in formula 1 — max verstappen takes the world title, in a nail—biting race that came down to the final lap. and coming up later this hour, ros atkins examines the ethical arguments around vaccine mandates. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. in the past few minutes the uk's covid alert level has been increased. the four chief medical officers have recommended the move from level 3, which means the epidemic is in general circulation, to level 4, which means transmission is high and direct. at 8pm the prime minister will give an update on the booster vaccination programme. we understand no new restrictions will be announced. you can watch it here on bbc news. meanwhile — health officials say the first people in the uk have been hospitalised with the omicron variant of coronavirus, with the uk facing an inevitable large wave of infections. ministers say the uk is in a race to get the covid booster to as many eligible people, as quickly as possible, with bookings opening to everyone aged between 30 and 39. it comes as health leaders warn that nhs staff are currently working at full stretch. here's our health correspondentjim reed. in southampton this morning, plenty of people were out queueing for covid—i9 vaccine number three. ministers and scientists say these boosterjabs of the most important defence against the omicron variant of this winter. i think it's important just to make sure that you are protected as best as you can. my wife is having her one today as well, so just make sure that we are as best protected as we can. from monday, people in their 30s in england will be able to book their booster appointments, three months after that second dose as the roll—out continues down the age groups with the other nations of the uk likely to follow soon. it's really important given what we know now that the omicron variant and how effective the vaccine is particularly after the booster dose, so it's really important measure for protecting themselves, their families and the public at large. government scientists say it's now inevitable. we will see a large wave of infections across the country. the new variant already mix up a third of cases in london. it confirmed today that hospitals are now seeing their first patients with omicron, although it's not yet clear how serious those cases are. we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best and i think i willjob is to highlight that this is a big wave, is coming straight attis. if we see even half the severity that we saw with delta, then we are facing a very large number of hospitalisations and potential deaths. the future of this pandemic, though, is more uncertain than has been for 18 months. in south africa, there are early tentative signs that infections in some parts of the country may be slowing down without a big surge in hospitalisations. in the uk, more rules are changing. from tuesday, those who are fully vaccinated and in contact with someone with covid—i9 should take a lateral flow test at home for seven days rather than having to self—isolate. ministers say extra testing and more boosterjabs like these are the best way to protect the whole country this christmas. just to remind you if you are just joining us, we havejust learned in the last five minutes of the uk's covid alert level has been increased and that mean it stand at level four. this is because of the speed of the new covid variant, the oma cron variant. the prime minister expected to make an address to the country this evening and you will be able to see that here in bbc news of course, that is due at 8pm so you will be able to see that where we think we're going to hear more about the booster program, the booster vaccine program. so that is all coming up and will be able to follow that live here at hpm. the labour leader said it appears borisjohnson has broken the law. he took part in a quiz at a time when social mixing was banned. our political correspondent, helen catt, reports. it's the christmas quiz that downing street said was virtual but is now posing very real questions for the prime minister. pictured here with two aids hosting around on the 15th of december last year. on the video call, number ten staff, some dialling in from home, others apparently gathered in groups elsewhere in the building. at the time, indoor socialising with others was banned in london. so, question one... was he breaking the law? well, it looks as though he was and he must have known those other groups were in other rooms in his own building and, you know, this is very important because he has damaged his authority. he is now so weak, his party is so divided, he can't deliver the leadership that this country needs. he is the worst possible leader at the worst possible time. that's not the answer given by the government. what do we see? we see a prime minister in his office with two of his staff next to him. there is no drinks. my e—mail is full of people thinking that they were parties with guests and all sorts of things happening. actually, they can now make their mind up when they see this picture on a virtual screen on zoom, thanking his team, in the building because they have to respond to a national emergency. then, they can make their mind up. he said it was right that the cabinet secretary was investigating three gatherings, including an alleged party at number ten on december the 18th. downing street said staff already in the building may have attended the quiz virtually from their desks. the photo is the latest in a series of damaging leaks to the frustration of tory mps including the party's leader in scotland. we need clarity. we need to be honest with the public about what happened, _ why it happened and what has been said since because a public- are rightly angry, i'm angry. my family didn't have the christmas we expected last year. _ it looks like there's a possibility that we will have the christmas| we expected this year and the public rightly expect those _ at the top of government l and their advisers to follow the rules that they themselves rose. for number ten, the timing could hardly be worse. more than 60 tories have already said they won't back the government's covid plan b measures in a vote on tuesday. after the emergence of this picture, backbench goodwill could be an even shorter supply. let's speak now to political commentator and former conservative party advisorjo—anne nadler. good evening. good evening. i was chattin: to good evening. good evening. i was chatting to someone _ good evening. good evening. i was chatting to someone who _ good evening. good evening. i was chatting to someone who used - good evening. good evening. i was chatting to someone who used to l good evening. good evening. i was . chatting to someone who used to work with david cameron and in terms of tuesday's voted he thought there was a good chance it that might be pulled because it is obvious it is only going to go through because of support from the opposition. i wonder if you think there is any possibility of that.