the government has asked the uk
medicines regulator to formally assess
the fisa beyond tech vaccine
if approved it'll begin to be rolled out
across the country from next month
it comes as official figures suggest
that coronavirus infection rates are
leveling off in england and scotland and
decreasing in wales and northern ireland
the r number for the uk continues to
fall and is now between 1 and 1.1
health editor hupim reports a flu jab
today for a member of staff at a gp
practice along with others in england
they'll soon offer free vaccinations to
all patients aged 50 and over
sleep so a very busy few weeks ahead
but then there's the covid vaccine as
well assuming it's approved
this doctor told me they're ready to
start when given the word
well there'll be huge logistics involved
with that in terms of
texting patients writing to them phoning
them which takes a lot of personnel
obviously the personnel
actually to do the vaccinations but we
have
done that already we've done it with
vaccination programs for flu
at today's downing street briefing the
health secretary set out more of the
plans for the covid vaccine rollout in
england
we will be ready to start the
vaccination
next month with the bulk of the rollout
in the new year we're heading in the
right direction
but there is still a long way to go
coronavirus remains a grave danger
right now so what is happening with the
virus
the r number for the uk is down a little
but it's still just above one
showing it's spreading the office for
national statistics survey for the week
ending november the 14th
says that in england one in 80 people
were estimated to have coronavirus
which was similar to last week in
scotland it was one in 155
and rates had leveled off in wales it
was one in 165 with rates
decreasing over the past two weeks in
northern ireland one in 135 had the
virus
with rates decreasing over the most
recent four weeks
some of this may reflect different
lockdown plans and timings
one expert says in england there are big
regional variations
it seems to be very much that the north
west and yorkshire are going down
and almost everywhere else is going up
and
some places going up quite quickly and
until we understand that or reverse that
everywhere i don't think i don't think
we can say that a lot of dan is working
so i've asked the nhs the health
secretary said the data was promising
and the second
peak was flattening he and others must
decide what happens after full lockdown
ends
how strict will restrictions have to be
in england after december the
second and over how many days might
there be some relaxation during the
christmas season
we still haven't made those decisions
over christmas
i know how important it is for people
that we have a system
in place a set of rules that both keeps
people safe
but also allows people to see their
loved ones
drive-through centers like this one in
greater manchester are delivering the
flu vaccine but soon will come the much
bigger task
with the hope of getting all adults
vaccinated against kovid 19
by the spring hugh pim bbc news