Here is a round-up of all today’s top Covid and politics stories from the UK: There have been 119,789 new Covid cases and 147 more coronavirus-related deaths registered in the past 24 hours in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there had been 16,817 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid reported across the UK. The Omicron variant of Covid is less likely to result in severe disease and hospital admission, government public health experts have said. Publishing preliminary findings of its research into the new variant, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Omicron appears to result in less severe disease for those infected with it. Nicola Sturgeon has warned against getting “carried away” with the latest Omicron data, as she again rejected pressure to reduce the 10-day Covid isolation period in Scotland. There is “no doubt that if you are unvaccinated you are hugely at more risk of hospitalisation, severe illness and even death,” a scientist has said. Prof Anthony Harnden, of the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC News this is backed up by the “proportion of patients that are unvaccinated that are ending up with severe illness in hospitals around the country”. The NHS is preparing to expand capacity in case a “surge” of healthcare is needed, but will be able to manage increased hospital cases. The number of NHS staff off sick because of Covid is soaring, new figures show, raising fresh fears about how hospitals will be able to respond to any Omicron-driven surge in patients needing care. Latest estimates from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have found that around one in 45 people in private households in England had Covid in the week to 16 December, up from one in 60 the previous week. Nightclubs in Scotland are to close from 27 December for a three-week period, the deputy first minister, John Swinney, has announced. More than six in 10 care home staff in England have not received a booster jab, figures suggest, despite the ramping up of the vaccine rollout as Omicron spreads. A decision on whether all children aged five to 11 might get the jab “is still under very active consideration”, a member of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said. A total of 2,097 people were in hospital in London with Covid as of 8am on 23 December, according to new figures from NHS England. This is the highest number since 27 February and is up 44% from a week earlier. During the second wave of coronavirus, the number peaked at 7,917 on January 18. A total of 840,038 booster and third doses of Covid vaccine were reported in the UK on Wednesday, new figures show.The is the lowest daily figure since 15 December. Some people may need a fourth dose of Covid vaccine to remain protected, a government scientific adviser has said, with a decision expected shortly after the Christmas and new year holidays. Two Premier League games scheduled for Boxing Day have been called off because of Covid outbreaks at Leeds and Watford. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be with the Queen on Christmas Day, a Clarence House spokesman has confirmed. People crossing the Channel in small boats to claim asylum could be tagged on arrival under Home Office plans, it has emerged. The home secretary, Priti Patel, is expected to announce the plan early in the new year as part of her overhaul of the immigration system. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has urged Russia to enter talks in January over its military build-up on the border of Ukraine. That’s it for today from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed from the UK politics and Covid blog. You can still keep across all breaking news in the global coronavirus blog here. Goodbye for now.