Sajid Javid says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ snap lockdown if cases rise; New Zealand battles new Delta outbreak
- Nearly 300% more Covid patients in US hospitals than a year ago
- New Zealand to rethink plan to reopen borders amid Delta outbreak
- Third person dies in Japan after taking contaminated Moderna vaccine
- Covid vaccine boosters in UK could get go-ahead within days
10.13am BST
PA Media has some figures from the UK’s Department of Transport this morning that suggest there’s not going to be much of a post-Covid dividend in terms of permanently reduced traffic.
Data shows that road traffic was at 100% of pre-crisis levels. Demand for buses has also reached the highest level for a weekday since March 2020.
10.08am BST
Australia will support a global push to waive intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines to allow for cheaper generic versions to be manufactured in developing nations, following months of pressure from human rights groups and foreign governments.
Australia has been one of the last holdouts not to publicly back the plan, and following months of outright resistance and then support only for ongoing negotiations, the trade and investment minister, Dan Tehan, said Australia will now support the waiver at the World Trade Organisation.
Related: Australia to support vaccine waiver after months of pressure from human rights groups
