Covid: Daily tests for key workers and lockdown food bartering in Chinaon January 4, 2022 at 7:10 pm

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening. We’ll have another update for you in the morning.

Around 100,000 critical workers are set to take daily Covid tests in order to reduce the spread of the virus to colleagues, Boris Johnson has announced. The testing system will be for key industries including food processing, transport and the border force and start from 10 January. The prime minister also said he will recommend England sticks with the current “Plan B” restrictions, such as working from home where possible when Cabinet ministers meet on Wednesday.

It is not affordable or sustainable to keep vaccinating everyone on the planet against Covid-19 regularly, a leading UK vaccine scientist has said. Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, suggested the most at risk people should be identified and prioritised for jabs instead in the future. He added the vaccine rollout had gone “extremely well” in the UK but was “falling way behind” globally.

People under strict quarantine in the Chinese city of Xi’an are bartering supplies amid continuing worries over food shortages. Social media posts show locals swapping cigarettes and tech gadgets for food, with about 13 million people having been confined to their homes since 23 December over a Covid outbreak. Authorities in Xi’an have been providing free food to households, but some residents said their supplies were running low or that they had yet to receive aid. The lockdown measures come ahead of the Lunar New Year and the Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in February.

A number of hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents over staff shortages and rising pressures due to Covid-19. University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust – which serves Lancashire and South Cumbria – and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals among those to take action. These incidents are announced when health bosses are worried they are on the brink of not being able to provide critical services, such as emergency care. It is not unusual for trusts to declare one at this time of year, as declaring an incident allows them to take action like moving staff to help alleviate the strain on services.

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic will defend his Australian Open title later this month after receiving a medical exemption from having a Covid-19 vaccination. All players and staff at the tournament must be vaccinated or have an exemption granted by an expert independent panel. Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open winner, has not spoken publicly about his vaccination status.

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Interested in a more detailed analysis of the latest Covid data? Our health correspondent Nick Triggle has taken a look here.

Wondering whether schools in your area will stay open throughout January? Our explainer sets out what we know.

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