— possibility of that. given the chan . e possibility of that. given the change in — possibility of that. given the change in the _ possibility of that. given the change in the covid - possibility of that. given the change in the covid state . possibility of that. given the change in the covid state is| possibility of that. given the - change in the covid state is that we have heard about in the last few minutes, that is a possibility because it could be argued that the circumstances behind the boat have changed and therefore measures will need to change. i mean, the question is how will that look to the public and i suspect that the labour party and i suspect that the labour party and the opposition, it seems to me, have been very ineffective over the last couple of years but they have managed to punch through, i think, with this line that the government is in danger of looking as if there is in danger of looking as if there is one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us. so what might appear to be some kind of shenanigans and withdrawing votes, et cetera, could play quite badly. they would have to be a strong case for it, i think. they would have to be a strong case for it, i think-— for it, i think. what would it look like to the _ for it, i think. what would it look like to the public? _ for it, i think. what would it look like to the public? the _ for it, i think. what would it look like to the public? the public- for it, i think. what would it look i like to the public? the public would realise, surely, why it was being pulled? sarah kier starmer is being open and saying we are supporting this for public health reasons, not to support borisjohnson. bath this for public health reasons, not to support boris johnson. both the government _ to support boris johnson. both the government and _ to support boris johnson. both the government and opposition - to support boris johnson. both the government and opposition are - government and opposition are restricted in their freedom government and opposition are restricted in theirfreedom of movement here because i am sure there are many people in the labour benches who would dearly like to give the government a bloody nose over this but because kier starmer has taken us a line throughout that in many places he does not think the government has gone far enough with the restrictions and that is the nature of its opposition he cannot be seen playing politics with this vote and therefore he has to back the but it is rather ironic because, of course, this is the situation that theresa may found a seven prime minister she was being opposed by borisjohnson in that a lot of her suggestions over how to proceed with brexit you only get through with opposition votes. this is not a comfortable position for the government to be in and even more uncomfortable now because if they were to do some kind of pact, even if it werejustified were to do some kind of pact, even if it were justified by changing circumstances, nevertheless it would cause some damage. it circumstances, nevertheless it would cause some damage.— circumstances, nevertheless it would cause some damage. if you were still there advising _ cause some damage. if you were still there advising them, _ cause some damage. if you were still there advising them, which _ cause some damage. if you were still there advising them, which way - cause some damage. if you were still| there advising them, which way would you advise them to go? hold it or not how would it? you you advise them to go? hold it or not how would it?— you advise them to go? hold it or not how would it? you should always do the right — not how would it? you should always do the right thing. _ not how would it? you should always do the right thing. it _ not how would it? you should always do the right thing. it sounds - not how would it? you should always do the right thing. it sounds a - not how would it? you should always do the right thing. it sounds a bit - do the right thing. it sounds a bit straightforward, i know, but essentially, one of the reasons the government has got itself into the mess it has done over the last couple of weeks is that it does not appear to have been straight about the circumstances of these alleged parties and perhaps if they had come forward more quickly and put their hands up and said, well, there may well have been things going on that did not meet the rules, although people will have been perfectly justified to be completely furious about that i think it takes the sting out of it if someone is seen to take responsibility for that. and, unfortunately, what seems to have happen is the impression has been created that the whole government machine has been very inept and involved and of the skating and not facing up to what may have happened and is not prepared to be straightforward and open about it. do prepared to be straightforward and open about it— open about it. do you think that there are people, _ open about it. do you think that there are people, there - open about it. do you think that there are people, there must i open about it. do you think that| there are people, there must be people in number ten who talk about and agonise about the public cut throughout this. it is such an emotional topic and remember the probation is that their families went through last christmas and, from your experience working there, that must get discussed in the corridors of power, doesn't it? when and hence take it start talking about it on national television, don't advise us then, oh, my goodness, this is cutting through now? ~ , , goodness, this is cutting through now? , , ., goodness, this is cutting through now? i, ., now? well, yes, you would hope so and they must _ now? well, yes, you would hope so and they must be _ now? well, yes, you would hope so and they must be thinking - now? well, yes, you would hope so and they must be thinking along - and they must be thinking along those lines because an tanned deck, i can speak to that, but certainly polls are beginning to show movements and of course we have this huge hurdle for the government on thursday which is the by—election and that does remind me very much of the period i spend working with the conservative party. do not work for number ten but we were in government at the time so obviously the two operations were closely aligned. this is back in 1992 when we were beginning to get these very damaging results at by—elections. i was the chief press officer and a lot of the circumstances coming up on thursday remind me of that and that was a huge win for the liberal democrats on what had been an extremely safe conservative seat. of course, you know, circumstances are different but there are some things, some themes emerging that i think remind me of that period and then of course we saw what happened in the years following. there is this gradual drip drip of lack of trust and the government and a sense of incompetence and to my money, i think that is a lot more damaging to the government then any specific claims of hypocrisy or any specific allegations about parties. i think it is that cupboard with a sense that the government does not really have a grip. fix. that the government does not really have a u-ri.