Afternoon summary Here’s a roundup of the key moments from the day: Nearly 2 million more people in England will be asked to shield and 800,000 of those offered priority vaccination as a result of new modelling that has identified adults at higher risk from Covid-19 because of a combination of health factors and their circumstances, including ethnicity and low income. Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that a phased return to school for younger pupils will start from next Monday. This will include children aged four to seven and secondary pupils who are required to carry out practical assignments. Nearly 69,000 additional laptops and tablets have been delivered or dispatched by the government to help children with remote learning in the past week. Four passengers were each fined £10,000 after arriving at Birmingham airport without declaring they had travelled from a “red list” country during the previous 10 days, West Midlands police said. Travellers in quarantine hotels face an additional £1,200 bill if they test positive for coronavirus, the government has revealed. This is on top of the £1,750 fee for entering the programme and will apply to guests required to extend their stay beyond the initial 11 nights. The vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has apologised for “any confusion” over when people with asthma can expect to be offered a coronavirus jab after previously telling LBC that everyone who uses an inhaler would be in priority group six. Jo Whiley has said she is living a “nightmare” after she was offered the coronavirus vaccine before her sister who has learning difficulties and diabetes. There have been a further 275 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 199,793. A further 474 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 79,593, NHS England said on Tuesday. There have been another 10,625 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 4,058,468. Another 799 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, bringing the UK total to 118,195. All regions of England recorded a week-on-week fall in the number of Covid-19 deaths registered in the week to 5 February, the ONS said. I’m closing this liveblog now. Thanks so much for joining me. Please do head over to our global coronavirus liveblog: People who have had the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine are being encouraged to enrol in a study monitoring side-effects and whether jab recipients get coronavirus. The Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU) in Southampton wants at least 10,000 patients in its study who will be contacted at regular intervals after receiving the vaccine, PA Media reports. Participants will include anyone over the age of 50, so there will be “a good cohort” of older people to monitor for safety and effectiveness. A number of countries have opted not to give the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab to the over-65s, citing lack of sufficient data about its effectiveness in older people. The DSRU director, Prof Saad Shakir, said: Our study will look predominately at safety but also whether vaccines actually get Covid-19. We will focus on people in phase 1 of the UK vaccination programme, which includes everyone over the age of 50, so we will have a good cohort of older vaccines to monitor for safety and effectiveness. We will be sharing our results regularly and hope they help to fill some of the gaps in our global, collective knowledge about this promising vaccine. People across the UK are being encouraged to take part, whether or not they have had any symptoms after vaccination. UK records 799 more Covid-linked deaths and 10,625 new cases There have been another 10,625 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 4,058,468. Another 799 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, bringing the UK total to 118,195. The latest government data shows that 15,576,107 have received the first vaccine dose and 546,165 have received the second dose of the vaccine. A mountain rescue volunteer may never walk again after falling 150 metres during a callout to two lockdown breakers in the Lake District. Chris Lewis, 60, a retired engineer, sustained life-changing spinal injuries and multiple facial fractures when he was called out to help people camping illegally above Kirkstone Pass on 6 February. He was part of the Patterdale mountain rescue team that went to the aid of the two campers from Liverpool and Leicester after one fell ill, believing he was having a heart attack. It was pitch black and cold enough that the team’s oxygen cylinders froze when Lewis slipped and fell. The original casualty was taken to hospital where he quickly recovered. Both men were fined £200 for breaking coronavirus restrictions. Read more here: More than half of pubs would not reopen and the rest would be at the mercy of the weather under tentative plans to allow beer garden service from April, the industry trade body has said. The British Beer and Pubs Association (BBPA) said 29,000 pubs, about 60%, do not have a big enough garden or outdoor area to welcome drinkers without also needing to open indoor areas. The prediction comes amid speculation that the government will permit pubs to welcome guests outside from April, easing some of the pressure on a sector that has been among