Here are the coronavirus morning headlines for Saturday, January 22, as Welsh rugby fans welcome news that Ireland has lifted the majority of its coronavirus restrictions.
Sweeping relaxations announced by the Government on Friday evening came into effect at 6am on Saturday.
The move, which is great news for Wales rugby fans heading to Dublin for the opening Six Nations game on February 5, will see an 8pm curfew on the hospitality sector lifted with pubs and restaurants able to trade restriction free.
Covid certification passes will no longer be required to gain entry to hospitality, entertainment and leisure outlets.
Live events and sporting events can return to full capacity audiences and guidance advising limits on household visits has been removed. Read Mark Drakeford's advice for Six Nations fans here.
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Workers across Ireland will return to offices on a staggered basis from Monday.
Only a small number of restrictions remain in place, including the continued requirement to wear masks in settings such as in shops, schools and on public transport; self-isolation rules; and the use of Covid passes for international travel.
In a televised address on Friday, premier Micheal Martin told the nation it was "time to be ourselves again".
The relaxations have come swifter than many expected.
They were made possible after the health experts in Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) advised Government that there was no longer a public health rationale for keeping the measures in place, with the country having weathered the Omicron storm.
Protective measures will remain in place in primary and secondary schools until at least the end of February. They will be reviewed at that point, by which time all children aged five to 11 will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Taoiseach Mr Martin warned that the coronavirus pandemic was not over.
But he added: "Spring is coming. I don't know if I've ever looked forward to one as much as I'm looking forward to this one.
"Humans are social beings and we Irish are more social than most. As we look forward to this spring, we need to see each other again. We need to see each other smile. We need to sing again. As we navigate this new phase of Covid, it is time to be ourselves again."
On Friday, First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed that Wales was on track to revert to Alert Level Zero Covid restrictions by January 28. Read more of what he had to say here.
Read more: All the latest coronavirus news here.
Passengers on first flight to Covid-free island diagnosed with virus
After remaining Covid-free for the entirety of the pandemic, two thirds of passengers on the first international flight in ten months to the island of Kiribati tested positive for coronavirus.
Officials are now set to impose a four-day lockdown from Monday after the virus was found to have spread into the community.
All 54 passengers, 36 of whom were diagnosed with Covid after arriving from Fiji last Friday, have now been quarantined and are recovering well, according to authorities.
But after a security guard at the quarantine centre also tested positive on Tuesday, the island nation introduced a two-week curfew and other public health measures such as mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing and vaccine passes for travel outside of the capital, Tarawa.
The security guard and two of his close contacts were also quarantined while his home village was placed under a two-week lockdown.
A further two positive cases were detected in the community on Thursday, prompting the government to announce that a full lockdown would begin on Monday, with schools closed and people only allowed to leave their homes for essential services.
News of the Covid-positive arrivals and the security guard caused locals to panic, especially as it was leaked to the public rather than being officially announced.
Senior Tory MP to meet police to discuss No10 'blackmail' claims
The senior Tory backbencher who accused No 10 of trying to "blackmail" MPs seeking to oust Boris Johnson is to meet police to discuss his allegations.
William Wragg said he would be meeting a Scotland Yard detective in the House of Commons early next week, raising the prospect police could open an investigation.
The disclosure came after Downing Street said it would not be mounting its own inquiry into the claims, despite calls to do so by both Conservative and opposition MPs.
A No 10 spokesman said it would only open an inquiry if it was presented with evidence to back up Mr Wragg's assertions.
However, the MP, who chairs the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, said he believed an investigation should be for the "experts" in the police.
He told The Daily Telegraph that he would outline "several" examples of bullying and intimidation, in some cases involving public money.
"I stand by what I have said. No amount of gas-lighting will change that," he told the newspaper.
"The offer of Number 10 to investigate is kind but I shall leave it to the experts. I am meeting the police early next week."
Former Tory MP Jerry Hayes threw his support behind Mr Wragg and said the claims should be investigated.
Mr Hayes told the BBC: "We've got William Wragg, who is actually a serious figure, he's not a snowflake, he's not someone who can easily be bullied. Something has happened and he's gone all the way to the Metropolitan Police. I just hope that we have an investigation. If he's gone to the Metropolitan Police there must be something there, otherwise his career falls apart, doesn't it?"
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "As with any such allegations, should a criminal offence be reported to the Met, it would be considered."
Mr Wragg's latest intervention comes as No 10 is braced for the expected delivery next week of the report of Sue Gray, the senior civil servant investigating lockdown parties in Downing St and elsewhere in Whitehall.
It is likely to lead to renewed calls from opposition parties for a police investigation if there is any evidence Covid rules were broken - including at a drinks do in May, 2020, attended by Mr Johnson.
Mr Johnson is expected to spend the weekend at Chequers, his official country residence, ringing round potential rebels urging them not to plunge the dagger.
The Times reported the Prime Minister had reassembled the ministerial team which helped him mount his successful leadership bid in 2019 as he seeks to shore up support.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is reportedly playing a key role in the operation along with three former whips and other loyalists.
Studies show importance of the booster against Omicron
Three studies released have offered more evidence that Covid-19 vaccines are standing up to the Omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots.
They are the first large US studies to look at vaccine protection against Omicron, health officials said.
The papers echo previous research - including studies in Germany, South Africa and the UK - indicating available vaccines are less effective against Omicron than earlier versions of the coronavirus, but also that boosters significantly improve protection.
The first study looked at hospital admissions and emergency room and urgent care centre visits in 10 states, from August to this month.
It found vaccine effectiveness was best after three doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in preventing Covid-associated emergency department and urgent care visits.
Protection dropped from 94% during the Delta wave to 82% during the Omicron wave. Protection from just two doses was lower, especially if six months had passed since the second dose.
The second study focused on Covid-19 case and death rates in 25 states from the beginning of April through to Christmas. People who were boosted had the highest protection against coronavirus infection, both during the time Delta was dominant and also when Omicron was taking over.
Those two articles were published online by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published the third study, also led by CDC researchers. It looked at people who tested positive for Covid-19 from December 10 to January 1 at more than 4,600 testing sites across the US.
Three shots of the vaccines were about 67% effective against Omicron-related symptomatic disease compared with unvaccinated people. Two doses, however, offered no significant protection against Omicron, the researchers found.
"It really shows the importance of getting a booster dose," said the CDC's Emma Accorsi, one of the study's authors.
Russia blames Omicron as infections hit all-time high
Daily new coronavirus infections in Russia have reached an all-time high.
Authorities blamed the rise on the highly contagious Omicron variant, which they expect to soon dominate the country's outbreak.
Deputy prime minister Tatyana Golikova noted the "intensive spread of the Omicron variant" and said authorities "expect it to become the dominating" variant driving the outbreak.
The state coronavirus task force that Ms Golikova heads reported 49,513 new infections on Friday - the highest yet in the pandemic.
Record numbers of 15,987 new cases and 5,922 cases were reported respectively in Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia's second largest city. In light of the surge, health officials in St Petersburg have limited elective outpatient care.
Ms Golikova urged Russians who have received their vaccinations or recovered from the virus more than six months ago to "head to a vaccination point again in order to protect yourself from the virus" with a booster.
Also on Friday, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered cabinet members to hold meetings online and have their staff work remotely "where possible".
Just about half of Russia's 146 million people have been fully vaccinated despite the fact that Russia was among the first in the world to approve and roll out a Covid-19 vaccine.
In Russia, everyone who received their primary vaccination more than six months ago has been eligible for a booster shot since July.
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