Government vaccine advisers recommend the booster jab for 16 and 17-year-olds
The JCVI also say vulnerable primary school children should be offered a low-dose jab
UK records 106,000 new Covid cases - the first time the figure for daily infections has exceeded 100,000
A record 968,665 booster and third doses were reported in the UK on Tuesday
Wales has followed Scotland in announcing post-Christmas Covid restrictions
A maximum of six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants and 2m social distancing will return
And nightclubs in Northern Ireland will have to close from 27 December, BBC News understands
Boris Johnson has not ruled out new restrictions in England after Christmas
But isolation for positive cases has been cut from 10 days down to seven after two negative tests
EU nations including Germany and Portugal have announced post-Christmas restrictions as Omicron cases rise
Vulnerable primary school children should be offered a low-dose Covid vaccine, government vaccine advisers the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have said.
Image source, ReutersSouth Korea has introduced new restrictions
South Korea is almost doubling its hospital bed capacity for Covid cases as the number of people critically ill with the virus reaches a record high.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said 10,000 more beds will be secured by the middle of next month.
Some public hospitals will be solely dedicated to treating people with Covid.
On Tuesday, the country recorded 7,456 Covid-19 cases.
South Korea, which has a highly vaccinated population, has reimposed restrictions, limiting the size of public gatherings to four people if they are vaccinated.
The government has also introduced a 9pm dining curfew. Unvaccinated people are only allowed to eat out alone or should use takeaway or delivery options.
Image source, ReutersThere has been an outbreak of the Delta variant in Xi’an over the last week
More than 13 million residents in the Chinese city of Xi'an have been confined to their homes as officials implement a strict lockdown in the weeks leading up to the Winter Olympics.
Every two days, only one member of each household will be allowed outdoors to buy essentials, the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell reports.
All non-essential businesses have been closed and mass testing has started.
There has been an outbreak of the Delta variant in Xi’an over the past week, and more than 90 active Covid-19 cases have been confirmed.
Covid-19 is not the only virus residents are worrying about in the city, China media analyst Kerry Allen reports.
Media have been reporting this week that Xi’an is facing a “dual epidemic” as there have been “several reported cases of haemorrhagic fever, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate, external”.
China Daily says today that there has been “increased incidence” of this, external and “an uptick in severe cases and fatalities”. However, it says that it is a “common” seasonal disease in northern China, and predominantly concentrated in rural areas.
Jim Reed
Health reporter, BBC News
The government’s antivirals task force has made its biggest deals to date this morning for two promising new Covid treatments - Paxlovid and molnupiravir.
And all over-50s and the most vulnerable are being urged to sign up to a national study for molnupiravir as soon as they test positive for Covid-19.
What are they?
Both drugs are antiviral pills taken at home within five days of catching Covid. They are designed to reduce the risk of the most vulnerable patients going on to develop severe disease and need hospital treatment.
Are they effective?
In early clinical trials, which have not yet been peer reviewed by other scientists, Pfizer drug Paxlovid reduced the risk of high-risk patients needing hospital treatment by 89%. Molnupiravir, made by MSD, cut the risk of severe disease by 50%, although that figure was later reduced to 30%.
How do I get them?
Molnupiravir was approved by regulators in November. It is being offered to the most vulnerable groups, such as transplant recipients and cancer patients, through 70 hospital hubs in England. The pill is also being tested on a wider pool of people as part of the Panoramic study run by Oxford University. That’s the study which the government wants over-50s or anyone younger with an underlying condition testing positive to sign up to.
Paxlovid is still being evaluated. If approved for use in the UK it is likely to be rolled out in a similar way.
The UK has bought an extra 4.25m doses of antivirals to help the NHS fight the latest Covid wave, the health secretary confirms during his hospital visit.
Javid says the additional drugs will be made available to the public early next year.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been visiting a hospital delivering jabs in south London.
Speaking to reporters outside, he says the UK is in an “uncertain time” as the analysis on the severity of Omicron still isn’t complete.
“The best advice to everyone is to continue to remain cautious and keep looking forward to Christmas,” he says.
There will be no new restrictions in England before Christmas, he says, and “beyond that, we’ll just keep the situation under review”.
Image source, PA MediaThe Met Police has referred itself to a police watchdog following a complaint about how it handled an alleged Christmas party in Downing Street during last year's Covid restrictions.
The Green Party's Baroness Jones argues that officers outside No 10 "must have known" if an unlawful gathering had taken place.
She suggests they may have "deliberately failed to enforce" rules.
The complaint has now been sent to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Last month, the Mirror newspaper reported, external that a Downing Street Christmas party had taken place on 18 December last year, when London was under strict coronavirus restrictions.
