UK reports nearly 90,000 daily Covid cases

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

Look up how many cases there are in your area here.

We'll be bringing our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic to a close shortly. Here is a reminder of Thursday's main headlines:

• A record number of daily coronavirus cases has been reported in the UK for the second day in a row. There have been a further 88,376 cases, nearly a 10,000 increase on yesterday's figure
• A total of 11,708 Omicron cases have been identified so far in the UK - though experts warn the number is likely to be much higher as the variant spreads rapidly
• Boris Johnson has insisted England is not being put into lockdown by stealth, despite accusations from some of his own MPs
• The Queen cancelled her traditional pre-Christmas lunch for extended family as a precautionary measure following the UK's surge in Omicron cases
• The Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years, despite fears that Omicron could slow the economy
• France is tightening Covid restrictions for travellers arriving from the UK, as the government in Paris tries to slow the spread of the Omicron variant
• Pregnant women are at heightened risk from Covid and should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their child, say UK experts
• The first at-home treatment for Covid has been given to patients in the UK as part of a major national study
• Schools across the UK say they are prepared to switch to online learning if they have to next term, as more children stay at home because of Covid

US pharmaceutical firm Regeneron says its Covid-10 antibody therapy is less potent against the Omicron variant.

In the US, the treatment – REGEN-COV – is used to treat Covid-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms.

In a statement on Thursday, the company said its antibodies remain active against the Delta variant - currently the most prevalent in the US.

Regeneron added that it has confirmed that multiple “next generation’ antibodies it has identified, however, are active against Omicron, Delta and “other variants of concern”.

“Pending regulatory discussions, we anticipate entering the clinic in the first quarter of 2022,” the statement said.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Although China was the first country to record cases of Covid-19 two years ago, it has only just today reach the milestone of 100,000 total cases.

According to today's official statistics, there have now been exactly 100,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the country. China has a population of 1.4bn.

This is pretty extraordinary when we factor in that these cases span two years, and the current rate of transmission in the UK means that this number of cases are being recorded within just two days (or less).

The majority of these cases in China were recorded during the early stages of the pandemic. More than 50,000 Chinese cases were recorded in early 2020 in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified. Residents spent over two months confined to their homes so that transmission could be suppressed.

China has managed to avoid subsequent large-scale outbreaks by introducing swift, sharp lockdowns.

China’s top medical specialists have projected that China’s zero-Covid strategy may last until the end of spring 2022.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

More news now on the Queen, who earlier cancelled her traditional pre-Christmas lunch for extended family as a precautionary measure over soaring Omicron cases.

Like many of us, her Christmas plans are up in the air, with her annual trip to Sandringham for Christmas also as yet undecided.

All plans are said to be under review, and the palace will announce a decision when there is one.

Read more here.

A teenager has urged other young people to get the Covid vaccine after spending a week in hospital fighting for her life.

Maisy Evans says she doesn't know if she will ever fully recover - as some days she feels pain and tiredness, but other days she is well.

She says it was "really scary" but that no one knows why she was affected so badly.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

As cases rise sharply in the UK, France is shutting its border to British tourists, tightening the reasons for people to travel between the two states.

Eurostar has criticised this "sudden switching on and off of travel".

The train company says the rule change - which comes into force on Saturday evening - is at "significant cost to people, businesses and the economy".

• What are France's new travel rules?

Eurostar told the BBC it's difficult to see the purpose of travel restrictions when a variant is already established.

For those who need to change their plans, Eurostar is offering a free exchange system or e-voucher.

Read our full story on the changes here.

Ian McGregorCopyright: Ian McGregor

We've been hearing about the problems being faced by businesses as Omicron cases rise in the UK.

And some of you have been getting in touch telling us about your worries.

Ian McGregor, runs Thai restaurant Star of Siam in Keswick, Cumbria, and has had many cancellations in the last 10 days.

"Some of the cancelled bookings have been big and the footfall in the town has not brought enough passing trade to cover the cancellations," he said.

"In the last week we have seen a sharp fall in our revenue and it looks as though we are heading for a tough Christmas trading period."

He says they're going to try to stay open as long as they can.

Travel agent Wendy Haines, from Staffordshire, says she's seeing bookings cancelled.

And while the hospitality industry has had support over the last two years, she thinks her industry is "the most affected" but "the least supported".

"I was on the phone to a client earlier who has no choice but to cancel her family’s trip to Disneyland Paris, as France is effectively closing its borders," she said.

"The whole point in people going to France is to see the Christmas festivities – postponing to March for instance would not be the same. Unless customers travel, we don’t get paid."

She's worried about what the next few months will bring.

UK GovernmentCopyright: UK Government

As businesses in the hospitality sector field phone calls - primarily to cancel bookings due to rising cases - the Chancellor will return from a business trip in the US earlier than planned.

Opposition Labour MPs have been critical as he's been away in the US for work while businesses struggle.

Sunak said he understood it was a "concerning time for businesses" and the government would do "whatever it takes" to support lives and livelihoods.

First the good: the booster campaign is ramping up rapidly. Nearly 750,000 boosters were given yesterday, new figures confirm.

