Its a proud day for everyone involved but the Prime Minister said social restrictions would have to continue. Its amazing to see the vaccine coming out. This tremendous shot in the arm for the entire nation, but we cant afford to relax now. Well be looking at the global effort to produce enough vaccine for the entire world. Also tonight. In yet another final attempt to unlock post brexit trade talks, the Prime Minister goes to brussels tomorrow to meet the European Commission president. Former england world cup winner Steve Thompson now diagnosed with early onset dementia. Hes one of eight former players planning legal action against rugbys governing body. And on the eve of the mobo music awards, we look at the pressures faced this year by those in the industry. And coming up in sport on bbc news, no disrespect shown at the den as millwalljoin arms with Queens Park Rangers players, who then take the knee for black lives matter. Good evening. 90 year old Margaret Keenan became the first person in the uk to receive the pfizerjab today. It meant the uk became the first country in the world to begin using a clinically approved covid 19 vaccine. 800,000 doses of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, enough for 400,000 people, have already arrived in the uk. The over 80s, care home workers, and nhs staff will among the very first to get the jab. More than 80 Vaccine Centres are being set up. Most for now are in hospitals, and people will be called in to be vaccinated. 0ur Health Editor hugh pym was in coventry as the first vaccine rolled out. A warning his report contains flashing images. An Early Morning hospital appointment. At first glance, nothing out of the ordinary. But this was unlike anything before. Margaret, aged 90, was the very first patient to receive the newly approved Coronavirus Vaccine. Applause. There was a well deserved round of applause, and intense interest amongst media and Health Officials at this hospital vaccination clinic in coventry. She seemed to take it all in her stride. So, margaret, first of all, tell us, how was it for you . It was fine, it was fine. I wasnt nervous at all. It was really good, yeah. And what do you say to those who might be having second thoughts about having this vaccine . I say go for it, go for it, because its free, and its the best thing thats ever happened. At the moment. So, do please go for it. Thats what i say, you know . If i can do it, well, so can you. The matron who administered the historicjab said the significance only sunk in afterwards. I do this all the time. Ive done hundreds of vaccinations, but never with such interest, and people, like, wanting to know whats going on and wanting to actually witness it, so it was really surreal. Its a world first, it represents extraordinary progress by science, but for the nhs, this is a huge achievement, turning research into reality. Around the uk, there were similar stories. In glasgow, the vaccine was delivered to the sec centre, with nhs staff among the first to receive the jabs. Its really exciting, its lovely. You feel like youre a wee bit of history in the making. Its really lovely. In belfast, health staff queued to get theirjabs. The policy is for those doing the vaccinations to be vaccinated first. The Health Service in general has struggled throughout the fight with covid 19, so it feels like a momentous day. Very privileged. At this Vaccine Centre in cardiff, one of seven in wales, more than 200 people have been booked in every day till friday. We do need people to be patient for that bit longer. Lets get through to the spring. As we work through to the spring, well be vaccinating as many people as we can. Its a good day for the whole country. The Prime Minister, on a visit to a london vaccination centre, wanted to rein in peoples expectations. I urge people to contain their impatience. Its a very exciting moment but theres still a lot of work to be done and a lot of discipline to be maintained. The head of nhs england was urging people not to turn up without appointments. Wait to hearfrom the nhs. We will make contact with you. The vaccine is being made available to us from the manufacturers on a phased basis, so the bulk of the vaccination is going to be injanuary, february, march and april. The priority groups now include the over 80s. Hari and ranjan, who spoke to us yesterday, had their jabs together in newcastle, with badges to prove it. Applause. Margaret certainly wont forget her vaccination, nor will nhs staff on a dramatic and momentous day which they can only hope marks a turning point. Hugh pym, bbc news, coventry. As weve been hearing, today is being seen as a historic day with thousands of people receiving the vaccine across the uk. 0ur correspondentjon kay has been speaking to a few of them. A day so many have been waiting for, and at bristols southmead hospital, first in the queue is jack. Good morning. Im 98, and i suppose its a bit of excitement. Hes been in hospitalfor a month having treatment for bone cancer, but hell be heading home in a few days, so the vaccine thats just arrived should start to protect him from covid. So, were going to give the injection in the top of your arm, just here. I thought thats what we came for, dear. Thats exactly it. Ijust