The Financial Times reports on record daily COVID cases in the UK and a study suggesting that people infected with the Omicron variant are much less likely to be admitted to hospital than those with Delta.
The Daily Mirror reports that NHS heroes fighting to save dying COVID patients have urged people to get their jabs, with medics at Royal Liverpool Hospital saying that 80% of their patients, some in their 30s, are unvaccinated.
Sajid Javid has implored unvaccinated Britons to give the country the best Christmas present by booking a COVID jab, the Daily Express writes.
The Times also cites two studies showing that Omicron is less likely to cause severe disease, supporting the PM’s decision to pause further restrictions. The studies have been described as “good news” by health officials and came as the UK reported more than 100,000 COVID cases on Wednesday.
The Daily Mail writes that recent studies showing that Omicron is milder vindicates Boris Johnson’s decision to hold fire on imposing new curbs and reducing the likelihood of another lockdown in January.
The Guardian also leads with the Omicron variant appearing to be milder than Delta with a 15-20% reduced chance of attending hospital, as it also reports that daily COVID cases topped 100,000 for the first time on Wednesday.
Britain should not be subject to further COVID restrictions, according to senior government sources, after the first UK real-world data revealed that people infected with Omicron are up to two thirds less likely to end up in hospital, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The Independent reports that Britain’s “top civil servant” has been accused of misleading officials over what he knew about Christmas parties in his department during lockdown.
