A sub-variant of Omicron has now been detected in 57 countries, the World Health Organization says
In some countries, BA.2 now accounts for over half of sequenced Omicron cases, the WHO says
Estimated UK Covid infections rose to more than 3 million last week, according to the ONS
The government has written off £8.7bn spent on PPE during pandemic, accounts show
Items costing £673m were unusable, while £750m of equipment was not used before it expired
Another Tory MP has called for Boris Johnson to resign, as the fallout from parties held in No 10 continues
Tobias Ellwood says the Conservative Party is "slipping into a very ugly place"
In France, restrictions are being eased, with face masks no longer compulsory outdoors, and an end to limits on large crowds
Tonga is to go into lockdown after a handful of Covid cases were recorded in the capital city Nuku'alofa
Birmingham intensive care nurse says demand is 'extraordinary'
Covid has "changed intensive care completely", with an "extraordinary" demand for the service, one nurse tells us.
Hear more from three nurses we followed over the course of a night shift in a Birmingham hospital, in the video above.
Coronavirus cases have reached a new all-time high in Germany, with 208,498 more reported within 24 hours.
This has taken it over the 10-million mark for total infections.
The seven-day incidence rate also hit an all-time high of 1,227.5 cases per 100,000 residents.
The death toll rose by 196 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 118,170, the Robert Koch Institute reports, external.
Image source, UK ParliamentBack to the partygate saga now.
Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has become the latest Conservative to say they want Boris Johnson to leave office.
Ellwood, who's chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, says he will be submitting a letter of no confidence in the PM.
Ellwood told Sky News earlier that the Conservative Party was "slipping into a very ugly place".
This of course follows on from senior civil servant Sue Gray's "update" on her report, which finally arrived on Monday. It declared there had been a "failure of leadership" for allowing parties to take place in Downing Street during lockdown.
At least 54 Tories must submit letters to the 1922 committee of backbench MPs to trigger a vote on Johnson's leadership – and we know that a number of Conservatives have already done so, including Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.
Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent
Image source, EPAThe number of daily coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic has reached a new high.
Czech authorities registered almost 60,000 infections on Tuesday, with almost 10,000 suspected to be reinfections.
However, hospital numbers have not risen dramatically and authorities say the situation on wards is far from critical.
Instead, the biggest problem is staffing shortages due to preventative quarantine.
Health Minister Vlastimil Valek has said he expects the wave of Omicron cases to peak this week.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify's most popular podcast, and is reportedly downloaded almost 200 million times a month
The White House has welcomed Spotify's move to add advisory warnings to podcasts discussing Covid, with President Joe Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki calling it a "positive step".
It comes after several musicians asked to have their music pulled from the streaming service amid growing controversy over US broadcaster Joe Rogan's podcast.
Musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have criticised Rogan and accused Spotify of helping spread misinformation.
On the podcast - which Spotify reportedly paid $100m (£75m) for the rights to in 2020 - Rogan hosts a wide variety of guests who discuss their views on a range of topics - but some episodes have featured false and misleading claims.
We fact-check four claims made in the podcast here.
Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris
Image source, Getty ImagesFrance today becomes the latest European country to start relaxing Covid restrictions amid signs that the Omicron wave has peaked.
The number of Omicron infections in France is still very high - around a third of a million a day - but because the strain is proving less harmful than previous variants, the pressure on hospitals has been contained.
From today, on the street in big towns and cities you no longer have to wear a mask.
Limits on the numbers that can gather at venues are being lifted. And the three-day-a-week home-working requirement will now become a recommendation.
In two weeks there'll be a further relaxation, when nightclubs are allowed to re-open.
Image source, Getty ImagesShoppers have been hit by the highest price rises in nearly 10 years after shop inflation almost doubled over the past month, new data suggests.
Shop price inflation jumped from 0.8% in December to 1.5% in January, the BRC-NielsenIQ price index indicated.
The pandemic, as well as Brexit, have made staff shortages a particular problem in the UK, prompting some employers to raise wages, which can contribute to inflation.
On top of that, rising global energy prices, supply problems and higher shipping costs are hitting retailers, with many costs being passed on to consumers.
Read more here.
Image source, ReutersCabinet minister Michael Gove has been defending the government's record on PPE purchases, following the news that billions spent on protective equipment has been written off.
He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the purchases were made when there was a "global race to secure PPE" at the height of the pandemic, with protests across Europe from doctors who were lacking protective equipment.
"We did everything we could to supply that equipment" he says, adding that 97% of the PPE was "fit for purpose".
The levelling-up secretary says there's been a "mark down" on items the government secured, because equipment bought at the height of the crisis is now worth less.
But Gove says there are "always lessons to be learnt" about procurement – and the government is bringing forward a bill to make sure money is spent more efficiently in future.
Image source, EPAAustralian officials said there was "no evidence" the cases were linked to an aid ship they sent (pictured)
Tonga is to go into lockdown after a handful of Covid cases were recorded in the capital city Nuku'alofa.
Two cases were detected at the port, where humanitarian aid has been arriving following the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said.
Another three cases were identified in family members.
Sovaleni said Tonga would enter lockdown from 18:00 local time (05:00 GMT) Wednesday, with the situation reviewed every 48 hours.
The South Pacific nation had previously managed to stay Covid free, having only recorded one case of the virus.
It closed its borders to the outside world in early 2020, but since the eruption it has since been heavily dependent on foreign aid.
At least 83% of Tonga's 106,000-strong population have had double doses of the Covid vaccine. However, the remoteness of some of these island communities, many with limited healthcare resources, makes them particularly vulnerable to an outbreak.
Read more here.
A further 112,458 confirmed daily cases in the UK were announced on Tuesday, taking the seven-day average to 91,177.
Here we look at the figures in a bit more detail.
There were 219 deaths within 28 days of a positive test on Tuesday.
Of those deaths, there were 185 in England, 30 in Scotland and four in Northern Ireland. No deaths were reported in Wales.
More than 37 million booster doses have been administered across the UK, with 31 million in England, 3.3 million in Scotland, 1.9 million in Wales and 940,000 in Northern Ireland.
You can find out how many cases are in your area here.
Image source, PA MediaCountries were clamouring for personal protective equipment, sending prices soaring
More now on our top Covid story this morning that the government has written off £8.7bn it spent on protective equipment during the pandemic.
Items costing £673m were unusable, while £750m of equipment was not used before its expiry date.
The largest write-off - £4.7bn - was because the government paid more for it than it is currently worth, now that global supplies have recovered.
No 10 said the purchases were justified - with 97% of items suitable for use.
But Labour said: "These levels of waste destroy any claim the Conservatives have to be careful stewards of the public finances.”
Continue reading here.
The UK government's decision to write off nearly £9bn of PPE bought during the pandemic features in some of the papers.
"What a £13bn waste" is the Mail's headline, with the paper focusing on the money written off by the government on both PPE and Covid fraud.
The Daily Express also leads with the "scandalous" £8.7bn pounds on PPE written off by the government.
The Financial Times says the money "squandered" on PPE by the government is actually closer to £10bn, with an additional £1.2bn lost on orders which could not be cancelled.
On a different topic, the Mirror says households will be £2,000 a year poorer as a result of the ongoing "prices crisis", which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
You can read our round-up of the papers here.
Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the main stories so far this morning:
Stick with us as we bring you all the latest on the pandemic throughout the day.