Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the NHS faces a rocky few weeks as case rates rise in older age groups
He says this, along with rising hospitalisations, is a concern - but no new restrictions are planned for England
NHS England figures underline the pressure hospitals are under, with Covid-related staff absences trebling since early December
And roughly one in eight hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents - enabling staff and resources to be redeployed
But a top statistician says it's not likely the UK will see a big surge in serious illness and deaths during this Omicron wave
About 1,800 armed forces personnel are supporting the NHS response across the UK, with 200 sent to London's hospitals
Meanwhile, tennis star Novak Djokovic has thanked people around the world for their support as he awaits a decision on his deportation from Australia
A further 178,250 new Covid infections have been recorded in the UK, with 229 deaths within 28 days of a positive test
We are wrapping up our Covid coverage now so thank you for joining us.
These updates were written by Alex Therrien, Chris Giles, Douglas Faulkner and Jennifer Meierhans.
The page was edited by Holly Wallis and Chris Clayton.
From all of us, have a good evening.
We are going to be pausing our live coverage of coronavirus soon so here's a recap of the day's main news:
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we reported earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of failing to take action to protect people in England from a surge of Omicron cases, as pressure mounts on NHS hospitals.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford says England is the "outlier" in the UK when it comes to Covid.
The prime minister has resisted calls to introduce further measures and says he hopes the country can "ride out" the latest Covid wave with current rules, which are due to be reviewed on 26 January.
But new measures were introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after Christmas.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland's current restrictions will remain in place until a planned review on 11 January.
Wales’ first minister has confirmed the present Covid measures will not be relaxed.
While in Northern Ireland, First Minister Paul Givan says no further Covid restrictions are necessary.
For a full breakdown of the different rules around the UK - click here.
A man who was interviewed by the BBC while in hospital with coronavirus tells us he was targeted by anti-vaccine trolls who accused him of staging his illness.
In July 2021, Henry Dyne ended up on oxygen and spoke to BBC journalists who were reporting on a rise in Covid cases in young people for the News at Six.
The 29-year-old says: "I just thought it probably would be quite good to go on record and say this is my experience, it is a lot worse than I thought, so get the vaccine."
He says he received hundreds of messages calling him a "crisis actor". One read: "How much did the BBC pay you to pretend you had Covid-19?" You can read Henry's full story here.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe daily government data on Covid vaccinations, external puts the total number of jabs given so far at 134,563,461.
That's 51,897,289 first doses, 47,600,028 second doses and 35,066,144 booster or third doses.
That means about 90% of people aged 12 and over in the UK have had their first vaccine dose, 83% have had their second, and 60% have had a booster.
You can read more on the UK's Covid data here.
A further 178,250 new coronavirus infections have been recorded in the UK, according to the government's daily figures., external
There were also 229 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result, the data shows.
PM "politically paralysed," says Mark Drakeford
Wales’ first minister has accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of failing to take the necessary action to keep people safe from Covid.
Mark Drakeford said: "Wales is taking action, as is Scotland, as is Northern Ireland, and as are countries right across Europe and right across the globe.
“The one country that stands out as not taking action to protect its population is England.”
Earlier this week, the prime minister said he hoped England could "ride out" the Omicron wave without further restrictions.
Drakeford's comments came as he announced Covid restrictions would not be relaxed in Wales.
Read more here.
We have some more from the health secretary now.
Sajid Javid says there are some "encouraging signs" with the Omicron variant, stressing that it is less severe and that the government's latest analysis suggests that once you get boosted your chances of hospitalisation are "almost 90% less than it was with Delta".
But he warns that it is highly infectious and we haven't seen infection rates like this before.
"More and more parts of the NHS" are declaring critical incidents and there is a need for health services to "work together" due to the "workforce pressures" hospitals are facing.
He adds the prime minister is "sticking with Plan B" and people must remain cautious.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been visiting King's College Hospital in London today and has spoken to the media after his visit.
He says the UK is in a better position than it was at the same time last year, pointing to vaccinations, antiviral treatments and testing.
But he adds: "Despite all of that we are still seeing rising hospitalisations, particularly with the case rate rising with older age groups - that is of concern. And I think we have to be honest when we look at the NHS and say it will be a rocky few weeks ahead."
The health secretary once again calls on people to get vaccinated, adding that staff at King's College estimate around 70% of Covid patients are unvaccinated.
Tim Vizard
Consultant statistician, BBC News
Figures from another ONS survey, external today suggest older adults were more likely to social distance when meeting others during the Christmas period.
The survey found 58% of adults aged 70 and over said they always or often social distanced when meeting with others in the past seven days. This dropped to 25% of adults aged 16 to 29.
The survey, of 4,700 adults in Great Britain (so not including Northern Ireland) between 15 December 2021 to 3 January 2022, was conducted during the introduction of new Covid measures.
The ONS also found 57% of adults said they had taken a rapid lateral flow test during the past seven days, with rates highest in younger adults. The most common reason given by adults was testing before meeting with friends and families.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe border between Wales and England runs through the car park of Chester FC's ground
An investigation is being held into whether an English football team broke Covid rules - because their ground is in Wales.
Chester Football Club's Deva Stadium is in Flintshire, with the border between Wales and England running through the car park to the east of the stands.
In Wales, restrictions mean most matches are being played behind closed doors.
However, since rules came into force on 26 December, Chester FC has held two games with each attracting more than 2,000 fans.
The Welsh government said the club's ground was in Wales and must follow Welsh rules.
In a statement, the club said it had been told it "may commit further potential breaches if it continues to play home fixtures with crowds while the current restrictions in Wales remain in place".
