Here are the coronavirus morning headlines as a Welsh health board sends out a urgent SOS for nurses and health care workers amid a staff shortage.
Swansea Bay NHS posted a public appeal on the evening of January 3, stating it was "extremely busy", therefore the health board has issued a desperate plea for any nurses and healthcare support workers to volunteer to work extra hours.
The appeal, shared on social media, said: "URGENT: Calling Swansea Bay nurses and HCSWs [healthcare support workers].
"We are currently extremely busy and looking for volunteers to work extra hours this evening. If you can help, please ring 01792 703 269 asap. Thank you!"
The health board's appeal came just hours after an earlier message asking members of the public to use the minor injury unit at Neath Port Talbot hospital, instead of Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
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Worst of the pandemic is 'absolutely behind us', says vaccine scientist
One of the UK's leading vaccine scientists - and the driving force behind AstraZeneca - has said the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us.
Sir Andrew Pollard, Oxford University professor, chief investigator of the Oxford Covid- 19 vaccine trials and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, helped to develop the AstraZeneca jab in 2020.
On the one-year anniversary of the first time AstraZeneca was administered to a member of the public, Prof Pollard shared his optimism going forward, despite the rampant spread of the Omicron variant.
"The worst is absolutely behind us. We just need to get through the winter," he told The Telegraph.
As for Boris Johnson's current handling of the crisis, with his relatively light restrictions across England, Prof Pollard said: "(It) seems to be working so far. The system isn't falling over. But it's finely balanced.
"We can't fully answer whether he's got it right for some time."
In Britain alone, 90% of over-12s have had their first vaccine and more than 80% have had two doses, while 1,626,146 boosters have been administered throughout Wales.
According to Prof Pollard, when the Oxford/AZ trials were first started in April 2020, vaccine scientists and investigators were told it would be two years before the vaccine could be rolled out.
With so much of the UK and other richer nations now vaccinated, Prof Pollard has added his voice to calls to "open up", despite the ongoing threat from Omicron - which the latest UK studies have suggested is milder than Delta.
Prof Pollard told the newspaper: "At some point, society has to open up. When we do open, there will be a period with a bump in infections, which is why winter is probably not the best time. But that's a decision for the policy makers, not the scientists.
"Our approach has to switch, to rely on the vaccines and the boosters. The greatest risk is still the unvaccinated."
Proportion of Covid tests coming back as positive in Wales has hit a record high
The proportion of Covid tests coming back as positive in Wales has hit a record high, it has been revealed.
Most recent data from Public Health Wales shows that 41.8% of PCR tests were returned as positive for the week December 21-27 - the most since the pandemic began.
In Rhondda Cynon Taf, almost half (47%) of tests were recorded as positive during this week - the highest percentage of any local authority - followed by neighbouring Merthyr Tydfil (45.5%) and Wrexham (44.2%).
Data for more recent days, which may be subject to changes as more results are added, suggests the positivity rate will rise even further.
Doctor warns about weight gained due to reduced activity in the pandemic
Losing weight is "not just about vanity" and action is needed to reverse indirect harms such as reduced activity that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic, a leading doctor has said.
TV medic Dr Hilary Jones described "almost an epidemic of obesity" in the UK, which he said has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.
The GP said losing weight is "as important as giving up smoking", with many physical and psychological benefits as well as "looking better on the scales".
He told the PA news agency: "It's what we call the indirect harms of the pandemic. So people have sort of locked themselves in in their four walls at home, they're eating for comfort, they're eating because they're bored, they're taking less physical activity... yes, it has been an indirect harm, and now we need to reverse that.
"It's never too late to reverse those things.
"So, we've had the longest night ... the darkest hours, now the days are getting longer, and every day we have opportunity to take a bit of exercise, whatever it is, to think about what we eat, about the portion sizes that we're consuming and what we're eating, and we need to reverse the indirect harms caused by the pandemic, for sure, but there's no reason we can't do that."
Read more here about the type two diabetes crisis in Wales due to the pandemic.
He said people are never past "the point of no return" when it comes to losing weight, and a loss of just 5% of a person's bodyweight can have "enormous benefits" in multiple areas.
He urged people to set themselves "a target that gives them a challenge", such as a 5km run or obstacle course, and to buddy up to keep motivated.
He added: "So start with little steps.
"No, you might not see anything happen in the first week or even the second week, but bit by bit, and much quicker than it took to put on the weight, you will start to turn things around, your body will appreciate what you're doing."
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