didnt want any surprises. No surprises and no hesitation, this veteran of the Second World War happy to follow orders. And this arm floppy, all right . Bossy boots thats why im in navy, sir. Jack will still have to follow orders, even when hes had his second jab later this month, but he will finally be able to think about seeing his family again. I live in hope that in the middle of next year, well hopefully be living a normal life. Lovely. I havent seen him in so long. Bless him. Jacks granddaughter steph hasnt been able to visit because of his cancer and because of the covid risk, so she was delighted to see our pictures. She hopes the vaccine will mean he can soon be with the great grandchildren he loves so much. Hes such a social character, he loves seeing people, sojust to be able to go and see him that bit more and not have the worry will be great. A hope echoed across the country today. In milton keynes, husband and wife arthur and barbara. She went first. Id rather have the vaccine than have the covid i9. I mean, if youre given a choice, theres no contest. And in the bards county of warwickshire, to jab or not to jab. This really is 81 year old william shakespeare. It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldnt it . The start of changing our lives and our lifestyle. Youve made history today. Back in bristol, no sign of any side effects forjack. Thank you all. Grateful, and finally able to plan a future. Jon kay, bbc news. The launch of the vaccine roll out marks the start of one of the biggest vaccination programmes in nhs history. The Health Secretary matt hancock described it as the start of the fightback and said he hoped restrictions would begin to be lifted from the spring. 0ur Health Correspondent Catherine Burns looks at some of the Big Questions surrounding the covid jab. The first thing most people want to know is when theyll get the vaccine, and generally the answer is no time soon. Weve got around 800,000 doses of this Pfizer Vaccine to start with. Thats enough for 400,000 people. So, the plan is to start with the most vulnerable over 80s, care home staff and some front line nhs workers. But even people in these groups might not get it until into the new year. One thing to remember is that the regulator is looking at other vaccines, and when and if it approves them, it should speed things up. So, this is where that first vaccination happened this morning, and its been going on all day. Its one of up to 70 hospital hubs across the country. They are starting with hospitals because theyve got the freezers to keep this vaccine at 70 celsius. Soon, before christmas, the hope is to get the vaccines out to care homes and some gp surgeries. And then, in the new year, there will be Vaccination Centres in conference halls and sports stadiums. We saw Maggie Keenan having her first injection this morning and saying she didnt feel a thing. Well, more than 20,000 volunteers have had the Pfizer Vaccine during Clinical Trials, and a small number of them did experience some side effects. They were pretty mild things like a sore arm or maybe feeling a bit headache y or tired for a few days. The immune system does start to kick in some time after the first injection, but for this particular vaccine, after 21 days, patients need a second booster dose. And then, a week after that, theyll reach their full level of immunity. So, if someone had it today, that would be on the 5th of january. 0ne really important thing to note, though, this vaccine is up to 95 effective, which means it works for most people, but not absolutely everybody. This Pfizer Vaccine has been through rigorous safety checks, but there are some things we just cant know yet. For example, how long does it protect us for . Welljust have to wait and see. Another question is, does it stop the virus from spreading . So, we know that it stops people from getting sick, but we dont know if it also prevents them from getting infected in the first place and so passing it on to others. All this means that if you are one of the lucky few to have had the vaccine so far, for now, you still need to stick to social distancing. That report was by Catherine Burns. Today, regulators in the us confirmed the Pfizer Biontech vaccine is 95 effective, paving the way for it to be approved for emergency use there. There are more than a0 other vaccines currently undergoing human Clinical Trials around the world. 0ur science editor David Shukman looks at the huge challenge of how to roll out vaccines globally so that all countries can benefit. The vaccine deployed today marks a turning point for the uk, but when will it start to reach the rest of the world, along with the others that are being developed . A huge Global Operation is getting under way. Doses of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, which requires extreme cold, are ready to be dispatched as soon as other countries follow the uk in giving approval. But at the moment, supply cant possibly meet demand. The manufacturing process is complicated, and Industry Analysts say that production is encountering more hurdles than expected. Its incredibly hard to produce a vaccine. Its like cooking the same soup again and again, night after night, and it has to taste exactly the same. Its very difficult to do at scale. So we will see hurdles and i think the production figures, the big figures that are floating around, they are on the optimistic side. Theres no doubt about that. Rolling out the vaccines on a global scale is a daunting challenge. The global population stands at 7. 