the uk s medicines regulator has approved a new antiviral pill for covid. the drug company pfizer claims that when taken by high risk patients with mild to moderate symptoms, paxlovid reduces hospitalizations and deaths by 89%. the two active substances of paxlovid come as separate tablets that are packaged and taken together, twice a day by mouth for five days. authorities in china are attempting to stick to a zero coronavirus strategy ahead of its lunar new year celebrations and the beijing winter olympics. the country s vice premier has visited the northern city of xi an, where13 million people have been confined to their homes in one of the country s strictest lockdowns since the pandemic began. these images are from inside xi an.
i there s plenty of opportunities. i there is mobile vaccination units, there s gps vaccinating, - there s all sorts of ways to get vaccinated. - just please come forward and help yourself, - but also help reduce - that burden on the nhs. and now, this. a second antiviral pill has been approved by the uk regulator. in trials, pfizer s paxlovid drug offered nearly 90% protection from severe illness and death among vulnerable adults. there s a glimmer of hope for the new year. vaccines and new treatments should help protect the most at risk from serious illness. but there are huge uncertainties. if there is a sharp rise in hospital admissions, health leaders say ministers will have to act fast. katharine da costa, bbc news. authorities in china are attempting to stick to a zero coronavirus strategy ahead of its lunar new year celebrations and the beijing winter olympics. the country s vice premier has visited the northern city of xi an,
of england and into the channel islands. for many tonight will be dry, clear and quite warm. we focus on those showers for tomorrow with some heavy, thundery ones developing quickly in the southwest of england slowly moving into wales, across the west country towards hampshire, even towards the london area towards the end of the day. a stronger breeze will blow in more, this low cloud on the coast of east scotland, the northeast of england keeping it chillier. but of those heavier, thundery showers you could see temperatures as high as 26 or 27 c. those showers potentially heavy and thundery will push their way northwards in the evening across north of wales into the midlands and towards northern ireland. still dry though further north in scotland. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. zero coronavirus deaths announced by the uk government today, for the first time since the pandemic began. but some experts continue to throw doubt on whether all restrictions
a 29 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a mother and her child in lincolnshire. daniel boulton was detained by police in the hubbard s hill area of louth earlier today. lincolnshire police have named the mother and son as bethany vincent and darren henson who s nine. the headlines on bbc news. zero coronavirus deaths announced by the uk government today, for the first time since the pandemic began. but some experts continue to throw doubt on whether all restrictions in england should be lifted onjune 21st, as cases remain above 3,000 for the seventh day running. a slow down to the easing of lockdown for large parts of scotland but rules will be relaxed in glasgow after almost 9 months. let s get more now the revolutionary gene therapy zolgensma that is available now on the nhs.
this is bbc news. the headlines at eight: zero coronavirus deaths announced by the uk government today, for the first time since the pandemic began. but some experts continue to throw doubt on whether all restrictions in england should be lifted onjune 21st, as cases remain above 3,000 for the seventh day running. a slow down to the easing of lockdown for large parts of scotland, but rules will be relaxed in glasgow after almost nine months. i do not want to keep a single part of this country in tougher restrictions or any restrictions for longer than necessary, but i do have a duty to continue to navigate through this. a revolutionary gene therapy is given to a five month old baby at a london hospital. arthur morgan is treated for a spinal disorder with the world s most expensive drug.