In the US more than 3600 people died of Covid-19 yesterday a new, shocking record for a country that has now recorded more than 17 million cases of coronavirus infection.
A second vaccine is expected to be approved for emergency use across America within the next few hours.
But as Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports, while people around the world are being urged to take precautions this Christmas season, the White House has remained entirely silent about the threat posed by festive gatherings and holiday travel.
