UK researchers have analysed the likely impact a Covid booster shot will have on Omicron and say it could provide about 85% protection against severe illness.

The protection is a bit less than vaccines gave against earlier versions of Covid, but it means the top-up dose should still keep many people out of hospital.

The modelling, from the team at Imperial College London, is based on limited information on Omicron.

The researchers say there is a high degree of uncertainty until more real world information is gathered.

Experts are still trying to figure out how mild or severe Omicron is compared to Delta or other Covid variants.

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As fears over the Omicron variant grow and case numbers rise hospitality businesses are worried as bookings dry up.

Chris Harrison, who owns restaurants in Yorkshire and Manchester, says his York branch reported lost bookings worth £2,000 in just one day.

"I am a grown adult crying over this, it is completely breaking me and the staff," he says.

His Solita chain has branches in York, Hull, Sheffield, Beverley and Manchester, and he says he expected to see losses of up to £70,000 due to cancellations.

Slawek Mikolajczyk, who owns the Hope and Anchor pub, in South Ferriby, North Lincolnshire, says his pub is ready for Christmas "but potentially if we don't have bookings then for us it is £20,000 a week loss, so it's a very scary time".

Wayne Topley, managing director of Cedar Court Hotels - which runs properties in Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Wakefield - says they saw a speedy reaction from customers after government briefings on Omicron.

"It has been significant, these changes have been so quick," he says.

"We saw not only a number of cancellations, but business we would have expected to come in simply hasn't turned up."

Image source, Amy Jenner

Amy Jenner was looking forward to spending Christmas with her family after her 10-day quarantine following a positive Covid test was due to end tomorrow.

But now her nine-year-old daughter Skylar has tested positive so the pair will be isolating at home in Caerphilly, Wales, until Boxing Day.

Amy tells the BBC: "We were going to go to my mum’s for Christmas with other family members and mum was going to do all the cooking.

"I’ve currently got no sense of taste or smell at the moment so cooking Christmas dinner will be interesting!

"We had so many things that we had planned which we’ve now had to cancel and Skylar was a bit upset yesterday.

"I don't mind that we’re in, I just feel disappointed that she’s not going to have the Christmas she wanted this year, I just find that sad, but her friends have already arranged time to chat over zoom which is nice."

• What are the current Covid rules for the UK?

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Care homes in Wales say they are relieved visits are still allowed as part of the post-Christmas rule changes but fear another rise in Covid cases will put extra strain on already tired staff.

"It's a balance to keep people safe but not take away that contact of visits," says Care Homes Wales chief executive Mary Wimbury.

But she says some care homes are asking whether they have enough staff to keep their homes running safely - not just whether they can manage visits.

"Staff live in their local community and it's almost impossible to stop them catching the virus somehow," she says. "The worry is for their health but also the pressure it puts on the staff who are there and are very tired."

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Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine is up to four times more likely to cause inflammation of the heart muscle than its rival from Pfizer-BioNTech, according to a Danish study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

As many as 4.9 million people, or 85% of Danes, participated in the trial which investigated the link between mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines and the rare side-effect, known as myocarditis or myopericarditis.

However, the overall risk of developing heart inflammation as a result of the vaccines remains extremely low, according to the study conducted by Denmark's Statens Serum Institute.

The researchers found only 1 case per 71,400 vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 1 case per 23,800 vaccinated with Moderna's jab. Most of the cases had been mild, the study adds.

"Our findings do not generally overshadow the many benefits that come with being vaccinated," study author Anders Hviid says in a statement.

"One must keep in mind that the alternative of getting an infection with Covid-19 probably also involves a risk of inflammation in the heart muscle," Hviid says.

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We've been hearing from the leaders in Scotland and Wales who have both called for more financial support from the Treasury for restrictions and now we have an update from Northern Ireland.

Finance minister Conor Murphy says the nation needs more support in the face of the Omicron variant.

He warns Stormont could not wait on more restrictions being imposed in England before getting extra money.

It is vital the furlough scheme returns to support businesses who may be affected by any new Covid measures, he adds.

Nicola Sturgeon is asked if rising cases have been factored in to Scotland's current advice about Christmas - or could it still be cancelled?

The first minister says nothing - including a lockdown - is inevitable.

Cases can be driven down through behaviour, she says, adding "we shouldn't be fatalistic".

She stresses testing, vaccines, hygiene, ventilation and limiting contacts to help stay safe.

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The UK is facing a "considerable wave" of the Omicron variant, which is "a very serious threat", the prime minister says.

Speaking on a visit to a vaccination centre in Hillingdon, west London, Boris Johnson says the best thing people can do is follow government guidance and get their booster jab.

He denies he is at odds with England's chief medical officer over their advice for going out over Christmas, after Prof Chris Whitty said people should prioritise events that meant most to them.

Johnson says: "I've said already that people should be cautious, but what we have also said is that people should decide what they want to do. It is a matter for their personal choice."

"What both Chris Whitty and I are saying is that there is a big wave of Omicron coming through," he adds. "People need to be prudent. You need to think about your budget of risk."

At her briefing today, Nicola Sturgeon has reinforced Scotland’s latest Covid rules.

Here’s a reminder of measures for the nation announced earlier this week:

• People are asked to limit social contact to two other households either side of Christmas
• Shops and businesses required to take measures to limit the spread of Covid, such as screens in shops and crowd control in bars
• Care home residents can only have visitors from two households (who need to be tested)
• Employers to have a legal duty to let staff work from home
• Anyone who cannot work from home is advised to take twice-weekly lateral flow tests

Other measures were already in place, take a look at the full rules in Scotland, external.

