Coronavirus - 4th January 2022

Summary for Tuesday, 4th January 2022

• Millions of pupils in England and Northern Ireland are back to school today - but there are concerns Omicron may cause staff shortages
  
• Head teachers say staffing could be "challenging" as teachers need to isolate - and pupils might need to be sent home to learn online
  
• The government is urging schools to merge classes if needed and insists face-to-face teaching will remain the norm
  
• Secondary school students in England will take lateral flow tests in school, while those in Northern Ireland are urged to test at home
  
• At least six hospital trusts have declared critical incidents, meaning priority services may be under threat
  
• The number of daily Covid cases has shot up in recent weeks - but early evidence suggests Omicron is causing milder illness so far
  
• Tennis star Novak Djokovic says he'll compete at the Australian Open with a medical exemption from being vaccinated
  

Good morning

Welcome to our live coverage of the Covid pandemic.
We’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day.

Here’s a brief rundown of the latest Covid developments from across the world:

Europe:

• The UK reported 157,758 new Covid cases today and 42 additional deaths.Cases rose by 50% between 28 December and 3 January compared with the week before. Deaths rose 17% during the same period compared with the previous seven days.
  
• Multiple NHS trusts have declared “critical incidents” amid soaring staff absences caused by Covid. Parts of the health service are in “crisis”, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation said.
  
• The Omicron variant is better at circumventing vaccinated people’s immunity than the Delta variant, but is very likely to be milder, according to a Danish study.
  
• France reported 67,641 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, a figure much lower than a couple of days ago, when daily additional infections were over 200,000.
  
• Spain reported a new record in the national 14-day Covid infection rate on Monday, as the figure climbed to 2,295.8 per 100,000 people from 1,775.27 registered last Thursday.
  

Asia:

• The city of Yuzhou in China’s Henan province entered lockdown Monday night after three asymptomatic Covid cases were detected on Sunday, local media reports.
  
• Delhi’s chief minister tested positive for Covid as India’s daily new cases hit their highest levels in months.
  
• The Philippines will expand Covid restrictions in Manila from Wednesday to include more than 11 million people living near the capital as cases surge.
  
• Hong Kong will require at least one vaccine dose against Covid-19 to enter restaurants, gyms, schools, cinemas, public leisure facilities and recreational venues before the lunar new year from 24 February.
  
• In Thailand, the government is urging people to work from home for two weeks, and the health ministry is proposing to continue suspending quarantine-free travel through the end of January,
  

US:

• More than 1 million people in the US were diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday, setting a new global daily record.
  
• Thousands of schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning.
  
• President Joe Biden has urged Americans to get vaccinated, describing the process as “your patriotic duty” in a series of tweets on Monday.
  
• The US food and drug administration (FDA) has authorised the use of a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.
  

Oceania:

• Australia’s Covid cases reached a new high on Tuesday amid an Omicron surge in its two most populous states, as hospitalisations in New South Wales, home to Sydney, surpassed the record numbers hit during the Delta outbreak.
  
• New Zealand will reduce the interval between second Covid-19 vaccine doses and boosters from six months to four months from Wednesday.
  

Middle East:

• Israel is also set to allow foreigners with presumed Covid-19 immunity to enter from medium-risk countries from 9 January, the health ministry said.
  

Ex-teachers are returning to help out, says minister

It’s a big day for school pupils in England and Northern Ireland as the new term starts.
The government’s vaccines minister Maggie Throup says she’s confident there are enough tests for the millions of pupils returning to school. Pupils in England are being tested when they get to school, while in NI children are being urged to test at home beforehand.
And asked about the teacher shortages because of self-isolating, Throup says the government has appealed for retired and ex-teachers to come back to the profession.
“It’s important everybody pulls together to make sure the children can continue to get that face to face teaching which is so vital for them," she tells BBC Breakfast.
But pressed on how many former teachers have actually returned, Throup says “people are coming back all the time” and “the numbers will vary in different parts of the country”.
“It’s a matter of thousands of people who have come forward to say they will play their part,” she says.

(and yet - in contrast with the above news item):

We can't find supply teachers - school leaders

Hazel Shearing - BBC Education correspondent
As pupils return to classrooms, the head of one education trust has told the BBC he's concerned about staffing shortages as Covid cases surge.
Tom Quinn, chief executive of the Frank Field Education Trust, says it used up its yearly fund for supply teachers last term.
“The call-to-arms to have extra funding could help us but… we can’t find supply teachers to come in,” he told BBC Breakfast at an academy in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
“We need high quality professional teachers to come in to help children learn and they’re not there.”
Before term ended, the education secretary appealed to former teachers to come out of retirement and sign up with teacher supply agencies to help cover staff absence. There has been a similar call to retired staff in Northern Ireland.
However, supply agencies warned they were unlikely to be in place at the start of this term.

Thousands of US schools delay opening

Thousands of US schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant pushes Covid-19 cases to record levels.
Cities including Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit either implemented online instruction or cancelled school altogether this week for tens of thousands of students, citing both staff shortages and Omicron concerns.
In New Jersey, which has seen some of the highest case rates in recent weeks, most urban school districts have implemented virtual classes to start the new year, including Newark, the state’s biggest city.
Nationally, there are more than 2,750 school closures so far this week, according to Burbio, a website that tracks school disruptions, Reuters reports.

Will Omicron spread among children as schools return?

Leading epidemiologist Prof Neil Ferguson says that before Christmas, Delta and Omicron were generally spreading among different age groups.
Delta infections were driven by school-age children and older age groups, he says, while Omicron was affecting those in the middle 18 to 45 age group.
“Omicron didn’t have much time to get into school children before schools shut, and we expect to now see quite high infection levels of mild infection in school-age children," says Ferguson, whose modelling led to the first nationwide restrictions.
He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Omicron is certainly less severe than other variants – “probably a two thirds drop in the risk of dying from Omicron” – but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a difficult few weeks for the NHS.

Lancashire braced for 'tsunami' of cases

A health boss has said Lancashire is braced for a "tsunami" of Omicron cases as a critical incident is declared.
Morecambe Bay NHS Trust declared the incident on Monday evening as Covid hospital admissions continue to rise and more staff test positive for coronavirus.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, public health director for Lancashire County Council, says the county ias at "the foothills" of an Omicron wave.
"Lancashire is beginning to experience what London did at the beginning of last month and, of course, London is better resourced and the infrastructures are well organised compared to other regions, so we are bracing ourselves for a tsunami of Omicron cases in Lancashire."
He says they have seen a shift from 20 to 40-year-olds being affected to the over-60s - and there are concerns around staff absences in the NHS and in schools.
At least five other NHS trusts in England are known to have declared critical incidents in the past week - as the health service deals with staff shortages caused by the surge in Covid cases.