But the race against the virus is on. The bad news is cases are continuing to rise rapidly: nearly 90,000 cases have been reported in a single day, up from close to 80,000 yesterday.

Most of this is being driven by London, where Omicron is furthest advanced, case rates are highest and rising fastest. Hospital admissions are rising in the capital too.

But, with cases of Omicron being detected across the UK, other parts of the country are likely to be facing the same challenges in the near future.

The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has increased by 105,595 or 31.4% in the last seven days, compared to the previous week, according to the government figures.

The number of daily deaths reported has decreased by 6% in the last seven days, compared to the previous week.

But it's worth remembering that it takes time for hospital admissions and deaths to show up in the figures after cases start to rise. And it's only been a few weeks since the first Omicron cases were identified in the UK.

Another 1,691 Omicron cases in the UK have been identified, the UK Health and Security Agency says.

This brings the total number of identified Omicron cases to 11,708 – though experts warn the number is likely to be much higher as the variant spreads rapidly.

We are waiting on the latest UK figures, but as Omicron coronavirus cases surge in the UK, more and more people are pondering their symptoms.

If you have a runny nose or a headache it is possible that you have Covid, say researchers.

The Zoe Covid study app asks hundreds of thousands of people to log their symptoms.

Investigators have been looking at ones linked to Delta and more recently Omicron and say the top five symptoms are:

• runny nose
• headache
• fatigue (either mild or severe)
• sneezing
• sore throat

So how likely is it to be a Covid rather than a cold?

Lead scientist Professor Tim Spector says: "In London, where Covid is increasing rapidly, it's far more likely to be Covid than it is to be a cold.

"If we look at our regional charts we see London accelerating more than we've seen it since the very first wave and this now means that Omicron is the predominant variant already."

If you think you may have Covid, it is important to get tested. Even people who don't feel very ill can put others at risk.

The NHS says people should still look out for classic Covid symptoms:

• a new, continuous cough
• a fever/high temperature
• loss of or change to smell or taste

EPACopyright: EPA

Israel has also been busy on the vaccine front. It's going to donate one million coronavirus vaccines to African countries, its foreign minister has said.

Yair Lapid said the AstraZeneca doses would be distributed in the coming weeks under the international Covax scheme, designed to boost vaccine supplies to poorer nations around the world.

"I'm happy that Israel can contribute and be a partner in eradicating this pandemic from the world," Lapid tweeted.

The foreign ministry said the vaccines would go to nearly a quarter of African countries, though it did not specify which.

Only about 7% of people in Africa have been vaccinated, the World Health Organization said last month - the lowest rate of any continent.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

We've head a lot from France today about new restrictions on UK travellers, but the country is not alone in taking action.

Israel will designate the UK and Denmark as countries on its Covid-19 “red list” at midnight due to concern over the spread of the Omicron variant.

Israeli citizens and permanent residents are forbidden from travelling to “red” countries from Israel, unless they get permission from the government.

Travellers returning from a “red” country are be taken to a publicly-funded quarantine facility on arrival and must stay there until they receive a negative PCR test result. They may then complete their seven days of isolation at home.

France, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates are expected to be added to the red list on Sunday. Most African nations are already on it.

Israel closed its borders to almost all foreign nationals last month in response to Omicron, just weeks after they were reopened to vaccinated travellers.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz told reporters that Israel could not be “hermetically sealed”, but that it was possible to delay the spread of Omicron in the country.

There's also news today that retired teachers in England will be brought in to assist schools struggling with Covid-related staffing problems, the education secretary says.

In a letter to schools, Nadhim Zahawi says he knows the availability of supply teachers is a "particular issue" - and he wants to make sure "as many supply staff as possible are available".

Many schools in England have had to move individual classes and year groups online because of staffing issues.

Of 75 local education authorities that responded to questions from the BBC, 35 said some classes had been forced to close.

Lots cited staff being off sick or isolating, and not being able to find supply teachers to replace them.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton said this week he knew of schools which have had 25% of staff absent.

Zahawi's announcement comes after the government was quizzed in the Commons on Wednesday about why retired teaching staff were not being brought back to help schools, as retired medical professionals were last year.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

Its a level of preparedness to chill any working parent, and downbeat news for pupils, but schools across the UK say they are prepared to switch to online learning if they have to next term, as more children stay at home because of Covid.

Some are being asked to take laptops home with them before Christmas in preparation.

More than 30 local authorities told the BBC some classes had moved online at local schools.

The government says it is committed to ensuring that schools in England stay open in January.

UK schools have been advised to reopen next term under current guidance.

They have been planning for a number of scenarios - including remote learning and teaching in "bubbles" with staggered start and finish times.

Read more

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

We heard from Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, earlier - who told MPs how dangerous it can be for pregnant women to get coronavirus.

Now, the government's advisory group on vaccines, the JCVI, is putting mums-to-be on the priority list for vaccines. It means they're given the same priority as those with certain health conditions.

Research shows higher rates of premature birth linked to infection and some pregnant women with Covid have died. Vaccines are safe to have when pregnant and cut the risk of severe illness.

Read more.