Coronavirus - 13th December 2021

Summary for Monday, 13th December

• Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the UK will "throw everything" at ramping up the booster vaccination programme
  
• England and Scotland have set new targets to give boosters to all eligible adults who want one by the end of the month
  
• The NHS will need to match its best vaccination day yet - 844,000 in March - and then must beat it "day after day", says Boris Johnson
  
• Extra support to speed up vaccinations will be given to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  
• The health secretary confirmed that ten people in England are in hospital with Omicron
  
• Meanwhile, people in England should now work from home if they can, as more Plan B guidance comes into effect
  
• And fully vaccinated people close contacts of Covid cases in England are asked to take daily lateral flow tests for seven days from Tuesday
  
• Cases continue to climb, with another 48,854 infections and 52 deaths recorded in the UK on Sunday
  

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the main headlines this morning:

• Booster jabs will be offered to everyone over 18 in England from this week, Boris Johnson said last night, as he declared an "Omicron emergency"
  
• The prime minister set a new target to give boosters to all adults who want one by the end of the month
  
• The UK's Covid alert level was raised to four due to the spread of the new Omicron virus variant
  
• People in England should now work from home if they can, as more Plan B guidance is introduced to curb the spread of Omicron
  
• New restrictions are likely "in the next few weeks" in Wales to deal with the new Omicron variant, a health minister has said
  
• Australians are celebrating seeing loved ones again in Queensland, after the state lifted a five-month border closure with its biggest neighbours
  
• The WHO says the Omicron variant is more transmissible than the Delta strain and reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe symptoms according to early data.
  
• The UK recorded 48,854 new Covid cases and 52 additional deaths, raising the Covid alert level from 3 to 4.
  
• The UK also confirmed an additional 1,239 Omicron cases, marking the biggest daily rise to date with the total number of confirmed cases 3,137.
  
• America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, said that Omicron “clearly has a transmission advantage” over previous Covid strains and stepped up calls for Americans to get booster shots as the new variant spread to at least 25 states.
  
• Austria has ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country, three weeks after it was imposed. However, more than 25,000 demonstrators turned out in several cities to protest against the country’s compulsory vaccination plan, forcing citizens to be jabbed or face fines from February.
  
• Vaccinated people who are identified as a contact of somebody who has tested positive for Covid-19 should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for a week, the UK government announced.
  
• Russia’s registered Covid cases passed the 10 million mark today, after nearly 30,000 cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
  
• Scotland aims to offer booster jabs to all eligible adults by the end of the year.
  
• Russia has recorded a cumulative total number of Covid cases that now exceeds 10 million.
  
• The European Central Bank’s vice-president Luis de Guindos has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, the ECB said.
  
• The US is set to reach 800,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
  
• Three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine is the “optimal care” but two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains the US government’s official definition of fully vaccinated, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.
  
• Australia will shorten the wait time for people to receive a Covid-19 booster following a rise in Omicron cases.
  
• More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies have suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province.
  
• Australians are preparing for quarantine-free travel across most of the country during the Christmas period as the state of Queensland opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people for the first time in nearly five months.
  
• South Korea will test artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition to track Covid-19 cases.
  
• South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, 69, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, though is showing only mild symptoms, the presidency said.
  
• Indonesia will start administering Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six to 11 on Tuesday, a health ministry official said.
  
• New Zealand health authorities are investigating claims that a man received up to 10 Covid-19 vaccination doses in one day on behalf of other people, believed to be skirting tough restrictions on the unvaccinated.
  

Newspapers react to PM's announcement

Boris Johnson's announcement on booster jabs makes the front of several papers, including the Telegraph. The paper says the government's plan to ramp up booster jabs is aimed at avoiding another lockdown. To meet its target to offer a third jab to every adult by January, the NHS would have to give jabs to 18 million people in 18 days, it says.

The Sun says the booster rollout is going to be "turbo-charged". It describes the prime minister's TV address as sombre, as he warned: "There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming."

The Daily Mail describes it as a "hugely ambitious move" from Mr Johnson. The paper says the NHS's website crashed within minutes of Mr Johnson's statement as people tried to book jabs.

The Times also says the pledge is "unprecedented", as it cites government sources who say it means the NHS needs to carry out about 15 million vaccinations over the next three weeks. Mr Johnson admitted that some NHS appointments and procedures would need to be cancelled, the paper adds. In a separate story, the paper says the cabinet secretary's investigation into Downing Street parties will also cover the Christmas quiz on 15 December.

See all of today's front pages here.

Omicron variant has now spread to 63 countries

The Omicron variant has now spread to 63 countries with faster transmission noted in South Africa and the UK, the World Health Organization has said.

Britain facing a "tidal wave" of the Omricon variant

Britain faces a “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant of coronavirus and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it, prime minister Boris Johnson has warned, as he accelerated the booster rollout programme, bringing forward a target to give over-18s a booster jab by one month to the end of December.
“No one should be in any doubt: there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming,” he said in a televised address, after the country’s medical advisers raised the Covid Alert Level due to a “rapid increase” in infection from the variant.
“I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” Johnson added.

