Covid news - live: Boris Johnson reveals end of lockdown roadmap as Whitty backs five-week gap between stages

The findings of a Scotland vaccine study have been “very encouraging,” lead researcher Professor Aziz Sheikh, the director of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, has said.

“These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future,” Prof Sheikh said on Monday, according to PA.

“We now have national evidence - across an entire country - that vaccination provides protection against Covid-19 hospitalisations,” the professor said.

National Covid-19 incident director at Public Health Scotland Dr Jim McMenamin said the findings were “important as we move from expectation to firm evidence of benefit from vaccines.”

“Across the Scottish population the results show a substantial effect on reducing the risk of admission to hospital from a single dose of vaccine,” he said, adding: “For anyone offered the vaccine I encourage them to get vaccinated.”

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said he will “happily” look into what more data can be made available on Britain’s vaccine rollout campaign after facing criticism over access to information after statistician Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter called the lack of detailed information “upsetting”.

Speaking with BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, Mr Zahawi said: “As of last week, NHS England have published CCG (clinical commissioning group) level data across England, which I think was important.”

“We collect ethnicity data and we publish that, and we work with directors of public health and local government to share mid-level data, without obviously in any way jeopardising people’s privacy and personal health data,” he said, according to PA. “But all that work continues at pace.”

“Data is our ally in this vaccination rollout and we continue to do more,” he continued.

The vaccines minister said he had not heard Prof Spiegelhalter’s comments. However, he said that as far releasing further data goes, he would “happily look at what else we can do”.

Prof Spiegelhalter had told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “the office for stats regulation wrote to the Government ... more than a month ago, saying there should be be much better publicly available data.”

“We don’t know about the numbers or the proportions by the priority groups - groups one to nine; we don’t know the proportions by ethnicity; we don’t know this broken down by region,” he said.

“I mean they do, somebody does, but we’re not getting it,” he asserted. “And I think that’s a real shame as it was asked for a long time ago and so far nothing has happened.”

Britain’s vaccination programme is starting to “really bear fruit”, Nadhim Zahawi has said, as the vaccines minister suggested that evidence to be published today will reveal the impact so far of Britain’s vaccine rollout on hospitalisations and transmissions.

“The prime minister will say more about this, but you will know that Public Health England have been running a couple of large scale studies,” he told Sky News. “Suffice to say the evidence looks good.”

The vaccines minister’s comments came hours before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s expected unveiling of the government’s roadmap for leading England out of its current lockdown.

Political Correspondent Ashley Cowburn has more:

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi declined to say when gyms could be reopened on Monday, asserting that reintroducing “outdoor sports” is the priority under the government’s new road map to ease England out of its current lockdown.

“The simple way to look at this is that outdoor is safer and therefore we prioritise [outdoor sports] versus indoor,” he told LBC.

“Outdoor sports - tennis, golf, outdoor organised team sports, grassroots football - will go back on March 29,” he said.

Pressed to say when gyms and fitness centres could reopen, Mr Zahawi said: “At the moment, it’s outdoors versus indoors. Outdoors is the priority because it’s where the transmission rates are much, much, much lower.”

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has clarified that groups of more than six people will likely be able to meet outdoors so as long as they are “two families” starting later this month.

Under the government’s road map to ease England out of lockdown restrictions, starting from 29 March, outdoor gatherings of six people or two households are expected to be allowed, including get-togethers in private gardens.

Speaking with BBC Breakfast on Monday, Mr Zahawi was asked if two families who were more than six people could still meet outdoors, with the example of a group of 10 being provided.

“Correct. So as long as it’s two families, then they can meet outdoors,” he said.

“If you look at the behavior of the virus, outdoors is much easier, much safer because it’s much much lower transmission in terms of the virus,” the vaccines minister added.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said the government’s road map to lifting coronavirus restrictions is focused on the “gradual reopening of the whole of England” rather than seeing a regional lifting of restrictions.

Asked whether he foresaw the return of the tier system, he told LBC: “I think because the way this new variant actually took hold, which has become the dominant variant, the Kent variant, in the United Kingdom, infection rates around the country pretty much rose to similar, very high, unsustainable levels.

“So the view is very much that this is about a gradual reopening of the whole of England, not regional.”

Four tests will need to be met in order for each phase of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to lift lockdown restrictions in England to move forward, Downing Street has said.

Here’s how No 10 describes the four requirements:

“The four tests are currently being met so the first step will proceed from 8 March, at which point the top four priority cohorts for vaccinations - as determined by the independent JCVI - will have received a degree of immunity, three weeks after being offered their first dose,” Downing Street has said.

That means that starting from 8 March, all schools will be expected to reopen, with outdoor after-school sports expected to be allowed. Meanwhile, recreation in public spaces, such as parks, could also be allowed under the first phase enabling two people to meet outdoors for coffee or a picnic.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said the focus of easing England’s lockdown restrictions is to have a “steady as she goes” approach.

Noting that Scotland, northern Ireland and Wales would be setting out their own roadmaps to lifting restrictions, Mr Zahawi said England would lift restrictions in phases so long as “four tests continue to be delivered upon”, according to PA.

The four tests are requirements the government has outlined in order for an easing of restrictions to move forward.

Asked if travelling to see family would be permitted from 29 March, Mr Zahawi said: “As long as it’s outdoors, and it is two families, or the rule of six, then that is what will be permitted if the four tests continue to be delivered upon.”

“At the moment, the focus is very much on the steady as she goes,” he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil his finalised road map for lifting lockdown restrictions in England today.

The plan is expected to prioritise getting children back to school and reuniting families with a “cautious” approach.

The prime minister is set to share the plan with ministers before revealing it to MPs this afternoon. He will then hold a press conference later at 7pm GMT to outline the way forward to the public.

The plan is expected to be carried out in phases, with the first phase expected to be split into two parts.

Starting from 8 March, all schools are expected to reopen, with outdoor after-school sports expected to be allowed. Meanwhile, recreation in public spaces, such as parks, could also be allowed between two people, allowing them to meet for a coffee or picnic.

Then, from 29 March, outdoor gatherings of six people or two households are expected to be allowed, including meeting in private gardens. Meanwhile, outdoor sports facilities could also reopen, with a possible return of organised sport for children and potentially adults.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic as Boris Johnson prepares to unveil his road map to ending lockdown restrictions.