'NEW ERA'
UK could be free of Covid restrictions by February once 15million vulnerable people have had jabs
THE UK could be free of lockdowns by February - after Government officials drew up a list of 15million vulnerable Brits who need the vaccine first.
It comes amid news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab could get the green light for use as early as Monday - with roll-out beginning in just a week.
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AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot said he believes the jab created with Oxford university has "the winning formula" to produce a 90 per cent success rate when taken in two separate doses.
It is hoped the rollout of the vaccine - which is cheaper and easier to store than the Pfizer jab - will help 15 million Brits receive at least one crucial injection before the end of February and spark the lifting of restrictions.
It comes as:
- Scientists say all of England must go into a Tier 4 lockdown immediately
- Education chiefs face an 'enormous battle' to keep secondary schools open in the face of a new strain of Covid
- New cases of the variant are reported in countries around the world
- The NHS faces a staffing crisis, with one in 10 off sick as coronavirus admissions continue to rise
- Bargain hunters hit the Boxing Day sales from 4am yesterday - despite Boris Johnson's plea to keep away from crowds
As of yesterday, 24million people in the south and east are now in the country's strictest Tier 4, with non-essential shops closed and household mixing banned.
Boris Johnson said the tough rules are needed to tackle a mutant strain of Covid surging through the country.
But it's now believed that Brits may have to hold on for just a few more weeks before life begins to return to normal.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has told The Sun that approval for the new jab will likely be granted tomorrow by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency.
And there are already plans in place to roll out jabs to the entire country in the week beginning January 4.
Sports stadiums and conference centres would be used as massive vaccination hubs, with ministers planning to have two million jab administered within a fortnight.
The news comes less than 10 days after Jeremy Hunt said the Pfizer jab would soon run out, with no more stock expected until March.
So far, more than 800,000 people - mostly the elderly and infirm - have received the first of two doses needed.
But the drug created by Oxford scientists could help to turn the tide against the virus.
And the UK Government has ordered a whopping 100million doses of the jab - meaning enough people may soon be inoculated against the deadly bug to give Britain back freedom from shutdowns.
A further 40million doses of the approved Pfizer vaccine have already been bought up by Britain.
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Trials of the Oxford vaccine, developed by the university along with AstraZeneca, showed an efficacy rate of 90 per cent when people were given half a dose followed by a whole dose at least a month later.
When two full doses were given at least a month apart, the vaccine had an efficacy of 62 per cent, meaning that, when all the results were taken into account, the overall efficacy was 70 per cent.
Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, told the Sunday Times: "We think we have figured out the winning formula and how to get efficacy that, after two doses, is up there with everybody else."
The Oxford jab is easier to store and distribute than the Pfizer vaccine, which needs to be kept at an ultra-cold -70c.
Regulators have now been passed the full data package for the vaccine, which will be manufactured in Oxford and Newcastle.
JAB JOY
In a bid to ensure those most in need get the new jab first, officials have drawn up a list of 15million people who are at the highest risk of dying from the virus.
According to the , it's hoped that once this group receive the vaccine - which some hope could be achieved by the end of February - the NHS wouldn't be at risk of being overwhelmed if the virus spread through the greater population.
That could mean tough lockdowns finally end.
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A source said: "The path to liberation is finally becoming clear."
The good news is much-needed as Brits face a new mutation in the virus.
The variation, found in Kent, spreads much more easily, although is not believed to otherwise be more dangerous.
Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said there is "some evidence that the increase may be particularly marked in children."
They found that the new strain of the virus is 56 per cent more infectious - and that even with another national lockdown, it would be difficult to get the R rate down.
Meanwhile, the UK is battling a surge in the virus.
Yesterday, Boxing Day, another 34,693 people were diagnosed with Covid - an increase of 1,968 on the previous day.
More than 2,000 Brits are in hospitals around the UK fighting the illness.
But top politicians say there's hope on the horizon - and urged the public to hold on and keep to the rules.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak believes 2021 will be a “new era” for Britain.
'LIGHT AT END OF THE TUNNEL'
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday he said: “This has been a tough year for everyone in this country.
“There will be tough days and months ahead, but there are reasons to look ahead to a brighter future and what 2021 promises.
“The early roll-out of vaccines – and the incredible work of our scientists and NHS – means we can now see light at the end of the tunnel with this pandemic.”
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He added: “Next year is the first in a new era of global Britain and all it has to offer.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Patients who receive the Oxford vaccine will need two jabs, a month apart.
Some 1,200 GP surgeries will dole out the vaccine.
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Coronavirus cases increase by 45% in a week with 34,693 new infections as deaths rise by 210
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