South African president tests positive for Covid-19

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms, the presidency said.
“The President started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honour of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier today,” the statement said.
“The President, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week,” it added.

UK moves to Covid alert level four - but what does it mean?

The UK's coronavirus alert level has been increased from level three to four - meaning transmission of cases is high or rising exponentially.
The last time the UK was at this level was between late February and May this year.
Why has it gone up? The UK's four chief medical officers and the director of NHS England said the change was "in light of the rapid increase in Omicron cases".
What determines the level? Case numbers and the R number - that's the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average.
What does each level mean? Check out our graphic below:

New restrictions in Wales likely within weeks

James Williams - BBC Wales Political Correspondent
New restrictions are likely "in the next few weeks" in Wales to deal with the new Omicron variant, the health minister says.
Eluned Morgan says the Welsh government wanted "to act proportionately", but a spike in cases of the variant was expected "quickly".
It comes after Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford warned Omicron could lead to "large numbers" of people in hospital.
The Welsh Tories want vaccine boosters ramped up "to a war-like footing".
Read more here.

The latest UK Covid data

The average number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases has bounced around since mid-July and has been rising again since early November.
A further 48,854 confirmed cases were announced on Sunday, taking the seven-day average to 51,497 cases per day.


The most recent government figures show 7,413 people with coronavirus in hospital in the UK, almost exactly the same as a week earlier (7,406).
Although the number of hospital patients is higher than it was over the summer, it remains far below the peak of nearly 40,000 people back in January.


There were 52 deaths within 28 days of a positive test reported on Sunday.
Of those deaths, there were 44 in England, five in Wales and three in Northern Ireland. There were no deaths reported in Scotland on Sunday.
England has seen the majority of UK deaths since the pandemic began, with more than 127,000.

Cancer referrals will be unaffected by booster rollout - Javid

The UK health secretary Sajid Javid, speaking earlier today on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, was asked about the effect of the ramped-up booster rollout on other NHS services.
Sajid Javid says: "It does mean, when it comes to primary care for the next few weeks, our GPs will only be focusing on urgent needs and vaccinations and it also means non-urgent appointments and elective surgeries may have to be postponed into the new year."
What about people who think they might have cancer, who normally get seen within two weeks?
"That will be completely unaffected," says Javid. "That is an urgent appointment...and will remain a priority."
So people who, for example, think they might have breast cancer will still be able to be seen within two weeks?
"That will be completely unaffected by this new mission."

High demand causing problems for booster booking website

People aged 30 and over in England can book a vaccine booster appointment using the online service from two months after their second dose.
However, that website is experiencing issues this morning due to high demand and the NHS is advising people to try again later or tomorrow instead.
Commenting on people complaining that the website repeatedly crashes during the booking process, an NHS Digital spokesperson says: "The vaccine booking service is facing extremely high demand and is operating a queuing system to manage numbers.
"We would advise people currently unable to book to try again later today or tomorrow."

Delivering 1m jabs a day incredibly difficult - NHS Providers

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, has told the BBC it is going to be "incredibly difficult" for the NHS to deliver one million coronavirus jabs per day.
Asked about the booster rollout and the government's pledge to offer all over-18s a jab by the end of December, she tells BBC Breakfast: "Let's not underestimate how tough it is.
"But on Saturday the NHS did deliver over 500,000 booster jabs in one day so that can be done - building up to a million is going to be incredibly difficult.
"It is prioritisation that really matters."
She said it was a "really challenging situation" for the NHS frontline, adding:
Quote Message: I think what we also have to recognise is that once again, we're going to have to ask for the patience of the public as well, to make sure that they understand that waiting times might be longer, that routine care might not come at the time that they were expecting it. And also unfortunately that, for example, operations may be cancelled and rescheduled."

I think what we also have to recognise is that once again, we're going to have to ask for the patience of the public as well, to make sure that they understand that waiting times might be longer, that routine care might not come at the time that they were expecting it. And also unfortunately that, for example, operations may be cancelled and rescheduled."

South Africa's president suffering 'mild' Covid symptoms

Nomsa Maseko - BBC Southern Africa correspondent


South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is recovering from mild Covid-19 symptoms after testing positive on Sunday afternoon.
He started feeling unwell after leaving the state memorial of the country’s last apartheid president FW De Klerk.
According to a statement released by the government, Ramaphosa is in high spirits and is being monitored by his medical team.
The 69-year-old, who is fully vaccinated, had been tested multiple times during his visits to four West African countries last week.
Some in the president’s delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South Africa.
Ramaphosa has said that his own infection should serve as a warning to all South Africans of the importance of getting vaccinated and remaining vigilant against exposure.
Just over 18,000 new Covid-19 infections have been reported in the country - one of the first places to detect the Omicron variant - in the last 24 hours.

