About 30 million people in the UK should be offered a booster jab this winter, experts have recommended.

It includes everyone over the age of 50 as well as healthcare workers and other individuals with underlying health conditions which put them at risk of serious illness, should they catch Covid.

The JCVI, the UK's advisory body on vaccinations, recommends the booster dose - preferably the Pfizer shot - should be given no sooner than six months after the second dose.

It can be given at the same time as a flu jab however.

You can read more about the booster plan here.

We are going to turn our attention now to a briefing on plans for the UK's Covid booster vaccination programme.

England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Dr June Raine, and chairman of the JCVI Professor Wei Shen Lim are holding the briefing.

Stay with us for updates.

A&E departments across the UK are already at winter crisis levels, says the vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

Dr Adrian Boyle was speaking to the BBC ahead of the prime minister's announcement of action to be taken if the NHS became overwhelmed during the autumn and winter.

He says: "You look at what goes on in emergency departments now and I think we are pretty much overwhelmed already.

"In August, we've had our worst performance against our four hour target that we've ever seen - 66% of people were able to leave or be admitted or be discharged within four hours. That's a measure of how long people are having to wait. There's too much work, there's too many patients, there's not enough beds within the hospitals and the hospitals are grounded."

He says: "The figures we are seeing now are the sorts of figures that get your media interested in January and February when there's an A&E winter crisis - we are having those figures now."

At 15:30 BST the prime minister will host a press conference from Downing Street, to present the government's Covid autumn and winter plan.

Boris Johnson will be accompanied by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty.

Here's what we know about the plan so far.

Stormont's Health Minister Robin Swann has announced that children aged 12-15 in Northern Ireland will be offered a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Swann says the age group will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, primarily through a school-based vaccination programme.

His decision comes after the UK's four chief medical officers recommended the move.

"I have carefully considered the advice provided by the four UK chief medical officers and have accepted their recommendation to expand the vaccination programme to all those aged 12-15," he says.

"This move will help protect young people from catching Covid-19 and is expected to prevent disruption in schools by reducing transmission."

What are Plan A and Plan B?published at 11:07 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

11:07 BST 14 September 2021

Adam Fleming
Chief political correspondent

At 15:30 BST there will be a press conference with the prime minister in Downing Street to unveil the autumn and winter Covid plan.

Plan A is expected to be a booster jab for over-50s which will follow the same age groups as the original Covid vaccination programme, meaning the elderly and the most vulnerable will be first before working down the age bands.

It will be a single dose offered to people six months after they've had their second dose of the initial vaccine.

Then in addition to that there's the offer of a dose to 12 to 15-year-olds.

Ministers hope this will be enough to depress levels of Covid in the population.

If that doesn't work there'll then be Plan B or at least the elements that could make up a Plan B.

There are suggestions this could include things like toughening up rules on wearing masks in public places and reminding people to work from home again.

Then of course, deep down in the back pocket there's this idea of Covid passports for access to things like nightclubs and other crowed events, which the government said it was going to go ahead with and then decided they would just keep in reserve.

I think what we won't to get though are any triggers or thresholds for where restrictions or guidance could be reintroduced.

But I think ministers want to leave it up to their judgement in association with the scientists to take into account loads of factors about what might be happening - rather than having a level that triggers the reintroduction of some of these things.

Why will vaccination begin aged 12?published at 11:02 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

11:02 BST 14 September 2021

Lisa asks why 12-year-olds will be offered a Covid jab, but not schoolchildren who are 11.

Prof Ball says there is no biological explanation for this - with "no significant difference" in the immune response to the vaccines, or the risk from side effects.

But he points out that most children begin secondary schools at 12, and transmission rates of Covid are higher in these schools compared with primaries.

He adds he wouldn't be surprised if the cut-off boundaries "blurred and smudged" over time.

What do we know about long Covid in children?published at 10:59 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:59 BST 14 September 2021

Helen has asked what's known about the coronavirus vaccine and long Covid in 12 to 15-year-olds.

Prof Ball says the likelihood of getting long Covid is halved in people who are immunised.

"Children still get ill, children still get long Covid, and we have very safe, very effective vaccines and that's why I'm a great fan of this new policy."

What about heart inflammation rates in boys?published at 10:56 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:56 BST 14 September 2021

Joanna asks about the rate of myocarditis - heart inflammation - in boys after one Covid jab. The condition is a rare side-effect of the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.

Prof Jonathan Ball says it is difficult to tell precisely, because the rate of vaccination in children is still quite low.

But he says in the US and Israel, which have been vaccinating children for longer, it is estimated to be around 1 in 100,000.

He adds that boys are more likely to get the condition - but he adds it is more frequently observed in boys anyway from other causes, so this is not just down to vaccination.

He adds that the condition is "usually short lived and "resolved without hard intervention".

'I'm worried about my daughters' fertility'published at 10:53 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:53 BST 14 September 2021

Emma in Coventry says that as a mother of two teenage girls, she has concerns about how the Covid vaccine could impact their fertility.

Prof Jonathan Ball says this is something he's kept his eye on constantly and it's misinformation driven by social media.

"There's absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the vaccines can impact on fertility," he says.

"Occasionally it may interfere, or seem to interfere with a girl's or a woman's menstrual cycle but in terms of overall fertility there is absolutely no impact."

He says a recent report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists didn't find any reason to suggest that women who wanted to have children shouldn't have the vaccine.

