- “We need a conversation about the point of Covid self-isolation” – The current system of testing and isolation does little to take into account the success of vaccines, or the consequences of staff shortages, writes Professor Karol Sikora in the Telegraph.
- “Omicron’s lower death rate ‘can usher in end of Covid epidemic’” – “Omicron is less deadly than previous Covid strains, and results in a quarter of the deaths recorded in earlier waves, data from South Africa suggests,” reports the Times.
- “No New Year’s Day hospital visits due to Covid cases” – “Plans to allow limited visiting to two hospitals in Coventry and Warwickshire on New Year’s Day have been scrapped due to rising Covid cases,” reports BBC News.
- “SAGE data suggests Omicron patients leave hospital sooner” – “As the red line shows, actual cases are so far at the bottom end of the milder scenario. The next couple of weeks should offer a lot more data and clarity,” write Fraser Nelson and Simon Cook in the Spectator.
- “The testing system needs a rethink” – We do not carry out mandatory testing for any other ailment, including flu for which a vaccine is also available, argues Telegraph View.
- “Covid in Wales: scientists advised post-Christmas lockdown” – Lockdown measures for two weeks would have “a material effect on reducing the peak”, scientists said, reports BBC News.
- “Dominic Raab photographed at Chelsea game without a mask” – Image shows Justice Secretary apparently ignoring club guidance to wear face covering while seated in stadium, reports the Guardian.
- “Yes, the Covid storm clouds may be lifting at last” – “There are reasons to be cheerful – or at least cautiously optimistic that the battle against Covid is finally being won,” writes Kaya Burgess in the Times.
- “England has a duty to welcome Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid refugees” – Sturgeon has used the virus as a propaganda tool, seeking a divide with England, to the detriment of ordinary Scottish people, says Jenny Hjul in the Telegraph.
- “Twitter suspends key mRNA vaccine contributor Dr. Robert Malone” – “Dr. Robert Malone, a key contributor to mRNA vaccine technology and an outspoken critic of Covid mandates and rules, was suspended by Twitter,” reports the Epoch Times.
- “We must confront Covid’s vested interests” – A cultural shift towards seeing all illness as something to be defeated needs to be resisted, argues Robert Dingwall in the Telegraph.
- “Avoid New Year’s parties, urges Irish health minister” – “People in Ireland should not hold household gatherings to mark New Year’s Eve amid a rise in Covid cases, the Chief Medical Officer has warned,” reports BBC News.
- “Scientists mystified, wary, as Africa avoids Covid disaster” – “Although it’s still unclear what Covid’s ultimate toll will be, that catastrophic scenario has yet to materialize in Zimbabwe or much of the continent,” reports ABC News.
- “Nets’ Kyrie Irving says he ‘knew the consequences’ of refusing vaccine” – Kyrie Irving knew the ramifications of his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid, but still wasn’t prepared for his three-month exile away from the Brooklyn Nets due to New York City’s mandate, reports the Mail.
- “Isolating Quebec health staff may have to return to work early under new plans” – Canadian province’s Government says measure will be required if staffing levels become too low during Covid surge, reports the Guardian.
- “Tasmania to scrap PCR test for travellers” – “Travellers to Tasmania will be required to take a rapid antigen test one day before arriving in the island state, as it moves to scrap its 72-hour PCR test requirement,” reports MailOnline.
- “Madmen and bravehearts 2021” – “So as 2021 comes to an end we thought it would be a good idea to revisit each month and verbally destroy 12 of the biggest idiots we could think of in the sphere of Covid, politics, wokism and Brexit,” in the latest episode of the Real Normal podcast.
- “It’s time for artists to do battle with cancel culture” – In 2021, even the most progressive among us were subjected to cancellation, humiliation and denunciation, writes Simon Evans in Spiked.
- “The futility of protest” – In Bournbrook Magazine’s latest video essay, S.D. Wickett narrates one of his recent articles, where he argues: “The success or failure of a protest is predetermined. The regime has the ability to make the good bad and the bad good.”
- “Do as I say, not as I do” – Insulate Britain campaigner Tracey Mallaghan appeared on Talkradio to speak about her strong personal commitment to the cause – just kidding, she wants taxpayers to insulate her home instead.
By Luke Perry / 30 December 2021 • 23.11
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