Lengthy queues in south-west London

Marie Jackson - BBC News
The booster message appears to have got through in south-west London.
At Wimbledon’s Centre Court shopping centre the queue for walk-in jabs stretches from one end of the building to the other - and that was when it had only been open for half an hour.
By 09:00 GMT, more than 100 adults, mostly under-40s, some with babies in buggies and wearing masks were settling in for a long wait.

New restrictions 'inevitable' in Scotland

Claire Diamond - BBC Scotland News
Scotland’s health secretary is warning that new measures to slow the spread of Covid will be announced on Tuesday.
Humza Yousaf says the "sheer weight" of the number of Omicron cases could overwhelm the NHS, so precautions will have to be taken.
Yousaf says it is "inevitable" that "additional protective measures" will be announced by the first minister when she addresses MSPs tomorrow.
But speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, he refuses to be drawn on what those restrictions might be.
The Scottish government has said all adults will be offered a Covid booster appointment by the end of the year, in line with the prime minister’s announcement last night.
As of 10:00 GMT today, those aged over 30 are able to book a booster dose. Appointments will be available for 18 to 29-year-olds to book from later this week.

 

System 'down' after more than 100,000 try to book boosters

Damian Grammaticas - Political correspondent
The Department of Health and Social Care says over 100,000 people have tried to book vaccine appointments this morning, causing the online booking system to go "down".
"We have a team looking at it and they're hoping to get it back up and running as soon as possible," a spokesman says.

 

Lateral flow tests for home delivery run out

Users of the online system to get rapid lateral flow tests sent to their home in England have also seen a message saying there are "no more home tests available".
The health department says: "The team are also looking at that. It's because we announced daily testing yesterday."
They added that people were being advised to go to local pharmacies where testing kits are still available.

US Covid cases surpass 50 million

The United States surpassed 50 million coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally.
After about two months of declining infections, the United States has reported daily increases for the past two weeks, driven by the more easily transmitted Delta variant.
States in colder parts of the country are seeing the biggest surge in new infections on a per capita basis, including Vermont, New Hampshire and Michigan.
The number of hospitalised Covid patients is rising as well, up 20% since the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November.
Over the past month, deaths have increased by 4.6%, with the country’s death toll surpassed 800,000.
Nearly half of US states have detected cases of the Omicron variant, but the Delta variant still accounts for 99% of current Covid cases, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said.

NZ authorities investigate claims man received 10 Covid vaccinations in one day - on behalf of others

Eva Corlett - The Guardian
Health authorities are investigating claims that a man received up to 10 Covid-19 vaccination doses in one day on behalf of other people, believed to be skirting tough restrictions on the unvaccinated.
The Ministry of Health said it was taking the matter seriously. “We are very concerned about this situation and are working with the appropriate agencies,” its Covid-19 vaccination and immunisation spokesperson, Astrid Koornneef, said.
Local news outlets report the man is believed to have visited several immunisation centres and was paid to get the doses. In New Zealand vaccines can either be booked through a website, via a doctor, or people can turn up to walk-in centres. To be administered a vaccine, a person must provide the health care worker with their name, date of birth and physical address, but no further identification is required.

Papua New Guinea could be breeding ground for new Covid variants

Kate Lyons - The Guardian
Experts have warned that the next variant of Covid-19 to sweep the world could emerge on Australia’s doorstep, due to incredibly low rates of vaccination rates in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea is Australia’s closest neighbour, and at its nearest point is just 4km from Australian territory in the Torres Strait. At various points in the pandemic there have been fears that travellers from PNG could bring the virus to Australia.
Adrian Prouse, head of international humanitarian programs at the Australian Red Cross, said:

I’m worried that PNG is the next place where a new variant emerges.”

“In PNG less than 5% [of the adult population is vaccinated], in Indonesia, just under one-third. Two countries right on our doorstep with significant challenges in getting vaccines into arms.”
Stefanie Vaccher, an epidemiologist with the Burnet Institute who has been based in PNG since last year, echoed this concern.
“In populations that have low rates of vaccination coverage, there are more opportunities for the virus to spread and mutate. In PNG, where less than 4% of the population are vaccinated, there are a lot of opportunities for the virus to mutate and spread.”
Read the full story here.

South Africa eports a further 37,875 new covid cases

South Africa has reported an additional 37,875 new coronavirus cases, which includes 19,840 retrospective cases and 18,035 new cases, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
In the past 24 hours a total of 18,035 positive Covid-19 cases and 21 Covid-related deaths were reported.
The total number of fatalities in the country currently stands at 90,137.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, is currently in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to deputy president David Mabuza for the next week.

Germany reports a further 21,743 new covid cases

Germany is reporting an additional 21,743 new daily Covid cases and 116 deaths, according to recently published figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
The numbers are a significant drop from previous days, with 39,585 cases reported on 10 December 45,460 cases on 9 December.
Covid infections have been steadily decreasing in the European nation since new lockdowns were introduced.

