People in England with a positive lateral flow test but no Covid symptoms will no longer have to take a PCR to confirm the result from 11 January, the UK Health Security Agency says.

It says the change has been made to reflect that lateral flow tests are more than 80% effective at finding people with high viral loads, who are most infectious and most likely to transmit the virus to others..

Analysis by NHS Test and Trace shows lateral flow device (LFD) tests to have an estimated specificity of at least 99.97% when used in the community.

This means for every 10,000 lateral flow tests carried out, there are likely to be fewer than three false positive results. LFD tests identify the most infectious people.

These people tend to spread the virus to many people and so identifying them remains important.

The UK Health Security Agency says while Covid cases continue to rise the vast majority of people with positive lateral flow results can be confident they have the virus.

This is because there is evidence of the "very high accuracy of LFD testing" and Covid prevalence is high which means the chances of a false positive from a positive LFD result are very low, it says

Anyone who develops one of the three main Covid-19 symptoms, external - a high temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss or change to the sense of taste or smell - should stay at home and self-isolate and take a PCR test.

They must self-isolate if they get a positive test result, even if they have had a recent negative lateral flow test - these rules have not changed.

UKHSA Chief Executive Dr Jenny Harries says: “I’m really grateful to the public and all of our critical workers who continue to test regularly and self-isolate when necessary, along with other practical and important public health behaviours, as this is the most effective way of stopping the spread of the virus and keeping our friends, families and communities safe.”

Jim Reed
Health reporter, BBC News

More detail on the UK Health Security Agency's suspension of follow-up PCR tests for people with no symptoms of Covid who test positive on rapid lateral flow tests.

The agency says it previously suspended the requirement between January and March 2021 at a time of high virus prevalence.

It says it will review the requirement when the proportion of people with the virus in England drops to below 1% for a sustained period of time.

The current rate of prevalence is about 4%, according to the Office for National Statistics.

People in England with a positive lateral flow test but no Covid symptoms will no longer have to take a PCR to confirm the result from 11 January, the UK Health Security Agency says.

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President Macron has been accused of using vulgar language – after he used a slang term to say he wants to make life difficult for those who haven't taken up the vaccine.

"I really want to piss them off, and we'll carry on doing this - to the end," he told Le Parisien newspaper.

French MPs have been debating a law that will bar the unjabbed from much of public life.

But a session in the National Assembly was brought to a standstill for a second night running, as Macron's political opponents complained about the president's language.

In his interview with Le Parisien, Macron used the vulgar term emmerder to say how he wanted to stir up the unvaccinated.

He said he would not "vaccinate by force" but hoped to encourage people to take up the jab by "limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life".

Analysis: NHS is extra-stretched this winterpublished at 12:24 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January 2022

12:24 GMT 5 January 2022

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

The NHS is always under pressure at this time of year.

In previous winters critical incidents have been declared and non-urgent surgery cancelled.

Compromised care is nothing new.

That’s not to say the health service isn’t facing a unique set of pressures this year.

Admissions for Covid are already twice what would normally be seen for all types of respiratory infections.

Staff absences are also double what they traditionally would be.

And on both measures the situation is getting worse. What will be crucial is how much worse things get.

The hope is infections will peak soon – and pressure on hospitals quickly afterwards.

Much though depends on whether there is more spread among older age groups, who are at most risk of serious illness.

Ministers are banking on the boosters limiting this. It will be at least a week, and maybe two, before we have the answer.

Hannah Richardson
BBC News education reporter

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A primary school in one of England’s large academy chains was partially closed before term even started.

Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis academy trust - which has 52 schools in five regions - said the Omicron variant was having a huge impact.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, he said: “We estimated that around 10% of staff have got Covid around the country.

“That’s our estimate from staff …from staff calling in.”

Many schools across England and Northern Ireland started term on Tuesday, with England's secondaries testing pupils on-site.

Chalke said the trust had already decided to partially close a primary school in Birmingham "because of a lack of teaching staff".

“We made that decision yesterday ahead of school opening. We know we just can’t do it," he said.

He said a suggestion by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi that schools could merge classes when short-staffed, could be a “recipe for disaster”.

“Every school building is different, so if you’ve got a spare large hall that’s not being used for lunches that can be used for lessons, it’s easier to merge two classes.

“If you take a classroom that was built for 30, and you try to stuff 60 or more in it – that’s a recipe for disaster.”

Image source, Getty Images

We've been hearing from a number of sectors about the impact of Covid-19 and staff shortages.

And it appears the fire and rescue service are not immune to the problems.

On 28 December, Gosport fire station in Hampshire was left without any firefighters at all, the union says, and was forced to scramble some from another local station to cover.

The incident comes amid wider shortages in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area, according to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

From 28 December to 2 January, a number of fire stations were short-staffed - and over the same period, some stations were so short-staffed that they were left with fire engines unavailable.

As of 28 December, about 40 staff from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were self-isolating with Covid-19, according to the FBU.

Mark Chapman, regional secretary, said the service was at a "threadbare level of cover" and further shortages - such as those seen in Gosport - were likely.

The fire brigade's area manager Kevin Evenett said: "Gosport Fire Station was fully crewed on 28 December.

"Staff absences unrelated to Covid-19 were managed in line with our contingency plans and personnel were moved around to maintain cover."

UK Covid infections have risen to unprecedented levels in recent weeks because of the Omicron variant.