8 billion. Not Everyone Needs to be vaccinated to suppress the pandemic, maybe 70 to achieve whats called herd immunity. But that still leaves 5. 4 billion people, and three leading manufacturers of vaccines say that they hope during the course of the next year to produce enough doses for 2. 6 billion people, so that still leaves more than half the planet waiting for a vaccine, probably in 2022 or even the year after. And when the poorest nations do get the vaccines, there will be the immense task of distribution. This was the journey for an ebola vaccine. There are initiatives to help developing countries, but theyre not at the front of the queue. It feels like there is a lot of vaccine nationalism happening. Thats rich states buying up the vaccines for themselves. The issue there is not who gets it, because i think the vaccine will become available to lower and middle Income Countries in particular, but when. Thats the big problem. Meanwhile, russia has started using its own vaccine. But many are wary of it because safety trials are still under way. And china is also producing vaccines, but there are questions about whether enough testing has been carried out. Getting this far is the result of some brilliant Research Conducted under immense pressure. The job now is to get it out to the billions who are waiting. David shukman, bbc news. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here. Theres no doubting what a big day this is. Yes, the superlatives are justified, its an historic day and marks the first steps in a long road towards a return to normality. For most of the year the worlds hopes have been pinned on a Coronavirus Vaccine but it was by no means certain that wed get an effective one so certain that wed get an effective one so quickly. Its an astonishing achievement. For example despite decades of research and more than £10 billion in investment we still dont have a vaccine for hiv. As well as the pfizerjab there are two more Coronavirus Vaccines that look safe and effective, the moderna jab and the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine. 0xford became the First Developers today to publish their full data in a scientific journal today to publish their full data in a scientificjournal which is important for transparency. It confirms it is 77 effective in preventing overt and crucially no one who had the vaccine got seriously ill with covid or was hospitalised. If as hoped the oxford vaccine is approved by the end of the month it will allow a major ramping up of the immunisation here. The uk has ordered enough doses for 15 Million People in the uk. The 0xford vaccine doesnt need to be stored at 70 which would make it an important global vaccine. Astrazeneca has pledged to provide it not for profit. There are 52 covid vaccines in human trials and we are going to need many more of them because until every country is them because until every country is the vaccine, this pandemic wont be over. 0k, thank you. The latest government figures show there were 12,282 new Coronavirus Infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period. The average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 15,308. 1,359 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last thursday. 616 deaths were reported, thats people who died within 28 days of a positive covid 19 test. It means on average in the past week, 428 deaths were announced every day. It takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 62,033. Boris johnson will travel to brussels tomorrow for a meeting over dinner with the Eu Commission president in an attempt to unblock talks on a post brexit trade deal. Negotiations remain stuck, with just over three weeks to go before the transition period ends at the end of december. The politicians hope that meeting in person will lead to a solution. 0ur deputy Political Editor vicki young reports. Will there be a deal, Prime Minister . Trade talks have run into trouble, and borisjohnson will soon need to take some difficult decisions. Everyone is waiting to see if there is a way through. I think the situation at the moment is very tricky. 0urfriends havejust got to understand that the uk has left the eu in order to be able to exercise democratic control over the way we do things, and then there is also the issue of fisheries, where we are a long way apart still, but hope springs eternal. There has been progress in another very tricky area. To avoid checks along the irish border, Northern Ireland will continue to follow some eu rules. But that means inspections on certain goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the uk. Businesses there have been worried about extra paperwork and the impact on food and medicine supplies. How do you start to unpeel the complexity that is Northern Ireland and not create any instability . So, i think if theyve got some sort of solution today, albeit late, we would welcome it and we would be pleased, and we hope that with the detail