Australia reports rapid Omicron spread

Elias Visontay - The Guardian
Super-spreader events in NSW and reinfections in Victoria have health authorities worried as Covid-19 infections continue to grow.
Victoria reported 1,290 new cases and two deaths, while New South Wales recorded 536 new cases, amid increasing numbers of the Omicron variant.
Health authorities in NSW are battling to contain several large transmission events, including cases of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant – with 64 cases of the new strain now recorded in the state.
Of the 536 new cases announced in the state on Monday, nine were confirmed to have the Omicron variant, with NSW Health saying “more are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed”.
Read the full story here.

India has just released its daily Covid report

The country reported 7,350 new cases in the last 24 hours with an active caseload of 91,456; the lowest in 561 days.
Another 202 deaths were also reported.

Here is a quick run-down of all the latest Covid developments:

• British prime minister Boris Johnson is gambling on an unprecedented ramping up of vaccinations, rolling out 1m booster jabs a day to stem an incoming “tidal wave of Omicron” and avoid imposing further restrictions.
  
• Announcing the booster offensive, Johnson said two doses of vaccine were not enough, but scientists were confident that three would make a huge difference.
  
• The US is approaching the grim milestone of 50m coronavirus cases with a total of 49,921,405 reported since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths stand at 797,346.
  
• Although infections appeared to be in decline, daily increases have been reported for the past two weeks, with the number of hospitalised Covid patients also rising and up 20%.
  
• States in colder parts of the country are seeing the biggest surge in new infections on a per capita basis, including Vermont, New Hampshire and Michigan.
  

• Britain faces a “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it, prime minister Boris Johnson warned, as he accelerated the nation’s booster rollout programme.
  
• Russia has recorded a cumulative total number of Covid cases that now exceeds 10 million.
  
• The European Central Bank’s vice-president Luis de Guindos has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, the ECB said.
  
• The US is set to reach 800,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
  
• Three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine is the “optimal care” but two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains the US government’s official definition of fully vaccinated, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.
  
• Australia will shorten the wait time for people to receive a Covid-19 booster following a rise in Omicron cases.
  
• More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies have suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province.
  
• Australians are preparing for quarantine-free travel across most of the country during the Christmas period as the state of Queensland opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people for the first time in nearly five months.
  
• South Korea will test artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition to track Covid-19 cases.
  
• South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, 69, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, though is showing only mild symptoms, the presidency said.
  
• Indonesia will start administering Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six to 11 on Tuesday, a health ministry official said.
  
• New Zealand health authorities are investigating claims that a man received up to 10 Covid-19 vaccination doses in one day on behalf of other people, believed to be skirting tough restrictions on the unvaccinated.
  

Johnson refuses to rule out further restrictions

Earlier today the health secretary told the BBC that no further restrictions were being considered by the government - but Boris Johnson has declined to rule out further restrictions being introduced ahead of Christmas.
Asked about the possibility of new measures this month, he says: "Throughout the pandemic I've been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.
"We think the steps that we are taking - so Plan B, combined with a hugely ambitious acceleration of the booster campaign, bringing it forward by a month so we offer a booster to every adult by the end of the year - we think that's the right approach."

Ukraine has just released its daily Covid count

Another 4,073 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were recorded for Sunday, 12 December.
The country also reported 188 deaths.

New work from home guidance takes effect in England today, following recently tightened coronavirus guidance.
British prime minister Boris Johnson made the announcement at a Downing Street press conference last week, saying people must work from home where possible from Monday.
Although the government instruction that people in England should work from home where possible from Monday is advice and not legally mandatory, organisations across the country are switching to home working where possible.
However, some companies have told workers they can continue to come to the office if required for their mental health.

Russia has detected Omicron in 16 people who returned from South Africa

Russia says it has detected Omicron in 16 people who returned from South Africa. The Interfax news agency cited deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova giving the figures this morning.
We know that Russia reported its first two Omicron cases on 6 December. Reuters say that it was not immediately clear if the 16 cases announced this morning included the two reported earlier this month.

Avoid sitting in unventilated rooms with people you don't know

There’s been some advice from Ami Jones, an intensive care doctor from Wales on BBC television this morning in the UK to avoid sitting in unventilated rooms with people you don’t know.

Current pressure on health services in "not sustainable"

The boss of the organisation which represents NHS trusts said pressure on health services is “not sustainable”. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told Sky News a combination of record highs in 999 calls, the second-highest ever number of emergency department admissions, elective procedure backlogs, the extension of the booster campaign, and social care pressure mean the NHS is “busier than its ever been before.”
He said: “That’s obviously a worry because it’s before the traditional winter peak in January and it’s before any cases really coming into hospitals and we are now starting to do in terms of Omicron cases, so we’re already at beyond full stretch, in our view, before either of those things occur so it’s a worrying time, but as you’d expect everybody on the NHS frontline is doing absolutely the best they can to provide the best possible care.”
He added yesterday’s request from the prime minister for “extraordinary effort” comes as staff are “very, very tired”.
PA Media quote Hopson saying: “I think staff are worried, to be frank, that this level of pressure is going to become normalised and it’s not sustainable.”
He also told Sky News a social care staff shortage and the removal of some beds to control coronavirus infections meant hospitals were trying to operate with 30-35% fewer beds.
He said 11% of beds were occupied by patients who were fit to leave hospital but could not be discharged due to a lack of social care staff, meanwhile hospitals were operating at between 94% and 96% capacity.
He explained how the social care sector could not deliver 1.5m hours of at-home care for patients because workers had left to take jobs in retail, logistics, and hospitality because of better pay and sign-on bonuses, revealing a lack of a “sustainable workforce model” in the NHS and social care.

