It's time for EU member states to consider making Covid vaccinations mandatory, says the European Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen says: "This needs a common approach, but it is a discussion that I think has to be led"
Ten more cases of the new Omicron variant are confirmed in the UK - nine in England and one in Scotland
The World Health Organization says it expects to have more information on how easily Omicron spreads within days
NHS England is to issue detailed guidance to hospitals, pharmacists and GPs about expanding the Covid booster vaccine rollout
Health Secretary Sajid Javid is urging people to be "sensible" around Christmas parties and consider taking rapid tests
British tourists travelling to Spain now require a certificate proving they are fully vaccinated
We are closing the live page for now, thank you for joining us.
Your updates were written by Dulcie Lee, George Wright, Hamish Mackay and Jennifer Meierhans.
This page was edited by Alex Therrien, James Clarke, Marie Jackson and Suzanne Leigh.
We are going to bring our updates to a close on what's been a busy day for coronavirus news. Here's a recap of what's happened in the UK and around the world:
A team of doctors and scientists have found that a standard, off-the-shelf air filter was able to remove most airborne virus particles such as coronavirus on an intensive care ward.
Watch how they did it here:
Daily cases remain high, with a seven-day average of 43,607
The trend in daily deaths shows a small fall
Meanwhile, there are 7,634 patients in hospitals in the UK with Covid
And 89% of people aged 12 and over in the UK have had their first vaccine dose, 81% have had their second and 32% have had their booster
Look up the situation where you live here.
A 34-year-old woman says she is "livid" after being turned away from a booster jab walk-in centre for being too young.
Heidi Bird, a nutrition scientist in London, tells the BBC she had queued at a pharmacy in Hampstead, North London with other young people who also got turned away.
"I asked the pharmacist why and he said the system is not set up to handle these at the moment," she says.
"He said if a younger NHS number was input it wouldn’t work. I thought that was quite outrageous.
"The UK has been dragging its heels on this. All my friends in Europe have been vaccinated.
"Finally the UK government has settled on this, but they haven’t updated their IT system.”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says "people should wait to be called" for their booster jabs.
Vulnerable people will be contacted first, then over-40s and older groups, then younger ones.
"We will let you know when it's your turn," said NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard.
Image source, EPAStaff and customers in nail salons in England need to wear masks again
The headline change to mask wearing rules in England is that people have to wear them in shops and on public transport.
The new rules, external also apply to staff and customers in:
Secondary school pupils are also being "strongly advised" to wear masks in communal areas, as are staff and visitors at all schools and childcare settings. You can read up on the current rules here.
As we've been reporting, the president of the European Commission says it's time to discuss mandatory vaccination. Here's what Ursula von der Leyen proposes.
Another 48,374 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, the latest official figures show, external.
A further 171 people died within 28 days of a positive test.
Meanwhile, 392,589 people had their booster - an increase of more than 70,000 on the previous day.
Some 88.7% of the population over 12 have had a first dose, 80.7% have had their second, and 32.4% have had their booster.
David Wallace Lockhart
BBC Scotland political reporter
Image source, PA MediaNew guidance cutting the waiting time between a second vaccine dose and a booster jab should come into effect in Scotland within the next 24 hours.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended a cut in the gap between doses from six months to three months on Monday and the Scottish Government indicated plans to implement this change.
But reports emerged of some individuals being turned away despite meeting the new criteria.
BBC Scotland understands that new guidance from Public Health Scotland and the chief medical officer had not yet reached health boards, and therefore vaccinators still had to follow the six-month timescale.
The chief medical officer wrote to health boards this afternoon with new guidance cutting the wait to three months, which should be applied by tomorrow at the latest. The booster scheme is currently rolling out to those in the 40-49 age range.
We are getting some reaction to the UK's rise in Omicron cases now from the Health Secretary Sajid Javid who says: "We do expect cases to go up."
But he says the measures introduced are "balanced and proportionate".
He says: "Our strategy is all about buying time, buying time so that we can assess it, but also (so) that we can build our defences and we've been really clear in the last few days, I think, that the best way to continue to defend ourselves is through our fantastic vaccine programme."
Image source, Getty ImagesDortmund's Erling Haaland, left, will be facing Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer on Saturday
Borussia Dortmund have cancelled the sale of tickets for Saturday's match against Bayern Munich due to rising Covid cases.
Germany is struggling to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic, reporting the highest number of Covid-related deaths since mid-February.
"Because of the current Covid-19 situation in Germany, Borussia Dortmund are cancelling the advance ticket sale for the top of the table Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich on Saturday," Dortmund said in a statement.
"Those who have purchased tickets will get their money back. All of the 67,000 tickets that were available... had already sold out a few days ago.
"However, the state government is currently expected to reduce game capacities within the next few days due to the pandemic."
The premier of the eastern state of Saxony has said that Germany will decide on Thursday if all Bundesliga matches should once again be played behind closed doors.
A British couple living in Spain say new rules to slow the spread of Omicron could make them miss their son's wedding in the Cotswolds.
Every traveller entering the UK now needs to take a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival, and isolate until they get the result.
Julie and Shaun Taylor, who live in Alicante, took PCR tests as soon at they arrived at Gatwick on Tuesday, but they are worried they won't get the results by Thursday.
Two PCR tests cost them £140, and they had spent £70 on lateral flow tests before the rules changed which can no longer be refunded.
"If I'm not there, my son's going to be heartbroken - he's not going to get married again and he's been planning it for two years," Julie tells the BBC.