�* . that the government does not really have a grip-— have a grip. a final thought about thursda , have a grip. a final thought about thursday. in _ have a grip. a final thought about thursday, in terms _ have a grip. a final thought about thursday, in terms of— have a grip. a final thought about thursday, in terms of boris - have a grip. a final thought about l thursday, in terms of boris johnson thursday, in terms of borisjohnson and his position, does he really need a substantial win in that by—election? need a substantial win in that by-election?_ need a substantial win in that by-election? welcomer i think exoectations_ by-election? welcomer i think expectations would _ by-election? welcomer i think expectations would have - by-election? welcomer i think expectations would have been| by-election? welcomer i think- expectations would have been managed now and the liberal democrats would probably be best advised not to overstate their capacity to win this because even if the government now wins this by—election by a relatively small margin it will be seen as being a vindication of the government and borisjohnson so i don't think it needs to be huge win but i do think anything other than a win is dangerous and damaging but it is not necessarily a critical blow. thank you for your time. the foreign secretary, liz truss, has warned russia will face "massive consequences" and a "severe cost" if it were to invade ukraine. speaking at the g7 ministerial meeting in liverpool, ms truss said the uk, the united states and other allies are considering "all options" if russia were to launch an incursion across the border, amid rising tensions in the region. the g7 summit in liverpool is into its second day — with iran the main issue on the agenda. negotiators are trying to revive the international agreement signed in 2015, which lifted sanctions on iran, in return for limits on tehran's nuclear ambitions. the foreign secretary, liz truss, who's chairing the g7 meeting, had this warning for iran. this is the last chance for iran to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution to this issue, which has to be agreeing the terms of the jcpoa. this is the last chance. and it is vital that they do so. we will not allow iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and it is vital that they come to the table and are serious about the negotiations. the headlines on bbc news: the uk covid alert level has been increased to level 4, meaning there's widespread pressure on health services — because of the rapid increase in omicron cases. the prime minister will make a televised address to the nation later this evening days before an expected backbench rebellion — prime minister, borisjohnson faces fresh questions about christmas gatherings at downing street a year ago — after a photo emerges of him taking part in a quiz. emergency teams in six us states are continuing to search for survivors following one of the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. at least 80 people died in kentucky, including dozens in a candle factory, and the death toll is expected to rise above 100. the state's governor said it would be a miracle if anyone else was found alive. there've been reports of deaths too in arkansas, missouri, tennessee and illinois, where six amazon workers have been confirmed dead, after the roof of their warehouse collapsed. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal reports. the scale of the disruption has been extraordinary. in the dead of night, dark funnel clouds roared across six states in four hours at huge speeds. they tore through a path of more than 200 miles in kentucky, hitting the small town of mayfield hard. workers on christmas shifts at this candle factory were buried by several tornadoes that came hurtling in the dark. it's thought up to 110 people were inside. a0 have made it out. this has been the most devastating tornado event in our state's history, and for those that have seen it, what it has done here, and in grace county and elsewhere, it's indescribable. a state of emergency has been declared in kentucky, as a huge rescue operation gets under way. but authorities are facing huge challenges. the police station in mayfield has been destroyed and firefighters have lost equipment. there is no power. nearly 200 troops from the national guard are helping and more than half of the population of this town are without electricity and water on one of the coldest months of the year. this used to be a petrol station, and the only reason we know that is because of a solitary petrol pump that is still standing in the middle of the forecourt. all the others have blown over. and the kiosk, where you go in to pay for your petrol, has completely disappeared. it's lost underneath all this rubble here. in the southern state of arkansas, a nursing home was badly damaged, killing at least one person, injuring several and trapping more than a dozen others inside. in the midwestern state of illinois, an amazon warehouse with up to 100 people inside was ripped apart after the roof partially collapsed. at least six people are dead. president biden has called it an unimaginable tragedy. we still don't know how many lives are lost or the full extent of the damage. but i want to emphasise what i told all the governors, the federal government will do everything it possibly can do to help. forecasters say the storm has now weakened, but americans are being urged to get ready for more severe weather as the storms continue to sweep across the country. nomia iqbal, bbc news, kentucky. afghanistan is responsible for the vast majority of the world's heroin supply — and now it's also emerged as a major manufacturer of crystal meth. as the country faces economic collapse since the taliban's rise to power, the drug trade there is booming. our afghanistan correspondent, secunder kermani has this report. they are one of afghanistan's most lucrative exports. but these drugs are destroying lives here and abroad. first heroin, and increasingly now, crystal meth. this, an exclusive look at where the meth is coming from. these drugs in southern afghanistan will be smuggled to countries as far away as australia. the amount in this room alone would sell there for around £2 million. this is how it is made. makeshift open—air labs in the desert under the noses of the taliban. these tracks are full of a key ingredient. traffickers here have discovered a common wild plant can be used to produce meth cheaply. last week the taliban banned farmers from picking it but they are not shutting down the meth labs. this man has links to the trade. when the taliban announced their ban on this plant, they tell me, the wholesale price of meth doubled and there are still warehouses full of it. it is another dangerous drug, heroin, from opium poppies like these most commonly associated with afghanistan. before the taliban takeover, opium trade is paid of corrupt officials and so would the black paced secretly. now, they have been allowed to open up stalls and markets. we are driving through a bazaar where opium is being sold