Muted celebrations mark the new year as countries around the world begin to see in 2022
PM Boris Johnson is urging people to take a Covid test and think about ventilation before celebrating
The UK approves a new anti-Covid pill for use in older adults at risk of hospitalisation
Covid absences in acute NHS trusts in England rise by more than 40% during Christmas week
UK reports 189,846 new Covid cases - a new record - and 203 deaths
New data suggests risk of hospital admission with Omicron is roughly one-third that of Delta variant
In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first discovered, officials say the fourth wave of Covid infections may be over
We're ending today's live coronavirus coverage. Happy new year and we hope to see you in 2022.
Your writers today were Alexandra Fouché, Victoria Lindrea, Jen Meierhans and Matt Murphy. The editor was George Bowden.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we draw our live coverage to a close for today, here are some of the main stories from across the world this evening:
Image source, Getty ImagesEven though England remains without tougher Covid restrictions - the bells of York Minster will not ring in the new year for the second year in a row.
Thousands of people traditionally gather outside the building to welcome in a new year. Minster staff say the decision is aimed at slowing the spread of the Omicron variant.
It comes as New Year's Eve celebrations are scaled back in Scotland, including Hogmanay in Edinburgh, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics
The boosters work: it looks like a third dose more than halves your chances of catching a case of Omicron that puts you in hospital.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone behind the vaccine rollout, nearly 30% of people who have had two doses are yet to receive a booster.
And while Omicron looks to be roughly one third as severe as Delta, cases are already three times higher than they were before Omicron arrived.
What's more, Plan B hasn’t checked Omicron - so we could see numbers run higher.
We should prepare for rises in hospital admissions, a natural consequence of current case figures: more than a million cases reported in the last week.
We’re already seeing those effects in England, where slightly more current data shows sharp rises in admissions.
Things are looking far, far better than they did last December, but the coming weeks will not be easy.
Despite coronavirus restrictions affecting celebrations in many places, a number of countries have been seeing in the new year in style over the past few hours.
In Japan, 6,500 paper prayer candle lights were light at the Hasedera Buddhist temple in Kamakura, with messages wishing the country and the world luck for 2022 in overcoming the pandemic written on them.
Image source, Getty ImagesWhile China won't celebrate its New Year until 1 February, and many planned events were cancelled amid coronavirus outbreaks, the city of Hangzhou marked the evening with a remarkable light show.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn the South Korean capital city of Seoul, celebrations were slightly muted by a 9pm curfew on hospitality settings. But beam lights were projected from the 123-storey Lotte World Tower skyscraper during a lighting show that illuminated the night sky.
Image source, Getty ImagesAnd in Thailand, people celebrated with a vast fireworks display in the capital Bangkok.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, PfizerWe've got some reaction to the news we brought you earlier - the UK has become one of the first countries in the world to approve the use of a "life-saving" Covid treatment pill.
Paxlovid, developed by US company Pfizer, has the green light to be given to clinically vulnerable people as soon as they test positive for Covid-19.
Trials show it cuts the risk of severe illness and death by almost 90%.
Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), says the pill can be taken at home before Covid has progressed to a severe stage.
She says she hoped today's announcement gives reassurance to those particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. "For these individuals, this treatment could be life-saving," she says.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says: "We are also leading the whole of Europe in the number of antivirals we've bought per person - with over 2.75 million courses of this antiviral secured for NHS patients by the Antivirals Taskforce."
Image source, Getty ImagesA sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in India over the past week has sparked fears that a third wave, driven by Omicron, is around the corner.
The country reported 16,764 new infections and 220 deaths on Friday for the previous 24 hours.
This is the highest single-day increase in cases since October.
It has also emerged the country missed the target of giving its entire adult population of 940 million two vaccinations by the end of 2021.
The target was first announced in May by Prakash Javadekar, who was a minister in the federal government at the time.
The number of patients in hospital with Covid across the UK stands at 11,918 on Friday.
This is only a marginal increase on Thursday's figure of 11,898 - as recorded in the latest government data.
It follows a rise on Wednesday when more than 2,000 patients were admitted in England alone - the highest daily figure since February.
UK daily Covid cases have reached another record high.
There were 189,846 cases of Covid reported in the UK over the past 24 hours. This compares to 189,213 on Thursday.
A further 203 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded, according to the latest government data.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that coronavirus hospitalisations among children have reached record levels in recent weeks, as a new wave of infections sweeps across the country.
During the week of 22-28 December an average of 378 children under the age of 17 were admitted to hospitals each day with the virus, an of 66% increase from the week before.
The previous high over the course of the pandemic was in early September, when child hospitalisations averaged 342 admissions per day, the CDC said.
US regulators approved vaccinations for children aged 5-11 in October, but so far just 14% of those eligible are fully vaccinated. However, the inoculation rate is higher for 12 to 17-year-olds, at about 53%.
Coronavirus case have been surging across the US since mid-December as the new Omicron variant takes hold. The highly contagious variant accounted for 59% of new cases last week, according to the CDC.
