Prime minister warns rapid spread of Omicron variant could mean curbs are imposed after 25 DecemberCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters will not introduce any new Covid restrictions before Christmas, Boris Johnson has c…
Pay attention for a message from the prime minister: careless cheese and wine costs lives | Marina Hyde
As we await the known unknowns of Omicron, No 10 does more to undermine public trust than all the conspiracy theorists on YouTubeFor the rapidly unravelling winter caretaker of Downing Street, it has been another paranoia-inducing few days. What with l…
Immensa lab: month delay before incorrect Covid tests stopped
Court papers reveal how long watchdog knew of potential problems at Wolverhampton siteCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s health watchdog knew about anomalous tests at a private laboratory that gave at least 43,…
Covid news live: WHO urges caution over festive gatherings, London cancels NYE celebration
WHO warns holiday festivities will lead to “increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths”; London records the UK’s highest number of Omicron cases amid steep rise in hospitalisationsOmicron is now dominant Covid-19 variant in US, officia…
Covid live: UK reports 82,886 new cases in huge weekly jump; Omicron dominant in Ireland
Latest UK daily cases show a 72% jump on the 48,071 new infections recorded last Sunday; Irish officials say 52% of cases estimated to be new variantUK health secretary refuses to rule out further curbs before ChristmasThe science case for more Covid r…
Exponential growth is unintuitive and can be frightening | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters
But, fortunately, it cannot continue indefinitelyThe health secretary impressed parliament last week when he said daily Omicron infections were estimated at about 200,000. This was classic “number theatre” – pulling a big statistic out of a hat without…
The year’s top 10 science stories, chosen by scientists
Billionaires in space, an end-date for deforestation, facing up to racial bias in healthcare – we asked scientists to share the most important developments of 2021Space made the headlines on many occasions in 2021: the landing of Nasa’s Perseverance ro…
Pandemic on Wall Street causes rising levels … of bonuses
Enforced takeovers during the crisis will mean a bumper year for the bankers who advise on billion-dollar dealsJust as most of us are feeling the effects of soaring inflation, which the Office for National Statistics said last week had reached a 10-yea…
Germany tightens restrictions on travel from UK to curb Omicron spread
Carriers banned from transporting British tourists to Germany as it classifies UK as virus variant area of concernCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGermany is tightening restrictions on travel from the UK in an attempt to cur…
Police suffer minor injuries in London scuffles with anti-vax protesters
Shoving broke out between police and demonstrators as thousands marched against Covid restrictionsPolice officers suffered minor injuries during “scuffles” at an anti-vaccine protest in Parliament Square in Westminster.The officers were injured while a…