Western Australia to reopen border on 5 February

Narelle Towie - The Guardian
Australia’s most isolated state will fully reopen its borders on 5 February after almost two years sealed off from Covid and the world.
The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, announced on Monday plans to allow interstate and international travellers to enter the state without quarantine from midnight on 5 February, when the state was expected to hit its 90% fully vaccinated target.
But the premier warned that once the state’s hard border was eased, unvaccinated or “high-risk” arrivals will still be required to quarantine for 14 days – unless they are under 12 or exempt on medical grounds.
“I’m confident that this is the right time and the right way to take this important step,” McGowan said.
“West Australians have lived a normal life inside our Covid-free bubble and nearly 2 million people have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated.
The announcement comes on the same day Scott Morrison said that visa-holding skilled workers and students will be allowed into Australia from Wednesday.
More here.

Scotland's health secretary: 'inevitable' further Covid measures will be introduced

Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf has been on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme today, and said that it was “inevitable” that first minister Nicola Sturgeon would announce further anti-Covid measures when she addresses the Scottish parliament tomorrow.

Sturgeon has said that following yesterday’s television address by the UK’s prime minister, Scotland would also be expanding its booster programme. The BBC quote her saying:

I can confirm that urgent work is under way to further accelerate roll out of the booster vaccination programme in Scotland. Scotland already has the highest proportion of the over-12 population protected with booster or third doses of all the UK nations.
Now, however, urgent efforts are being made to step up the pace even further with the aim of offering a booster jag appointment to all eligible adults by the end of this year if possible.

Some follow-up on the latest Omicron concerns in Wales:

Cathy Owen reports for WalesOnline that health minister Eluned Morgan has warned new restrictions might be needed. Owen writes:

Speaking on BBC Politics Wales, Ms Morgan said she expected the numbers in Wales to “change very quickly in a very short space of time”.
Asked whether that advice might change, Ms Morgan said: “I think there will come a point where that may be likely to happen. The last thing we want to do is to impose the kind of restrictions that we saw last Christmas unless we absolutely have to.
We know that last Christmas was really disappointing for so many people. That’s not where we want to be. But we will always act in the best interests of the people of Wales.”
Wales’ coronavirus rules are now being reviewed weekly instead of every three weeks in response to the new variant.

In response to Boris Johnson’s televised statement yesterday, first minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said:

This is a fast-moving form of coronavirus, which has the potential to cause a large wave of infections in Wales. This could lead to large numbers of people needing hospital treatment at a time when our NHS is under significant pressure.
Our best defence continues to be vaccination. Emerging evidence shows the booster dose is vital. We are doing everything we can to accelerate our vaccination programme to increase the number of people who will receive their booster in the coming days and weeks. Older people and those at greatest risk are being prioritised at the moment.

Stephen Reicher, professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews, urged people to “think carefully” about their social contacts in the run-up to Christmas:
PA Media quotes the member of government advisory body the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B) told ITV’s Good Morning Britain saying:

At the moment, we’re in a situation where the new variant in effect is coming at us like an express train. We’ve got to do something or else we’re in real danger of overwhelming our society and overwhelming the NHS. And there’s so many things you can do. The first thing, and the most obvious thing, is that if you reduce the number of social contacts you have you limit the spread of the infection.
Now, nobody wants to give up their Christmas parties, and nobody wants to miss out on meeting up with people. It’s a little bit like Christmas dinner – if you have too big a Christmas breakfast, then you spoil your appetite for your Christmas dinner, which is what really counts.
And I think, in the same way, we need to think really seriously about our contacts. How important are they? Do we really need them and is it more important to act carefully now so that the contacts we really want and we really need are still happening?

Pakistan has confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant, in the country’s most populous city of Karachi, the country’s National Institute of Health (NIH) said on Monday.
“The NIH has been able to confirm … that a recently suspected sample from Karachi is indeed the ‘Omicron variant’,” the NIH said in a Tweet. “This is the first confirmed case but continued surveillance of suspected samples is in place to identify the trends.”
Authorities in the south Asian nation had begun investigating a first suspected case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus last week, a health ministry official told Reuters on Thursday.
After a provincial official in southern Sindh province initially said the variant had been identified in a private hospital patient, the NIH had then said they were still carrying out sequencing to confirm the case was that of Omicron.
Pakistan this month placed travel restrictions on several countries in southern Africa in the wake of the discovery of the variant.

