Latest updates: UK government urged to stay alert to winter Covid threat; riot police use pepper spray to break up crowds in Melbourne
Vietnam’s impending implementation of a lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City has triggered panic-buying in shops and markets.
State media reported empty shelves and long queues outside markets, raising concerns about the effect on attempts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
More supermarket rush, more panic buying before the imminent lockdown. Hundreds of people are queuing for hours to get supplies for the next two weeks #Saigon #Vietnam pic.twitter.com/nUuKLnrkcu
The British virologist Dr Chris Smith has urged the UK government to stay alert to the threat of coronavirus with winter approaching, suggesting the “strategic” use of coronavirus booster jabs.
He told BBC Breakfast the government should not “take its eye off the ball” because any advances could be undone if the effectiveness of vaccines fades.
We all agree that [the pandemic] is not over until it is over in every corner of the world, because otherwise it will just come roaring back,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“While other countries are embarking on booster programmes, people are taking stock, they are looking at the data and maybe making a decision on how to intervene strategically in certain groups.