Government asleep at the wheel on staff shortages, say Lib Dems

      

Staffing situation in hospitals 'almost impossible', says health leaders

Several hospitals have declared critical incidents as they face staff shortages due to Omicron - meaning they are resorting to emergency plans.
The boss of NHS Confederation - which represents health leaders - says this is happening because the situation is becoming "almost impossible".
Matthew Taylor tells Times Radio that even without Covid the NHS is 100,000 people short, and that the problem with staff absences is that it is unpredictable.
"You don't know where somebody is going to get sick and, when somebody does get sick, it's then more likely that other people in that team will get sick and hospitals and healthcare systems are complex, they're inter-dependent," he says.
He adds hospital admissions seem to have "perhaps plateaued in London or there may be a second peak after the new year now" - but that hospitalisations are rising across the rest of Britain.
He says the next few weeks are going to be "very, very difficult", and suggests "there's a kind of almost politicised attempt to suggest that things aren't as difficult as they are".
People working in the health service "see the reality", Taylor says, and he urges politicians to be driven by the data, which should become clearer by the start of next week.

China is reporting 175 new coronavirus cases for Monday, up from 161 a day earlier, the country’s health authority said on Tuesday.
Of the new infections, 108 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, down from 101 a day earlier.
Most of the new local cases were in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, where the capital city Xian has been under a strict nearly two-week lockdown.
Zhejiang and Henan provinces also reported new cases.
China reported 54 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 35 a day earlier.
There were no new fatalities, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636. Mainland China had 102,841 confirmed cases as of Monday.

Tokyo reports more than 100 new Covid cases for first time in nearly three months
Justin McCurry - The Guardian
Tokyo has reported more than 100 new cases of Covid-19 for the first time in almost three months, while the governor of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has blasted the US military for failing to contain a recent outbreak that has since spread to the civilian community.
Tokyo confirmed 103 new infections on Monday - up from 84 the previous day - amid concern that the highly transmissible Omicron variant is fuelling a rebound in cases in the Japanese capital. After infections soared to over 5,000 a day in the summer, new cases had stayed below 100 since 9 October.
The city’s governor, Yuriko Koike said 25 people had been confirmed to be infected with the Omicron strain, including 11 who had no recent history of overseas travel.
Japan imposed strict border control measures late last year after Omicron was first identified in South Africa.
The number of new infections in Tokyo and other parts of Japan has edged up in recent days, although the numbers pale beside those being reported in the US, Britain and parts of Europe.
They are also lower than those that have previously prompted the government to call states of emergency that include restrictions on restaurant and bar opening hours.
There is concern, however, over a sharp rise in cases in Okinawa, home to more than half the 47,000 US troops in Japan. The prefecture’s government reported 130 new cases on Monday, the first time they had exceeded 100 since late September, the Kyodo news agency said.
Local officials attributed the rise in cases among the civilian community to recent outbreaks at US military bases, according to Kyodo, including a record 235 new cases among American servicemen and women reported on New Year’s Day.
US military forces on the island have been criticised for sharing only patchy information about the outbreaks, while residents have complained that unmasked troops are still leaving their bases and mingling with local people.
The Okinawa governor, Denny Tamaki, blamed the US military for allowing the Omicron variant to spill over into the civilian population.

I am outraged because the sharp increase in the number of infections among US military personnel suggests that their management is insufficient,” Tamaki told reporters at the weekend.

In Thailand the Omicron situation continues to worsen
The government is urging people to work from home for two weeks, and the health ministry is proposing to continue suspending quarantine-free travel through the end of January, local media report.
The Public Health Ministry will propose that the government continue the suspension of the Test & Go entry programme for air travellers, in light of the continuing spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday.
Anutin said he supported the recommendation made by health experts on Monday and will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to continue the suspension of the one-night quarantine scheme until the end of this month, the Bangkok Post reports.

We have decided to propose that the reopening of Test & Go should be deferred for the safety of the people in this country,” Anutin said.

No applications for entry to Thailand under the Test & Go scheme have been accepted since 11 December. Entry is only through the Phuket Sandbox, and its quarantine system, due to fears over the rising number of Omicron-variant Covid-19 cases worldwide.
The CCSA is scheduled to review the suspension of Test & Go at its meeting on Tuesday.
A further 3,091 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths were recorded on Monday.

Hong Kong expands vaccine bubble

Hong Kong will require at least one vaccine dose against Covid-19 to enter restaurants, schools, public leisure facilities and recreational venues before the Lunar New Year in a bid to expand the city-state’s vaccine bubble.
Cinemas, gyms, indoor sports grounds, public libraries, museums and concert halls are included in the expanded vaccine bubble, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said at a press briefing on Friday. Staff at these venues will also be required to get vaccinated, with exemptions made for those with a certified medical condition.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam confirmed the new rules would begin 24 February during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Under the new arrangement more venues will require people to receive at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination before entering.
A sign is seen inside a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Prof Chan said:

The Government is progressively expanding the vaccine bubble to more places now.
We are not saying that one dose of vaccination is enough, but we also have to be practical while we want to implement this measure, the vaccine bubble, to all these scheduled premises under Cap 599 as soon as possible.”

Chan explained that the vaccine bubble scope will be expanded before Chinese New Year because people will attend gatherings during the festival. As such, she urged citizens to maintain awareness of epidemic prevention.
“We want to appeal to people to be very, very vigilant about their own daily activities and also mask-wearing, and secondly, be aware of the notices that the Government is sending out so that they know whether they are one of the people who require compulsory testing or not.”

South Korea has just released its daily Covid report.
The Asian nation recorded another 3,024 confirmed coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, a figure much lower than recent weeks.
A further 51 deaths were also recorded with 973 people in critical condition, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 86.2 % of the eligible population have received at least one Covid vaccine dose and 83.1 % have received at least two.