France expecting a sixth Covid wave next month

France will be hit by a sixth Covid-19 wave next month due to the emergence of the new, more contagious, Omicron variant of the disease while the country is still in the midst of the current, Delta-fuelled, fifth wave of the pandemic, according to a leading French hospital executive.
“We haven’t said a word on the sixth wave, which is Omicron, which will come later, in January,” Martin Hirsch, head of Paris’s AP-HP hospitals group, Europe’s largest hospital system, told RTL radio according to Reuters.

India has reported its lowest tally of active Covid-19 cases in 18 months, but a sharp drop in the use of protective face masks is causing concern after a rise in the number of infections with the Omicron variant.
Many people have been standing or sitting close to each other without masks, or covering only their chins, at big rallies held by political parties in several states before elections. Something similar happened before the Delta variant ravaged India from April.
Cases have come down sharply since then, with an active Covid-19 total of 91,456 as of early Monday, the lowest in 561 days, according to the health ministry.
Krishna N Das and Chandini Monnappa report for Reuters that cases of the Omicron variant though have risen to at least 36 in India, and accounted for 3% of the virus sequences analysed in the country in the past two weeks, with Delta accounting for the rest. Health authorities have been urging people to cover their mouths in public.
“The falling graph of mask use could cost us,” top Indian health official Vinod Kumar Paul told a recent news briefing. “Mask is a universal vaccine, works on every variant.”

Native American communities lashed by Covid, worsening chronic inequities

Gloria Oladipo - The Guardian
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic the president of one of the largest Native American–run non-profits has warned that health and economic disparities are still seriously affecting Indigenous communities, despite some progress achieved by the Biden administration.
Josh Arce, president of the Partnerships with Native Americans (PWNA), told the Guardian in an interview that challenges affecting Indigenous groups ranged from health inequities such as high rates of diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses to inadequate infrastructure such as running water and reliable electricity. Nearly all of these problems were worsened by the pandemic.
“The issues are, by and large, some of the same issues that we’ve been confronted with but they’ve been really highlighted and exacerbated by Covid-19 throughout the past two and a half years,” said Arce, who added that such challenges “really permeate all aspects of Native life and communities”.
For centuries, Indigenous communities in the US have faced challenges in public health, education, infrastructure and other areas, an aftershock of violent colonization and widespread racism.
While the Biden administration has marked some progress, such as the appointment of Native American Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior, an achievement that Arce noted was critical and brought hope to Native communities, Arce warned that more action is needed to ensure more progress for Indigenous communities in the US. Read more.

 

At least one Omicron death in the UK

Boris Johnson says that at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron in the UK - the first death recorded with that variant.
Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, in west London, the PM says: "Sadly yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.
"So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that's something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters."

 

Majority of London cases will be Omicron by tomorrow - Johnson

We've got a bit more from the prime minister, who says that Omicron now represents about 40% of coronavirus cases in London - and that figure will be over 50% by tomorrow.
"The risk is plainly there, we can see Omicron spiking now in London and some other parts of the country," he says.
"Here in the capital it probably represents about 40% of the cases. By tomorrow it'll be the majority of the cases and it's increasing the whole time."

PM asked about shortage of lateral flow tests

We reported earlier that people hoping to order lateral flow tests from the government online have been told "there are no more home tests available".
But speaking to reporters now, the PM says there is a "ready supply" of lateral flow tests .
Asked about supply issues, Johnson says: "They can get those tests, we do have a ready supply of lateral flow tests.
"If you can't get one online for any reason, then there are ample supplies in the shops.
"But what I think, if I may say so, what that also shows is that people are doing the sensible thing, and getting tests as well."

Johnson refuses to rule out further restrictions

Earlier today the health secretary told the BBC that no further restrictions were being considered by the government - but Boris Johnson has declined to rule out further restrictions being introduced ahead of Christmas.
Asked about the possibility of new measures this month, he says: "Throughout the pandemic I've been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.
"We think the steps that we are taking - so Plan B, combined with a hugely ambitious acceleration of the booster campaign, bringing it forward by a month so we offer a booster to every adult by the end of the year - we think that's the right approach."

Denmark is pushing forward its vaccine programme to enable everyone over 40 to receive a third booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
This would mean that everyone aged 40 and above can get the vaccine four and a half months after the second jab, the country’s health authority said.
Reuters reports:
A third dose is “safe and effective” as soon as three months after the initial vaccine course, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said last week.
Denmark is second worldwide only to the UK in confirmed cases of Omicron, with both countries having extensive sequencing of samples to detect variants quickly.

Hungary has detected two cases of Omicron, according to state television.


China has detected its first Omicron case in a traveller arriving from overseas in the northern city of Tianjin, state media reports.

