blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the pandemic. rather than ending it. by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage. in other news, the un security council votes to allow aid to afghanistan finding a way round sanctions against the taliban. and we report from kyrgyzstan where environmentalists are trying to save reindeer from the brink of extinction. daily covid cases in the uk have topped 100,000 for the first time since mass testing began. 106 thousand, 122 daily cases have been recorded, passing the previous record of 93 thousand on the 17th of december. these numbers are driven by the rapid spread of the 0micron variant. here s our political