People in that age group will be able to book a jab from noon on Thursday.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the benefits still outweigh the risks overall.

Cannock Chase residents who are self-employed or run businesses from home will soon be able to apply for financial support after the range of businesses eligible for Covid-19 grants was extended.

The Health Secretary said vaccines were clearly breaking the link between Covid cases and deaths.

Dudley's canal caves will continue to be explored after a lifeline grant was given to the trust that runs the attraction.

A new phone app that encourages residents to lead healthier lifestyles is set to be launched by a Staffordshire council in the summer.

A Staffordshire town’s annual music festival will not go ahead in July – but there are hopes it will make a return later in the year.

A teenager is in hospital with serious injuries after being attacked by two men armed with machetes in a daylight street attack.

A health boss has moved to reassure residents that a South Staffordshire-based GP surgery is not closing.

Around 50 people a week in Staffordshire have been referred to police because of concerns they may not be self-isolating after coming into contact with Covid-19, it has been revealed.

The M6toll’s new camera-based tolling system has gone live, with commercial vehicles the first to use it.

Cannock's new £160 million designer outlet will open for the first time on Monday, it has been confirmed.

An apartment block could be built on a town centre pub’s former car park if plans are agreed.

A disused Black Country office is to be torn down to make way for a block of 11 new apartments.

There has been a rise in coronavirus cases.

Intensive care units in most Brazilian states have an occupation rate above 90%.

Dozens of cities and towns are imposing night curfews to try to contain the surge.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he sees no reason to ‘deviate from the road map’.

Research by finance giant Aviva found an increasing number of older workers plan to retire earlier than previously planned.

The UK’s largest teaching union has called it ‘a scandal’ that ‘so little effort has been made by government to value the profession’.

Vacancies and pay rates are going up as the jobs market rebounds, according to a report.

Experts found that the rate of infection fell in all age groups and regions across those two months.

Fears over coronavirus jabs and assurances over their safety cover the country’s front pages.

Nearly 18,000 daily weekday services will run from Monday, industry body the Rail Delivery Group said.

Some 11% of motorists surveyed said they feel stressed and angry on every journey.

Quarantined travellers who paid £175 for the tests have complained of delays in receiving the kits and results.

The online fashion giant said it enjoyed a £48.5m boost to profits from the Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions during the winter months.

More than half of retail vehicle sales by Motorpoint Group were made online in the year to the end of March.

A second man has been arrested and bailed after reports of a shooting in Wolverhampton.

Car dealerships group Lookers sold more than 44,000 new and used vehicles online in the first three month of this year.

Visitors to a fun fair at Wolverhampton's West Park have been warned they will be asked to leave if they ignore social distancing rules when it opens on Monday.

The frantic fight for PPE in the early days of Covid has been revealed by a hospital boss, who likened his staff to “squirrels”.

New images from inside the McArthurGlen outlet village in Cannock provide a sneak preview of the designer shops inside as they prepare to open for the first time on Monday.

Sandwell Council's longest serving member has announced he is standing as an independent candidate in next month's elections after he was deselected by Labour.

A row has erupted over the use of a community centre - with a woodworking group set to be replaced by a new pupil referral unit.

More than 37 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as part of the biggest inoculation programme the country has ever seen.

Calls have been made for a dog warden to patrol the streets of a Shropshire town and tackle the increasing amount of dog poo "blighting" the area.

A mayoral candidate has pulled out of the race and endorsed Andy Street.

"Propaganda" and "contrived" are some of the words used by two of the region's leading social campaigners to criticised a government-commissioned report on race and ethnic disparity.

A chamber of commerce chairman has said using a government recovery handout to draw up plans for a multi-storey car park would be a “misuse” of funds.

See the latest figures for coronavirus cases and deaths in your area.

A hospital spent £12million on building a new ward at the start of Covid using funding that was not yet available, a public meeting heard.

Former Wolves and Shrewsbury footballer Lee Collins was found dead in his hotel room, an inquest has heard.

People aged 18 to 29 could be offered the Pfizer or Moderna jabs as the vaccination programme continues to roll out across the UK.

Boris Johnson said it was right to look at all possibilities for opening up the economy safely.

The Scottish Government has approved plans for spectators to return at 25% of the stadium’s capacity.

Council chiefs across the Black Country and Staffordshire are urging people to get tested for Covid twice a week – and make sure they make the lateral flow testing part of their weekly routine.

Regulators gave updates on their investigations into whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is linked to rare blood clots.

Elle Taylor, 24, from Ammanford, got the jab at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen.

Boris Johnson was at Haven Perran Sands Holiday Park in Perranporth.

Corby, Wakefield and Barnsley are currently recording the highest case rates.

