Monday Briefing: Rush for Boosters Amid Omicron ‘Emergency’ | | Top stories

Headline news: Omicron’s tidal wave on the way

Hello everybody. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the best stories to start the week.

Boris Johnson has launched an unprecedented ‘national mission’ to boost the Covid vaccination program so that 1m booster injections can be delivered every day to stem the incoming ‘Omicron tidal wave’ and avoid to impose new restrictions. The military will be deployed across the country to help quickly accelerate the immunization program from current daily levels of around 530,000, and GPs will be asked to cancel appointments to devote resources to the supply. vaccines to every UK adult by the end of the month. In a televised address to the nation last night, the Prime Minister said he “feared that we now face an emergency in our battle against the new variant.” The UK record for daily jabs is 844,000 in March.

Here’s an explanation of the new recall strategy and how to get your recall, and an analysis on what makes a recall shot so important in the fight against Omicron. New Zealand authorities, meanwhile, are investigating allegations that a man received 10 shots of Covid in one day after being paid for by anti-vaccines to shoot for them. You can read more about this and other pandemic developments on our live blog here.

Conservative rebellion – The expansion of the recall program is seen as a gamble on short-term pain for long-term gain by Johnson, who is also facing open war in the Conservative Party over switching to Plan B restrictions which include work from home if possible from today. Up to 100 MPs could oppose the changes on Tuesday as he fights on multiple fronts to contain the damage caused by reports from a range of parties in Downing Street last year, which left MPs openly discussing a vote of no confidence. Although the measures are passed because Labor backs the government on Covid passports for large venues and more mask wear, the opposition feels Johnson’s vulnerability to attacks on the party affair and has blamed him of potentially misleading Parliament.

Met continued – The family of murdered private detective Daniel Morgan will sue the Metropolitan Police for damages, alleging a decades-long corruption cover-up continues. An investigation in June found that Met Commissioner Cressida Dick obstructed the panel appointed to investigate allegations that corruption had spoiled Morgan’s killer hunt and that the Met had failed in the process. eradicate. The Met rejected the findings. Morgan was found with an ax in his head in south London in 1987.

Tornado ‘disaster’ – Joe Biden declared a major federal disaster in Kentucky after a swarm of deadly tornadoes hit the state on Friday. The US president’s decision paves the way for more aid as thousands face housing, food, water and electricity shortages. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear initially said the death toll could exceed 100 – many at a flattened candle factory – after tornadoes ravaged the Midwest and southern United States. But he said last night the death toll could be as low as 50. A worker who survived the carnage at the candle factory spoke of an agonizing wait to see if her boyfriend can be found alive there. ‘wreck. Biden asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the role the climate crisis may have played in the severe weather events.

Body found – Police found the body of a woman in Camberwell, south London, after days of calls for information to locate missing NHS worker Petra Srncova, who was last seen in the area November 28. The body is awaiting formal identification, but police say Srncova’s family have been made aware of this development. The 32-year-old Czech, a senior nursing assistant at Evelina London Children’s Hospital in Westminster, has reportedly disappeared on his way home to Camberwell.

“Cultural vandalism” – Campaigners fear England’s highways agency will continue plans to destroy or fill more than a dozen Victorian bridges with concrete despite a government hiatus after an outcry over “cultural vandalism.” Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show the agency has spent tens of thousands of pounds on the sites, and activists fear this may bode well for more infill or demolition.

Podcast Today in brief

Breakthroughs in computing have changed the way high-level chess is played, making dead ends all too common. But the Norwegian champion’s breathtaking performance in Dubai snatches the game from the grip of supercomputers, says our American assistant sports editor Bryan Graham.

Lunchtime Reading: The Misery of Britain’s Winter Wonders

From the Lapland New Forest fiasco 13 years ago, the not so wonderful winter wonders have become something of a seasonal rendezvous. We spoke to people who worked for some of them, from underpaid elves to cranky Santas. As one worker put it, “Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, but we’ve only seen misery – exhausted parents, crazy kids and angry temperaments all around.

sport

Max Verstappen celebrated his first Formula 1 World Championship with a victory over Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but only after huge controversy that still leaves his title in doubt. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are “fit and ready to go” for the Ashes of the Pink Ball test which kicks off Thursday in Adelaide, while Australian fast pitcher Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out due to side tension and is in. a race to get in shape. The day after Christmas. Tuesday’s Premier League game between Brentford and Manchester United has been called into question after a number of members of Ralf Rangnick’s squad tested positive for Covid-19. James Maddison scored once and assisted in two more goals as Leicester outscored a chaotic Newcastle 4-0, while Conor Gallagher scored twice for Crystal Palace in a 3-1 win over Everton and the defiant defense de Burnley won them a 0-0 draw. against West Ham at Turf Moor.

Paul Struthers, the Executive Director of the Professional Jockeys’ Association, agreed that Bryony Frost had been bullied by fellow countryman Robbie Dunne, and that the organization had been wrong to say that she “felt” only victimized. ‘intimidation in previous statements. Covid-affected Munster took advantage of a first-half red card for Wasps’ Brad Shields to win 35-14 in the Champions Cup, while Sale produced an archetypal two-half game in their victory 21-13 against the Ospreys. Manchester United won for the first time in five WSL games, comfortably beating Hope Powell’s Brighton 2-0. And goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio put Real Madrid on top of city rivals Atlético with an eight-point lead in La Liga.

Business

A third of UK small businesses plan to lay off staff in the next few months, more than four in ten in London, according to a survey of more than 400 companies. Many have also said they will be forced to raise prices due to problems in the UK supply chain. The UK housing market is expected to return to more normal levels of activity in 2022, but will still be busy, according to Rightmove, as the sector braces for a possible interest rate hike on Thursday. The FTSE100 is set to climb 0.3% at the opening bell, while the pound is at $ 1.326 and € 1.172.

The papers

Almost every newspaper is leading with the rise of the Covid recall program. “PM bets on 1m hits per day to stop Omicron’s ‘tidal wave'” is the main story of the Guardian, while the Telegraph goes with “One Million Hits Per Day Running To Avoid New Years Lockdown”. the To post a “Boris’s million jabs a day booster rocket” and the Express The title reads: “Urgence! Race for all to get boosters ”. the Mirror said “Take your reminder now”, the I a “Get a booster to beat Omicron’s ‘tidal wave’,” and the Time The line is “Booster jab for every adult by the end of the month”. the Echo of the North a “It’s an emergency” and the Sun word games with “OMIGAWD!”. Only the Financial Time departs from the story of Covid, preferring: “Ukraine accuses Germany of blocking NATO arms supply.”

Register