The Papers: ‘Vacc to the future’ and village hall jabs

image captionMore than 10,000 medics and volunteers have been recruited by the NHS to help deliver the Oxford Covid vaccine once it is approved, reports the Daily Telegraph. The paper says teams have been trained to start delivering the jab – which the paper says will be approved this week – at sports stadiums and race courses, with the aim of vaccinating a million people a week.

image captionThe Daily Mail says hundreds of pop-up GP-led centres are on the way as part of a huge vaccination drive, with the Oxford jab set to be approved as early as Monday. Government sources told the Mail town halls and village community centres are poised to help with the roll-out.

image captionLockdowns could end as soon as February if the Oxford vaccine gets the green light within days, says the Daily Mirror. The paper notes that the jab is easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine – which has already won approval – meaning the UK’s vaccination programme could be dramatically scaled up.

image captionThe Daily Express says the “perfected” vaccine works better than hoped and will match the best on offer. According to the paper, its roll-out could begin next Monday, with plans to have two million given within a fortnight.

image caption“Vacc to the future” is the front-page headline on the Sun. The paper quotes Chancellor Rishi Sunak as saying next year will usher in a “new era of global Britain”.

image captionThe prospect of the vaccine being approved comes as senior doctors warned the NHS was in danger of being overwhelmed, reports the Times, with virus patients in hospital about to exceed the peak of the first wave. Doctors in London have said hospitals in the capital are starting to resemble a “warzone”, says the paper, as those in Wales put out an urgent call for anyone with experience working in intensive care to help out.

image captionThe country’s leading psychiatrist has warned in the Guardian that the impact of the pandemic on mental health will last for years. Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said a combination of the disease and its social and economic consequences meant the epidemic posed the greatest threat to mental health since World War Two.

image captionAnd in other news, Britain has been battered by Storm Bella as thousands of homes were flooded and forecasters warned snow was coming next.