Brief. Me - December 22, 2024 12:08 pm
In today’s briefing update, we look at the differing take on the Oxford vaccine news and the PM’s post-Brexit deal.
In our special feature, we’re looking deeper into vaccine headlines; from the Oxford vaccine timeline to the ‘game-changing’ news and Britain’s rich trying to ski ahead of the queue.
Also featured: The latest Covid-19 figures, Sports, business and entertainment news.
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The recurring message in Sunday’s papers is around the Oxford vaccine set to be approved and the post-Brexit trade deal.
The Sun on Sunday thinks the jab will be given the green light on Monday. The vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, tells the paper this is down to the “heroic” efforts of everyone involved
However, there’s a darker vaccine story on the front of the People. It has the headline: “Betrayal of 12,000 care homes”.
The paper reports that 80% of the 15,000 homes in England are not currently being considered for the Pfizer/BioNTech inoculation that’s already been approved.
Below are our top picks of the Sunday Papers
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Vaccine boost for millions as hospitals near breaking point
The Sunday Times says the Oxford/ AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is set to win approval within days. The paper says senior government officials expect the medicines regulator to give the green light to the jab before Thursday, as the head of AstraZeneca said the jab “should be” effective against the new, highly transmissible strain of the virus.
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15m jabs to freedom
The Mail on Sunday says the UK could be free of tight Covid restrictions by the end of February, after ministers identified the 15 million people who would need vaccinations to end the “crippling” cycle of lockdowns. With the Oxford jab expected to be approved within days, the government hopes enough doses will soon be available to inoculate those most vulnerable within weeks, the paper says.
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Doctors warn: We face vaccine chaos
The Sunday Mirror leads on warnings from MPs, doctors and care chiefs that the vaccine roll-out could turn into a “fiasco” akin to the struggles the UK faced in securing PPE at the start of the pandemic. The paper says hundreds of GPs surgeries and scores of hospitals are still waiting for Pfizer jabs.
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Big changes are coming for Britain, vows PM
The Sunday Telegraph has the first interview with the prime minister after he signed the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. It quotes Boris Johnson as saying the deal will usher in “big” changes to the UK, with animal welfare, data and chemicals being areas where the UK could diverge from Brussels.
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The Future is in our hands
“The future’s in our hands” is the Sunday Express’s take, in reference to the historic agreement struck between the UK and EU. It quotes the UK’s chief negotiator, Lord Frost, as describing the post-Brexit trade deal as “one of the biggest and broadest agreements” ever made and a “moment of national renewal”.
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Fishing industry chiefs cry ‘betrayal’ as MPs fear rush to ratify deal
The Observer says fishing industry chiefs have accused Boris of “caving” in at the 11th hour to clinch the deal. According to the paper, senior Conservative MPs have expressed alarm at plans to rush the accord through Parliament and say details in the fine print could still allow the EU to impose tariffs on British exports if businesses fail to follow European rules.
UK Weather Forecast
Sunday 27th December 2020
Sunrise 08:09
Today
Rather cold this afternoon with a mixture of bright or sunny spells and wintry showers. These will be most frequent in the west, where they may be thundery, and bring snow to the hills.
Tonight
An area of wintry showers will spread south-eastwards across parts of western Scotland, Northern Ireland and then into Wales, SW England and the Midlands. Clear spells further east. Cold.
Tweet of the Day
#RipBrodieLee pic.twitter.com/wBdvPO5F9Y
Treat of the week
https://wtxnews.com/2020/12/25/2020-the-good-the-positive-moments/
https://wtxnews.com/2020/12/25/7-celebrity-deaths-2020-the-stars-we-lost/
Renaissance
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
A bit of Nostalgia from our entertainment people
Featured Story
The Oxford Vaccine in Review
What are the papers saying?
The BBC gives a timeline of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and its bumpy rise to approval, whilst the Evening Standard looks at the differences between the vaccines and Sky News compares the jabs.
Several papers report on the AstraZeneca chief’s belief the Oxford jab will work against the new mutant virus strain and why it could be the ‘winning formula’ for a Covid vaccine.
Euroweekly and LBC highlights the jab is ‘game-changing’ for millions of vulnerable Brits and the Express says Britain’s super-rich are trying to jump the queue for vaccination.
The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine: Bogus reports, accidental finds – the story of the jab – BBC News
What is the difference between the Covid vaccines? Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna explained – The Evening Standard
COVID-19 vaccines: How do the Moderna, Pfizer and Oxford coronavirus jab candidates compare? – Sky News
The ‘winning formula’
AstraZeneca chief believes UK vaccine will work against new Covid strain – LincolnshireLive
AstraZeneca boss: Oxford jab could be ‘winning formula’ for Covid vaccine – LBC
Delight as GPs begin giving Covid jabs in Oxford to over 80s – OxfordMail
Global report: AstraZeneca chief believes Covid vaccine will work on variant strain – The Guardian
The end in sight?
Super rich Britons try to jump Covid vaccine queue offering £2,000 per jab – Express
Millions of Vulnerable Brits Could Receive ‘game-changing’ Oxford jab ‘within weeks’ – Euroweekly
Tony Blair calls for the UK to use up ALL coronavirus vaccine supplies to get at least one initial dose of the jab to millions of people as NHS doctors are ‘frustrated’ with slow roll-out – Daily Mail
Global Covid-19 updates
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY
CORONAVIRUS CASES: 80,777,632
DEATHS: 1,766,045
RECOVERED: 56,981,454
Business news
EU-UK ties prove too important to lose as Brexit trade deal is sealed – FT
Covid: Boxing Day sales expected to plummet amid pandemic – BBC Business
COVID response to help China become the world’s biggest economy five years early- Sky News
Trump refuses to budge over aid bill, imperilling jobless benefits for millions – Reuters
Sports News
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Perfect Boxing Day or lazy afternoon? – Read on
‘Embarrassed’ Sheffield United set unwanted records with Everton defeat – Read on
Australia v India: Ajinkya Rahane’s unbeaten century gives tourists control of Boxing Day Test – Read on
Welsh Grand National 2020: Chepstow race abandoned after Storm Bella – Read on