openly. much of it is then going to be processed into heroin. the taliban are not stopping drug production — in fact, they've been taxing it for years. they don't want journalists to see it being traded. that is why we are filming from inside the car. you call yourselves an islamic government but you are allowing drug production. isn't that hypocritical? translation: under the islamic emirate, before 2001, the growing and selling of opium dropped to zero. right now we're to find alternatives. we cannot take this away from people without offering them something else. eradicating this is good for us in the international community, so the world should help too. foryears, poorfarmers have relied on opium to provide for their families. now, as afghanistan's economy collapses without international support, and water levels continue to drop, many see it has the safest crop to grow. opium destroys a lot of people's lives. the taliban regularly haul these addicts off to rehab centres. but many end up straight back here. for now, more drugs look set to hit the streets, both in afghanistan and across the world. secunder kermani, bbc news, afghanistan. space — it's the final frontier. but now, it's also a family business. yesterday, the daughter of the first american astronaut followed in her fathers footsteps — blasting off to the edge of space 60 years after he made history. laura shepard churchley took off on board a commercial aircraft — named after her dad — alan shepard. mark lobel reports. three, two, one. from rural texas to the edge of space. laura shepard—churchley following in her father's footsteps 60 years after his pioneering flight is the first american to make the journey. in a spacecraft named after him. mission control has confirmed new shepard has cleared the tower and is on its way to space. it was a once—in—a—lifetime ride on board this fully autonomous six—storey tall commercial flight reaching an altitude of over 100 kilometres during a thrilling 10—minute trip. long enough to experience zero gravity, though. whoa! never seen anything like this. this tops an unforgettable year for human space flight, with private space companies aplenty, including space x and virgin galactic. blue origin launched its first crewed space flight injuly, carrying its founder, amazon's jeff bezos. captain kirk himself! star trek�*s william shatner, the oldest person to make it into space, followed in october. this third flight is blue origin's first full capacity one with six people on board which descended safely back to earth. the 74—year—old's verdict? awesome! awesome, she says. and following in her father's footsteps? i thought about daddy coming down, and gosh, he didn't even get to enjoy anything i enjoyed. he was working. he was all business. right, he had to do it himself. i went on for the ride. have you seen how small his capsule was? he wasn't doing somersaults, he didn't have your windows. the only way he knew he was weightless was his straps were flying. right, because he was strapped in. underlining just how remarkably space travel has changed since 1961. how it will evolve in 2022 and beyond for the next generation, well, that's anyone's guess. mark lobel, bbc news. one of hong kong's most popular mass sporting events — the annual swim across victoria harbour — has gone ahead. it was suspended for two years in succession because of pro—democracy protests and then a pandemic lockdown. because of covid, entry numbers were restricted to about half of the usual three thousand competitors — all of whom were fully vaccinated. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. hello. mild air has been pushing its way northwards across the uk through sunday. it's following on behind a weather front — this band of cloud you see here on the satellite picture. that is tied in with an area of low pressure that will get very close to the north—west of the uk overnight tonight. so a very mild evening, increasingly breezy, very windy overnight for the western and norrthern isles of scotland — stormy conditions with widespread gales here. further showers for western scotland, clearer skies to the south of that. then underneath the weather front, a lot of cloud, obviously, and some rain for wales and the south—west, but very mild, temperatures in double figures here. overnight lows further north — seven, eight degrees. a frost—free start to the new week. through monday, quite cloudy across southern england and wales. some rain through the day possible for wales, the midlands, perhaps lincolnshire. the best of any sunshine for scotland, northern ireland and northern england. a little cooler here than it will be on sunday. temperatures return to average values. still looking pretty mild further south. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the uk covid alert level has been increased to level 4, meaning there's widespread pressure on health services because of the rapid increase in omicron cases. the prime minister will make a televised address later this evening, focusing on the booster programme. meanwhile, days before an expected backbench rebellion, boris johnson faces fresh questions about christmas gatherings at downing street a year ago, after a photo emerges of him taking part in a quiz. emergency teams search for survivors in six us states after more than 90 people die in the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. in sport — a new champion in formula 1. max verstappen takes the world title in a nail—biting race that came down to the final lap. more now on the uk's covid alert level being increased from level 3 to level 4 — in response to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the virus. it comes as health officials say hospitals are now treating their first patients infected with the new omicron variant of coronavirus, amid predictions of a large wave of cases. well, before the news broke that we are going to alert level 4, i spoke to alex dean, a conservative commentator and former chief of staff to david cameron. he told us that there may be a reluctance for the government to hold the vote which is due on tuesday about further covid restrictions. just purely on the numbers that we're looking at now, it means that if he wants to pass his bill, he'll have to depend on the labour party to get it through the house of commons. there's never a good situation a prime minister to be in and there is i think a growing school of thought now among tories in the parliamentary party, both front bench and back bench, both supportive of the government and hostile, who say, let us be pragmatic here and pull this vote because there is no way the government is going to come out of it well. if you lose, you look terrible and if you win, you will have done it depending on keir starmer. the pm can't win. you think they want to pull the vote on tuesday? i think there is a significant chance that the government will not table the vote. if you look at the situation now, where on the one hand, you get it through the house of commons but you only do it with labour supporting you, that harms the prime minister. on the other