Morning mail: Covid hospitalisations rise, Omicron vaccine, PM?s approval tumbles

Good morning. The number of Australians hospitalised because of Covid is rising. Moderna is developing a vaccine to protect against Omicron. And voter approval for prime minister Scott Morrison takes a nosedive.

Health experts are nervous about rising Covid hospitalisations in Australia, particularly in New South Wales, as political leaders continue to call for calm over skyrocketing case numbers. Across Australia, attention is turning from the Covid case numbers to how many people end up in hospital and the ICU. Given Australia's high vaccination rates, Scott Morrison said on Monday the focus should be on the impact on the health system rather than the record case numbers. Here's what the data on hospital admissions and ICU patients tell us so far.

The pharmaceuticals company Moderna has said a booster dose of its Covid vaccine appeared to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version will continue to be its "first line of defence against Omicron". The decision to focus on the current vaccine, mRNA-1273, was driven in part by how quickly the variant is spreading. The company plans to develop a vaccine specifically to protect against Omicron, which it hopes to advance into clinical trials early next year. The former United Kingdom prime minister Gordon Brown said if rich countries carry on stockpiling millions of vaccines while low-income nations do not have access to them, coronavirus and its variants will continue to haunt fully vaccinated countries.

Voter approval of Morrison has dived 19 points in a year as voters marked down the prime minister for vaccine bungles, sustained controversy over the allocation of taxpayer funded grants, and the extended furore over parliament's #MeToo reckoning. A year of Guardian Essential data reveals the high-water mark of Morrison's voter approval was back in February, when 65% of survey respondents said they approved of his performance and 28% said they disapproved. But in the final poll of 2021, only 46% of respondents say they approve of the prime minister's performance, while 44% disapprove.

The federal government should fund free or subsidised rapid antigen tests, business and union groups say. Free or at least cheaper tests would not only save businesses from shouldering the cost, it would send a "market signal" to suppliers that Australia was a willing customer and stop shortages.

2021 was a tumultuous year in Australian politics that many would prefer to forget. This video highlights the highs and lows of Australian politics this year.

The NSW government has approved the construction of a $600m gas-fired power station backed by the Morrison government in the state's Hunter region.

Surging demand at Covid testing clinics across Australia has led to waiting times of up to five days for results, with travellers now worried they won't get a negative result in time to travel across state borders for Christmas.

Gabriel Boric has vowed to unite Chile, fight "the privileges of the few" and tackle poverty and inequality after winning a decisive victory over his far-right opponent to become the South American country's youngest leader.

Downing Street has defended a photograph showing Boris Johnson, his wife and up to 17 staff seemingly having drinks in the Downing Street garden during the first Covid lockdown, insisting they were discussing work at the time.

Donald Trump has sued the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, seeking to halt her long-running investigation of his business practices, the New York Times first reported on Monday.

Elon Musk has said he will pay more than $11bn in tax this year - which could be a record amount of annual tax paid by a single person. Musk, the world's richest person and the chief executive of the electric car company Tesla, was earlier this year accused of paying zero federal taxes in 2018.

A senior European Union official has said she does not expect the bloc to strike a migration deal with the UK because of disputes over the Brexit agreement.

"Christmas is a largely joyless season for parents," says Natalie Reilly. Between all the impossible gifting, rushing, stress-eating and drinking just to get through the night, Santa himself behaves a lot like a stereotypical mum. "I love this time for one reason," says Reilly. "It's a focus for all my adrenaline - a bright, sparkly excuse for why I am utterly haggard and manic."

There'll be a big absence at Paul Kelly's family Christmas this year: the singer's older brother, Martin, who inspired an album he didn't live to hear. Martin's spirit is all over Kelly's new album, Paul Kelly's Christmas Train, a collection of seasonal songs performed by Kelly and collaborators including Emma Donovan, Marlon Williams, Lior and Waleed Aly. "How to talk about Marty? He was an unusual man. He was religious, had a strong faith, but it was not narrow, it was very broad. He was a deep humanist. That was definitely in the back of my mind putting this record together. I wanted to make a big-hearted, generous, open record." And while Martin's death might have provided the spur, Christmas songs have been a growing Kelly obsession for years. His own Yuletide classic How to Make Gravy led to fans dubbing 21 December "Gravy Day".

In this extract from Mark Lanegan's new memoir Devil in a Coma, the alt-rocker recalls how Covid-19 put him in hospital for months this year - and gave him a series of hallucinogenic visions. "I dreamt several of my ex-girlfriends and ex-wives, many of whom detested me in real life, were all in harmony with each other," Lanegan writes.

It's easy to despair at the climate crisis or to decide it's already too late - but it's not. Here's how to keep the fight alive, says Rebecca Solnit.

From questionable Covid treatments to life-saving inventions and discoveries about the natural world, Guardian Australia medical editor Melissa Davey and science writer Donna Lu talk to Laura Murphy-Oates about the best and worst science stories of 2021.

Full Story is Guardian Australia's daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.

An Ashes whitewash looked far-fetched two weeks ago - but not any more. A comprehensive victory achieved without their captain and two best bowlers means talk of Australia winning 5-0 again is not just for laughs.

A coalition of writers and artists representing Sydney's Arab community are calling on performers and spectators to boycott the Sydney festival in January in response to their $20,000 partnership with the Israeli embassy in Canberra, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. A southern council in Tasmania has moved to ban any inflatable devices following the tragic jumping castle accident that left six children dead last week, the Mercury reports.

Today there is a parliamentary inquiry into social media and online safety. And NSW train delays are likely after an overnight strike.

How to stay chic on holiday: pack a robe and wash your undies in the sink.

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