Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has categorically ruled out any changes to the support or childcare bubble system. He was speaking at a No 10 press conference only hours after Boris Johnson said he was not ruling out toughening the lockdown rules. (See 2.33pm.) Asked if a further clampdown could involve support bubbles being removed, Hancock said: I can rule out removing the bubbles that we have in place - the childcare bubbles [and] the support bubbles are very important and we’re going to keep them. I know how important they are to people and they are an important part of the system that we have got to support people whilst also having these tough measures that are necessary. Hancock has said meeting a friend outside could be banned if people don’t follow current rules. (See 5.38pm.) He has defended Boris Johnson’s right to go for a cycle ride seven miles from No 10. (See 1.48pm and 5.38pm.) Hancock has praised the supermarket firm Morrisons for saying it will refuse to serve people who do not wear face masks. He said: It isn’t just about the government and the rules we set, or the police and the work that they do - it’s about how everybody behaves. I applaud the action Morrisons has taken today, the supermarket, they have said that they will not let people in without a mask unless they clearly have a medical reason. That’s the right approach and I want to see all parts of society playing their part in this. Hancock has said he is “confident” that the government can meet its target of offering the vaccine to around 14 million people who are in the top four priority groups by the middle of February. Hancock has revealed that the seven-day rolling average for UK Covid deaths reported daily has reached 926. (See 5.09pm.) But the latest figure shows the rolling average for the number of new cases starting to fall. (See 5.09pm.) The full dashboard data has just been published and is available here. Hospitals are reporting shortages of oxygen because of the huge pressure of treating the rising number of people left seriously ill with Covid, Boris Johnson has acknowledged. There are no plans for 24-hour provision of coronavirus vaccinations because there is “not a clamour” from the public for appointments beyond 8pm, Downing Street has said. The government must look at new coronavirus restrictions within the next 24 hours, Keir Starmer has said, naming estate agents and nurseries as those that could face further curbs to halt the spread of the virus. Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has said the next few weeks will be the worst of the pandemic as he urged everyone to minimise meeting people. Emergency plans have been triggered to keep bodies in temporary mortuaries in Kent and Surrey and a new temporary morgue is being built in London as a rising death toll from Covid begins to overwhelm storage facilities. More than a third of the UK’s poorest families have seen their already meagre incomes squeezed during the pandemic because they have had to spend more on food, gas and electricity, and home schooling, a study has revealed. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.