hand, if you run for it and you don't get labour party support, and you lose, it also hurts the government. the pragmatic way is to put your head down, get through christmas, hope the criticism dies down and start 2022 in a slightly more positive state of mind. what does that say about public health messaging? what does that do to public health messaging because labour have said they will support it on public health grounds. it would go through. i think there two things that mean that that's potentially a plausible path, jane. first, it looks like the vaccines are working, boosters are working and if you've been asked to have your booster, go and have one. it looks like the scheme that we have taken up as a country is working. the second one is the positive news that we have been hearing from south africa, which indicates that omicron, whilst of course it needs to be taken seriously, is not hospitalising people are killing people in the kind of numbers that would mean that we would have to have terrible alarm bells sounding. early days but it does indicate that the public health situation is under control and the solution that we have been aiming at, the plan a, which is a lot of vaccinations, is working. but on the day that ministers should have been out reminding and talking about that message, the importance of the boosters and everything we know about in scientific terms, everyone was focusing on the prime minister's adviser who had resigned and why she had resigned and all of the messaging got lost. what does that say about boris johnson's authority as well? jane, i don't think anyone can maintain that the situation has been handled well. the government has basically conceded that. the apology the prime minister offered was right and it was right that he made that apology. i would also say this, i think that you belie the real cause when you watch the interview that you had with keir starmer which was very revealing, in the end, theyjust hate the pm and they are out to get him and they will go with whatever tools that are offered to them to do it. the prime minister had a zoom quiz, come on. i am not sympathetic when people say it was ok for number ten to have parties or whatever. like many people, members of my family had a horrible time last christmas and i look at that situation with real criticism but when you say you had a zoom quiz, how dare you, how outrageous! i think when they said a party, most of us were imagining raucous celebrations. a rather miserable affair, in which the prime minister looks at a camera socially distant from people, and result questions, labour has overcooked it on this one. i'm all open for an inquiry as to what happened with social occasions. but they are not going to rain on this one, are they? but there are still questions about december 18th, aren't there? what would you say if you were advising borisjohnson in the way you used to david cameron when you've got a situation where ant and dec are talking about the state of politics? that's right, and you put your finger on the issue. once it becomes mainstream and something someone on a show that it is as apolitical as that can make reference to and they know they can make it because people are going to get it, that's a bad sign. people on both sides of the aisle like to write off scandals and challenges saying it'sjust a westminster bubble story, this is not one of those and it's serious for the reasons you have suggested. that's why i think the prime minister did the right thing and announced that we have an inquiry led by the cabinet secretary, who is a serious and neutral figure in the situation. they have got to hurry up and hand down the results. the trouble is, i think it's very difficult for him to give any result that is going to be taken seriously this side of christmas. there's almost no time and if he's going to look into social occasions and talk to multiple sources, witnesses, then it's very difficult to see him bringing it down this side of christmas. like the old joke, i wouldn't start from here but if you are going to respond to the situation, i would have instigated a cabinet secretary led investigation way sooner than the one that we got. what about thursday's by—election? how much is resting on that? what's your sense of how that's going to go? quite a lot. it was a very significant majority. held by owen paterson in north shropshire. it was a seat that speaks as an example to lots of people, who have been used to having what would be regarded as safe seats and if it were either to heaven forbid for the tory party go liberal democrats or go anywhere near it, that's when you will really hear the alarm bells. i actually think the government is going to be ok on the day but people will not want it to be anything like as close as it's looking like it's going to be. i think it's a bit like the situation that you are talking about with ant and dec. it's another warning sign and if you have these things together, the government is going to want to turn the corner, have christmas, have some breathing space and get into 2022 hoping like hell to put 2021 behind them. conservative commentator alex dean. omicron was first reported in south africa. i've been speaking to professor shabir madhi, professor of vaccinology at vits university injohannesburg. he explained what we know about the variant so far and the latest situation in the country. i don't suspect that omicron will be any more severe —— any less via your lips than previous variants. i think what's really driving the acceleration of the clinical course of illness in south africa is the vast amount of population immunity that has arisen, and not primarily from vaccines in the south african context. in the south african context, it's mainly because people have been infected by the virus during the course of first three waves. we completed a survey two weeks ago where we showed in the example of people over 50 that are unvaccinated, 75% of them are zero positive, meaning they have got some sort of underlying immunity. and of people that have been vaccinated, that figure goes up to 93%. so overall in people above the age of 50, who are most likely to die of covid—19, of 50, who are most likely to die of covid-19, 80% of 50, who are most likely to die of covid—19, 80% of them have got antibodies. now we know that the omicron variant is antibody evasive but what we also know is that natural infection as well as vaccines introduces another arm of the immune system known as t cell immunity which we believe to be the main driver against severe disease so despite a huge number of cases, the rates of vaccination and infected individuals as well as reinfection is of people that have previous been infected with other variants, that is not materialising in a large number of severe cases and deaths and i believe the reason for that is because of the underpinning extensive t cell immunity that exists in the population. 