reporter: laura, we re still waiting for details of the rollout plan. as you said, israel led the world in rolling out a third booster shot in july or august, and now it wants to repeat the same trick with a fourth dose of the covid vaccine. nis initially it will be available for folks over 60 and medical workers. as we ve seen in the past, it will be rolled out to other age groups and the population at large. it is introducing it to try to slow the spread of the omicron variant and its fifth covid wave. it knows it can t stop it but wants to slow it down adding u.s. and other countries to red line no-fly list. they are extending the green pass to prove that you ve been vaccinated or recovered in order to gain access to certain shops and certain venues. it s also reducing the time gap between the third excuse me, the second and third booster
when new variants arrive? we have got to have a plan to live with this virus like normal for ever. when is he going to set that plan out? for now, though, mrjohnson is watching and waiting to see the full effects of this latest covid wave. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. well, the latest figures do suggest a steep rise in infections across the uk. in the north west of england, infection rates have doubled in a week and are running ati person in every 15 contracting covid. that s about 8% of the population. our correspondent, dominic hughes, has been finding out how local health authorities are coping. across the north west of england, the omicron variant is building. infections are spreading. and while it might be a relatively milder form of the virus, the numbers involved mean hospitals are feeling the pressure. the rise in cases of omicron is absolutely enormous. it s rising very,
this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a force of nature wildfires rip through parts of colorado, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands to flee. we know that there are structures, both homes and businesses, that have been burned and lost. diplomacy or deterrence president biden s phone call to president putin laying out the us position over ukraine. south africa says it has passed the peak of the omicron driven covid wave. and, last minute checks and tests as the countdown to new year celebrations begins.
the impact of the frequently changing rules prompted anger from the industry. what we don t understand is why the uk, which has been - so successful with vaccines, - is expecting its vaccinated citizens travelling to portugal, - coming back, to quarantine. they ve already been vaccinated. i so, they re making it up as they goi along and it is more mismanagement of the covid recovery- from the johnson government and sadly, it s unnecessary- disruption and stress for thousands, hundreds of thousands, of british families. - as the year went on and despite the challenges, confidence began to return. bookings jumped as airlines and passengers learned to navigate the restrictions. for many, it was their first holiday since the pandemic began. and for the travel industry, their first steps on the long road to recovery. laura is from the travel
the headlines: ghislaine maxwell faces a long prison sentence after being found of grooming and trafficking teenage girls for abuse. guilty of five counts of grooming and trafficking teenage girls for abuse. maxwell procured the girls for the financier and convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. she faces the rest of her life behind bars. lawyers for some of the women abused by epstein have welcomed the conviction. south africa has lifted a night curfew on movement with immediate effect, as the government says the country has passed the peak of its latest covid wave driven by the 0micron variant. elsewhere, the us and europe continue to experience record levels of new infections. presidents biden and putin are holding another phone call as the us tries to build a common response with europe to russia s massing of troops on the ukrainian border. now on bbc news, review