the little town of bethlehem marks christmas eve in a year where tourism has been blighted by covid. and in herfirst christmas broadcast since the death of prince philip, hello and welcome. 1.74 million people in the uk had coronavirus on december 19, according to survey by the office for national statistics that s up by more than 400,000 people on the figure three days earlier. this equates to 1 in 35 people, or 2.7% of the population of the united kingdom. and in london this rises to around 1 in 20 people likely to test positive for covid 19, the highest proportion for any region in england. it comes amid news of a glimmer of christmas hope from the uk health security agency s drjenny harries, who says new cononavirus data suggests that the 0micron variant may be less likely to lead to serious illness than the delta variant. but dr harries cautions that more information is needed, particularly about the impact on elderly and more vulnerable patients. elswhere, thailand
when the year began, the backing track was the sound of silence. fans were still some way behind. covid s cancellations and chaos continued, the pandemic still providing all the background noise. the empty stadia, a stark, constant reminder that no amount of fake sounds or even fake crowds could drown out. that was over here. over there, well, this was how the world s best tennis players were preparing for one of the first major sporting events of the year, the australian open. strict total quarantine divided opinion. strict hotel quarantine divided opinion. novak djokovic became the men s champion, the first of three grand slams for him this year. naomi osaka, the women s champion, herfirst and final grand slam of 2021. her withdrawal from the others to protect her mental health, the starting point for another of the year s major sporting narratives. in truth, many were still questioning whether sport should be going ahead at all. rugby union s six nations did just about
christmas message this year, her first since the death of her husband prince philip. hello and welcome. the uk has again recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began more than 120,000. it s the third day in a row that cases have topped 100,000 with 122,186 recorded today a separate survey from the office of national statistics found that on december 19th, an estimated 1 in 35 people in the uk had coronavirus that s1.74 million people. in london the ratio is much higher one in 20 people were likely to have tested positive for covid, the highest proportion of any region or nation in england. let me show you quickly the stats for the other nations. in wales it s around one in 45 scotland s rate is one in 65 and in northern ireland it s one in a0. 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 ca
and pope francis delivers the traditional christmas eve mass from st peter s basilica. the uk has again recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began more than 120,000. it s the third day in a row that cases have topped 100,000 with 122,186 recorded today. a separate survey from the office for national statistics found that on december 19th, an estimated 1 in 35 people in the uk had coronavirus that s1.74 million people. in london the ratio is much higher one in 20 people were likely to have tested positive for covi. tested positive for covid. let me show you quickly the stats for the other nations. in wales it s around one in a5. scotland s rate is one in 65, and in northern ireland it s one in a0. 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 . europea
and that seasonal classic. three ghosts to remind scrooge. we don t have ghost on this programme, we have ghost on this programme, we have guests. three distinguished journalists to reflect on the year. henry chu, isabel hilton and the bbc s lyse doucet. a very warm welcome for it to you all. thanks for breaking off to be with us on dateline. let us begin as you would expect with the virus. isabel, can you start by talking about how this year has been different from the previous year? this is the second yearin previous year? this is the second year in which we had to learn to deal with covid. year in which we had to learn to deal with (avid. year in which we had to learn to deal with covid. you re absolutely ri . ht. deal with covid. you re absolutely riuht. i deal with covid. you re absolutely right- i think deal with covid. you re absolutely right. | think that deal with covid. you re absolutely right. | think that fact deal with covid. you re absolutely right. i thin