coming out, they have listened to our concerns. This has been a hugely complicated and controversial issue where economic considerations have had to be seen in the context of a delicate peace process. Positives have been difficult to find in recent days when it comes to brexit negotiations, but this is most certainly a very important positive for the island of ireland as a whole because what this does now is it provides the guarantees that irelands place in the Single Market and the issues around the border are now all settled. Hopefully this is a signal that the British Government is in a deal making mood. Some see todays agreement as a positive sign for the broader trade talks, but dont forget those arrangements in Northern Ireland will apply whether there is a deal or not, and eu sources say their chief negotiator, michel barnier, has told european ministers we are now tilting towards no deal. And while politicians talk, the uncertainty affects businesses everywhere. The manager of this sawmill in somerset says he is ready to adapt. We have to be as positive as we possibly can about it and move forward. We employ three, four people and a couple of part time workers, and having to let people go is the worst thing for me, so my biggest fear is having to let Staff Members go if there are price increases and we become less efficient and if we go into recession. Tomorrow, Boris Johnson heads to brussels for dinner with the president of the European Commission, a last chance to find a breakthrough and a trade deal both sides can sign up to. Vicki young, bbc news, westminster. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy is at stormont for us. Tell us more about the reaction to the decision on the irish border. Well, it has been cautiously welcomed in Northern Ireland as progress. It means Many Companies are going to get answers about the process theyll have to go through to get goods from Northern Ireland into their biggest market, great britain, and to get things like supermarket shipments over the irish sea and onto the shelves. But the devil is going to be in the detail, when thats revealed tomorrow. In january those special arrangements will kick in for Northern Ireland where Northern Ireland has to continue sticking by eu rules because it is effectively becoming a new gateway into the eu. So people are very fond of reminding Boris Johnson, because companies are having to get ready for those new checks and new paperwork, he told them previously, dont worry, when you get through this you can chuck some of the paperwork into the bin. Now we going to find out tomorrow if thats really the case and how much the added burden of red tape on traders is going to be reduced. The reason thats so important is because any added bureaucracy has an implication for the cost of goods that we have on the shelves and of course the range of goods, especially that consumers in Northern Ireland can buy. Thank you. Pupils in scotland will not sit either highers or advanced highers next year, after the countrys education secretary john swinney announced the exams were being cancelled because of the pandemic. 0ur correspondent Alexandra Mackenzie has more. So, we get to a stage in maths where we have to dispense with numbers. Pupils here should be looking forward to the Christmas Holidays after months of disruption. They have already missed one year of exams. Now fifth and sixth years have just heard they will not be sitting their highers and advanced highers. It takes off a lot of stress, considering the people who have had to isolate. Ive had to isolate and its very difficult to catch up on the work you have missed. Im pleased and also terrified, because ive not had the experience of sitting an exam. Ijust feel like i wouldnt be getting the same kind of experience as past years. The nat 5s had already been cancelled and there was pressure to also replace the highers with teacher assessment. This is safe, it is fair, and it better recognises the reality of the disruption so many pupils have had to their learning in the course of the last few months. At this school in glasgow, a quarter of its pupils, thats around 500, have had to self isolate at least once. Some have been off several times. 0ne senior teacher at the school welcomed the decision but has some reservations. Is this assessment robust enough to stand up to possible moderation . At the end of the day, what we dont want to do is get children to sit assessments and for them to come round and say, sorry, they dont stand up to scrutiny and youve inadvertently disadvantaged someones potential future. The Scottish Qualifications Authority have said they will now work through the detail to provide clarity and certainty, something that both teachers and pupils have been waiting for. Alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. The 11 Council Areas in scotland which currently have the toughest level four coronavirus restrictions are to move down one level from friday. The changes will allow nonessential retail and hospitality to reopen, two weeks ahead of christmas. The queen and senior members of the royal family have met volunteers and key workers at Windsor Castle to thank them for their work this year. Windsor was the final stop on the duke and duchess of cambridges tour of britain, which has provoked some criticism from ministers in scotland and wales. 