Cigarettes for cabbage: Residents in locked down Chinese city trade food

Some residents under quarantine in the Chinese city of Xi'an have resorted to bartering supplies in recent days, as worries of food shortages continue.
About 13 million have been confined to their homes since 23 December, and are not allowed to leave to buy food.
Posts on social media show residents swapping supplies and even tech gadgets in exchange for food.
Videos and photos on social media site Weibo showed people exchanging cigarettes for cabbage, dishwashing liquid for apples, and sanitary pads for a small pile of vegetables.
One video showed a resident appearing to trade his Nintendo Switch console for a packet of instant noodles and two steamed buns.
Authorities have been providing free food to households, but some have said their supplies are running low or that they had yet to receive aid.
Read the full story here.

Another Chinese city goes into lockdown

Robin Brant - BBC News, Beijing
We were reporting earlier about the city of Xian which is under lockdown and where residents are being forced to barter for supplies - now another city in China has gone in to a full lockdown in the latest effort to stop a new wave of Covid infections.
Authorities have told people in Yuzhou to stay in their homes.
Almost all vehicles have been banned from the roads. All shops and businesses - apart from supermarkets supplying food - have been told to close.
The measures have been imposed after three asymptomatic cases were discovered.
Yuzhou is a small city by Chinese standards, with a population of about 1.2 million.
China's authorities say these latest cases are of the Delta variant. So far there have been only two reported cases of Omicron in the Chinese mainland.

What's China's Covid strategy?

Robin Brant - BBC News, Beijing
Covid first appeared in China, and up until a few weeks ago, the government had managed to contain it to such a level that new cases were negligible and mainly coming from people arriving from abroad.
What Beijing calls its "dynamic zero Covid" strategy combines mass vaccination with a regime of constant testing, nationwide monitoring of people's movements, temperature-taking and phone apps to prove you don't pose a threat.
All of that amounts to a hyper vigilance about any new outbreak. If and when one is spotted, the reaction is severe.
China has been wedded to this approach since the beginning because it's likely the leaders from Xi Jinping down consider anything less would cause illness and death on a scale that would be politically, economically and socially unacceptable.
The ruling Communist Party took much of the credit for containing the virus early on - after it had spread beyond China's borders - and diverting from that would undermine its credibility.
There is a broad acceptance of that, and the stringent restrictions it can bring among many Chinese who for decades have not felt they can rely much on the public health system.
So illness and the prospect of losing your job, let alone your life, is existentially daunting.
Add to that the prestige attached to - safely - hosting another Olympic Games in a few weeks' time and the fast approaching Chinese new year mass migration of millions across this country, and it’s clear there is little doubt that the government will remain committed to "zero Covid" for the forseeable future.

China hopes to protect Winter Olympics with athlete 'bubbles'

Stephen McDonell - BBC News, China correspondent

A high-speed train will only carry people with special clearance

With only a month to go until the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, Beijing is taking major steps to restrict access to the Games site as it prepares to welcome athletes from countries where the Omicron variant is spreading wildly.
The Taizicheng high-speed train station, in the mountains outside Beijing, is now closed to the public. Only special trains carrying those with Olympic clearance will arrive.
After vaccinated athletes enter the Chinese capital, they'll go straight into a dedicated sporting bubble which includes transport links, as well as hotels and other venues.
With bubble walls already going up, some local residents are having to choose whether to be closed off from the rest of China for the duration of the Games or whether to leave their homes for two months.
Officials in Beijing are implementing strict separation policies as they prepare for the likelihood that international teams could bring the Omicron variant into a country still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy.

French TV twins die of Covid six days apart


France's most famous twins, known for hosting a TV science show in the 1980s, have died of coronavirus within days of each other in hospital.
Grichka Bogdanoff died on 28 December, while his brother Igor passed away on Monday.
Aged 72, the brothers had not been vaccinated against Covid.
Their friends said they were convinced their healthy lifestyle would protect them and they were admitted to hospital in mid-December.
Although their families did not specify the cause of their deaths, their lawyer Edouard de Lamaze confirmed they had both contracted the virus.
Family friend Pierre-Jean Chalençon said they had left it too late to seek hospital treatment, deciding it was similar to flu.
"People have said they were anti-vaxxers, but they absolutely weren't," he told BFMTV.
"Several friends told them to get themselves vaccinated, but they felt because of their lifestyle and their [lack of] comorbidity, they weren't at risk of Covid."
Read more here.

No data to suggest further restrictions in England - No 10

Downing Street is once again saying it does not "see any data to suggest that further restrictions would be the right approach" to tackle Covid in England.
The prime minister's official spokesman says that while the public should be in "no doubt" that it will be a "difficult" time for the NHS, there are "significant mitigations in place for our NHS to help them through what is going to be a very challenging winter".
He also confirms that all government departments have been asked to look at how they would mitigate against as much as a quarter of their workforce being absent.
He says that in some circumstances that would involve a military aid request but that would not apply in all circumstances and there was no blanket requirement for military assistance.
On testing, the government is massively increasing capacity for both PCR and lateral flow tests, the spokesman says.
"We're doing, I think, roughly around 1.5 million tests across the system each day, which, as I say, is the largest in the world, so there is testing capacity available for those who need it, but we will keep that under review, depending on how prevalence tracks over the coming weeks," he says.

 

PM to lead Downing Street news conference later

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to lead a Downing Street news conference at 17:00 GMT today.
He will be joined by England's chief medical officer, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, and chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance.
We'll bring you live updates of what they have to say right here.

No 10 refuses to rule out rationing tests

Earlier, we brought you the latest from Downing Street on Covid tests - with the prime minister's spokesman refusing to rule out rationing tests.
The government has drawn up a contingency plan to prioritise vulnerable people and some key workers in case there's a shortage of Covid tests - after reports of patchy supplies of lateral flow kits in recent weeks.
Asked whether the government was preparing to ration tests, the spokesman said: "We have one of the highest testing capacities in the world, certainly the highest in Europe. We would obviously need to keep under review, as prevalence is incredibly high, what the right approach might be and we continue to take advice on whether that is necessary."

Israel reports first case of 'flurona'

Philippa Roxby - Health reporter, BBC News
There have been reports of a patient in Israel contracting both flu and Covid at the same time, which some news outlets have dubbed "flurona".
The patient in question had mild symptoms, was pregnant and had not been vaccinated, and has since been sent home from hospital “in good condition”.
Doctors in Israel say this is the first case of its kind, but it’s difficult to confirm.
Getting two infections at once is possible, but it isn’t common, and it may not always be detected.
Last year, there were warnings that flu and coronavirus would be spreading this winter and could cause more serious illness if contracted at the same time.
That’s why vaccinations against Covid and against flu were so firmly encouraged last autumn.
But, so far, the fast-spreading Omicron variant appears to have pushed out other viruses and there has been virtually no sign of flu in the UK so far, although cases do appear to be increasing now in Israel.
Symptoms of a double infection will be a whole lot milder if people are protected by the vaccines designed to target those two viruses.