"It was agreed that all parties would seek further legal advice given the complex issues and future implications of any outcome," the club added.
Away from tennis, a council boss says she does not think military support is currently required in her area at the moment after a system-wide major incident was declared.
The armed forces have been supporting the NHS in London and about 150 military personnel are to support the North West Ambulance Service from next week to cover staff absences.
Anna Earnshaw, chief executive of West Northamptonshire Council, tells BBC Radio 4's World At One programme the council "benefited hugely" from military support in planning and logistics during the first wave but says at the moment the police and fire service were able to help with that.
"At the moment, there is not necessarily a need for military. "We're moving our staff around the system, which is vital, we're all helping each other, and our number one aim is obviously to keep people safe," she says.
Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent
Image source, ReutersRenata Voracova arrived in Melbourne earlier this week
The Czech tennis player, Renata Voracova, is being detained in the same immigration hotel as Novak Djokovic, after apparently having her Australian visa cancelled
Doubles player Renata Voracova arrived in Melbourne earlier this week and had already played a match in a preliminary tournament.
The Czech foreign ministry said she had entered Australia with what she believed was the correct paperwork.
According to reports in the Czech media, the 38-year-old had previously recovered from Covid and was therefore exempt from the vaccination requirement. All players and staff at the tournament must be vaccinated or have an exemption granted by an expert independent panel.
The ministry said Voracova had decided to abandon the Open and leave Australia.
Image source, ReutersA moment ago we heard from tennis player Novak Djokovic, who has spoken publicly for the first time since his Australian visa was dramatically cancelled over vaccination rules.
The Serbian world number one, who is being held in immigration detention in Melbourne, thanked people for their "continuous support".
Earlier, a top official in the country denied Djokovic was being held captive, after the tennis star's parents said he was being treated like a criminal.
Djokovic is awaiting a court challenge on Monday on whether he is to be deported from Australia - a week before the Australian Open begins.
Djokovic, who has said he is opposed to vaccination, had been granted a medical exemption to play in the tournament for unspecified reasons, in a decision that infuriated many Australians.
More than 90% of the country's adult population are fully vaccinated, but they still face restrictions as cases of infection rise.
Now more uncertainty surrounds the schedule of the tournament that Djokovic has won nine times. A 10th win would see him become the men's most successful player, with 21 Grand Slams.
Image source, ReutersTennis player Novak Djokovic has made his first public comments after he was detained in Australia over Covid vaccination rules.
The world number one faces the prospect of deportation after being denied entry on Wednesday.
He is currently in immigration detention in Melbourne. A court challenge is due on Monday, a week before the Australian Open begins.
Speaking for the first time publicly since the incident happened in an Instagram post, external, he said:
"Thank you to people around the world for your continuous support.
"I can feel it and it is greatly appreciated."
More now on Novak Djokovic's visa dispute - Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios says his country's handling of incident has been "really bad" and urged officials to "do better".
"Look I definitely believe in taking action - I got vaccinated because of others and for my mum's health," Kyrgios wrote on Twitter.
He said: "This is one of our great champions but at the end of the day, he is human."
Djokovic remains in immigration detention in Melbourne after being denied entry on Wednesday over Covid vaccination rules.
He is expected to challenge the decision in court on Monday, a week before the Australian Open begins.
Image source, Getty ImagesVirologist Dr Chris Smith, from the University of Cambridge, has been answering your questions about the impact of the Omicron variant.
He told us that “it’s too early at this stage” to know if it causes long Covid, adding “that’s being followed up at the moment”.
People who were most likely to get long Covid from previous variants of the virus include those aged 35-69 who are overweight, smokers or have had poor health and women.
Dr Chris Smith answers questions about isolation periods and the effects of the Omicron variant
Image source, Getty ImagesThe armed forces have been called on for support at various stages of the pandemic
Around 150 military personnel are to support the North West Ambulance Service from next week to help cover staff absences caused by Covid.
Troops will begin training on 11 January in driving ambulances, manual handling, kit familiarisation and basic life support.
They will be available to respond to patients whose need is not urgent who often have longer waits when the service is busy, NWAS said.
It comes after about 200 personnel were sent into NHS hospitals across London to plug staff shortages.
NWAS director of operations Ged Blezard said the ambulance service - and the NHS as a whole - has been under "extreme pressure for several months".
The service was also seeing high numbers of staff absences due to confirmed Covid-19 cases and isolation, with around 25% of the workforce currently affected, he said.
He added: "We worked alongside the military last February and March, and it allows us to have more of our vehicles on the road, getting people the treatment they need sooner. This frees up emergency ambulances to attend to urgent, life-threatening cases."
Image source, ReutersPrime Minister Boris Johnson still sees no need for further Covid restrictions in England, Downing Street has said, despite rising staff absences in the NHS due to the virus.
Speaking at the lobby briefing with political journalists, a No 10 spokesman said ministers would ensure the health service had the support it needed.
But he said the level of pressure experienced on intensive care units was not as great as in previous waves because of the booster jab programme.
He said the government's current Plan B measures were "balanced and proportionate" and were helping to reduce the spread of Omicron.
Under England's Plan B measures, people are told to continue working from home wherever they can, wear face coverings on public transport and in public places, and show their Covid status to get into nightclubs and large events.
The No 10 spokesman added: "We know that staff absences are contributing to the pressure the NHS is currently facing. Of course we will continue to take appropriate measures to ensure the NHS has the support they need."
It's lunchtime in the UK so here's a recap of the coronavirus news so far: