As a new variant emerges, is Covid coming back to the UK?

Vaccines, available only to high-risk groups, have been brought forward as cases begin to rise and the British winter looms

The vaccine campaign against Covid-19 has just been brought forward by a month in the face of changes in the disease's behaviour. The decision was made as the UK heads into autumn and has raised concerns that the nation faces a new wave of a disease that triggered a national lockdown three years ago. Here we look at the issues involved and scientists' responses to the threats that lie ahead.