Covid news - live: New UK Covid variant under investigation as surge testing rolled out in two more areas

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned for rolling updates with the latest news and statistics.

Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to deal with variants will be fast-tracked without compromising on safety or effectiveness, the UK's regulator has said.

The approach will be similar to the regulatory process for the modified flu vaccine, to deal with new strains each year, with a brand new approval not required.

Scientists have previously said a Covid-19 variant resistant to the current crop of vaccines is likely to emerge at some point, but vaccines can also be adapted quickly.

The guidance states coronavirus vaccine manufacturers will need to provide robust evidence that the modified jab produces an immune response. However, lengthy clinical studies deemed not to add to the regulatory understanding of their safety, quality or effectiveness will not be needed.

The rate of decline in Covid-19 infections in England has slowed, while infections have even increased in some areas, figures suggest.

One in every 213 people is still testing positive for Covid-19, Imperial College London’s React study found.

Researchers warned that if infection rates start to rise, people who are due their jab imminently may become infected.

They said infection rates need to get as low as possible to give the vaccination programme the best chance of working.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said there is "some cause for concern" that progress in the reduction in infections could be slowing down, and even reversing in some regions.

Researchers noted apparent rises in infections in London, the South East and the Midlands and higher rates of infection in some professions, including teachers and transport workers.

The director of a bioscience facility has said lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic could be used to help tackle climate change.

Dr Jen Vanderhoven, director of the National Horizons Centre (NHC), a research, teaching and training facility that is part of Teesside University, said the collaboration between academics and industry that helped deliver coronavirus vaccines in less than a year could be used to address other global crises.

The NHC works in partnership with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, which is scheduled to produce millions of doses of the Novavax vaccine at its plant in Billingham, Teesside - training its staff in the skills needed to carry out the development and manufacture of vaccines.

Dr Vanderhoven said: "It usually takes between four and 10 years to manufacture a vaccine and yet, when we've put our minds together on it and worked together on it, it's been done in under a year, which no one would ever have dreamt... it just shows that, when time is of the essence, it's achievable."

Our music correspondent Roisin O’Connor has been speaking to crew members in the live music industry to find out what they’ve been doing to survive the coronavirus lockdowns - from stacking shelves in Tesco to cashing in their pensions.

Italy will administer a single vaccine dose to those who have already been infected with Covid-19, the country’s health ministry revealed.

“A single dose of vaccine may be considered for individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic or asymptomatic”, it said in a statement.

The recommendation applies to people diagnosed with Covid between three and six months previously.

France and Spain announced a similar policy last month, in a move that also appears to be aimed at saving vaccine shots and boosting supplies.

The development of coronavirus vaccines tweaked to target new variants will be fast-tracked in the UK and four other countries, Britain’s regulator has said, adding that “robust evidence” on effectiveness and safety will still be required for authorisation.

Samuel Lovett has more details about this story:

An NHS body warned it was impossible for asylum seekers to social distance at Napier Barracks as coronavirus spread through the camp earlier this year, but the Home Office still refused to move them out of the controversial housing, The Independent can reveal.

Our social affairs correspondent May Bulman explains more in this exclusive report:

The chief executive of MHRA, the UK’s regulator, has said "difficult judgements" will have to be made about the deployment of any modified coronavirus vaccines.

Dr June Raine said: "We turn to the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, who have a wealth of data to try and make these judgments.

"They are difficult judgments and we know that age is the prime risk.

"What we will do, if and when the situation arises that we need to move rapidly to deploy a vaccine that's effective against variants, we will be working closely to ensure that JCBI is absolutely ready to give the right advice on how it should be deployed.

"It will be done in the same independent way in terms of our own decision but working closely with the authorities that have to make these decisions about deployment."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for telling Britons to “live without fear” shortly before the massive second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths over the winter.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details: