Vaccination of a baby by a pediatrician in a neighborhood care center
All adults in the UK will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine by autumn, according to Matt Hancock.
The Health Secretary has revealed that around 200,000 jabs were already being administered in Britain on a daily basis – with the government set to hit its target of 15 million inoculations by mid-February.
Over-70s, healthcare workers and the clinically vulnerable will get the jab during the next five weeks.
Hancock has already revealed that a third of people aged over 80 had already been vaccinated. Buckingham Palace confirmed over the weekend that The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have been among them.
We've now vaccinated a third of the over-80s in this country, so we're making significant progress, but more to do.
This week, we're opening 7 mass-vaccination centres to help in our national effort to protect people from COVID. pic.twitter.com/t26L2De0ci
A number of new mass vaccination centres opened in England on Monday – including one at Manchester’s Etihad Tennis Centre.
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These seven sites sites will accelerate the rollout of jabs across England and are set to be followed by ‘dozens more’ large-scale venues over the coming days, according to NHS England.
Around 1,200 vaccination sites in total (including GP surgeries and hospitals) will be open later this week.
Mr Hancock is set to deliver a press conference laying out the government’s vaccine delivery plan in more detail at a press conference later today.
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11 men arrested following ‘busy’ day of protests and marches in Manchester city centre
Emily Sergeant
11 men have been arrested following a ‘busy’ day of protests and marches in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said several demonstrations – the most noteworthy being that of the widely-reported Britain First march – took place ‘peacefully’ across central Manchester at the weekend, particularly on Saturday (21 February), with officers working closely with organisers to ensure people could protest ‘safely’.
Police were also on-hand to ensure that wider disruption to the general public around the city centre was ‘kept to a minimum’ as best as possible.
A ‘significant’ policing operation was said to be in place throughout Saturday – with additional resources deployed and pre-prepared plans activated by GMP, alongside partner agencies, to help the day run smoothly.
While the demonstrations on the day were described by authorities as ‘peaceful’, 11 people were arrested on suspicion on a range of offences.
These included two men on suspicion of prevention of a breach of the peace, four men on suspicion of public order offences, and one man on suspicion of assault, just to name a few.
Two of the 11 were de-arrested, while the nine others were taken to police custody, and a section 34 dispersal order was subsequently put in place until 8pm that evening (21 February), allowing police to direct people to leave the area.
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11 people have been arrested following a ‘busy’ day of protests in Manchester / Credit: GMP
Speaking following the demonstrations and arrests made over the weekend, Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson, who was the gold commander for policing operation, commented: “Manchester was expected to be extremely busy today, with multiple planned protests in the city centre as well as several football matches.
“We put extra officers on duty to support people’s right to protest peacefully, while reducing the impact on the wider public.
“Thanks to the efforts of our officers on the ground and the planning done with our partners, hundreds of people from a range of groups were able to come together safely, with no significant issues reported.
“Greater Manchester is a place where people can confidently and lawfully express their views, while ensuring that residents, workers, and visitors can go about their day feeling safe.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Microdot exhibit for BRITs 2026: the artwork of Oasis, Verve and more up in Manchester Piccadilly
Danny Jones
If you’ve passed through Manchester Piccadilly of late, you might have noticed two things: one, it’s really quiet, and two, there’s loads of cool Britpop merch and memorabilia on display, including original Oasis, The Verve, Inspiral Carpets art and more – all courtesy of Microdot.
Set up as part of the city’s own BRITs celebrations, along with a raft of other nationwide festivities, as the annual music award ceremony prepares to make its Manc debut at the Co-op Live this month, the showcase features special edition frames and more, all pride of place in the middle of the train station.
This collection, simply entitled ‘A Microdot Design’, is all done by the legendary Brian Cannon, the graphic designer and art director behind so much recognisable visual material within the genre.
We recently had the honour of speaking to the man himself in person ahead of Piccadilly’s temporary closure; you can see our interview with him right here:
The Wigan-born artist and visionary didn’t just make promotional materials for some of the biggest bands in the 1990s; he’s responsible for what has gone on to become some of the most familiar iconography in British music history.
With this pop-up exhibit available for a limited time only, we strongly urge you to go along and, for once, take your time rather than rushing around the station as you peruse the boards placed right near the main entrance.
Charting his work from circa 1990 up until now, it’s crazy to see just how many of Brian and Microdot’s fingerprints are all over so many different bands and artists.
From native names like Oasis, The Verve and the Inspirals, as mentioned, as well as the likes of Cast, Super Furry Animals, Suede and Ash, plus so many more, this guy has been nothing short of prolific over the past few decades.
Audio North took a little tour of the King Street South unit last year in the lead-up to Oasis Live ’25 reunion world tour, and we felt like kids in a Britpop sweetshop.
While this site has sadly since closed, shutting up shop back in July, Brian’s mini, modest, but nevertheless magic Microdot Boutique up in the Lake District is still standing.
Located in the popular North West town and tourist attraction, Kendal, it’s worth a trip there to see more of his portfolio alone.
Currently on display at Manchester Piccadilly ahead of the full 2026 BRITs Week and shindig at Co-op Live, it’s one of the best completely free things you can do in town at the moment – but the exhibition finishes on Sunday, 1 March, so make sure you don’t miss it.
Speaking of the BRIT Awards, if you’re wondering what else is on as 0161 gets ready welcome them for their two-year stint (at least), look no further…
The Manc -
11th January 2021 