US reports record 1m cases with peak still to come

The US has recorded more than one million new Covid cases, as officials warn the peak of a fast-spreading Omicron surge is still to come.
A record 1,080,211 cases were reported on Monday - the highest one-day tally of new cases anywhere in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Omicron variant accounts for a majority of cases in the US.
The top US pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci says the country is facing "almost a vertical increase" in cases.
He says the peak may be weeks away.
But Dr Fauci says the example of South Africa - where Omicron first spread rapidly before subsiding - offered some hope.
Rates of death and hospital admissions in the US have been far lower in recent weeks than in previous infection spikes.
Read more here.

India reports another 37,379 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours.
The health ministry says it is the highest number since early September as the Omicron coronavirus variant overtakes Delta in places such as the capital New Delhi.
Deaths rose by 124 to reach a total of 482,017 and total infections stand at 34.96 million.

Brazil registers another 11,850 additional Covid cases and 76 deaths on Monday,
according to data released by the nation’s health ministry.
The South American country has now registered a total of 619,209 coronavirus deaths and 22,305,078 total confirmed cases.

The Philippines to expand Covid restrictions in Manila

The Philippines will expand Covid restrictions in Manila from Wednesday to include more than 11 million people living near the capital as cases surge, the government has said.
Daily infections have spiked to a two-month high in January as the health department warns of higher caseloads in the coming days following the detection of local cases of the Omicron variant.
The provinces of Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal surrounding Manila have been placed under the third highest alert “due to a sharp increase of Covid-19 cases”, presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a statement Tuesday, Agence France-Press reports.

Devotees, wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, pray during a mass at the Quiapo church in Manila, Philippines. Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

Under the tighter restrictions, which will be in place until mid-January, unvaccinated residents will need to stay at home unless buying essentials or exercising.
Restaurants, parks, churches and beauty salons will operate at lower capacity while in-person classes and contact sports are suspended.
The health department has deemed the entire country of 109 million at “high risk” following a spike in cases in recent days, even as hospitalisations remain under control, health undersecretary Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines.
The Philippines has recorded over 2.8 million infections and more than 51,000 deaths.

Delhi’s chief minister has tested positive for Covid as India’s daily new cases hit their highest levels in months.
Arvind Kejriwal, who spoke at an election rally on Monday without wearing a mask, announced the news in a Twitter post saying he is isolating at home.
He also urged those who had come in contact with him in recent days to do similar and get tested for the virus.

Delhi imposes weekend curfew as Omicron cases rise "rapidly"

India’s capital Delhi will impose a weekend curfew to try to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as cases have risen rapidly in the past few days, its deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told a news conference on Tuesday.
He also said most offices would have to make half their employees work from home, including all government officials except for those engaged in essential services.
Delhi has reported about 11,000 positive cases in the past eight to 10 days, of which around 350 patients are in hospital, with 124 patients need ing oxygen and seven being on a ventilator, the Times of India reports.

Fiji has reopened schools for in-person learning for students in years 8 to 11 from today
Younger years set to resume on 10 January.
A government statement released on Tuesday read:

UNICEF and WHO have advised the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services that it is safe to reopen schools because the latest evidence shows that schools do not drive the spread of Covid-19 in the community.
As per UNICEF Pacific Representative Jonathan Veitch, Covid-19 does not pose as high a risk to children as it does to adults, and as long as Covid-safe measures are followed in schools, children are actually more at risk of getting Covid in the community than they are in schools.”

The toll of reporting on Covid in China

Helen Davidson - The Guardian
A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released last month detailed a worsening “nightmare” for journalists under the rule of Xi Jinping, with 128 known to be behind bars or disappeared. More than 70 are Uyghur journalists, and at least 10 people were arrested for reporting on the Covid outbreak and lockdown in Wuhan.
Cedric Alviari, RSF’s east Asia bureau director, said the 128 detained journalists and press freedom defenders is the biggest count in five years. It includes 71 Uyghur journalists, and at least 10 who face impending death if not immediately released, according to RSF.
Alviari said the crackdown is driven by Xi, who has “declared a war on independent journalism” after tightening controls on traditional media.

Everything he and the CCP have been doing over the past eight years … has been to suppress independent voices.
The Chinese people, like every person on earth, crave information on what’s happening around them.”

Read the full story from our reporter Helen Davidson here.

Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday urged vigilance against the spread of Covid after the island detected its first cases of the Omicron variant spreading in the community.
“With the emergence of domestic cases, everyone must stay vigilant,” Tsai said in a post on Facebook, adding that epidemic prevention measures had been tightened at the airport.
“Most importantly, please get a vaccination as soon as possible.”
Taiwan initially kept the pandemic well under control because of early and effective prevention, including largely closing its borders.
Most cases of its cases have been imported from abroad, though the island struggled with an outbreak of domestic infections in the middle of 2021, showing the government failed to fully prepare a pandemic response or vaccination rollout.

People wear face masks to help protect against the spread of Covid-19 in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday 29 December 2021. Photograph: Chiang Ying-ying/AP

Taiwan this week reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant, both linked to a quarantine hotel, Reuters reports.
Another person, a cleaner working at the island’s main international airport, was “likely” to be infected with the Omicron variant, health minister Chen Shih-chung said.
Chen added the new cases had put “a lot of pressure” on the government’s efforts against the pandemic.
Taiwan has vaccinated about 70% of its 23.5 million people and the government is offering incentives such as shopping coupons to boost the uptake.

Sporadic violence reported at demonstrations in Germany

Police in Germany have reported sporadic violence at demonstrations against the country’s pandemic restrictions, with one protester in the eastern town of Lichtenstein biting an officer and another attempting to steal a service weapon.
Tens of thousands of people in total took to the streets in scores of German towns and cities for weekly marches that have organisers have labelled “strolls” in an attempt to bypass restrictions on public gatherings. Counter-protests were also held in towns including Rostock and Trier, the dpa news agency reported.
Most of the rallies passed peacefully, though many broke rules on social distancing, prompting officers to intervene.
Police in the eastern state of Saxony said the incident late on Monday in Lichtenstein, about 20km (12 miles) west of Chemnitz, occurred when officers tried to pull about 60 rowdy people out of a march to check their identities. Several of the protesters attacked police and sprayed them with chemical irritants.
“One person attempted to seize an officer’s service weapon and another police officer suffered a bite wound from a participant of the gathering,” Saxony police said in a statement.