'I was turned away after 50-mile round trip for booster'

A couple say they made a 50-mile round trip to a Covid booster walk-in centre only to be turned away.
Chris Holmes from Cambridge says: “My wife and I checked the NHS website this morning and it advised us that our nearest walk-in centre (25 miles away) is open 10am - 1pm today.
“We both took two hours off work and made the 50-mile round trip to Stevenage, only to be told that the walk-in centre was not accepting walk-ins.
“This has probably cost us around £75 in petrol and lost earnings."
He says there is a "huge" queue of cars and police outside the centre.
“Presumably the website is telling people in at least a 50-mile catchment area to go to Stevenage now for a walk-in booster," he says.
“There must be hundreds if not thousands doing so then being turned away.”
We're asking the NHS about why this might have happened and what their response is.

JVT urges volunteers to step up

Laura Foster - BBC Health correspondent


England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Prof Jonathan Van Tam is writing to every vaccination volunteer, encouraging them to come back and help with the booster programme.
St John Ambulance trained around 30,000 people between November and March last year to help healthcare professionals administer the jabs.
Prof Van Tam writes: “You were a huge part of this achievement, but now we need your help again to deliver booster vaccinations at a real rate of knots.
“It’s going to require a Herculean effort and I am asking you personally to be a part of it by undertaking vaccinator shifts as soon as you possibly can."

In pictures: People queue to get their boosters

People up and down the UK have been queuing to receive their booster jabs after being urged by the government to do so.

The PM has set a new target for all adults in England to be offered a booster by the end of the month

Long queues have formed at various vaccination sites...

..like here in London...

...in Manchester...

...in Buxton, Derbyshire...

...or here in Glasgow

Brentford vs Man Utd could be postponed due to outbreak

Manchester United are in discussions with the Premier League over whether it is "safe" for Tuesday's game at Brentford to go ahead after a Covid-19 outbreak at the Old Trafford club.
Positives reported on Monday have been confirmed by PCR tests and operations at the club's Carrington training ground have been shut down for 24 hours.
The club is concerned about infection risk and disruption to preparations.
The team will not travel until a decision has been made with the league.

 

UK records more than 50,000 Covid cases

The UK has recorded 54,661 new infections, according to the government's daily figures.
Today's data also shows there were 38 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test.
These figures tend to be lower at the start of the week due to a delay in recording deaths and cases over the weekend.

First Omicron patient dies in the UK

British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the first patient had died after contracting the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Sky News reports.
The Guardian’s full report is here.

Norway to tighten Covid restrictions

Norway will further tighten its coronavirus restrictions this week in order to limit the spread of the virus, Reuters reports.
Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Norwegian news agency NTB on Monday.

“The situation is serious. The spread of infection is too high and we have to take action to limit this development.”

Norway is setting record highs both in terms of new Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations, partly due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
A news conference will be held at 8pm CET tonight to outline the measures.

Russia abandons fplans or QR code requirement for travellers

Russia’s parliament is abandoning a draft bill that would have required people travelling by plane or train to present QR codes showing proof of immunity to Covid-19.
Reuters reported that the U-turn came in response to strong public opposition to the proposal, which would effectively have forced people to get vaccinated - or show that they had caught the disease and recovered - in order to travel around the country.
Russia has the third highest death toll from Covid-19 after the United States and Brazil, and the Kremlin has expressed frequent frustration at the slow public uptake of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.

Denmark is pushing forward its vaccine programme to enable everyone over 40 to receive a third booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to curb the spread of Omicron variant.
This would mean that everyone aged 40 and above can get the vaccine four and a half months after the second jab, the country’s health authority said.
Reuters reports:
A third dose is “safe and effective” as soon as three months after the initial vaccine course, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said last week.
Denmark is second worldwide only to the UK in confirmed cases of Omicron, with both countries having extensive sequencing of samples to detect variants quickly.

New measures in Cyprus to curb Omicron spread

Cyprus will start vaccinating children between the ages of 5 to 11 as part of a package of new measures to curb a Covid surge following the first confirmed cases of the omicron variant on the island.
Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela unveiled the additional measures, which included cutting the mandatory six-week waiting period for booster shots by two weeks, and tighter restrictions for infected individuals and close contacts.
Associated Press reports:
Hadjipantela said anyone diagnosed with the omicron variant or any other new mutation will have to undergo compulsory isolation at their usual residence. Close contacts will be required to undergo a rapid antigen test within 72 hours and a PCR test a week later. Booster shot recipients are exempted.
Meanwhile, the country’s SafePass — or proof of vaccination — will be revoked as of Wednesday for anyone not receiving a booster shot within seven months of completing their inoculation.
Also as of this week, unvaccinated people will be barred from attending christenings, weddings and hotel receptions on top of an earlier decision to exclude them from stadiums, cinemas, theaters and nightclubs.

In the UK, 54,661 people tested positive for coronavirus on Monday

here were 38 deaths within 28 days of a positive death, and 926 people were admitted to hospital, official figures show.
The weekly case tally was 9.2% higher than the preceding week, at 363,682.

Denmark has said that Omicron is expected to become the dominant coronavirus variant this week, with new daily cases reaching around 10,000.
The country’s Serum Institute has detected 3,437 Omicron cases since it was first detected in Denmark on 22 November.

