The epidemic is finally shrinking, although scientists warn that the number of Covid cases, and patients in hospital, remains perilously high.
There is some evidence the new variant of Covid-19 that emerged in the south of England before Christmas is more deadly, the Prime Minister said today.
Scientific experts have said that the coronavirus variant has spread from the east and south east of England to the rest of the country.
There is increasing consensus among scientists that we are going to need more than one vaccine to escape the coronavirus pandemic.