Participants of a demonstration against the coronavirus measures walk through Greifswald, Germany, on Monday evening. Photograph: Stefan Sauer/AP

In Bautzen, further east, some participants of a 600-strong march attempted to break through a police cordon. Officers responded with pepper spray and batons. In Magdeburg, the capital of neighboring Saxony-Anhalt state, protesters hurled bottles and fireworks at police. No officers were injured, police said.
The protests took place before a meeting Tuesday of Germany’s pandemic expert panel, which is expected to submit new recommendations to the government for how to respond to the outbreak. A meeting of state and federal leaders is scheduled for Friday.

Infections in Romania have more than doubled following easing of restrictions

The number of daily Covid infections more than doubled in Romania on Tuesday following an easing of restrictions during the winter holidays, and officials estimate the fifth wave of the pandemic could result in twice as many cases as the previous one.
Romania is the European Union’s second-least vaccinated state, with roughly 40% of the population fully inoculated amid distrust in state institutions and poor vaccine education, Reuters reported.
New infections in the preceding 24 hours stood at 3,900, more than double Monday’s number, but still far off a record high of 18,863 daily cases seen in October, official data showed. Some 47 people died of the virus within the last 24 hours. With school children now back in class, the number of cases is expected to rise further.
“We will probably witness a more rapid growth of cases around 15 January,” the health minister, Alexandru Rafila, told private television station Antena 3 on Monday.
“It remains to be seen how many cases we will have in the fifth wave, we estimate a doubling of the number of cases.”

A South Korean court ordered that private educational facilities, including cram schools, should be temporarily excluded from government Covid vaccine pass mandates, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The injunction is one of the first legal obstacles to South Korea’s vaccine mandates, which require passes or testing for entry to facilities including restaurants, cafes, gyms, and bars, as well as privately-run schools, Reuters reported.
A Seoul administrative court ruled that the mandate at private education facilities such as tuition centres, libraries and study cafes should be blocked while it considers a legal challenge filed against the Ministry of Health by federations of private education and parents’ groups, the ministry said.
The ruling said mandates effectively limit “the rights (of unvaccinated people) to use cram schools and study facilities”, said Yonhap news agency. It first reported the exemption, which the ministry confirmed.
The health ministry said the mandate should be expanded to protect unvaccinated people and reduce the number of critically ill patients, and it will shortly decide whether it will appeal against the injunction in cooperation with the justice ministry.
The passes are required for people aged 17 and older and there is a plan to extend the requirement to children over the age of 12, but will not apply to public schools.

Novak Djokovic secures medical exemption to play in Australian Open
Tennis star Novak Djokovic looks set to play in the Australian Open after revealing he is heading to the country under a medical exemption.
The defending champion has previously refused to reveal if he has been vaccinated against Covid-19, a requirement to play in Melbourne unless an exemption is granted.
The world number one pulled out of the Serbia team competing at the ATP Cup in Sydney without explanation, adding to speculation that the nine-time champion and vaccine sceptic would not play in the season’s first grand slam.
However, the Australian Open chief, Craig Tiley, revealed this week that some unvaccinated players have been granted exemptions to play, and it seems Djokovic is among them.
Djokovic wrote on Instagram and Twitter: “Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you all health, love, and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love and respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.
“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!!”

Sweden set a new daily record for Covid cases, registering 11,507 cases on 30 December, health agency data showed on Tuesday as a fourth wave of the virus spread across the country.
The daily infection figures are typically revised somewhat as any delayed records of additional cases are added to the national total for a given day. The previous record of 11,376 cases was set in late December 2020.
The fresh wave of cases, in part driven by the more contagious omicron variant, hit Sweden later than its Nordic neighbours, but has in recent weeks resulted in a sharp rise in cases and, increasingly, hospitalisations.

Puerto Rico has imposed new measures to fight a surge in Covid cases that has overwhelmed medical staff in the US territory and led to temporary shortages of testing kits.
All private businesses that cater to the public must close from midnight to 5am, no alcohol will be sold during those hours and gatherings of more than 250 people are banned.
The measures will remain in place until 18 January and come as the island of 3.3 million people reports a more than 30% positivity rate, the highest since the pandemic began.
The Associated Press reported:

The government has reported more than 201,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,300 deaths. Officials note that a third of all cases reported since the pandemic began have occurred in the past month, with many linked to a two-day outdoor concert held in December. The number of daily cases per 100,000 reported in Puerto Rico rose from three to 225 in just three weeks, according to statistician Rafael Irizarry. More than 500 people are hosp
Almost 85% of people in Puerto Rico have received the first dose and more than 70% have received the second one. However, at least 40% have not received a booster shot.
The increase in cases has caused temporary shortages of home testing kits, with people taking to social media to share places where they’ve run out or are still available, while some government-run testing sites have closed early after exhausting testing kits for the day. Meanwhile, the Association of Hospitals of Puerto Rico urged people to stop visiting emergency rooms to request tests because the demand was overwhelming and preventing staff from treating urgent cases.

Spanish schools and universities to return to in-person classes on 10 January
Students at Spanish schools and universities will return to class in-person when the new term begins on 10 January, the country’s health minister said on Tuesday.
Cases have hit new highs since the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected some two months ago, raising concerns that children would not be able to go back to school after the Christmas holidays.
The Omicron variant accounted for around 43% of cases in the week before Christmas, Spanish health authorities said on Monday.
But officials from the 17 Spanish regions, which set their own health policy, all voted in favour of a return to the classroom on Tuesday in a rare display of unanimity in a country riven by stark political differences.
“It’s about the physical attendance of all our students from next 10 January throughout the country,” health minister Carolina Darias told reporters after the regional meeting.
Masks will be mandatory at all times and schools must guarantee adequate ventilation, while regional administrations will work to cover any teacher absences due to infection, she said.

Swedish king and queen test positive for Covid

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for Covid, the palace said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The King and Queen, who are fully vaccinated with three injections, have mild symptoms and are feeling well, given the circumstances,” the palace said in a statement.

