The new Covid-19 variant has not yet been detected in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, the national public health institute noted that it is likely to have arrived or will do so soon via travel between the UK and the US.

The CDC acknowledged that only a “small fraction” of US infections have been sequenced, amounting to roughly 51,000 of the 17 million coronavirus cases identified in the country.

Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire’s director of public health, said there was a “high likelihood” that the new coronavirus variant was in the county.

This comes after a recent spike in cases in eastern areas and in the city of Lancaster. 

Although he said Lancashire did not currently have a high enough transmission rate to be moved to tier 4, Mr Karunanithi added that cases would most likely rise. 

As a result, he appealed to people living in the county not to mix on Christmas Day. 

The public health director said: “There is no single scientific reason that would make us believe that it’s OK to mix during Christmas time even if it’s for a day, so my appeal to our residents is just because you could doesn’t mean that you should.

“If we can avoid mixing wherever possible with other households then we will come out in the New Year in a far better position.”

French citizens will be able to return home from the UK from Wednesday, provided they show proof of a negative coronavirus test, French media reported. 

A government source said the measure would apply to French citizens living in Britain too, according to the French radio station franceinfo. 

British citizens who live in France permanently will also be included under the new rule, it added. 

The UK has reported a further 691 deaths from coronavirus and and another 36,804 infections.

The latest figures mean the coronavirus death toll now stands at 68,307, while 2,110,314 Covid-19 cases have been identified in the UK so far. 

Here’s more on the story: 

Dr Anthony Fauci, the US’ leading infectious disease expert, has given two thumbs up to the coronavirus vaccine he received on Tuesday. 

“I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine, and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated, so that we can have a veil of protection over this country that would end this pandemic,” he said. 

He was given the Moderna vaccine, which recently gained emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration. 

Here’s my colleague Oliver O’Connell with the details: 

The UK economy bounced back more than initially thought after the first national lockdown as shoppers returned to high streets and diners took advantage of millions of state-subsidised meals.

Official figures showed GDP jumped 16 per cent between July and September, the biggest quarterly increase on record and higher than the 15.5 per cent that had previously been estimated.

Our business reporter, Ben Chapman, has the full story below:

Health chiefs in Cumbria have said that the new coronavirus variant is already in the county and could be contributing to a sharp increase in new cases.

Colin Cox, Cumbria’s director of public health, said in the district of Eden rates had risen to 345 cases per 100,000 people, the highest seen in Cumbria to date.

“It’s pretty clear that while it is the south east of England that is having the worst of it right now, this new variant is already present in most parts of the country,” Mr Cox said.

“Only a small number of cases have been positively identified in Cumbria, but what is happening in Eden, which throughout the pandemic has had low levels of infection and now has the highest we’ve seen, points to something different going on.

“In particular, the way we have seen some outbreaks develop in recent days has been very different to what we’ve seen before.”

He added: “There’s no evidence that it’s more dangerous but it does infect many more people, and that’s a real worry, both for individuals and for our hospitals which are already dealing with high numbers of Covid patients.”

Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething has said people who were previously shielding “should no longer attend work or school outside the home” due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

Mr Gething said in a statement: “This decision has been taken based on a number of factors but has been influenced most recently by the significant recent growth in rates of infection, possibly due to the new variant of the coronavirus.

“We have also taken account of the pressures we see on our health service with increasing hospitalisations. This advice will be reviewed on a three-weekly basis aligned to the Welsh government reviews of alert levels across Wales.”

He added that letters confirming the advice from the country’s chief medical officers to clinically-vulnerable people would be “unavoidably delayed” due to the Christmas period.

Our reporter, Zoe Tidman, has spoken to MPs about how they will be celebrating Christmas this year with coronavirus restrictions across the country:

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has said there is not evidence yet to show that the new Covid variant is in his area but warned “it is safe for people to assume that it is already here, or it is about to arrive”.