The England striker said he felt ‘really privileged and honoured’ to receive the award.

Due to a very small number of blood clots in younger people, those under the age of 30 will be offered an alternative jab.

Delivery drivers from Wolverhampton joined coordinated strikes across the country against Deliveroo in the latest campaign by workers in the gig economy.

The duchess was told during her visit to the Tottenham Vaccine Centre that its team is due to give its 50,000th injection this weekend.

Nearly £28,000 has been raised through a fundraiser to help the family of a two-week-old baby killed when his pram was struck by a car.

Cancelled exams amid the pandemic have triggered calls for statutory tests to be reformed post-Covid.

A post-mortem on a great-grandmother who was mauled to death by two dogs in the Black Country will take place next week.

The annual technology convention intends to go ahead in-person with new Covid-19 rules in place.

Some European countries have restricted the vaccine in younger people following reports of low platelet counts and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

A woman was led to safety by firefighters called to tackle a fire in Dudley.

The case against a Black Country NHS trust facing prosecution after the deaths of two patients has been adjourned until July.

Around six months of delays are expected as work begins to create a new 'Sprint' bus route direct from Walsall to Birmingham city centre.

One coronavirus death has been confirmed at a hospital trust in the region.

Local authorities will be subjected to an emergency audit of public sector contracts under plans revealed by a Mayoral candidate.

Efforts to find a tip for thousands of Black Country residents to use have hit a brick wall after Dudley and Sandwell councils failed to reach an agreement.

Police are investigating an attempted carjacking in the Black Country.

The granting of an alcohol licence to a new off-licence in Aston would not benefit local residents ‘in any way, shape or form’, it has been argued.

A nurse is preparing to walk from coast to coast via Hadrian’s Wall to raise money for Acorns Hospice in memory of a little girl who died aged just three.

A Government review into ‘Covid status certification’ said they could ‘potentially play a role’ in settings such as theatres.

Dudley Council is joining a national pilot project to help track down positive cases of coronavirus quicker and break chains of transmission.

The garden is home to the national collection of mulberry trees thanks to Mark Lane, the palace’s head gardener.

Rates in some places are now in single figures.

Higher rates of loneliness reported by young people are particularly associated with urban areas outside London.

The school leaders’ union has accused the Education Secretary of ‘not doing his homework’ on student discipline amid the pandemic.

Scientists have examined thousands of images to compare protein spikes.

A police inspector who mocked a teenage detainee for crying in a custody block and used unnecessary force to pick him up off the floor has been demoted to the rank of sergeant.

A man who assaulted his mother and smashed a plate and a glass by throwing them against the wall has been banned from going near her Wolverhampton home.

GP Dr Ellie Cannon said the rate for the specific type of brain blood clot under investigation was around one in 2.5 million people.

Pub chain Marston's has reaffirmed plans to open around 700 beer gardens and other outdoor spaces across England next week as restrictions ease.

Thirteen per cent of people working from home in the West Midlands put in unpaid overtime last year, a new study has found.

The Government has bought 17 million doses – enough to vaccinate about 8.5 million people.

A Staffordshire primary school has received at £1,000 donation towards building a forest school.

Wolverhampton Homes, a social housing provider which manages homes on behalf of the city council, has given the green light for CityFibre to bring next-generation digital infrastructure within reach of its portfolio of more than 22,000 homes.

The Merry Hill Shopping Centre will announce a raft of new store openings following the reopening of non-essential shops on Monday.

‘It’s my vaccination card… go get vaccinated everyone!’ tweeted Evan Manivong.

A Black Country NHS trust is to appear in court after two incidents where patients died after they were allegedly exposed to "significant risk of avoidable harm".

Pet boarding kennels are facing a crisis as a ban on Britons going on foreign holidays has seen bookings plunge.

Police have uncovered 600 cannabis plants during a drug bust in Dudley.

Netball facilities at the University of Wolverhampton will be enhanced to boost the sport in the region despite fears raised by nearby residents.

Place names should not be included in diseases or variants, global health leaders have said.

Numbers have fallen by 92% since the second-wave peak.

Both activities have been prohibited for much of the past year due to coronavirus restrictions.

Most school staff want to be given flexibility to decide what is important for pupils, a survey from the National Education Union suggests.

The duke’s tribute came during a call with a consultant working in a Belfast hospital.

More than two in three teachers say the Government should reduce child poverty to support the recovery of youngsters.

There are 5.9 million adults in the UK who experienced food poverty in the six months up to February.

People in Wales will be given the first doses of the third coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the UK.

More worrying news about the coronavirus crisis leads most of the Wednesday papers.

Universities UK has written to the PM to highlight the inconsistency in the ban continuing while self-catering holidays can resume from April 12.