50 immunity that exists in the population-— immunity that exists in the population. immunity that exists in the --oulation. ., , ., population. so explain for us what the ublic population. so explain for us what the public health _ population. so explain for us what the public health messaging - population. so explain for us what the public health messaging is - population. so explain for us what l the public health messaging is then in south africa around this new variant? where is the emphasis come on vaccination, on social distancing and other measures that we are talking a lot about here in the uk right now in terms of making it mandatory to wear a mask in many more places? what is the public health messaging in south africa? sr this time around, the government decided not to go to higher levels of restriction, what we refer to as level one restrictions which is the bare minimum number of restrictions, allowing indoor gatherings up to 750 people as an example as well as outdoor gatherings, we don't have a large soccer games, as an example. so there are restrictions but fairly nominal compared to what existed at the time of the delta variant when there was a similar kind of case rate. government has taken a much more measured approach and it appears to be ratherfocusing on hospitalisation as a metric to look at to determine whether or not we should go to higher levels of restrictions and with the modelling that we have available to us, we can with some degree of certainty predict when hospitals might come under pressure so certainly, yes, we are trying to increase the coverage of vaccines. we don't have the luxury of being able to offer indiscriminate booster doses of vaccines to everyone to help prevent infections. the focus is prevention of severe disease so we are trying to use the vaccines that are available and we will see that in the next few weeks, to continue targeting the high—risk individuals that are most susceptible to being hospitalised and dying of covid—19. that is really interesting. to what extent is their public debate or concern about the overall impact on the health service should you suddenly have a rash of people who need intensive hospital treatment which, as we know, then takes facilities away from other people who need regular treatment in the normal way for lots of other diseases in life?— normal way for lots of other diseases in life? , ,., ., diseases in life? yes, so right now, the hosoitais _ diseases in life? yes, so right now, the hospitals are _ diseases in life? yes, so right now, the hospitals are really _ diseases in life? yes, so right now, the hospitals are really not - diseases in life? yes, so right now, the hospitals are really not under. the hospitals are really not under pressure and there is not any indication that hospitals are likely to come under pressure. the cases we have appeared to have almost peaked in this particular wave, the number of documented cases over the next couple of weeks, we can be a bit more conclusive about it. the biggest challenge in hospitals right now is because of the large number of rate of infections, many health care workers, even those that have been previously infected as well as those that have been vaccinated obviously are actually getting infections and subsequently, they need to go into isolation and that is creating more pressure on health care facilities than the number of people that are coming in for covid—19. much more on all of that to come in the main bbc one bulletin which is coming up in the next few minutes. before the latest news, let's hear a little bit about covid vaccinations. ros atkins examines the ethical arguments around making covid vaccines mandatory. this week, borisjohnson turned to the issue of compulsory covid vaccinations. i don't believe we can keep going indefinitely with nonpharmaceutical interventions. i mean, restrictions on people's way of life, and i think we're going to need to have a national conversation about the way forward. the prime minister wants this national conversation, because he knows this pandemic isn't over. covid daily infection rates in europe are going up. infection rates in the us are also going up. when we look at deaths and hospitalisations, there's a pattern. we're seeing still a pandemic of the unvaccinated here with more than 1,000 deaths a day in the us almost entirely of unvaccinated individuals. that's the us. it's the same in germany. it's very difficult to get staff motivated to treat patients now in this fourth wave. we are still seeing so many patients that are not vaccinated. this is the point we've reached with vaccination. the percentage of the overall population fully vaccinated in these richer nations is between 60% and 70%. compare that with africa where fewer than 8% of people are double jabbed. these vaccination rates are a problem three times over. first, even in the richest countries, healthcare systems are still exposed. listen to angela merkel as she stepped down as germany's chancellor. translation: in some parts of the country, i you can only describe it as dramatic. overfilled intensive care units, severely ill people who have to be flown across germany to get the care they need. the second issue is that if the developing world is undervaccinated, covid has a better chance of mutating. every person who's not immune to this virus is essentially a viral factory, and a viral factory is a variant factory. so we just have to get the world immunised. the third factor is the new variant, omicron. certain features of omicron, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic. and when faced with this, there's a further problem because governments have been asking people to get vaccinated for months, and it's not been enough. austria's former chancellor admits as much. and we have done ten months of campaigning, of trying to persuade people, but still, we have a certain share, nearly one—third of the population which is hesitant. the question now is what to do about that, and in austria's case, it's decided to make covid jabs mandatory from february. it's a big move. it's the first european country to do so. and here is thejustification. we want to break out of this vicious cycle of virus waves and discussions about lockdowns, and the only way, the only exit ticket we have is the vaccine. and if that's austria, the european union is also explicit about its thinking. it is understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now, how we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the european union, this needs discussion. now, individual eu countries will make their own decisions on this. austria already has. in neighbouring germany, the new chancellor, olaf scholz, has signalled he wants to make vaccines mandatory. and already in germany, you can only go into restaurants, cinemas, leisure facilities and many shops if you've had the jab or are recently recovered. or there's italy, which now requires proof of vaccination in a range of places, including public transport. then there's new york city, which has vaccine requirements for children as young as five, and for workers in the public and private sectors. and this is the justification from the city's mayor. we cannot have shutdowns here in new york city. we've gotta keep moving forward. and the