Summary

  • Germany will ban unvaccinated people from shops and bars, unless they have recently recovered from Covid

  • Chancellor Angela Merkel says a nationwide vaccination mandate could be imposed in Germany from February 2022

  • The UK government signs deals to buy 114 million more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to use in 2022 and 2023

  • The deals were speeded up after the Omicron variant emerged - but talks were already under way

  • But the WHO points out that many poorer countries have still not been able to vaccinate their most vulnerable

  • UK regulators approve new treatment that could reduce hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults

  • Health officials say Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections

Live Reporting

  1. UK secures 114m jabs for 2022 and 2023

    Woman getting a jabGetty Images

    The UK government has ordered another 114m vaccine doses, which will be delivered in 2022 and 2023. The deals are for 60m additional doses of the Moderna vaccine and 54m more Pfizer/BioNTech doses.

    The Department of Health and Social Care said the deals include access to modified vaccines if they are necessary to combat Omicron and future variants of public health concern.

    Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the new deals “future-proof” the country’s vaccine programme.

    The deal was announced as the Pfizer boss Dr Albert Bourla told the BBC that annual jabs would be needed to maintain very high levels of protection.

  2. Good morning

    Welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the stories we are looking at first thing: