Covid-19: Vaccine breakthrough, care home visits and lockdown entrepreneurs - BBC News
Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.

A hugely positive bit of news to wake up to this morning. The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. The government says the Pfizer/BioNTech jab will start being made available across the UK from next week. The UK has already ordered 40m doses - enough to vaccinate 20m people, with two shots each. About 10m doses should be available soon. Experts have drawn up a provisional priority list, targeting people at highest risk. Top are care home residents and staff, followed by people over 80 and other health and social care workers.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England

The health secretary has announced that relatives of all care home residents in England will be able to visit over the Christmas period if they test negative for Covid-19. He promised more than a million tests would be sent to homes over the next month, along with extra PPE. Vic Rayner, from the National Care Forum, said it was "a huge step forward". BBC health editor Hugh Pym says the news will be welcomed by families struggling with separation, but there's a danger of hopes being raised only to be dashed again because not all facilities will be able to meet the demand for a visit in time for Christmas.

Retail discounts in the run-up to Christmas are now commonplace, but lockdown has left stores with an excess of seasonal stock to shift. That means prices are falling - good news for consumers at least - with the biggest discounts at fashion and DIY stores, according to the British Retail Consortium. Debenhams has launched a huge stock clearance - so big its website has been overwhelmed. The retail sector in general is having a really tough time, and it's often young retail staff who are especially hard-hit - we spoke to some feeling the strain.

As part of our CEO Secrets series, we've been looking at businesses that have launched during this very difficult year. This week, we hear from people whose jobs are under threat in hospitality and have decided to try something new. Bruce Tate was in a bad place after the first lockdown. His business, Need Music, handled live bookings for pubs and weddings, but was forced to close. Now he's transformed his office into a cycling cafe. Read his story and others for a much-needed dose of optimism.

Bruce even brought in some of his old clients to play outdoor gigs during the summer

Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

Plus, ministers say the tougher tiers are needed to stop the NHS being overwhelmed, but is that true? Our health correspondent Nick Triggle looks closely.

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