A health official has said there is still a lot to understand before there is complete certainty over the impact of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, as he warned against prematurely easing the lockdown.

Chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said reaching the target of offering a vaccine to everyone in the four most vulnerable groups in England by the 15 February deadline is a “tremendous achievement”.

But he said we must not let down our guard as the virus still has the potential to destroy many more lives.

Mr Hopson said people need to be alert to the risk from new mutations of the virus, adding: “We must all remain vigilant and follow the lockdown rules restricting social contact.

“We must also be very careful about relaxing those rules prematurely.

“This will prevent unnecessary deaths, reduce patient harm, and help ensure the NHS can care for all patients, Covid and non-Covid alike.”

The Czech government has reached a last-minute deal with regional governors to call a new state of emergency for 14 days and avert a chaotic end to coronavirus lockdown measures.

Without extraordinary powers, Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s minority government would be unable to keep nationwide restrictions such as curfews, bans on public gatherings or the closure of shops and services.

Lawmakers last week rejected an extension to the government’s state of emergency, dealing a blow to efforts to fight one of Europe’s highest COVID-19 infection rates and relieve fast-filling hospitals.

But after talks at the weekend the country’s 14 regions on Sunday called on the government to declare a new state of emergency, which it approved at an extraordinary meeting.

“The end of the state of emergency would mean a de facto easing (of restrictions) and we cannot afford that,” Babis said. “I’m really glad that common sense has won,” Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.

The Czech Republic, a nation of 10.7 million, has had more than 1 million confirmed cases, with 18,143 deaths. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, its rate of 915 new confirmed cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks is the second worst per capita in the 27-nation EU after Portugal.

Ireland’s health minister said there is “no fixed date” for the return of schools following the lockdown.

Discussions are ongoing between the Department of Education and teachers’ unions about holding the Leaving Cert and bringing students back to classrooms.

Stephen Donnelly was unable to provide an answer when asked when schools would return.

He told RTE’s This Week: “We don’t have that yet. I know Minister (Norma) Foley is involved in intensive talks and confidential talks with the stakeholders.

“It’s great that the special schools have reopened on a phased basis, it’s great that we’re going to see the special classes in mainstream schools opening up again from Monday week, from February 22.

“Obviously we need to get the Leaving Cert students back as quickly as possible, but my understanding is that there are no fixed dates as of yet.”

The UK is believed to be targeting a date of 8 March for the return of schools.

Black cabs are being used to provide people with accessible transport to pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinics in London as part of a new pilot scheme.

The Vaxi Taxi programme aims to help ferry supplies and patients to temporary clinics set up in faith and community centres across the capital.

Funded by the Covid Crisis Rescue Foundation, organisers hope the scheme will encourage more people who have limited access to transport to receive the jab.

Dr Sharon Raymond, director of the foundation, said: “We are aiming to have pop-up vaccination clinics across London eventually, with a fleet of Vaxi Taxis to help set them up in community centres and faith centres.

“We hope that by doing these pop-up vaccination centres in community centres and faith centres it will reassure people that this is a good way forward.

“It will be a familiar place, not having to go to their own GP surgery.”

Brazil has confirmed two cases of the UK variant in the state of Goiás after examining test samples taken on 31 December, according to the state’s health department.

The state’s health department authorities said the patients had contact with a relative who lives in England and travelled to Brazil for the holidays.

Scientists advising the UK government said the variant may be up to 70 per cent more deadly than previous variants, based on preliminary research.

The findings from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group was published on Friday on the government’s website.

According to the World Health Organization, the UK variant has now been found in more than 70 countries.

The coronavirus vaccine programme is to be widened to more groups after the government said on Sunday that 15 million of the most at-risk people had received at least one dose.

In England, people aged 65 to 69 and those who are clinically vulnerable are now being invited to book their Covid-19 jab as the vaccination programme moves into a new phase on Monday.

Chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said reaching the target of offering a vaccine to everyone in the four most vulnerable groups in England by 15 February is a “tremendous achievement”.

He said: “When Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination outside a clinical trial on 8 December, no one could have anticipated that within 10 weeks, the UK would have made such huge strides in protecting the most vulnerable groups in the population.

“We owe much of this success to the role that trusts, working with colleagues in primary care, and with the fantastic support of volunteers, have played in immunising so many people, so efficiently.”

Mr Hopson added: “But whilst today’s news is a hugely positive development, we must not let down our guard in our fight against the virus. There is still a lot to understand before we can be wholly certain of the impact of the vaccination programme.

“The pandemic has already taken over 100,000 UK lives and it has the potential to destroy many more. And we need to be alert to the risk from other new mutations now in circulation.

“We must all remain vigilant and follow the lockdown rules restricting social contact. We must also be very careful about relaxing those rules prematurely. This will prevent unnecessary deaths, reduce patient harm, and help ensure the NHS can care for all patients, Covid and non-Covid alike.”

The British Medical Association has hailed the milestone of 15 first dose vaccinations in two months as an “extraordinary achievement”.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman, said: “We are immensely proud of every single healthcare worker across the country for their dedication and countless hours they have spent protecting patients against this dreadful virus.

“This milestone shows exactly what happens when clinicians are allowed to lead from the front, unhindered by unnecessary bureaucracy or red tape as they focus on delivering vaccines to patients, and this must continue as we look to the next phase of the rollout.

“As we widen the net on vaccine eligibility, it’s also vital that the government is clear in its messaging to the public, which must be culturally competent so that we maximise uptake in areas of deprivation and in black and minority ethnic populations.

“We also need reassurance on sustained vaccine supplies, and urgent clarity on how mass vaccination centres will work alongside GP-led community sites and surgeries in order to prevent patient confusion and keep the momentum of this rollout going.

“Moving forward, the UK is ideally placed to assess the efficacy of the vaccine and its transmissibility, and it is important that the results of the government’s surveillance are made known and which will inform decisions on easing lockdown and what levels of restrictions are necessary for vaccinated individuals.”

Hospitals in France have reportedly been asked to enter “crisis” mode to prepare for a potential spike in cases, amid calls for a lockdown in the country’s east.

It comes as extra contagious new variants are spreading and rules are tightened in some areas as authorities move to curb infections.

In Dunkirk, where the new variant first detected in the UK is responsible for most recent virus cases, coronavirus patients have been transferred from the city’s saturated hospital.

The UK should take the lead in creating a global coronavirus vaccination passport scheme, former prime minister Tony Blair has said.

Certificates that prove the holder has received a jab are the only way to “return to anything like normal”, he added.

Mr Blair claimed in an article for The Daily Mail the world was already moving in the direction of the passports and Britain – which is leading the G7 group of countries in 2021 – should help impose a common set of rules and standards.