Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Thursday’s front pages report on data suggesting that the Omicron variant of coronavirus may be less severe than previous variants. The papers heavily encourage unvaccinated Britains to book their jabs.
Sajid Javid has implored unvaccinated Britons to give the country the best Christmas present by booking a COVID jab, the Daily Express writes.
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.
The Sun reports that people who cross the Channel in small boats could be fitted with electronic tags to monitor their whereabouts.
The Guardian 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.
The I also reports on the study but says cases have hit a new record after more than 106,000 infections were reported on Wednesday. Experts remain concerned that the sheer number of infections could still overwhelm the NHS, the paper says.
The Financial Times leads with a warning by energy companies that “stratospheric” wholesale gas and power prices threaten a “national crisis”.
