Covid vaccines available in GP surgeries TODAY – all you need to know about getting yours

The UK has already ordered 30 million doses of the Janssen vaccine, with the option of 22 million more.

If approved by regulators, the Janssen drug would become the third vaccine to be rolled out at scale in the UK after the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.

It can be stored at standard fridge temperature and trials have so far focused on its effectiveness when used as a single dose, which marks a big change from the double-dose vaccines currently available.

Meanwhile, seven mass vaccination centres will open next week in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi admitted the target of vaccinating around 14 million people in the highest priority groups - including the elderly, those with clinical needs, care home residents and staff as well as frontline NHS workers - by February 15 was "stretching".

Boris Johnson was given approval for the latest lockdown in the Commons but faced rebellion within his ranks, with 12 Conservative MPs voting against the stay-at-home rules. They were joined by four DUP MPs opposing the regulations.

In the face of pressure from senior Tories to commit to easing the restrictions - which came into force on Wednesday and were being voted on retrospectively by MPs - as soon as possible, Mr Johnson said there would be "substantial opportunities" for relaxation before March.

Mark Harper, ex-Government chief whip and chairman of the lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group, said the restrictions should be reviewed "in the middle of February" once the most vulnerable had been vaccinated, as per the Government's aim.

The result came as Government data confirmed that the Covid death toll had once again reached levels not seen since the peak of the first wave in 2020.

The figures, however, continue to be affected by a lag in the publication of recent data and contain some deaths that took place over the Christmas and New Year period that have only just been reported.

Of the 1,041 new deaths, around a third took place before January 1, while some 100 took place in the seven days up to Christmas Day.

After the latest mortality figures were released, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said ministers had to shoulder some of the blame.

"This is a tragedy. It's not bad luck. It was not inevitable," he tweeted.

"The Government has been too slow to react. We now need a national effort to get our country vaccinated."