Newspaper headlines: Jab complacency fears and smart motorway inquest

image captionThe Daily Telegraph says government scientific advisers are concerned millions of people are likely to ignore Covid restrictions once they have been vaccinated. They are urging ministers to begin a public awareness campaign to warn of the need to stick with the rules and be prepared to reintroduce stricter measures if adherence fails, it reports.

image captionThe Daily Express is among several front pages to feature a picture of Boris Johnson in a full PPE body suit during a visit to a manufacturing facility for the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. Its lead story reports the prime minister’s vow that “things will look very different by spring” as vaccines are rolled out, despite the current situation being “precarious”.

image captionThe Guardian says experts and politicians are calling for people in high-risk ethnic minority groups to be prioritised for Covid immunisations amid surveys suggesting some in the communities are being taken in by “scare stories”. The paper says government advisers and the chairman of the Royal College of GPs are among those to have raised concerns.

image captionThe Metro leads on a warning from unions that there has been a surge in secret software used to spy on staff working from home in the pandemic. The paper says there are calls for new laws against unscrupulous bosses who unfairly punish staff deemed to be slacking when they are caring for children or sick relatives.

image captionThe Sun celebrates the success of its campaign to recruit 50,000 volunteers to help the UK’s vaccine programme. The paper reports 51,019 readers signed up in 18 days – the milestone being hit on the same day the first volunteers began work in north London. “50,000 thanks yous”, says its headline.

image captionThe Times says Health Secretary Matt Hancock has reassured areas in England that are falling behind on vaccinating the over-80s that stocks would be prioritised for them. It also reports an inquest ruling that the lack of a hard shoulder on a smart motorway contributed to the deaths of two motorists.

image captionThe inquest into the deaths of Jason Mercer and Alexandru Murgeanu on the M1 near Sheffield in 2019 is the lead story for the Daily Mail. Smart motorways – where the road’s hard shoulder can be used as a lane – should be subject to a safety review, the coroner said.

image captionThere is something to smile about amid “all the virus gloom”, says the Daily Mirror, as it reports an eight-year-old girl has had a life-saving stem cell transplant. All hope seemed to be lost for Evie Hodgson after a donor had backed out, it adds.

image captionThe i focuses on the MPs’ vote on continuing the £20-a-week universal credit top up. A non-binding Labour motion passed in the Commons – and while the government defended its support to those on benefits during the pandemic, the i reports the prime minister and chancellor were now considering delaying the change.