But a fall in the proportion of detected cases ending in hospital shows this variant is causing milder illness - for now at least.

Covid hospitalisations, using that measuure, are around five times lower than they were a year ago.

A further 218,724 confirmed cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday - another record. This includes data covering a four-day period in Northern Ireland and a two-day period in Wales.

Yolande Knell
BBC Middle East correspondent

Image source, EPA

Israel is the latest country to record its highest number of new Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic - driven by the extremely contagious Omicron variant.

Government figures showed 11,978 new cases on Tuesday. The rapid rise in infections is leading to a shortage of Covid tests and forcing Israeli officials to re-evaluate their protocol for quarantining and contact-tracing.

Israel is thought to be the first nation to offer a wide rollout of a fourth Covid 19 vaccine. In recent days, tens of thousands of people aged 60 and older, as well as medical staff and those with compromised immune systems, have received a fourth jab.

Visiting Sheba Medical Centre on Tuesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said early results from a study carried out there showed that taking the fourth dose was safe, external and resulted in a five-fold increase in antibodies within a week.

The rise in domestic Covid transmission in Israel has also brought into question the value of tight restrictions on international travel.

Many limits are now set to be lifted next week - although the UK and the US remain on Israel’s “red” list.

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In the Chinese city of Xi'an, more than 42,000 people being kept in centralised Covid quarantine facilities - on top of a city-wide lockdown - an official has said.

Vice mayor Xu Mingfei told a news briefing that residents of the city - home to some 13 million people - must continue to avoid going out.

People in Xi'an have been confined to their homes since 23 December, following a Covid outbreak.

Authorities have been providing free food to households – but some residents have complained their supplies are running low.

Some even posted photos and video on the Chinese social media site Weibo, showing people exchanging items for food – such as cigarettes for cabbage or sanitary pads for a small pile of vegetables.

China has a really strict "zero Covid" policy – seeking to stamp out the virus completely with mass testing and tough lockdowns.

As we reported earlier, tennis player Novak Djokovic is set to play in the Australian Open, after being exempted from vaccination rules.

All players and staff at the tournament must be vaccinated or have an exemption granted by an expert independent panel.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said if the player's evidence was insufficient he would be on the "next plane home".

These fans give their reaction...

More now from Poland - where the president, Andrzej Duda, has tested positive for Covid.

Duda, 48 - who has had three vaccine doses - is "fine" and has no severe symptoms, his chief of staff says.

It's the second time the president has had Covid - he previously tested positive in October 2020.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Poland reported 17,196 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, a weekly increase of 10%, figures released by the Ministry of Health showed.

The number of virus-related deaths - 632 in the last 24 hours - remains very high.

Cases have begun to rise again this month - despite the fact that the Omicron variant accounts for just 2.5% of all confirmed new cases, a health ministry spokesman said.

The government is meeting on Wednesday to decide whether to introduce new restrictions, which reportedly may include reducing further customer numbers in shopping centres and supermarkets, and even potentially closing malls.

Poland’s 55% vaccination rate is well below the EU average.

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Hospitals in Greater Manchester have become the latest to announce they are pausing some non-urgent surgery and appointments because of the impact of Covid.

Health bosses there said about 15% of their workforce were either ill with Covid or isolating - and the challenges may get worse in the next fortnight.

The decision affecting 17 hospitals was "a temporary measure", they said. Cancer care, cardiac and vascular surgery and transplantation will not be affected.

Elsewhere in England, at least 10 other hospital trusts have announced critical incidents since Christmas, including University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Great Western Hospitals in Wiltshire.

Read more on this story here.

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India is bracing for a third wave of coronavirus as its largest cities - the capital Delhi and financial hub Mumbai - see a surge in cases.

India reported 58,097 cases on Wednesday, a six-fold rise in a week that experts say is fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Nearly a third of those infections came from Delhi and Mumbai.

Both cities have brought back curfews and other restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

We've just heard Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has tested positive for Covid, meaning he will now have to self-isolate for at least a week.

This is at least the sixth time he has had to self isolate. In July last year, one of his children tested positive, and at the time that meant the rest of the household had to isolate too.

He has previously isolated when coming into contacts with other Covid cases.

This is the second time Sir Keir has tested positive for Covid - he caught it last October and had to miss the Budget as a result.

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Hong Kong is temporarily suspending flights from eight countries - including the UK - as part of a series of measures to try to tackle the spread of Covid.

All flights from Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, France, India, Pakistan and the Philippines will be stopped from 8 January.

From Friday, bars, gyms and pools will be shut. Plus there will be restrictions on restaurants, with a cap on the number of diners – and a ban on indoor evening dining.

There'll also be a ban on non-essential gatherings.

The restrictions, for a minimum of two weeks, follow a rapid surge in imported infections, the government says.

Tim Vizard
Consultant statistician, BBC News

The number of deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales fell in the week ending 24 December, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.

The number of deaths involving Covid decreased to 585, down from 753 in the previous week.

Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland were not available in the latest week.

It takes a couple of weeks before any trends in cases start to feed through into deaths, so it is too early to see if the recent increase in Covid-19 cases will be seen in this data.

In the week ending 24 December, there were 13,010 deaths were registered in total in England and Wales - this was 610 more deaths than the previous week and 13% above the five-year average.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has tested positive for coronavirus, and Angela Rayner will deputise for him at Prime Minister's Questions, a party spokesman said.

PMQs is due to begin at 15:00 GMT - we'll have full coverage on this page.