Extra restrictions brought in for Wales, Northern Ireland and some European countries are a "proportionate response" to Omicron, a scientist advising the government says.

Epidemiologist Prof Andrew Hayward, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), says the speed cases are rising suggests Omicron may be a "short-term problem", with the wave rising and falling quickly.

Asked whether similar restrictions should be introduced for England, he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The longer we wait with that, the harder it gets and the less we can influence the size of that peak."

He adds that big New Year's Eve parties are going to provide a "big further boost" to Omicron.

While data suggesting Omicron is less severe is "undeniably good news", he says the impact on more vulnerable elderly people is not yet clear.

"Perhaps we can downgrade this from a hurricane to a severe storm," he says, adding that "we're definitely not out of the danger zone".

Analysis: Basic maths means Omicron is a dangerpublished at 08:24 Greenwich Mean Time 23 December 2021

08:24 GMT 23 December 2021

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Omicron seems milder than Delta, so can we all relax?

It’s clearly good news if you test positive - but it’s also important to remember some basic maths.

The pressure on hospitals will be a combination of the severity of the variant and the number of people infected.

If Omicron is half as severe, but we have twice the number of cases - then you’re back where you started.

And there is a lot of Covid around at the moment. Daily cases peaked at 68,000 last winter - and we’ve already topped 106,000 now.

There are also concerns that the benefit of Omicron being milder is eroded by more people being susceptible as the variant bypasses some immunity.

Then there is the pressure on hospitals if large numbers of staff have to isolate.

So while the severity data is welcome news, ministers will also have to closely monitor the trends in the number of cases.

Wales is introducing additional restrictions after Christmas because of the direct harm from Omicron - and also the impact on services and businesses if large numbers are isolating, the country’s economy minister says.

Vaughan Gething tells BBC Breakfast it is also important people can plan for after the Christmas period.

From 26 December, no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales. Two-metre social distancing rules will also return in public places.

Gething says that if further measures are needed the return of the furlough scheme would be "the best answer".

However, he adds that Wales does not have the resources to bring back furlough without help from the the UK government - and calls for "coordinated action" if the public health situation deteriorates.

As we’ve been hearing, early studies have suggested the Omicron variant may cause milder illness than the Delta variant.

Analysis by researchers at Imperial College London found around a 40% reduction in the risk of being admitted to hospital for a night or more compared with Delta.

Prof Azra Ghani, chairwoman in infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial, says this is “certainly good news” - but must be balanced with the very large number of infections.

She tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it is important to bear in mind that many people already have immunity from vaccination or previous infection, which could account for the seemingly milder effects.

And she adds that so far Omicron has been circulating mainly in a younger population - but over Christmas there will be more intergenerational mixing, which could cause the variant to spread to more vulnerable groups.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK government says it is monitoring Covid data after early studies found the Omicron variant may cause milder illness than the Delta variant.

Analysis by researchers at Imperial College London found around a 40% reduction in the risk of being admitted to hospital for a night or more compared with Delta.

An Edinburgh University study suggested there was up to a 65% lower risk of being hospitalised with Omicron - but it was based on only a few cases.

In South Africa, a study suggested Omicron patients were 70-80% less likely to need hospital treatment. However, it suggested there was no difference in outcomes for the few patients that ended up in hospital with Omicron.

Scientists say the findings are good news, but warn a big wave of cases could still overwhelm the NHS.

The UK reported more than 100,000 new daily infections for the first time on Wednesday.

Read more.

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The prime minister is urging people to take “extra special care” to protect themselves and their families against Covid this Christmas.

He tells the Sun, external the public should wear a mask when needed, open windows for ventilation and take a test before meeting loved ones, particularly if they are elderly or vulnerable.

Boris Johnson warns the Omicron variant “continues to surge across the country faster than anything we have seen before”.

New post-Christmas restrictions have been set out in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland but Johnson has ruled out any changes in England before Christmas.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the main stories this morning:

• Boris Johnson is urging people to take “extra special care”, external to protect themselves from the virus this Christmas, including by wearing masks when needed and taking a test before visiting loved ones
• Early studies suggest the Omicron variant may cause less severe disease, with fewer people requiring hospital treatment than with other variants
• Scientists say the findings are “qualified good news” but warn that a big wave of case could still overwhelm the NHS
• Daily Covid cases exceeded 100,000 across the UK for the first time on Wednesday
• New rules are being introduced in Wales where no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants from 26 December
• And in Northern Ireland nightclubs will have to close from 06:00 GMT the same day before more stringent measures come into force on Monday
• US President Joe Biden has denied his administration bungled its response to the emergence of the Omicron variant, saying “nobody” could have predicted it
• In Europe, Spain has announced plans for mandatory face coverings outside in response to a dramatic rise in Covid cases