Winter lockdown?

Winter Covid plan

A winter lockdown would be an “absolutely last resort” this winter, according to vaccines minister Nadim Zahawi. Plan A? Covid booster shots and extra flu jabs. Boris Johnson will set out the winter Covid plan later today, which is expected to include more details on the vaccination programme plus the end of the travel traffic light system.

Employment surge

Employee numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels in August, according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s with 1 million people still on furlough. Vacancies are still rising too, with more than 1 million jobs advertised in the last 3 months. However, businesses are warning that staff shortages could slow their recovery.

“Zero-click” spyware

Apple has rushed to block a spyware that threatens to infect iPhones and iPads via iMessage, even if the user doesn’t click anything. The software giant has released the security update after independent researchers at Citizen Lab identified the vulnerability.