Jim Reed
Health reporter, BBC News
Image source, Getty ImagesA booster dose of a Covid vaccine is 88% effective at preventing hospitalisation with the Omicron variant, new data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests.
UKHSA analysed 528,176 Omicron cases and 573,012 Delta cases between 22 November and 26 December in England.
It confirmed that the risk of going to A&E or being admitted to a hospital ward after catching Omicron was roughly half that of the older Delta variant, while the risk of hospital admission alone with Omicron was approximately one-third of that for Delta.
The new data confirms that two doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines offers little protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron. But protection against severe disease appears to be holding up much better against the new variant.
A single vaccine dose reduces the risk of need hospital treatment by 52%. Adding the second dose increased the protection to 72% though after 25 weeks later that protection had waned or faded to 52%. Added a third dose boosted that to 88% two weeks later.
The health secretary Sajid Javid said: “This is more promising data which reinforces just how important vaccines are. They save lives and prevent serious illness. This analysis shows you are up to 8 times more likely to end up in hospital as a result of COVID-19 if you are unvaccinated.”
Image source, Getty ImagesSouth Africa has lifted a midnight to 04:00 curfew on people's movement with immediate effect, after government officials announced on Thursday they believed the country has passed the peak of new coronavirus infections.
Figures released by the Department of Health showed a 29.7% decrease in the number of new cases detected in the week ending 25 December.
Fareed Abdullah, a doctor in the main hospital in the South African capital, Pretoria, told the BBC that the number of new cases, driven by the Omicron variant, appeared to be falling.
"We have the beginning of this Omicron wave in the week of seven November and within four weeks we'd reached a peak and now we are literally most of the way down that peak," Dr Abdullah said.
But he warned against complacency, adding that a large number of older people and those with underlying illnesses remain at risk of serious illness.
Image source, Getty ImagesIf you're just joining us or need a quick re-cap on the day's coronavirus news, here it is:
Emma Simpson
Business correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesA major retailer is warning about the shortage of lateral flow tests.
It’s told the BBC that if the issue isn’t sorted by next week, it could lead to an extra 1,600 lost days in January due to staff having to quarantine for longer.
It wants the government to send bulk supplies of tests to distribution centres and large sites for on-site testing to keep staff absences to a minimum.
It says current staff absences are “manageable”.
But the retailer is worried about how things could rapidly escalate if the supply of lateral flow tests isn’t sorted very soon.
Image source, ReutersIsrael has started to administer fourth Covid vaccine shots to people with weakened immune systems, amid a surge in cases driven by Omicron.
It is one of the first countries in the world to do so.
Heart transplant patients at a hospital near Tel Aviv were among the first to get the jab.
The Israeli health ministry has also approved the fourth shot for residents in retirement homes and geriatric patients.
Israel rolled out its Covid-19 vaccine programme at the world's fastest rate and was the first country to routinely offer a booster shot in the summer.
The BBC's Tom Bateman in Jerusalem has previously said the evidence favouring a fourth shot has not yet been released, and one expert from a national pandemic committee said there was a "paucity of data" on whether immunity from the third shot was waning.
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has urged people "to protect yourself and those around you".
Prof Whitty highlighted the recent infection rates released by the Office of National Statistics, which show 1 in 25 people in England had Covid in the run-up to Christmas.
"The wave is still rising and hospital admissions are going up," he warned in a tweet.
"Get boosted, use face masks indoors, maximise ventilation, wash hands."
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Image source, Joanne HoptonJoanne Hopton, from South Derbyshire, believes she has done all she can to stay safe and plans to celebrate New Year's Eve in the local pub.
“Some friends and I are going to a local pub that has arranged food and a band.
"We were worried, before Christmas, about a lockdown, but are really pleased this hasn't come about.
"I am a member of a social group called Meetup and we have been going out for meals and to see live bands etc - all within the rules - over the past 18 months. It has been a lifeline for many.
"I am vaccinated and boostered [sic] and work within healthcare; as far as I am aware, I have not had Covid.
"I have been taking lateral flow tests daily, as I have had a cold.
"I have followed all the advice, all the rules, got vaccinated - all so we can get on with life. To lock down now would be cruel.”
The positivity rate for Covid infections in England was 3.71% - the highest level to be registered so far - in the most-recent week for which data is available.
During the week before Christmas, Covid infections increased across all regions of England, with the highest infection levels seen in London at 1 in every 15 people.
The lowest levels of infection in England were in the North East, at 1 in 45.
However, deaths remain lower than during the second Covid peak.
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A mild, breezy evening across the UK on Friday means those hoping to celebrate the new year can comfortably stay outdoors - or at least keep the windows open without having to don the hats and scarves.
BBC Weather's Ben Rich described it as "an extraordinarily mild New Year's Eve".
He added it would be "dry for many - but not quite for all of us" - so maybe grab an umbrella.
Earlier Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged would-be revellers to take a Covid test first and "remember the importance of ventilation".
But many New Year events have been cancelled because of coronavirus, including Edinburgh's Hogmanay.
Image source, PA MediaEdinburgh's unrivalled Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled because of Covid