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

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the strength of the UK’s vaccine rollout has benefited from a four-nation approach to deployment, as he discussed the potential for modified vaccines to deal with new strains.

He said: “The priority order for everybody has been the same no matter where you live across the UK.

“I think that’s been one of the strengths of the rollout, meaning that everybody knows where they stand in terms of the order of the queue and everybody knows that the queue is guided by the best clinical advice.”

MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine has said there isn’t actually any current evidence that Covid vaccines being used in the UK “are significantly lacking in effectiveness” against new variants.

She added: “They’re effective against Kent and we believe South Africa.

“We know that there has been some data from South Africa, we believe effectiveness here is maintained, and we’re working hard on the Brazil variant.

“As of today there’s no imperative that we fast-track a new variant-effective vaccine - but we are prepared.”

The UK could become one of the fastest countries in the world to approve new Covid-19 vaccines to tackle variants.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will oversee a fast-track approach to approving new jabs, after studies suggested variants may make vaccines less effective.

During a visit to the Glasgow lighthouse lab, Mr Hancock said: “We will have a fast-track approach to safely approving future vaccines that work against a variant of Covid-19.

“The vaccine programme has clearly been a huge UK success story, and part of the reason that we have been able to develop the vaccines so far, so quickly, is because of the MHRA’s rigorous yet flexible approach, which has been based entirely on looking as quickly as possible at the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

“I’m delighted that they’re taking that same principled approach to the approval process for vaccines that may work against variants.”

It is "too early" to say whether the government can support rolling out vaccine passports while a review is under way, the Chancellor has said.

Rishi Sunak admitted there were "various practical, legal and ethical issues" with asking people to prove they have either been vaccinated or tested negative for coronavirus before being permitted into venues or businesses.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is currently leading a review on whether bringing in "Covid status certificates" would help with reopening the economy once virus restrictions have been lifted after June 21.

The chancellor said the review could take months and only after it has been completed can ministers weigh up the pros and cons.

A total of 68,738 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to February 24, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.

This is down 19% on the previous week and is the lowest number since the week to September 30.

More than four in 10 over-80s who received a coronavirus vaccine during the current lockdown appear to have since broken the rules by meeting up with someone indoors, figures suggest.

Some 43 per cent of elderly people surveyed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said they had met someone other than a personal care support worker, member of their household or support bubble indoors since being vaccinated.

And 41 per cent of over-80s vaccinated in the previous three weeks said they had done so - “appearing to break lockdown regulations”, according to the ONS.

Restrictions on outdoor social gatherings and indoor public venues will be relaxed in New York from 22 March, according to governor Andrew Cuomo.

Gino Spocchia has more details:

International pupils attending boarding schools in England will be allowed to self-isolate at their school rather than in a hotel following pressure from parents and headteachers.

Children arriving from countries on the government’s red list to return to school in England will not have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, according to Department for Education guidance.

But it says pupils will only be allowed to self-isolate at their school if they travel from the airport in pre-arranged private transport organised by the school.

International students must then quarantine in “physically self-contained” accommodation at the school.

Europe’s medicines regulator has started a rolling review of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine, an important display of confidence in the shot that paves the way for its potential approval across the 27-nation bloc.

Hungary became the first EU country to grant the Russian vaccine emergency national approval in January, Slovakia has ordered shipments, and Czech prime minister Andrej Babis has said his country could move to use Sputnik V.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement it would review data from ongoing trials of the vaccine until there was enough evidence for a formal marketing authorisation application.

Italy will administer just a single vaccine dose to those who were infected with Covid between three and six months beforehand, the health ministry said, a move apparently aimed at saving shots as the EU inoculation rollout stutters.

The recommendation applies both to people who have fallen ill and those who were diagnosed but had no symptoms.

Italy is the third EU country after France and Spain to follow this path at a time when EU nations are struggling to boost their vaccination campaigns after manufacturers needed to cut supplies.

Italy, which has a population of around 60 million, had administered 4.76 million doses of vaccines, with 1.5 million people receiving the recommended two shots.