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.