0ur royal correspondent Nicholas Witchells report contains flash photography. It is the season to say thank you, most particularly if youre a member of the royal family charged with expressing a nations gratitude to all of those whove made the difference in this most difficult year. And so, on the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, the queen wasjoined by members of herfamily for some festive cheer seasonal music from the salvation army, and gratitude, widely sprinkled to people whove done so much during the pandemic. The cambridges, william and kate, were there. Theyve spent the past 48 hours on the royal train, meeting key workers in different parts of great britain. A simple enough idea, you might think, except that england, scotland and wales all have slightly different covid related restrictions. And as the royal train made its way to edinburgh and later to cardiff, it became clear that some scottish and welsh leaders hadnt entirely bought into the idea of a visit by william and kate. Shortly before they arrived at Cardiff Castle this morning, the Welsh Health Minister said hed prefer if there werent, as he put it, unnecessary visits. He thought people might find it confusing. The Prime Minister later said that the cambridges tour had been a welcome boost to morale. And that, the raising of morale, is what this is all about. 0n the day when hope seemed a little more tangible with the start of mass vaccinations, the royal family came together to say thank you. Nicholas witchell, bbc news. A group of former professional rugby players are planning legal action against the sports governing bodies, claiming that rugby has left them with permanent brain damage. They include 42 year old Steve Thompson, who cant remember being part of englands 2003 world cup triumph. He is one of eight former players all diagnosed with early onset dementia who are taking part in the legal action. If successful, it could change the way the game is played. Governing bodies world rugby and the rfu said they take player safety very seriously, and have put in place injury prevention strategies. 0ur correspondent Chris Mcclaughlin has more. Australia, 2003, and english rugbys greatest triumph. I cant remember any of the games whatsoever, anything that happens in those games. Former hooker Steve Thompson is 42. This month, he was diagnosed with early onset dementia. He blames repeated blows to the head. They were in scrummage sessions on the scrum machine and youre passing out, people are training, you get back up and you have these bright white lights around your eyes and youre not with it and suddenly you would be doing that time after time. They were just making us use our head constantly. 11 former professionals have recently been tested. All have early onset dementia. And now eight are preparing legal action. And so it is expected that next week a pre legal letter will be delivered to the rfu, the wru and world rugby. It is a letter that has the potential to change the very fabric of the game. What it will say is that they are responsible for the permanent brain damage of players due to negligence. Its widely accepted the game has become more physical in recent years, and rugby has tightened its concussion protocols. Alex popham is 41. He played over 350 games of professional rugby, including 33 times for wales. In april, he was diagnosed with early onset dementia and could be in a care home by the time he is 50. As a 40 year old, to hear that, it was upsetting for me, but even more so for mel, my wife. Its watching, and to describe it, its like the light is fading gradually within him. And watching those changes. My biggest fear is for my daughter. My biggest fear is her losing her dad. Experts who have studied the brains of these recently retired players say they are most likely suffering from something called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or cte. A condition that can occur when the brain suffers numerous small, undetected traumas. It can result in memory loss, mood swings, and ultimately dementia. Legal action is coming. A crossroads for rugby could follow. Chris mclaughlin, bbc news. Manchester united have been knocked out of the European Champions League after they lost 3 2 to rb leipzig. But there were chaotic scenes in the french capital where the match between paris st germain and istanbul basaksehir was suspended afterjust 14 minutes when some players alleged racist language had been used by the fourth official. The match will resume tomorrow and governing body uefa said it will thoroughly investigate. Tomorrow, the uks biggest celebration of black music and culture will be live streamed online, as the mob0 awards get under way. Music of black 0rigin comes in a year of momentous calls for change for black lives, with the pandemic also creating fresh challenges for artists. This report, by the former mob0 award winner colleen harris, contains flashing images. Its been going for nearly 25 years, celebrating some of the biggest names in music of black origin. Make some noise re rewind, when the crowd say bo selecta
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