Image source, ReutersUS authorities plan to issue new rules for international travellers to curb the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The new measures will mean that incoming passengers must test within 24 hours of their departure.
In the US, vaccinated air travellers are required to present a negative test result within three days of their departure, and most foreign citizens must be vaccinated to enter the country. Unvaccinated travellers are required to receive a negative Covid-19 test within one day of their arrival.
In a statement to media, a spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is “working to modify the current global testing order for travel as we learn more about the Omicron variant”.
They said this would strengthen "already robust protocols in place".
More details about US plans are expected to be announced by President Joe Biden tomorrow.
Officials are reportedly also mulling over whether to require additional tests between three and five days after arrival, Reuters has reported.
In neighbouring Canada, the government on Tuesday announced all incoming passengers – except those from the US – will now need to be tested upon landing, in addition to an already in-place test requirement.
Vaccinated passengers will be required to isolate until they test negative, while unvaccinated travellers will be required to isolate for 14 days and test twice.
The new rules are expected to come into effect later this week.
The Omicron variant has been detected in five out of nine South African provinces, according to the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
News agency Reuters reports Omicron accounted for 74% of the virus genomes sequenced in November - though it's unclear how many have been sequenced so far.
Read more: Is Omicron more harmful than other variants? And other questions
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, China Media Analyst
Ninety-one new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed today in China’s Inner Mongolia.
Although by international standards, this number seems relatively small, it is a significant jump from the 21 cases recorded a day earlier, and the highest number of cases reported in China since 2 November. There have been 132 symptomatic cases confirmed in Inner Mongolia alone since Monday.
Media say that it is believed this localised outbreak began as a result of exposure to the virus on imported goods., external
The majority of cases are in Manzhouli, a city that is close to the border with Mongolia and a major land port. At least nine communities have introduced lockdowns as a result of this outbreak, external, and city-wide testing drives are taking place to identify any asymptomatic carriers.
There is no indication that this outbreak is linked to the Omicron variant. Senior health officials yesterday told media that no cases of the variant have been detected on China’s mainland., external
There have, however, been at least six confirmed cases of the Omicron variant at the opposite end of the country – in Hong Kong, external. These are all imported cases, and so arrivals were quarantined on arrival, meaning there is no local transmission.
Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News
Image source, PA MediaYoung children can be infected with the virus, but they are very unlikely to become seriously ill. Most cases are mild and children recover quickly, particularly young children.
The UK has now advised that children aged over 12 should be offered two doses of a Covid vaccine – but the UK regulator has yet to license any Covid vaccine for younger children.
Even if that happens, as it has in the US, Canada and a number of other countries, the jury is out on whether it’s worthwhile.
Vaccine advisers would have to be convinced that the benefits of vaccinating young children would outweigh any risks (however small) from the vaccines.
But that calculation could all change with fears around Omicron - time will tell.
This question came from Merete Gardiner in Oxford. you can read more answers to your Omicron questions here.
Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News
Image source, ReutersWe're answering some of your questions about the new Omicron variant - and Kerry Ganly from Heage in England wants to know how to tell if you have it?
If you have Covid symptoms and carry out a PCR test, which is analysed in a lab, you will be contacted by your local contact tracing system if it is positive and it is suspected that you are infected with the Omicron variant.
All swabs of suspected Omicron cases are then sent to specialist labs for genomic sequencing which confirms if it’s Omicron or not.
But by that time, if you’re positive you should already be self-isolating and, under new guidance this week, your household and close contacts will also have to self-isolate, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Read more answers to your Omicron questions here.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn England, masks must now be worn inside shops and on public transport but people in York are being asked to wear them outdoors in busy areas.
City of York Council leader Keith Aspden has issued the plea ahead of the busy Christmas shopping season in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid.
Aspden says the authority has already told its staff infection control measures will be in place until the end of January.
That includes working at home where possible, wearing face coverings in council buildings and residents' homes, taking lateral flow tests twice a week, and washing hands regularly.
"Beyond our own staff, we are encouraging residents and visitors to York to wear face coverings in crowded outdoor areas as the Christmas shopping season gets underway," he tells the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Katy Austin
Transport correspondent
Image source, ReutersHeathrow Airport has now reopened Terminal 4 as a dedicated arrivals facility for red list countries.
The aim is to keep travellers arriving in the UK from red list countries separate from other arrivals.
Ten southern African countries were red-listed last week, because of fears about the Omicron variant.
Confirming that Terminal 4 had reopened for red list arrivals, Heathrow's Chief Operating Officer, Emma Gilthorpe described the introduction of restrictions for international travel as "a further significant blow for British exporters and those wanting to visit friends and relatives."
"Keeping the changes under constant review and a government commitment to the removal of red list countries, as soon as it is safe to do so, will help," she added.
Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor
Image source, PA MediaBoris Johnson was asked about the party at Prime Minister's Questions earlier
The BBC has spoken to a source who attended a gathering in Downing Street last Christmas, as first reported by The Mirror newspaper earlier.
Boris Johnson was asked by opposition leaders today whether there had been Christmas parties in breach of the December 2020 Covid rules, and he didn't deny the gathering had taken place.
The attendee said there were "several dozen" people at the gathering on 18 December.
Food and drink was laid on for staff including those from the press office and the No 10 events team, the source said, and party games were played.
The attendee said that the gathering had gone on past midnight, and that the "mood was down," with concern building about the then-new Kent variant - now called Alpha.
The prime minister earlier said that all Covid rules were followed.
Downing Street has been contacted about the source's claim.
Read our full story here.