the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The BBPA is pushing for permission to serve customers indoors as soon as non-essential shops are allowed to reopen. Scientists have identified another new variant of coronavirus that has potentially concerning mutations. Known as B.1.525, the variant contains a genetic change called E484K, also found in the Brazilian and South African variants. Public Health England (PHE) has said there is no evidence that the mutations in the new variant make the virus more transmissible or cause severe disease, PA Media reports. It said B.1.525 has been classed as a variant under investigation (VUI) and as of Tuesday, 38 cases had been identified in the UK. The variant has also been seen in other countries, including Australia, Denmark, Nigeria, Canada and the US. Laboratory studies have shown that viruses with the E484K mutation can escape human defences, making them more efficient at evading natural and vaccine-triggered immunity. Experts say the variant has alterations in its genetic material that make it similar to the Kent variant, which is the dominant virus in the UK. Pro Yvonne Doyle, PHE medical director, said: PHE is monitoring data about emerging variants very closely and where necessary public health interventions are being undertaken, such as extra testing and enhanced contact tracing. There is currently no evidence that this set of mutations causes more severe illness or increased transmissibility. The best way to stop the spread of the virus is to follow the public health advice - wash your hands, wear a face covering and keep your distance from others. While in lockdown, it is important that people stay at home where possible. Good news for parents of younger children in Scotland today, but with a heavy dose of caution around further relaxations. While Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that a phased return to school for younger pupils will start from Monday, including pre-school children, pupils in primaries 1, 2 and 3, and a limited number of secondary students who need to carry out practical assignments - she also said that lockdown measures for the rest of us will continue at least until March, stating that Scotland’s exit from this second lockdown is likely to be “even more cautious” than it was last summer. Sturgeon told the Holyrood chamber that she hoped to be able to set out the second phase for school reopening in two weeks time, but that it is unlikely that there will be further return before 15 March. Speaking of the necessity for trade-offs, she said that adults would have to live with restrictions for some time longer in order to get children back to school “because children’s education and wellbeing is such a priority”. She also told the public she was very likely to advise against booking Easter holidays, while saying that ongoing limits on overseas travel this summer was “likely to be inescapable”. A further 474 people have died in hospital in England A further 474 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 79,593, NHS England said on Tuesday. Patients were aged between 26 and 99. All except 17, aged between 38 and 93, had known underlying health conditions, PA Media reports. The deaths were between 1 April 2020 and 15 February 2021, with the majority being on or after 12 February. There were 39 other deaths reported with no positive Covid-19 test result. Thousands of Amazon workers received the wrong coronavirus test results after a mistake meant they were given inaccurate information by test and trace. The Guardian understands that 3,853 staff members at the online retailer received an erroneous result. Officials said they had tested negatively but received notifications to say they had tested positive and asking them to self-isolate. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had been resolved in a day but those working for the “world-beating” service that tracks down those who may have been infected with the virus said they were still dealing with the fallout. One test-and-trace worker said: “The tests, as far I can tell were good, but what people were told about their results is wrong.” Lockdown in Scotland has been working, Nicola Sturgeon has told MSPs. When the new stay at home order was put in place in early January, average daily case numbers were 2,300 and have fallen to 810. The first minister said: As a result, we are now seeing fewer Covid patients in hospital and intensive care – although our health service remains under severe pressure. Test positivity has also declined significantly – from around 11% at the start of January, to around 6% now. All of this – together with our progress on vaccination – is extremely good news. But Sturgeon said “even a slight” easing of restrictions could see cases “start rising rapidly again”. Scotland"s first minister sets out plans for phased return for schools Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that a phased return to school for younger pupils will start from next Monday. This will include children aged four to seven and secondary pupils who are required to carry out practical assignments. Sturgeon also warned that schools return would not mark the start of a broader easing of restrictions, telling MSPs the stay at home lockdown order will continue until at least the beginning of March, and possibly beyond that.