Sweden’s King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia. Photograph: Tt News Agency/Reuters

Israel embarks on fourth Covid vaccination campaign
Bethan McKernan - The Guardian
Israel has become the first country in the world to embark on a fourth Covid-19 vaccination campaign as part of efforts to stem rapidly rising infection rates caused by the Omicron variant.
People over the age of 60 and healthcare workers who received their third shot more than four months ago became eligible for a second booster of Pfizer-BioNTech on Monday, after a limited rollout began last week for elderly people and those with compromised immune systems.
Officials had previously said they would wait for more data on the efficacy of a fourth shot before making it more widely available. The Israeli health ministry said on Tuesday, however, that even though it believes the threat posed by Omicron is minimal, it had been forced to act more quickly in the face of skyrocketing infection rates.

Germany relaxes travel restrictions with nine countries
Germany has relaxed restrictions on travel from the UK, South Africa and seven other southern African countries that were imposed following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The nine nations were removed Tuesday from Germany’s list of “virus variant areas.” Airlines and others are restricted largely to transporting German citizens and residents from countries on that list. All arrivals must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of vaccination status.
Germany’s national disease control centre had announced on Thursday that it planned to downgrade the countries’ risk status but said at the time that “short-term changes” were possible.
They have now been added to Germany’s list of “high-risk areas,” which carries much less onerous restrictions. People arriving from such areas who either haven’t recovered recently or been fully vaccinated have to self-isolate for 10 days, which can be cut to five with a negative test.

Cinema flouted court ban to show conspiracy film

A cinema ordered to close, after refusing to enforce Welsh laws requiring customers to show a NHS Covid pass, went on to premiere a film by the son of conspiracy theorist David Icke, it's emerged.
Anna Redfern, owner of Swansea's Cinema & Co, admits showing a film making serious unfounded allegations against the NHS after the first court order.
Directed and produced by Icke's son Jaymie, it makes several baseless accusations against NHS doctors and nurses, including that they are deliberately killing elderly people in hospitals to "boost the numbers" of Covid deaths.
The film was described as "completely false" and "dangerous" by the head of research for the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Redfern said Cinema & Co did not practise censorship and she had found the film thought-provoking after caring for her mother at the end of her life and reflecting on her own mortality.
The production company behind the film has not commented.

Roughly one in 10 rail staff off work

Katy Austin - Transport correspondent


The latest figure for average rail staff absences is 9.9%, according to the Rail Delivery Group that represents the rail industry.
That means roughly one in 10 staff is off work.
As Covid sickness and isolation continue to affect crew availability, train operating companies including Scotrail, CrossCountry and LNER are running reduced timetables.
Passengers are also being warned of short-notice cancellations. Southern is not putting on any direct services to London Victoria - a major commuter hub – until next Monday.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group says: “We are working hard to provide the most reliable service possible and so that passengers can travel with confidence when fewer rail staff can work, a number of operators are introducing amended timetables." There are also some short-notice cancellations, the RDG says.
ScotRail’s managing director, Alex Hynes, says 160 out of 2,000 daily services – about 8% - are being cancelled as part of a reduced timetable in place until 28 January.
He tells the Today programme the measure was being taken to improve reliability: “Over the last few weeks, because of the record number of Covid cases, we’ve been cancelling too many trains. So we’ve decided to pro-actively put this revised timetable in, to give customers greater certainty on the services we can offer”.
He said "hundreds" of ScotRail’s 5,000 employees are absent from work either because they have Covid or because they are having to isolate as part of a household.
You can read more here.

North East Ambulance service says 1 in 12 staff off sick due to Covid

Jim Reed - Health reporter, BBC News

North East Ambulance service has seen an 80% increase in staff absences

The North East Ambulance service says it has implemented new contingency measures over the bank holiday weekend because of increased demand and staff sickness linked to the Omicron variant.
It means some category two patients will be asked to make their own way to hospital in a car or taxi rather than waiting for an ambulance. Category two covers a broad range of potentially serious conditions including strokes, chest pain and sepsis although an individual clinical assessment will be made in each case.
The service says it has seen an 80% increase in Covid-related absences over the last six days, with more than 260 of its roughly 3,270 staff and volunteers off work yesterday due to Covid alone.
Dr Mathew Beattie, medical director for North East Ambulance Service says: “Patient safety is our top priority and the impact of increased activity and staff sickness, linked to the Omicron virus, meant that we needed to act to protect our response to the critically unwell.
“We are experiencing long waits within the dispatch and clinician stacks coupled with delays in handover of patients at hospital which reflects the pressures being felt across other parts of the system.”
The decision to implement measures from the highest level of its clinical escalation plan were made on New Year’s Eve and will be reviewed later this afternoon.


 

Daily reported UK case numbers exceed 200,000

A total of 218,724 people have been reported as testing positive for Covid in the UK, according to government figures.
This is the highest daily total we've seen, however it does include tests recorded on previous days.
Due to not all cases being reported over the Christmas holidays, they include Northern Ireland case numbers over four days - and Wales' case numbers over two days.

 

Daily tests for essential workers announced

The prime minister says that from next week daily tests will be made available for essential workers in certain sectors such as food processing and the Border Force.
He says the government will work with the affected areas on the logistics, but they will be sent lateral flow tests every week.
The government has identified 100,000 critical workers who they want to take daily lateral flow tests, he says.

What we learned from Downing St news conference

The UK PM's media briefing has finished, so here's a reminder of the key things we just heard:

• 100,000 key workers in areas like food processing and transport are to be sent lateral flow tests to use every day from 10 January
  
• Boris Johnson says now is the time for "utmost caution" – and anyone who thinks the battle with Covid is over is "profoundly wrong"
  
• But there is a chance we can "ride out this Omicron wave" without shutting the country down again, Johnson adds
  
• For now the PM says he wants the current, Plan B, level of restrictions to remain in England - other parts of the UK have different rules
  
• There's been a big increase in Covid cases over the last few weeks, UK chief medical adviser Sir Chris Whitty says, and the expectation is that number will continue to go up
  

Analysis: The PM's chosen to 'ride out' Omicron but it could be bumpy

Helen Catt - Political correspondent
This feels like the closest the prime minister has come to saying there won't be another lockdown, or even more restrictions, without completely ruling it out.
He was clear that he doesn't think such hefty measures are likely to be justified by the Omicron variant, as it stands.
It's also pretty clear though that "riding out" the Omicron wave has the potential to be a rough experience for everyday services and, particularly, for the NHS.
With the other UK nations having chosen to go down the route of restrictions instead, the coming weeks will show whose balancing act has paid off.