A source tells the BBC there was food and drink and that the gathering went on past midnight.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into the allegations about this and other gatherings, which is being led by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
It's lunchtime in the UK so if you're just joining us here's a recap on the day's coronavirus news so far:
Drakeford reveals that the Welsh government is today awaiting further advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the vaccination of young children.
He rounds off his press briefing by saying that nobody wanted to see a return to alert levels and restrictions, but warns that "we are now entering the most serious phase of the pandemic to date".
He pledges that Wales "will reopen after Christmas" but in order to do this safely, everything must be done to protect ourselves and others.
The way we have got through this before is by working together, he adds, and we can do this again.
"There will be brighter days ahead," he says.
Image source, Getty ImagesClose contacts of people who have Covid will no-longer have to self-isolate provided they have been fully vaccinated, Mark Drakeford has said.
They will now have to take a lateral flow test instead.
Mr Drakeford has not gone as far as England, where people with Covid will now have to self-isolate for seven days instead of 10, providing they have negative test results on days six and seven.
“People who have daily negative tests will be able to continue going to work as normal, while following all the steps to keep themselves safe, including limiting the number of people they mix with as much as possible,” he said.
“If you have not been double-vaccinated and are identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid you must self-isolate.”
He said ministers were considering advice from scientists on possible changes to self-isolation arrangements for those who have Covid, as has now happened in England.
Drakeford says he recognises the move to alert level two will have an impact on businesses, and as a result, the Welsh government will make £120m available for nightclubs, events, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses hardest hit by the move.
He says this is double the new £60m package announced last week.
The economy minister will announce how this support will work tomorrow, he adds.
Drakeford continues by giving the public five "simple measures" to stem the spread of Covid.
He says the measures above are guidance, but there will be a specific offence reinstated for large gatherings in homes, as he says Omicron thrives in large gatherings in enclosed spaces.
Image source, Getty ImagesDrakeford says the Welsh government is bringing in a new alert level two with measures "tailored" to the new Omicron variant to protect public health.
In addition to the measures we just brought you, the first minister also said:
We've just brought you the news that new measures will be introduced in Wales from 06:00 GMT on Boxing Day to help keep the country safe.
The move to alert level two means:
He says due to the doubling time of Omicron, by Boxing Day, Wales can expect to see many thousands of new cases every day.
Drakeford says essential services are already under strain due to Covid-related sickness and Wales has to be prepared for that situation to worsen after Christmas.
He says this is the reason the Welsh cabinet has been meeting almost every day to consider the scientific data and what extra protections could be needed after 25 December.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford begins his press briefing by saying the rapidly changing situation in Wales means ministers are reviewing public health rules every week.
He said Wales is seeing a rapid rise in the number of cases of the new Omicron variant and a big rise in the overall rates of coronavirus.
The trend is set to continue he says.
"Omicron is here already in Wales and is now spreading quickly," he adds.
Image source, Getty ImagesA maximum of six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales from 26 December, the first minister has announced.
And two metres social distancing rules are to return in public places, Mark Drakeford said.
Licensed premises will have to offer table service only, face masks will have to be worn and contact tracing details collected.
Outdoor events will be limited to 50, with 30 indoors.
Find out more here.
More from 5Live listeners who have been telling Adrian Chiles their hopes of spending Christmas with family members currently self-isolating with Covid.
Julie’s daughter is isolating at university after testing positive last week.
On day seven of her isolation she tested negative on a lateral flow test and tomorrow is her 10th day of isolation.
Julie says she will “make sure she takes a lateral flow test” again before setting off to pick her up tomorrow.
Angela’s daughter tested positive last Thursday and has been isolating at home since.
For the last six days, Angela has been trying to get hold of lateral flow tests to no avail.
“My daughter could come out of isolation if she can provide a negative LFT,” she said. “But she can’t because I haven’t got any.”
BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, LauraLaura's twins, Sylvie (left) and Teddy (right)
5 Live’s Adrian Chiles is asking listeners to the radio station what the new isolation rules in England mean to them.
Laura gave birth to twins on Thursday then had a positive test result for Covid on Sunday meaning she had to go home to isolate away from one of her babies, who was born underweight and is in special care.
She says the ward have allowed her to FaceTime her son, but “it’s not the same”.
“I will be doing lateral flow tests constantly until I get a negative,” she says.
“I don’t want to put any of the other kids in danger, but I’m desperate to see my little boy.”
Scotland's deputy first minister, John Swinney, says changes to the isolation rules in Scotland are being considered in a bid to ease pressure on public services.
Fully-vaccinated people who have Covid in Scotland currently have to isolate for 10 days, along with those in their household.
In England, isolation has been cut to seven days for people who get negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven.