UK coronavirus live: 'major incident' declared in London as cases surge; Moderna Covid vaccine approved

The number of new infections in the UK is either broadly flat or growing by up to 6% every day, according to new statistics released by the government.

The latest reproduction number (R) and growth rate of Covid-19 in the UK is put at 0% to +6%.

An R number between 1.0 and 1.4 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 10 and 14 others.

A growth rate of between 0% and +6% means that the number of new infections is either broadly flat or growing by up to 6% every day.

The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has insisted there is only a “marginal” difference between the number of people who have been vaccinated in Wales compared with the rest of the UK.

But he said that to be able to plan properly there needed to be a “reliable sense” in how much vaccine Wales would be receiving from the UK government – and when.

Wales has vaccinated around 50,000 people. It received a “significant” delivery of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on 23 and 27 December. It then took in 22,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca on Monday and is due to receive 25,000 doses next week and 80,000 the week after that.

But Drakeford said: “We need to know beyond three weeks. To be able to plan for the maximum delivery you need a reliable sense of how many doses you are going to have available.”

Wales has so far vaccinated relatively fewer people than other UK nations but Drakeford said: “Vaccination is neither a sprint nor a contest.”

He said the roll-out of the vaccination programme would continue “getting faster in the weeks ahead”, with the number of vaccination centres rising to 35.

By the end of the month, 250 GP practices in Wales will be administering vaccines and there are already 14 mobile units providing vaccinations to care homes around the country.

“All frontline ambulance staff in Wales will have had their first dose by next week and we will be extending vaccination to staff working in special schools and to school and college staff who are at risk,” he said

Sources in government have told the BBC’s health and science correspondent, James Gallagher, that they believe Covid-19 infections in England are running at above 100,000 a day.

The prime minister has welcomed the MHRA approval for the Moderna vaccine, the third vaccine to be given the green light for use in the UK.

The mayor of London said he had written to Boris Johnson asking for more financial support for Londoners who need to self-isolate and are unable to work, and for daily vaccination data.

Sadiq Khan is also asking for the closure of places of worship and for face masks to be worn routinely outside of the home, including in crowded places and supermarket queues.

Major incidents have previously been declared in London for the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and the terror attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.

Making the announcement in London, Sadiq Khan said: “We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point.

“If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die.

“Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices and I am today imploring them to please stat at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave.”

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has declared an effective emergency in the city, as it grapples with soaring coronavirus case numbers and hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients.

London has been the worst-hit area of the UK so far in the winter peak of Covid-19 cases.

Speaking alongside Boris Johnson at a Downing Street press conference on Thursday, Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said hospitals in London were now receiving 800 Covid patients a day, the equivalent of the entire capacity of St Thomas’, one of the capital’s flagship hospitals.

Around eight in 10 recent positive cases of Covid-19 in London and eastern England could be the new variant of Covid-19, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In London, 81% of positive cases from December 28 to January 2 were estimated to be genetically compatible with the new variant, while in eastern England the estimate is 78%.

Two other regions had estimates above 50%: south-east England (67%) and south-west England (53%).

For England as a whole, the ONS estimated 61% of new cases could be the new variant. All figures are for people in private households.

Police have handed out more than 30,000 fines under coronavirus laws since the start of the pandemic, figures show.

A total of 32,329 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued by forces across England and Wales between March 27 and December 21, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

Data published on Friday showed 28,744 were handed out by forces in England. In Wales, forces issued 3,585. The figures include those handed out by British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence police.