Does a child need to be vaccinated if they've had Covid?published at 10:49 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:49 BST 14 September 2021

Nilton Green asks if a 12 to 15-year-old has already had Covid, is there a benefit to being vaccinated?

Professor Jonathan Ball says it's likely they will have an immunity level similar to someone who has had one dose of the vaccine.

But another dose will boost that level and make it longer lasting so they are less likely to be infected in future and to have serious disease.

What happens if children don't get vaccinated?published at 10:46 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:46 BST 14 September 2021

Alan Watkins wants to know what happens if school chldren don't have the vaccine.

Answering his question, Professor Jonathan Ball from the University of Nottingham says we will see very, very rare cases of serious disease in children.

"We know that because children aren't vaccinated they are highly susceptible to the virus and therefore we see quite a lot of transmission particularly in secondary schools," he says.

As we go into autumn and winter there will be more risk of children becoming infected in school and having their education disrupted, he says.

What about potential side effects?published at 10:43 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:43 BST 14 September 2021

Gabrielle says she is very worried about the potential side effects of the vaccine and asks why we haven't heard more about them.

Jonathan Ball, professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, says we've been able to report on very many immunisations that have happened over a very short time period.

This means very rare adverse side effects can be picked up very early on.

We would not be able to see this in clinical trials because you would not have the same vast number of participants, he says.

Why only one jab for children?published at 10:41 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:41 BST 14 September 2021

This morning's first question comes from Sylvie, who asks why 12 to 15-year-olds are only being offered a single dose of the Pfizer jab, when two are recommended for adults.

Jonathan Ball, professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, says adolescents "don't need two doses to have a very good response" because immunity peaks during these years.

He also says the potential side effects of the vaccine are more likely to occur after the second jab.

Your questions on Covid vaccines starting...published at 10:35 British Summer Time 14 September 2021

10:35 BST 14 September 2021

Today's edition of your questions answered, on the vaccination of schoolchildren and the government's booster programme, is getting under way.

You can submit questions here.

Image source, Getty Images

All 12-15-year-olds in England are to be offered a Covid-19 jab from next week but the rollout is yet to be confirmed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The chief medical officers (CMOs) from all four countries "unanimously" recommended a single Pfizer jab for this age group, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Breakfast earlier.

Scotland's health secretary, Humza Yousaf, said their conclusion was that the additional likely benefits were sufficient to justify vaccination.

He added: "Health ministers are now considering this advice and we will make a decision as soon as possible."

Wales' CMO Dr Frank Atherton said the choice was ultimately down to young people and their parents.

His counterpart in Northern Ireland, Sir Michael McBride, says offering jabs to children aged 12 to 15 will help avoid damage to their education and life chances.

Coming up - we'll bring you live updates from the latest your questions answered session on the BBC News Channel at 10:30 BST.

It's a chance for you to get an expert's opinion on the things you've been wondering about coronavirus.

You can submit questions here.

And, in our latest edition of 5 Minutes On, BBC health reporter Jim Reed - himself a father of three - answers your questions about the jabs and what we know about the potential risks and benefits to children.

Death registrations were down in the UK in the week ending 3 September because of the August bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the latest UK figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest.

The number of deaths registered in the UK was 10,307, which was 9% above the five-year average.

But it's important to note that comparisons with the five-year average should be interpreted with caution due to the Summer Bank Holiday falling in different weeks since 2015.

A total of 781 deaths involved Covid-19, which was 12 more than the previous week.

A total of 159,333 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS says.

The highest number on a single day was 1,484 on 19 January. During the first wave of the virus, the daily toll peaked at 1,461 on 8 April 2020.

Image source, DAMIEN STORAN

Children in the UK aged 12 to 15 are set to be able to get a Covid jab, following advice from the UK's chief medical officers.

Some other countries have been vaccinating younger teenagers for some time - but approaches do differ.

In May, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds.

Denmark (12 to 15-year-olds) and Spain (12 to 19-year-olds) have both now vaccinated most of their child population with at least a single dose.

France too has been moving quickly with 66% of those aged 12 to 17 now single jabbed, and 52% fully vaccinated. And Germany's rollout was extended to all those over 12 years old in August.

In June, China began to allow some children from three to 17 years old to be offered shots of a vaccine produced by drug-maker Sinovac, making it the first country to approve a jab for such a young age group.

The country has set a rough target of vaccinating 80% of its 1.4 billion population by the end of the year, a figure impossible to meet without jabbing large numbers of under-18s.

In May, US and Canadian regulators were the first to approve the Pfizer jab for use in children from 12 years and older. The rollout started immediately at sites across the US with two injections given three weeks apart.

By the end of July, 42% of 12 to 17-year-olds had received their first dose and 32% their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

You can find out how the UK's approach to vaccinating children differs to other countries around the world here.

Image source, Getty Images

We've been hearing that all children aged 12-15 in England will be invited to have a coronavirus vaccine in school from next week - but having the vaccine is not compulsory.

England's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, says an "offer" of vaccination will be made to all children aged 12-15.

Young people and their parents need to be supported and there should be no stigma attached to their choice, he says.

Parents will be asked to give consent, however, if the child and parent have different views, the child can give consent themselves if they are considered competent.

The NHS says that children under 16 can consent "if they're believed to have enough intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what's involved in their treatment". This is known as being "Gillick competent", external.

We've got more information on vaccines for children here.