Coronavirus live news: Boris Johnson expected to announce tier 4 measures for London and south-east at press briefing
Tier 4 #Tier4
10.40am EST 10:40
Distribution of the Moderna vaccine will begin to more than 3,800 sites across the United States this weekend, after it was approved on Friday by the medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.
Workers in Bloomington, Indiana, will fill and package vials with the mRNA vaccine before handing them on to be shipped from sites including Louisville, Kentucky and Memphis, Tennessee. Those locations are close to air hubs for United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx Corp.
The Moderna vaccine is the second approved for use in the US, after regulators earlier approved the Pfizer/BioNTech jab. Pfizer organised its own distribution system but the US government’s Operation Warp Speed, led by a US army general, is in charge for Moderna.
Texas and Arkansas officials told Reuters they expect Moderna to be the primary vaccine for rural areas, which often lack the ultra cold storage equipment to store full trays of Pfizer’s vials. Once the plastic on a Pfizer 975-dose tray is opened, recipients have 120 hours to use the vaccine.
Doses of vaccine must travel with security guards, including U.S. Marshals, and will be stored in locked refrigerators.
US officials have said they expect to have 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines by the end of the year – enough to inoculate 20 million people.
Both vaccines were claimed by their makers to be about 95% effective at preventing illness in pivotal clinical trials with no serious safety issues.
10.19am EST 10:19
NHS England reports 339 more coronavirus deaths
A further 339 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, NHS England said on Saturday.
Patients were aged between 44 and 100. All except 13, aged between 64 and 95, had known underlying health conditions. The deaths were between 5 November and 18 December.
Eighteen other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
The total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 46,122. The figure is lower than the number of deaths reported by the Office for National Statistics, which includes all deaths in which Covid-19 was mentioned on a death certificate.
Updated at 10.36am EST
10.09am EST 10:09
Health authorities in Thailand reported 516 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, by far the biggest one-day jump in a country that had previously brought the epidemic largely under control, according to Reuters.
The new cases were reported in Samut Sakhon province, where an outbreak has been reported linked to a shrimp market.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director general of the disease control department, told a news conference the new cases were found through testing among migrant workers and there were more cases at hospitals.
Most were asymptomatic, he said.
A medical worker performs a nose swab on a migrant worker at the seafood market in Samut Sakhon province, in Thailand, thought to be at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak. Photograph: Reuters
Updated at 10.37am EST
9.43am EST 09:43
‘Tier 4’ lockdown measures expected in SE England 
Boris Johnson is expected to introduce tier 4 restrictions for London and the south-east of England in his press conference this afternoon, with the planned relaxation of regulations over Christmas scaled back for the rest of the country, writes Molly Blackall.
Tier 4 restrictions may spell an end to Christmas plans, with those living under the new top tier thought to be prevented from meeting other households over the holiday.
There are also suggestions that just two households will now be able to meet in the rest of England, rather than the planned three.
The prime minister will be joined by the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, and the UK’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, for a press conference at 4pm on Saturday, following an emergency meeting with cabinet ministers at 1pm.
It comes as cases of coronavirus surge, and concerns grow over a new strain of coronavirus which is spreading rapidly across the south-east of England.
Updated at 9.44am EST
9.38am EST 09:38
Here’s more details on what the UK government is expected to announce at 4pm, from the Times deputy political editor.
9.12am EST 09:12
People in Italy will only be allowed to leave their homes once a day to visit friends or relatives over the Christmas and new year period, and travel between regions is to be banned, according to AFP.
The entire country is to be classified a “red zone” between 21 December and 6 January. Starting from 24 December, bars and restaurants will also be closed.
People queue outside a Gucci store on Via Condotti in Rome, Italy. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, said: “Our experts fear that the infection curve will increase during the Christmas period.”
However, the rules will be relaxed on 28, 29 and 30 December, as well as on 4 January, when shops will be able to remain open until 9pm and people will be allowed to move about freely.
Updated at 9.47am EST
8.46am EST 08:46
Police make arrests at London anti lockdown protest
Police are attempting to disperse anti-lockdown protesters who have gathered outside parliament in London.
The Metropolitan police said protesters were gathering in Parliament Square in significant numbers on Saturday afternoon. According to the force, organisers have not submitted a risk assessment for the demonstration.
“This protest is not exempt from the ‘rule of 6’ and should not be happening,” the force said on Twitter.
Demonstrators during an anti-lockdown protest in Parliament Square central London. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
The Met said it was attempting to engage with protesters to persuade them from leaving the area, but would move to enforcement of people did not comply.
Pictures from the scene showed a number of arrests had already been made. Andreas Michli, the owner of a gym in Wood Green that refused to shut its door during the second national lockdown, was among those arrested.
“I’m going to keep doing this until we’re free,” he said as he was led to a police van.
A protester is arrested before being taken away by police officers on Whitehall. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 9.49am EST
8.19am EST 08:19
Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will hold a cabinet meeting this afternoon to discuss the new virus strain, adding that preventative action may be needed to stop it taking hold.
8.17am EST 08:17
Italy will be placed under new restrictions over the Christmas and new year periods, according to a government decree published on Saturday.
Under the new measures, already announced by the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, late Friday and coming into effect from Monday until 6 January, the whole of country will be classified as “red zone” – the highest level of restrictions – between Christmas Eve, and 27 December and then again between 31 December and 3 January and 5-6 January.
People will be allowed to leave their homes only once per day to visit friends or relatives, and travel between regions will be banned. Bars and restaurants will be closed from 24 December.
On 28, 29 and 30 December, and 4 January Italy will be in “orange zone” lockdown, meaning people can leave their homes but must stay within their towns and all shops can reopen apart from bars and restaurants.
Updated at 8.28am EST
8.12am EST 08:12
Coming off the telephone meeting, Arlene Foster has described the news about the variant as “very concerning”.
8.06am EST 08:06
Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said the UK has informed the World Health Organization that the new coronavirus strain can spread more rapidly.
“As announced on Monday, the UK has identified a new variant of Covid-19 through Public Health England’s genomic surveillance,” he said in a statement.
“As a result of the rapid spread of the new variant, preliminary modelling data and rapidly rising incidence rates in the south-east, the new and emerging respiratory virus threats advisory group (Nervtag) now consider that the new strain can spread more quickly.
“We have alerted the WHO and are continuing to analyse the available data to improve our understanding.
“There is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is under way to confirm this. Given this latest development, it is now more vital than ever that the public continue to take action in their area to reduce transmission.”
Updated at 8.18am EST
8.00am EST 08:00
PM to hold press briefing today
Boris Johnson will hold a press conference later today amid rising cases in England and a new coronavirus strain spreading rapidly across the south-east.
The government’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and the chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, will also appear.
Updated at 8.18am EST