the uk government is relaxing immigration rules so that social care workers from abroad can help to alleviate staff shortages in britain. the temporary measures are expected to take effect in the new year and will be in place for at least 12 months. care providers are experiencing high vacancy rates and turnover, and pressure on staffing is being made worse by the recent spread of 0micron. the omicron variant is spreading fast in parts of europe. as we heard a little earlier, on thursday, france reported a new record high in the number of daily infections. and in spain, where the wearing of facemasks outdoors is compulsory again, the 73,000 cases recorded on thursday represented the third consecutive high in as many days. so a curfew will be in force from tonight in catalonia in northeastern spain, where residents are banned from leaving their homes between one o clock and six in the morning. dr quique bassat is a research professor at the barcelona institute for global health, with mo
one in 20 people were likely to have tested positive for covid. but despite soaring cases, early findings suggest that the 0micron variant is milder than delta, and leads to less hospitalisation the head of the uk health security agency drjenny harries called it a glimmer of christmas hope . european countries are also reporting record numbers of cases today 94,000 in france, and more than 50,000 in italy, which hasjoined greece and spain in introducing mandatory face coverings outdoors. elsewhere, thailand has reported its first 0micron cluster 21 infections, an outbreak traced to a belgium couple who had travelled to the country earlier in the month. here s our health editor hugh pym. london is the epicentre of the surge, and new figures suggest that one in 20 people in the city now have the virus, either the omicron
a toll in the cases that end up being severe. we do recognise that the vaccine is protecting against severe disease, but because of the enormous amount of new infection that we are seeing, there is a small proportion of those infections that do require hospitalisation. so it is important that the population understands that even though we are safer with the vaccines, we are not completely safe and we are not completely protected against hospitalisation. that was an update on the situation in spain. coronavirus has thwarted many christmas plans this year, and it s continuing to wreack havoc on international travel. more than 2,000 flights around the world have been cancelled today due to staff shortages. 0n the first christmas in two years that australians could travel
one in 20 people were likely to have tested positive for covid. but, despite soaring cases, early findings suggest that the 0micron variant is milder than delta and leads to less hospitalisation. the head of the uk health security agency, drjenny harries, called it a glimmer of christmas hope . european countries are also reporting record numbers of cases today 94,000 in france, and more than 50,000 in italy, which hasjoined greece and spain in introducing mandatory face coverings outdoors. elsewhere, thailand has reported its first 0micron cluster 21 infections, an outbreak traced to a belgium couple who had travelled to the country earlier in the month. here s our health editor hugh pym. london is the epicentre of the surge, and new figures suggest that one in 20 people in the city now have the virus, either the omicron or delta variants. the data comes from the office for national statistics, which tests people from tens
moment, particularly age between 20 29. it has not yet worked its way through to such large numbers in older people. we had at the encouraging data yesterday that people are between 50 70% to become hospitalised compared to delta. yes, a glimmer of glamour hope. are less likely to become hospitalised. so they want to see how 0micron affects older people? so they want to see how omicron affects older people? so they want to see how omicron affects older people? today a lot of data was released, affects older people? today a lot of data was released, we affects older people? today a lot of data was released, we are - affects older people? today a lot of| data was released, we are expecting more in the coming days. a lot of attention will pay today to see how it affects different generations and different ages. in spain, the wearing of facemasks outdoors has become compulsory once again, as the country tries to tackle the spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus. a curfew will