination centres by 14 December. A letter sent to all surgeries and primary care leads from NHS England and NHS Improvement says the “scale and complexity” of the coronavirus vaccination programme – which begins at dozens of hospital hubs next week –

COVID-19 will keep hospitals under continued strain in the coming months as new vaccines will only have a “marginal impact” on patient numbers over winter, the UK’s chief medical officers have warned. In a letter written to healthcare colleagues, the group – which includes England’s Professor Chris Whitty – also said that festive gatherings were

The White House’s chief immunologist has told Sky News he believes the British approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine has been done in a “much less deep” way than would have been done in the US. Dr Anthony Fauci told Sky News he believed the data “clearly shows that the vaccine is safe and effective” but

Hand sanitiser is one of the most common ways people are protecting themselves from COVID-19 when out and about, but some contain less alcohol than they claim – and too little to kill the disease. The worst of the 18 sanitisers tested by consumer group Which? had an alcohol content of 10%, rather than the

A long-awaited trade deal between the UK and the EU has been struck just days before the deadline. The treaty will apply from 1 January 2021 and take over from the existing arrangements under the transition period, which has seen the UK continue to follow most EU rules since Brexit day to limit disruption to

Britain was the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine because it has “much better” regulators than France, Belgium and the US, a senior minister has claimed. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson boasted that “we’re a much better country than every single one of them” – after some international disquiet surfaced following the breakthrough jab news.

It will take “some months” for the UK’s most vulnerable people to be vaccinated against coronavirus, the prime minister has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Boris Johnson acknowledged there will be “immense logistical challenges” in distributing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which has approved for use in the UK. Live updates on coronavirus from

The UK’s independent healthcare regulator has approved the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for use. It will be rolled out for use next week. “The government has today accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use,” the government said. “The vaccine will be made available

England’s new tiered system of coronavirus restrictions has been approved by MPs, although a sizable number of Conservatives appear to have rebelled against the measures. The system was approved by 291 votes to 78, a majority of 213. A full breakdown of the vote has not yet been released, but the figures suggest that there

Debenhams is to be wound down after JD Sports pulled out of talks on a rescue takeover, placing 12,000 jobs at risk in a horror week for UK retail. The decision was taken after a sale process, initiated by administrators when the troubled 242-year old department store collapsed in April, was officially concluded leaving it