A sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of coronavirus is able to spread faster than the original, analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found.

The UKHSA said BA.2 – a strain first detected in December – had a comparatively higher growth rate in all observed areas of England, meaning cases were increasing faster than they were for BA.1, known commonly as the Omicron variant.

Despite evidence of increased transmissibility, the new sub-variant was nowhere near becoming dominant in the UK.

Our reporter, Liam James, has the full report below:

The streaming giant Spotify has responded to the mounting controversy surrounding it hosting a podcast that many believe spreads misinformation about Covid.

On Sunday, the platform’s chief executive Daniel Ek issued a statement to say Spotify is working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19.

Listeners who access content that talks about the virus would be directed to a dedicated website that “provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources”.

Mr Ek added: “This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for a U-turn on mandatory Covid-19 vaccines for health workers.

Under current plans, staff must have their first vaccine doses by 3 February and they must be double jabbed before the policy kicks in on 1 April.

Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We would say that Covid is still a serious disease and would absolutely urge all nursing staff to get vaccinated but the situation has changed in that Omicron is serious for those who are unvaccinated but actually overall as a country things have improved.

“But the most important issue for us right now is the fact that there are so many nursing vacancies already, it makes no sense to risk losing thousands of registered nurses and health care support workers from both health and also what’s been lost from social care, which actually puts patients at more risk than not having nurses at all so we think the situation needs to be reviewed urgently and quick decisions need to be made before we start to lose people from the system.”

The NHS is struggling to identify which staff have not received a Covid jab as a result of “gaping holes” in hospitals’ records, less than a week before the mandatory vaccine deadline, The Independent has learnt.

Every health service worker must have had their first vaccine dose by 3 February in order to have their second by the cut-off date of 1 April.

Despite hinting at a delay, the government is yet to announce an extension to the looming deadline, although it has been reported that ministers will meet on Monday to decide if mandatory vaccinations for NHS staff in England should be scrapped.

Our health correspondent, Rebecca Thomas, has the full story below:

Boris Johnson’s government expected to announce a U-turn on mandatory Covid vaccinations for NHS and social care workers, according to reports.

Asked about the U-turn on Monday, junior minister Simon Clarke said the variant being “less severe” than the Delta variant “opens a space where we can look at this again.”

Suggesting a change was on the way, he told Sky News: “What we know about Omicron is it is much more transmissible but less severe – any decision that is taken this week will reflect that reality.

Mr Clarke added: “I can’t pre-judge the decision that is going to be made but obviously we do recognise those realities.”

Our political correspondent, Adam Forrest, has the full story below:

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coronavirus blog. We’ll be bringing the latest updates on Covid and vaccination requirements for NHS staff.