Covid vaccine roll-out begins as 90-year-old becomes first to get jab

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing December 08, 2020 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines The NHS has [begun administering coronavirus vaccines](, with a 90-year-old woman from Coventry the first to receive the jab. The health service becomes the first in the world to begin rolling out Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, which proved to be 95 per cent effective in trials. Grandmother Margaret Keenan received the jab at about 6.30am on Tuesday, marking the start of an historic mass vaccination programme. May Parsons, a nurse at Ms Keenan’s local hospital in Coventry, administered the dose. Ms Keenan, who turns 91 next week, is a former jewellery shop assistant who only retired four years ago. She has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. Boris Johnson will [dash to Brussels]( in a final bid to avoid a hugely damaging no-deal Brexit, as transition talks remain deadlocked. In a dramatic intervention, the prime minister and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, will stage face-to-face talks in what is almost certainly the last-chance saloon. No date was announced for the meeting, but an EU summit begins on Thursday - and an agenda of outstanding differences must be drawn up first - suggesting Wednesday is the most likely day. Earlier, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator - who was described as “very downbeat, very gloomy” by the Irish government - had told MEPs the negotiations would not carry on beyond Wednesday. British businesses face an [“administrative burden”]( cost of £7.5bn a year in filling out customs paperwork after the Brexit transition period, the chief executive of HMRC has said. Highlighting the additional bureaucracy facing UK firms next year, Jim Harra said HMRC’s estimate of the cost from 2018 “still stands”, with millions of extra customs declarations being made after the transition period. As London and Brussels continue attempts to thrash out a free-trade agreement with just weeks remaining, Mr Harra reiterated the extra red-tape will apply regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [Extremism rising because of ‘weak’ government response]( [Laptops for every child needed to prevent ‘huge gap’ in attainment]( [Why are mysterious monoliths appearing across the globe?]( . Brexit: What comes next? Join The Independent for an online event at 6.30pm on 10 December, as we examine what lies ahead after the UK leaves the EU. [Book your free ticket]( . More news - [Millwall to stand arm-in-arm with QPR in ‘fight versus discrimination’]( - [Richest 1% ‘produce 11 times carbon emissions of poorest 50%’]( - [Adventurer who found $1m Forest Fenn treasure reveals identity]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.