As we've just been hearing from Mark Drakeford a two-phase plan to tackle Covid in Wales is being introduced.

The first stage sees stronger guidance issued which includes:

• Take a lateral flow test before going out, going Christmas shopping or visiting people
• Meet outdoors, or if meeting indoors ensure it is well ventilated
• Leave a day between social events
• Socially distance, wear a face covering and wash your hands
• Get vaccinated, and make getting a booster a priority if you have had an appointment

Then the second phase, which Drakeford says is to counter the expected rise of the Omicron variant, will kick in from 27 December.

It will see changes to the law including nightclubs being forced to close and new measures introduced for businesses and workplaces.

Nicola Sturgeon acknowledges the hospitality and culture sectors are being severely impacted by her advice to stay at home and limit contacts.

The first minister says she will press Boris Johnson for more financial support for Scotland's businesses in a call with the prime minister later.

She says a return to the type of state aid that was in place earlier in the pandemic is needed.

“With businesses already bleeding, every 24 hours counts - there is no time to waste," she adds.

Asked about why he has not gone further with restrictions in Wales, Mark Drakeford says it is important to be "proportionate" and says the number of cases has been "remarkably stable".

But he says that "behind us we see the storm gathering".

That's why the Welsh government is putting measures in place now for after Christmas to give businesses time to adjust.

"That we can afford," he says. "Were more to be needed, that could only be done with the assistance of the Treasury in London."

He says the current system is not fair because if the government in England decides more restrictions are needed then financial support will be made available but that is not guaranteed if Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland make their own decision to introduce further limits.

"That is simply not the way the system should operate," he says.

Scotland's first minister urges everyone to get vaccinated and get tested regularly.

Nicola Sturgeon says lateral flow tests are "easy to take and get hold of", and people should take one just before going out.

She emphasises that when people do mix, they should continue to wear face coverings, keep windows open if meeting indoors and follow the advice on hygiene.

"Please limit your social interactions," she says, and urges people to stay at home at much as possible in the run-up to Christmas.

Mark Drakeford says we had "all hoped for a new year in which the pandemic had become a fading memory", but he says that sadly Omicron poses "a new threat to our health and our safety".

He ends by wishing people "a happy but above all safe Christmas" and thanks those who will be working to keep people safe over the festive period including vaccinators.

Nicola Sturgeon says, as of yesterday, 522 people are in hospital in Scotland with recently confirmed Covid-19, and 33 people are in intensive care.

Seven more deaths have been reported of people who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The first minister says due to the high volume of tests being processed, the true number of cases might not be reflected in these figures.

She urges everyone to stay at home as much as is feasible and limit their contacts.

You can follow full coverage of Sturgeon's update here.

Mark Drakeford confirms the new Covid measures to be introduced from 27 December saying they are to help control Omicron's "rapid spread and to prevent large numbers of people from needing hospital care".

He says the rules will draw on elements of the former alert level two regime which was used to keep businesses open in a safe way earlier in the pandemic.

Shops, workplaces and businesses will reopen after Christmas, Drakeford says, but with new protections in place - including a return of the 2m rule for social distancing, one-way systems and barriers.

He adds that nightclubs will close and the government is having further discussions about major events planned in the post-Christmas period.

Financial support of up to £60m will be made available to businesses affected by these plans.

You can follow full coverage of the news conference here.

Wales' new guidance is to protect people from the Delta variant in the run-up to Christmas before stronger restrictions come in to counter Omicron, Mark Drakeford says.

He says "no-one wants to be ill at Christmas" and asks people to try to reduce the number of people they meet as Omicron likes social contact.

The first minister says new care home guidance will be published before the end of the week, while the chief medical officer will write to people on the shielding list to offer advice on how to protect themselves.

The law will also be changed to say people must work from home "wherever we can", he says.

"This year without any doubt at all a smaller Christmas will be a safer Christmas," Drakeford says.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there are now 696 cases of Omicron in Scotland confirmed through genomic sequencing.

She says: "This significantly underestimates the true number."

Speaking at her briefing, she says Omicron is now the dominant variant in Scotland, replacing Delta, and adds Omicron cases are rising "faster than anything experienced previously" in the pandemic, doubling every two to three days.

"The tsunami is now starting to hit us," she says, adding: "But we are not powerless in the face of it."

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford is giving an update after the Welsh government announced new guidance and post-Christmas rules.

He begins by saying the Omicron variant is in Wales and it is spreading.

At the moment the "vast majority" of coronavirus cases in Wales are caused by the Delta variant, Drakeford says, adding they believe it will continue to be the main cause of cases up until Christmas.

"But this is the calm before the storm," he says, adding that Omicron will be the dominant form of the virus by the end of December across the UK.

We've been hearing about the new rules - including closing nightclubs - which are set to come into force in Wales from 27 December.

Shumana Palit, co-owner of restraunts Ultracomida in Aberystwyth and Curado Bar in Cardiff, says the cancellations have already been flooding in and they are not seeing walk-ins as the streets are quiet.

"I think there's a sense of nervousness coming in," she says.

She says while everyone can sympathise with the message from First Minister Mark Drakeford that Omicron poses a threat to health and safety but asks where it leaves hospitality.

The situation is reminiscent of March 2020 and the first lockdown, she says.

"If we have to do it all again but this time without any government support I am not sure how many of us will be left on the other side of this," she says, calling for some support from Westminster.

We're about to hear an update from Drakeford, and from his counterpart in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and we'll bring you news of what they both say here.