Sweden set a new daily record for Covid cases, registering 11,507 cases on 30 December, health agency data showed on Tuesday as a fourth wave of the virus spread across the country.
The daily infection figures are typically revised somewhat as any delayed records of additional cases are added to the national total for a given day. The previous record of 11,376 cases was set in late December 2020.
The fresh wave of cases, in part driven by the more contagious omicron variant, hit Sweden later than its Nordic neighbours, but has in recent weeks resulted in a sharp rise in cases and, increasingly, hospitalisations.

Greece reported a record 50,126 Covid-related infections on Tuesday, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on 31 December.
The number of deaths dropped to 61 from 78 on Monday.
As recently as 27 December, only 9,284 new Covid cases were recorded, according to a Reuters tally.

Almost 220,000 new Covid cases recorded in UK
Nicola Davis - The Guardian
Confirmed daily Covid cases in the UK have hit another record high, with 218,724 reported in the past 24 hours.
The latest case figures – which reflect infections picked up by testing – continue to be affected by disruptions over Christmas, with figures for Northern Ireland covering a four-day period, and for Wales covering a two-day period.
However, the data shows that 148,725 cases were reported on Tuesday for England alone, up from 137,541 the day before, but below the peak of 162,572 reported on New Year’s Day. These figures do not include cases that are reinfections.

Italy reports record 170,844 coronavirus cases and 259 deaths

Italy reported a record 170,844 new Covid cases on Tuesday, compared with 68,052 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 259 from 140.
Italy has registered 138,045 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, and has reported 6.57 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with coronavirus - not including those in intensive care - stood at 12,912 on Tuesday, up from 12,333 a day earlier.
There were 153 new admissions to intensive care units, against 103 on Monday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,392 from a previous 1,351.
About 1.23 million tests for Covid were carried out in the last day, compared with a previous 445,321, the health ministry said.

Mauritania’s president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was displaying mild symptoms of Covid on Tuesday after testing positive, the presidency said on Tuesday.
Ghazouani, who came to power in August 2019, was found to be infected after having a fever, it said in a statement posted on Facebook, Reuters reported.
Mauritania recorded 490 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic.
The West African country has reported 862 deaths from Covid among its 4.6 million people, while more than 2.3 million vaccine doses have been administered, according to World Health Organization data.

Scientists call for Covid reinfections in UK to be included in case figures
Nicola Davis - The Guardian
Reinfections should be included in Covid figures for the UK as soon as possible, scientists have said, amid warnings that up to 15% of Omicron cases could be people who have had coronavirus before.
At present, daily Covid case figures – which reflect the number of infections picked up by testing – do not include reinfections for all countries of the UK.
While figures for Wales do include multiple cases for the same person, provided the positive tests are more than 42 days apart, this is not the case for England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
However scientists have said that with the proportion of cases that are reinfections growing, such figures should be urgently updated.
“The reinfection rate was fairly low with Delta, but is higher now, both because prior infection provides little protection against Omicron, and there is a bigger pool of people with prior infection,” said Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge.
According to a report released by researchers at Imperial College London last month, the risk of reinfection with Omicron is more than five times higher than with Delta.

France tops 270,000 daily Covid cases

The UK is not alone in facing a surge of cases from the Omicron variant.
On Tuesday, 271,686 Covid cases were reported by French health authorities, the country's highest tally on record. Another 293 deaths were also recorded.

Heart attack patients told to make own way to hospital as Covid surge hits northern England
Andrew Gregory - The Guardian
Hospitals in the north of England are experiencing more than double the growth rate in Covid patients compared with London as mounting Omicron pressure on the NHS spreads away from the capital.
Health chiefs are cautiously optimistic that after weeks of rapidly increasing hospitalisations in London – the centre of the outbreak – the huge rises may be slowing and beginning to level off.
However, at the same time, hospitals at the other end of the country are experiencing the fastest growth in Covid occupancy, according to an analysis of official NHS data by the Guardian. It comes as four more NHS trusts in England – all outside London – declared “critical incidents” on Tuesday, amid soaring staff absences, rising numbers of Covid patients and growing pressure on emergency services.
The highest rate of growth in England is in the north-east and Yorkshire, where the number of Covid patients in hospitals has more than doubled – up 122% - in one week. There were 1,975 Covid patients in hospitals on Monday, compared with fewer than half that – 889 – the week before.

Greece reported a record 50,126 Covid-related infections on Tuesday, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on 31 December.
The number of deaths dropped to 61 from 78 on Monday.
As recently as 27 December, only 9,284 new Covid cases were recorded, according to a Reuters tally.

Italy reports record 170,844 coronavirus cases and 259 deaths

Italy reported a record 170,844 new Covid cases on Tuesday, compared with 68,052 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 259 from 140.
Italy has registered 138,045 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, and has reported 6.57 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with coronavirus – not including those in intensive care – stood at 12,912 on Tuesday, up from 12,333 a day earlier.
There were 153 new admissions to intensive care units, against 103 on Monday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,392 from a previous 1,351.
About 1.23 million tests for Covid were carried out in the last day, compared with a previous 445,321, the health ministry said.

Mauritania’s president, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, was displaying mild symptoms of Covid on Tuesday after testing positive, the presidency said.
Ghazouani, who came to power in August 2019, was found to be infected after having a fever, it said in a statement posted on Facebook, Reuters reported.
Mauritania recorded 490 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic.
The west African country has reported 862 deaths from Covid among its 4.6 million people, while more than 2.3 million vaccine doses have been administered, according to World Health Organization data.

France reports record 271,000 Covid cases in single day

France reported a record-breaking 271,686 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, as Omicron infections continue to burden hospital staff and threaten disruption to services across the country.
The figure is the highest of any European country, compared to 218,274 cases in Britain and 30,561 cases in Germany on the same day.
AP reports:

More than 20,000 people are hospitalised with the virus in France, a number that has been rising steadily for weeks but not as sharply as the infection rates.
Covid patients fill more than 72% of France’s ICU beds, and a once-renowned health care system is again showing signs of strain.
Most virus patients in ICUs are not vaccinated, though 77% of the population has had at least two doses.
More than 123,000 people with the virus have died in France, among the world’s higher death tolls.
A growing number of people in France can’t work because they are sick or are close contact cases, which is disrupting some hospitals and forced some regional train cancellations, among other services.
The French government has imposed some restrictions on crowds and re-imposed mask requirements outdoors in some places, in addition to indoor mask requirements. The surge is also forcing candidates for April presidential election to scale back campaign events.

US reports global record of almost one million new Covid infections on Monday
The United States reported a global record of almost one million new Covid infections on Monday, nearly double the country’s previous peak of 505,109 cases just a week ago.
The 987,856 figure includes some cases from Saturday and Sunday, according to Reuters, when many states do not report. It is the highest reported by any country in a single day throughout the pandemic.
In the last week, the number of patients hospitalised with Covid has risen by nearly 50%, now exceeding 100,000, the first time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago.
The average number of US deaths per day has remained steady throughout December and into early January at about 1,300, according to a Reuters tally, though deaths typically lag behind cases and hospitalisations.
While Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than previous strains of the virus, public health officials have warned that the sheer volume of cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

Hospitals in Greater Manchester have paused some non-urgent surgery and appointments due to the rising impact of Covid.
A statement by Greater Manchester Combined Authority said the temporary measure, implemented from Tuesday, will not affect cancer and urgent care, including cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and transplantation.
Diagnostic services, including endoscopy, and the majority of out-patient services, will continue wherever possible.
The statement reads:

Staff have worked tirelessly to try to maintain services and deliver the highest quality of healthcare to local people.
But Covid admissions are rising sharply (from 126 on 19 December to 359 on 2 January), as are inpatient diagnoses (193 to 738 for the same period), and in some hospitals more than one in five patients have Covid (though this is not translating into critical care pressure at present).
However, the main reason in the high and rising level of staff absence, with around 15% off, either ill with Covid or isolating.
There are also outbreaks in an increasing number of care homes, which is affecting how people are discharged from hospital. The bed modelling suggests these challenges may get worse, not better, in the next week or two.

Patients who are not contacted should assume their treatment is continuing as planned.

The Cypriot government is considering whether to introduce new Covid restrictions after recording the world’s highest infection rate per 100,000 people over the previous week.
On Tuesday, Cyprus registered a daily record of 5,457 new cases in a population of around one million, surpassing the New Year’s Eve peak of 5,048, which topped five consecutive daily record highs, AFP reports.
According to figures prior the release of Tuesday’s data, Cyprus also recorded the world’s highest Covid infection rate per 100,000 people over the past seven days.
It was top with 2,505 cases per 100,000, followed by Denmark (2,117), Ireland (1,946), Greece (1,762) and France (1,680).
The cabinet is expected to announce any new measures on Wednesday.
Further restrictions could be imposed on nightclubs and entertainment venues, which already require proof of a recent negative test or booster shot.
All hospital visits have been banned, and sports stadiums are restricted to 50% capacity, down from 75%.

Tuesday's round-up

As we bring our live coverage to a close for another day, here's a recap of some of today's main stories from the UK and around the world:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson tells a Downing Street press conference this is a moment for utmost caution and warns the weeks ahead will be challenging. As he again urges people to get their booster vaccinations, he says there's a "good chance" of getting through the Omicron wave without any more restrictions
  
• Some 100,000 critical workers are set to take daily Covid tests from next week to try to reduce the spread of the virus to colleagues
  
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says more children should have been vaccinated over the Christmas holidays to ensure schools could stay open
  
• The UK records more than 200,000 coronavirus cases in a day for the first time, but that's affected by a backlog in reporting from Wales and Northern Ireland over the New Year period
  
• Meanwhile, the US records more than one million new Covid cases as officials warn the Omicron peak is yet to come
  
• France's most famous TV twins, Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff, die of Covid six days apart
  
• And world men's tennis number one Novak Djokovic will defend his Australian Open title later this month after receiving a medical exemption from having a Covid vaccine
  
• A fourth dose of Covid vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered, the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, said on Tuesday, citing preliminary findings of an Israeli study.
  
• More evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is causing milder symptoms than previous variants and resulting in a “decoupling” in some places between soaring case numbers and low death rates, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.
  
• Confirmed daily Covid cases in the UK have hit another record high, with 218,724 reported in the past 24 hours.
  
• Italy reported a record 170,844 new Covid cases on Tuesday, compared with 68,052 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 259 from 140.
  
• Greece reported a record 50,126 Covid-related infections on Tuesday, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on 31 December.
  
• Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for Covid, the palace said in a statement on Tuesday.
  
• Sweden set a new daily record for Covid cases, registering 11,507 cases on 30 December, health agency data showed on Tuesday as a fourth wave of the virus spread across the country.
  
• Tennis star Novak Djokovic looks set to play in the Australian Open after revealing he is heading to the country under a medical exemption.
  
• Germany has relaxed restrictions on travel from the UK, South Africa and seven other southern African countries that were imposed following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
  
• Reinfections should be included in Covid figures for the UK as soon as possible, scientists have said, amid warnings that up to 15% of Omicron cases could be people who have had coronavirus before.
  
• Authorities in Greece have introduced new price limits for Covid testing following a surge in demand due to a steep rise in infections blamed on the Omicron variant.
  
• Students at Spanish schools and universities will return to class in-person when the new term begins on 10 January, the country’s health minister said on Tuesday.
  
• Puerto Rico has imposed new measures to fight a surge in Covid cases that has overwhelmed medical staff in the US territory and led to temporary shortages of testing kits.
  
• India’s capital Delhi will impose a weekend curfew to try to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as cases have risen rapidly in the past few days, its deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told a news conference on Tuesday.
  
• A South Korean court ordered that private educational facilities, including cram schools, should be temporarily excluded from government Covid vaccine pass mandates, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
  
• Police in Germany have reported sporadic violence at demonstrations against the country’s pandemic restrictions, with one protester in the eastern town of Lichtenstein biting an officer and another attempting to steal a service weapon.
  
• Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday urged vigilance against the spread of Covid after the island detected its first cases of the Omicron variant spreading in the community.
  
• The number of new Covid-19 infections in Japan rose above 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time in three months, the Jiji news agency reported.
  
• The city of Yuzhou in China’s Henan province entered lockdown Monday night after three asymptomatic Covid cases were detected on Sunday, local media reports.