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
the equivalent of 1.74 million. in london, the ratio is much higher 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 health security agency, drjenny harries, called it a glimmer of christmas hope . european countries also reported record numbers of cases on friday 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
hello and welcome to bbc news. the uk has again recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began with more than 120,000 new infections. european countries have also reported record numbers of cases with italy, greece and spain introducing mandatory face coverings outdoors. 0fficial findings that 0micron may be less likely to result in serious illness than delta offer a glimmer of christmas hope , according to the head of britain s health security agency, but there are warnings that much is still unknown about 0micron. 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 0micron or delta variants. the data comes from the office for national statistics, which tests people from tens of thousands of households, picking up those who don t have symptoms. its latest survey points to a faster spread around the uk.
there s a glimmer of christmas hope on omicron, according to the head of the uk health security agency. in england, some vaccination centres will stay open throughout christmas, with a warning that the variant remains a very serious threat. it s onlyjust now that the cases are starting to tip into the older population, particularly the 60 and 70 plus year olds, and there are a number of different reasons why we need to continue to look at this data further. also this lunchtime. buckingham palace has released a photograph of the queen giving her christmas broadcast, which is expected to be particularly personal following the death of prince philip. and the most powerful telescope to ever be launched into space is due to blast off on christmas day.
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