EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his British counterpart, David Frost, agreed Friday to ``pause'' negotiations while they brief political leaders.

The British government said it expects the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be rolled out beginning next week.

Huawei has previously denied the U.S. allegations and said Britain's ban was politically motivated.

As talks continued between the two sides in London, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said ``I think we are into the last week or so of substantive negotiations.''

U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had asked the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to determine whether the vaccine ``meets rigorous safety standards.''

The move would be Britain's latest response to what it considers China's breaches of its international obligations in the territory.

Britain has recorded nearly 52,000 deaths of people who tested positive for the virus — the highest toll in Europe.

The Jannsen vaccine is among the six experimental coronavirus vaccines that Britain has ordered as part of a planned 350 million-dose stockpile.

Letby, 30, appeared in the dock for the first time on Friday. She spoke only to confirm her name and remained passive during the hearing.

The British government's main scientific advisory group said the virus' reproduction rate dipped even before the latest lockdown.