Italy reported 98 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday against 66 the day before

The health ministry reoirts that the daily tally of new infections in Ialy fell to 12,712 from 19,215.
Reuters reports:
Italy has registered 134,929 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 5.24 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 6,951 on Monday, up from 6,697 a day earlier.
There were 60 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 54 on Sunday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 856 from a previous 829.
Some 313,536 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 501,815, the health ministry said.

Omicron summary

Reuters have published a handy summary of key developments today in the spread of Omicron.

Europe

• Britain reported at least one death from the Omicron variant, the first publicly confirmed death globally, and urged people to get booster shots.
  
• Britain’s health secretary said the Omicron variant will become the dominant variant in the capital in the next 48 hours, while Denmark expects it to become dominant this week.
  
• Norway will further tighten restrictions in a bid to limit an expected surge of Omicron, its prime minister said.
  

Middle east and Africa

• The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has the world’s lowest vaccination rate at roughly 0.1%, urged people to get inoculated after the Omicron variant was detected there and as cases increase exponentially.
  
• Around 400,000 Covid-19 vaccines are set to expire in Senegal by end-December, the head of its immunisation programme said, as the country faces logistical problems, short shelf life and vaccine hesitancy.
  
• Ghana’s main international airport operator said it will fine airlines $3,500 for every passenger they bring in that is not vaccinated or that tests positive on arrival.
  
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who tested positive on Sunday, is still showing mild symptoms, his office said.
  
• Emma Raducanu, the 19-year-old British champion of the U.S. Open, tested positive and will miss this week’s exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
  

Asia-Pacific

• Major Chinese manufacturing province Zhejiang is fighting its first cluster this year, with hundreds of thousands of citizens in quarantine and virus-hit areas suspending business operations, cutting flights and cancelling events.
  
• Health authorities in Tianjin have detected mainland China’s first Omicron case, state media reported.
  
• Eight Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were sentenced to up to 14 months in prison for a Tiananmen vigil last year, which the police had banned citing coronavirus restrictions.
  
• New Caledonia’s pro-independence movement rejected Sunday’s “no” vote, in which over half of voters abstained after France declined to delay the ballot to allow for a mourning period following a surge in infections.
  

Americas

• The United States crossed 50 million cases on Sunday, according to Reuters tally.
  
• Catholic pilgrims estimated at over 1.5 million people gathered in Mexico City on Sunday for the annual Virgin of Guadalupe gathering after festivities were cancelled last year.
  
• A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ruled on Saturday the country must demand proof of vaccination for visitors seeking entry, a day after hackers hit the health ministry website targeting vaccination data.
  

Your guide to Plan B before MPs vote

MPs in the Commons will vote on "Plan B" restrictions for England tomorrow to slow the spread of Omicron.
Here's what you need to know:
Plan B: It consists of Covid passes to prove vaccination or a negative test for entry into more places; daily negative tests to replace self-isolation for double jabbed contacts of Covid cases; facemasks in most indoor settings.
The votes: There are likely to be three votes to make each of the restrictions law. The BBC estimates that about 60 Tory MPs have said they will oppose the introduction of Covid passes. But Labour says it will back the government so it's expected to go through.
The review: Boris Johnson says the Plan B rules will be reviewed in three weeks so if they become law on 14 December a review will be expected around 4 January.
The end: Plan B laws will be due to expire after six weeks which takes us to 25 January.
What next: Although Plan B has not yet passed, there is already talk that the government might need to bring further measures in England as Omicron cases rise. Johnson says he will take "whatever steps are necessary".
FYI: Working from home guidance kicks in today - but because it's not law it doesn't need a vote.

Here's a recap of the main Covid stories from the day:

• The UK has reported 54,661 new infections and a further 38 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test.
  
• There are 4,713 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant and at least one person in the UK has died with the variant
  
• The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 10 people, aged between 18 and 85, had been hospitalised with the variant in England.
  
• Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs that Omicron now represented 20% of cases in England
  
• Javid also warned that hospitalisations and deaths were likley to "dramatically increase" in the next few weeks
  
• The NHS website for booking vaccinations crashed and ordering lateral flow tests from the government website was temporarily suspended amid high demand
  
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted he "certainly broke no rules" amid questions over government parties during lockdown restrictions last Christmas
  
• US Open champion Emma Raducanu has had to withdraw from the Mubadala World Tennis Championships after testing positive for coronavirus
  
• Cyprus introduced new measures to curb a Covid surge, including vaccinations for 11-15 year olds, isolation for cases and close contacts, and bringing forward boosters.
  
• China reported its first Omicron case in the northern city of Tianjin from an overseas returnee.
  
• The UK reported its first patient to have died from Omicron, as the government issued a warning to the public not to assume the variant is less dangerous than other strains. Citizens are rushing to get their booster jabs to protect themselves against the new variant, which is poised to replace Delta as the dominant strain in the UK, with queues round the block for vaccination centres and the NHS website crashing under the demand for appointments.
  
• Norway announced plans to introduce new restrictions, which will be unveiled at a press conference tonight.