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Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.
Omicron now represents more than 20% of cases in England and is expected to become the dominant variant in London in the next 48 hours, the health secretary has said. Sajid Javid told the Commons there are now 4,713 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK - but the true figure is almost certainly much higher. Meanwhile, at least one person in the UK has died with the variant , while 10 people have been admitted to hospital. Confirming the news, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the best thing people could do to protect themselves was get their booster jab.
The public seem to be listening to calls to get their booster, with the NHS website crashing this morning after more than 100,000 people tried to get an appointment. There have also been long queues at walk-in vaccine centres, after the rollout was expanded to all over-18s. And orders of lateral flow kits from the government website have been temporarily suspended following high demand, ahead of new advice for fully vaccinated people to do daily tests after coming into contact with a Covid case.
The prime minister is continuing to face questions over parties in government buildings during lockdown last Christmas. He has said he "certainly broke no rules" , after a picture published in the Sunday Mirror showed the PM at a virtual quiz in Downing Street, appearing on screen alongside two colleagues. But sources have told the BBC other No 10 staff members sat in groups of six in a room in the Cabinet Office. Mr Johnson denied any wrongdoing but said the event would be investigated.
About 70 Conservative MPs have said they will oppose the introduction of Covid passes in a Commons vote tomorrow . In the face of a large rebellion, government sources suggested Plan B measures for England would be divided into three separate votes on the different measures - compulsory Covid passes for nightclubs and large venues, stricter face mask rules and replacing self-isolation with daily testing for those exposed to a positive case. However, the plans are expected to become law as Labour is backing the government.
From today, people in England are being advised to work from home if they can. Some staff say they feel safer not having to commute and enjoy having a better work-life balance. But the boss of one City firm has told the BBC he thinks his employees will get less done when they're not in the office . Andrew Monk of VSA Capital called the rules frustrating and inconsistent, criticising the fact people were allowed to hold Christmas parties but asked not to go into work.
As the booster rollout is expanded, find out when you can book yours here .
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
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