answer, as always, is to use the things that work — vaccination works and vaccine mandates work. but if they work, as the mayor says, why do some people oppose vaccine mandates? well, first of all, there's the debate around individual liberty. we are a free country. i think everybody is, you know, entitled to their own opinion. if we are going to be mandated to have the vaccine, i think ourfreedom is being suppressed. but this connection between mandates and a loss of freedom is rejected by some. stig abell, a presenter on times radio, argues: we've heard similar arguments from presidentjoe biden as he's made the case for vaccine mandates. it is not about freedom or personal choice. it's about protecting yourself and those around you. but not everyone is buying this. biden's push for a nationwide vaccine mandate for private business is being challenged in the courts and republicans are among the most vocal critics. this is the governor of alabama tweeting: overreach of government. suppression of freedom. these are two criticisms here in the uk. health secretary sajid javid has other concerns as well. i think it's unethical and also i think that, at a practical level, having some kind of universal mandate for vaccination doesn't work. there's another issue as well — that forcing people to do something may deepen their resolve not to do it. this is the academic steven reicher. we're seeing resistance to stricter covid rules. these are protesters in austria earlier this month. there have also been protests in germany, the netherlands and several other countries, too. and this isn'tjust about a mistrust of government. it's also about a mistrust in health care, something that could be exacerbated by vaccine mandates. there are potential downsides of course in terms of decreasing trust in the medical system, decreasing trust in doctors in general, which could have negative consequences in the future. eroding trust in doctors is a possible risk if vaccines are mandated, and another argument against doing this is that covid isn't the only cause of pressure on healthcare systems. in an article in the guardian newspaper, professorjulian savulescu is quoted saying: though some would say covid vaccines are being used precisely to avoid healthcare collapse. and while we consider all of these arguments, it's worth remembering compulsory vaccines didn't arrive with this pandemic. back in the 19th century, vaccine mandates were used widely in europe to tackle smallpox. right now, many healthcare workers are told they have to get the flu vaccine. vaccine mandates have saved many lives, and the greek prime minister hopes this approach can work for covid. he is announcing compulsory vaccines for the over 60s. translation: i have no doubt that this political decision - will save human lives because vaccination becomes more than just compulsory. it saves lives. it's necessary for health. it's necessary for the whole society. there is a scientific consensus that higher covid vaccination rates are desirable, but there's no consensus about whether to compel people to get vaccinated is a good idea, and the world health organization in europe has this warning. translation: mandates around vaccination are an absolute last i resort and only applicable when all other feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted. evidently, some countries believe they've reached that point and the polling suggests the public in some western countries may be on side. take germany. a survey published by the news weekly der spiegel last month found 72% of germans in favour of compulsory vaccines, 20% were against. but even if governments mandate vaccines, even if the public is persuaded, even if the court battles are overcome, this can only be part of the equation for the us and europe, because, once again, we need to play that famous phrase from dr tedros. none of us are safe until all of us are safe. and this is where the issue gets even more complicated because those in the west criticising people who won't get the jab are also benefiting from governments who've prioritised them getting three jabs over some in the world getting any. so, yes, the number of unvaccinated people is a majorfactor in the threat this pandemic poses, but mandating vaccines alone won't address that. there will need to be a fairer distribution of vaccines too. hello. through sunday we experienced some very mild air working its way northwards across the uk behind this line of cloud. we see on the satellite picture, this is a weather front and there is another front waiting to come in from the atlantic. linking the two, a centre of low pressure. that will push through the north west of the uk into the small hours of monday. a very windy evening and night to come for the western isles and the northern isles of scotland. some further showers feeding in on that wind generally to the north west of the mainland. this front trails away further south down into england and wales, a very mild night to the south of the front, though, temperatures 10—11, as our overnight lows. monday daytime, we will see the front bringing further rain into wales for a time, parts of the midlands, perhaps up into lincolnshire. to the south of the front, maybe a little bit of brightness, certainly again a mild 12 or 13 degrees. to the north of the front, temperatures return closer to average values, but actually only briefly because monday into tuesday, we start to bring our next frontal system into play, and that will actually pull milder air into the north of the uk for tuesday. quite breezy for northern ireland and scotland, quite a lot of cloud at times, some rain for the far north of scotland but actually, possibly our warmest spots in the uk to the far north of the scotland on tuesday, temperatures 11 or maybe even 12 degrees here. it is a shade cooler further south across england and wales on tuesday. for wednesday, our weather story focuses further south, really, with this area of high pressure increasingly coming into play. yes, there is still a weather front around for the north but it is diving into that area of high pressure, so that is going to really take the juice out of it, if you like. there will be some rain initially for scotland and northern ireland but mostlyjust cloud by the time that front sinks into northern england later in the day. our temperatures are still a shade above average in many areas through wednesday, highs of 11 or 12 degrees. and then, through the latter part of the week, we are really going to start to see this area of high pressure taking hold and it looks like it's going to get well established and stick around even into next weekend. initially, pretty mild air being pulled up around the western side of the high, but it looks like come next weekend the high could shift further eastwards and drag in some colder airfrom the north. certainly it looks like there will be quite a lot of cloud though, mist and fog stuck under that high through thursday and friday. so quite grey and gloomy to end the week. rapidly of the new omicron variant. the government says those eligible must get their booster