Covid UK News – Live: Pfizer Vaccine Could Gain ‘Early December’ Approval

Italy has reported 686 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, up from 827 on Friday, and 26,323 new infections, up from 28,352, the country’s Health Ministry said.

So far, the country has recorded 54,363 deaths from Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February, placing it among the most affected countries in Europe.

More than 60 people have been arrested in London today amid an anti-closure protest in the capital, the Metropolitan Police have said.

“These [arrests] they were for a number of different crimes, including violating coronavirus restrictions, “police said in a statement.

“We expect this number to increase.”

The UK is set to approve the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine next week, and deliveries could begin within hours of authorization, according to a report from the Financial times.

The authorization would mean that the UK is the first Western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine and would pave the way for the first jabs to take place from December 7.

Ministers have ordered 40 million doses of the two-shot vaccine, which in trials showed 95 percent efficacy.

The government has faced criticism from opponents and its own MPs this week for breaking an overt pledge on spending on foreign aid.

However, our main political commentator, John rentoul, suggests that the coronavirus crisis has made such promises more difficult to keep.

You can find his complete piece below:

A student has discovered that there is a correlation between negative reviews of scented candles and an increase in coronavirus infections.

Kate Petrova, who studies neurology and social psychology at Harvard, shared her discovery of data on social media and explained how candles have become “unexpected victims” of the pandemic.

Our reporter, Joe middleton, has the full story below:

President-elect Joe Biden has called on all Americans to take individual responsibility for helping control the coronavirus crisis.

His intervention came when the US recorded another daily record of infections, with 199,105 new cases, according to data compiled by the New York Times.

Our reporter, Matt mathers, has the full story below:

The number of people who have died from coronavirus in UK hospitals has risen by 370.

Health authorities have confirmed 289 deaths in England, 44 in Scotland, 29 in Wales and eight in Northern Ireland.

The latest figures from the Department of Health showed that across the UK there are 16,064 patients hospitalized with the virus, of which 1,456 are hooked up to ventilators.

The official number of coronavirus deaths in the UK last night stood at 57.551 after 521 deaths were confirmed across all settings.

There were 391 deaths from Covid-19 in UK hospitals a week ago, while a month ago, on October 28, there were 248.

Police have taken people in handcuffs from an anti-lockdown protest in London’s Hyde Park, where revelers carried signs reading “stop controlling us” and “no more lockdowns.”

The large crowd of protesters shouting “freedom” left the park near Marble Arch and marched down a road parallel to Oxford Street.

Officers were later seen handcuffing several more protesters as the march progressed through the streets of central London.

The police asked people who were part of a noisy crowd to go home.