jabs amid fears the nhs is coming under intense pressure. this is a big wave, it is coming straight at us. if we see even half the severity we saw with delta then we are facing a very large number of hospitalisations and potential deaths. the prime minister will be giving an update on the booster programme this evening. also tonight... after a picture emerges of borisjohnson taking part in a quiz at downing street last christmas, labour says he may have broken covid rules. and in a thrilling end to the f1 season, max verstappen snatches victory from lewis hamilton to take the championship, but mercedes challenge the result. good evening. the uk's covid alert level has been increased from level 3 to level 4 at the recommendation of all four home nations' chief medical officers. it follows the rapid spread of the new omicron variant of coronavirus, and is a warning that the nhs is coming under intense pressure. hospitals are already now treating their first patients infected with the omicron variant, amid predictions of a large wave of cases. ministers say the uk is in a race to get covid boosterjabs into as many eligible people as quickly as possible. here's our health correspondent, jim reed. as the covid alert level is raised across the uk, the message from the government is for more people to queue up for their boosterjabs. scientists say these and third doses are the single most important defence against omicron this winter. it is important to make sure you are protected as best as you can. my wife is having hers done today. make sure we are protected as best as we can. ., sure we are protected as best as we can, ., ., ., ., sure we are protected as best as we can. ., ., ., ., , .,, can. from tomorrow, people in their 30s in england _ can. from tomorrow, people in their 30s in england and _ can. from tomorrow, people in their 30s in england and scotland - can. from tomorrow, people in their 30s in england and scotland will - can. from tomorrow, people in their 30s in england and scotland will be l 30s in england and scotland will be able to book their booster appointments as the roll—out continues down the age groups. other parts of the uk are likely to follow within days. it parts of the uk are likely to follow within days-_ within days. it is really important, riven within days. it is really important, given what — within days. it is really important, given what we _ within days. it is really important, given what we are _ within days. it is really important, given what we are hearing - within days. it is really important, given what we are hearing and - within days. it is really important, i given what we are hearing and what we know now about the omicron variant and how effective the vaccine is, particularly after the booster dose, so it is an important measure for protecting themselves, their family, measure for protecting themselves, theirfamily, friends measure for protecting themselves, their family, friends and the measure for protecting themselves, theirfamily, friends and the public at large. their family, friends and the public at larae. _, their family, friends and the public atlarae. ,. , ,., at large. government scientists are increasingly — at large. government scientists are increasingly concerned _ at large. government scientists are increasingly concerned about - at large. government scientists are increasingly concerned about the i increasingly concerned about the speed the omicron variant can transmit and spread as it takes over from the older delta variant. brute from the older delta variant. we have to from the older delta variant. - have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best and i think our job is to highlight that this is a big wave, it is coming straight at us. if we see even half the severity we saw with delta, we are facing a very large number of hospitalisations and potential debts. , ., ., , hospitalisations and potential debts. , . ., , ., hospitalisations and potential debts. , .. , ., ., , debts. this data is from covid test taken last wednesday. _ debts. this data is from covid test taken last wednesday. in - debts. this data is from covid test| taken last wednesday. in yorkshire and humber it is thought 4% were caused by the new variant. in the east of england it was 13%. in london it is thought omicron already made up at least a third of all new infections, 3000 positive tests a day and rising. government scientists say it is inevitable these figures will rise across the country. it was confirmed today that hospitals have now seen their first patients with the omicron variant, although it is not yet clear how serious those cases are. this evening the covid alert level for the uk was increased to its second—highest level with a warning that the pressure on the nhs is likely to rise soon.— that the pressure on the nhs is likely to rise soon. yes, the nhs is already bevond _ likely to rise soon. yes, the nhs is already beyond full _ likely to rise soon. yes, the nhs is already beyond full stretch - likely to rise soon. yes, the nhs is already beyond full stretch and - likely to rise soon. yes, the nhs is| already beyond full stretch and that is before we have got to deal with the consequences of omicron. yes, it is concerning, but everybody on the nhs front line is doing absolutely the best they can as you would expect. the best they can as you would exect. ., , . expect. the future of this pandemic, thourh, is expect. the future of this pandemic, though. is more _ expect. the future of this pandemic, though, is more uncertain _ expect. the future of this pandemic, though, is more uncertain than - expect. the future of this pandemic, though, is more uncertain than it - though, is more uncertain than it has been for 18 months. in south africa where omicron was first detected, there are early, tentative signs that infections in some parts of the country may be slowing down without a surge in hospitalisations. in the uk more rules are changing. from tuesday those who are fully vaccinated in england and are a contact of someone with covid can take a daily lateral flow test, rather than having to self isolate at home. ministers say extra testing and more boosterjabs like this are the best way to protect the whole country this christmas. we will get more from jim reed in a few moments. we will get more from jim reed in a few moments. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk, show there were 48,851; new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, bringing the average to 51,197 new cases reported each day in the past 7 days. 52 deaths were recorded of people who died within 28 days of a positive test. the average number of people who died each day in the past seven days, was 119. on vaccinations, just over 23 million people have received their third or boosterjab. the prime minister will make an address to the country at eight o'clock this evening to provide an update to the covid vaccine booster programme. we understand there will not be any new restrictions imposed. it comes as that covid alert level has changed.

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