Jim Reed
Health reporter, BBC News

The four chief medical officers for the UK have recommended that all children aged 12 to 15 years old should be offered one dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine.

The decision comes after scientific advisers serving on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said the vaccine only offered a "marginal" health benefit for that age group and could not be recommended on health grounds alone.

The CMOs said the decision was based primarily on the impact on education for that age group.

They considered the physical and mental health and long-term prospects for children in that age group.

They said that vaccination will provide a "material and useful" additional advantage which means fewer children should have their education disrupted this year.

The CMOs say that one dose of the Pfizer vaccine should initially be offered to all children in that age group with no second dose considered before the Spring term.

The CMOs said they only considered the impact on children in that age group and did not consider any possible wider benefit to society that could be provided by extending the vaccine rollout.

A final decision on rollout will be taken by ministers in the four nations of the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier we got new figures from the Office for National Statistics which showed Covid deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated are rare.

Out of more than 51,000 Covid deaths in England between January and July 2021, only 256 occurred after two doses - and these were mostly people at very high risk of illness from the virus.

Julie Stanborough, from the ONS, says: "Our new analysis shows that, sadly, there have been deaths of people involving Covid-19 despite them being fully vaccinated.

"However, we've also found that the risk of a death involving Covid-19 is much lower among people who are fully vaccinated than those who are unvaccinated."

Read more.

Image source, EPA

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg will decide when a vote might be held on extending powers in the Coronavirus Act, with parliament due to break in two weeks for conference season.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman says Boris Johnson will give "more detail" tomorrow with regard to which restrictions might be removed from the Act.

"I think that's the right time to talk about what comes next," he says, adding "it would be a matter for the leader's office in terms of exact times" for the vote.

Pressed on whether the government still intended to extend the powers, the spokesman says: "Yes. It is important to be clear that the Act itself enables some very important things, such as sick pay being able to be paid under these current circumstances.

"It is right that we retain measures that are still needed and remove measures that aren't."

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier we heard from the prime minister, who said booster jabs for adults were "going ahead" and have "already been approved".

We understand he wasn't referring to new plans for booster jabs, which are set to be outlined in his Covid winter plan tomorrow.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - the body which advises the government on vaccines - has already recommended a third dose should be offered to people over the age of 12 with severely weakened immune systems.

This covers about 400,000 to 500,000 people, including those with blood cancer, advanced HIV and recent organ or stem-cell transplants.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said they would be contacted "as soon as possible" to arrange an appointment.

He said a separate booster programme for others in the most at-risk groups was still planned for September.

The UK's medicines regulator, the MHRA, has approved the use of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs as booster vaccines.

But the JCVI hasn't decided whether the booster scheme should be extended to more adults yet.

A Downing Street spokesman has insisted the cancellation of a vaccine contract with the French pharmaceutical firm Valneva "will not have any impact" on the UK's vaccine rollout this autumn.

On Monday, Valneva said the UK government had scrapped its order for about 100 million doses over allegations of a breach of the agreement, which the company "strenuously denies".

The prime minister's official spokesman said his comments were restricted given the ongoing commercial issues.

But he added: "Broadly, you'll know that MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) has not approved a Valneva vaccine.

"The comments from the company won't have any impact on our vaccine supply and did not form any part of our vaccine rollout in autumn and winter."

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

A £10m research centre has been created in Liverpool to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics.

Prof Matthew Baylis, director of the newly created Pandemic Institute, says: "Liverpool is a global city with expertise in many fields relevant to pandemics, including medical, tropical and veterinary research."

"Uniquely, [the research base] will take a holistic view, from looking at future threats through to the response of communities and the healthcare system, as well as treatments such as medicines and vaccines."

Liverpool was chosen to help shape national policy during the coronavirus pandemic when it hosted the UK's first mass-testing programme in November 2020.

The institute, which has been funded by the Innova Medical Group, will collaborate with hubs all over the world.

Prof Baylis says the research undertaken will "prepare the world better for future pandemics by identifying risks, to respond quicker and to recover more effectively".

Another lockdown over winter would only be considered as a "last resort", No 10 says.

Asked whether ministers would consider the measure if Covid cases rise, the prime minister's official spokesman says: "We are in a very different place than where we were previously when other lockdowns were introduced, thanks to the success of our vaccine programme and other things like therapeutics treatments for coronavirus."

"It is thanks to the fences built up through our vaccine programme that we are in a very different position and we are not seeing the sort of substantial increases that some feared once we moved to step four of our road map," he adds.

The spokesman also says there is "no question" of introducing regional lockdowns on current Covid levels.

"We are not seeing anything that suggests our NHS is about to be overwhelmed so there is no question of using those measures at the moment," he says.

As we reach lunchtime in the UK, here's a recap of the day's coronavirus news so far:

• The UK’s four Chief Medical Officers are expected to approve offering Covid vaccines to all 12 to 15-year-olds and their decision could come as soon as this afternoon

• The prime minister will tomorrow outline the government's winter coronavirus strategy in a Downing Street briefing with Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance
• But Boris Johnson has refused to rule out winter lockdowns
• French vaccine maker Valneva says the UK government has scrapped a deal for its Covid-19 vaccine
• Heathrow recorded a 48% increase in passenger numbers in August compared with the previous month
• Nearly a third of people arriving in England and NI as the coronavirus Delta variant took off may have broken quarantine rules, figures show
• Meanwhile, a law firm representing international travellers is taking the government to court over the UK's quarantine hotel policy
• And Primark says the lockdown trend for "comfort wear" has continued, with strong sales of leggings and cycle shorts.

We've now had it confirmed the prime minister will lead a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to give details about the government's plans for dealing with Covid over the winter.

Downing Street says Boris Johnson will be joined tomorrow by the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty.

Image source, PACEMAKER

Walk-in clinics have been set up at universities and further education colleges in Northern Ireland today, as part of efforts to get more students vaccinated against Covid.

The first of 60 clinics will open today as part of the Department of Health's "jabbathon" drive.

They will cover 30 campuses and offer first doses to students throughout September.

About 72% of 18 to 29-year-olds in Northern Ireland have had at least one Covid vaccine dose.

Read more.

Sir Keir Starmer says he would back vaccinations for teenagers if chief medical officer Chris Whitty approves them.

He says: "If the scientific advice is that it is safe then we'd go with that recommendation.

"We'd also suggest there are other mitigations in schools, such as ventilation, which should have been put in place a long time ago."

The Labour leader also says he believes vaccine passports or the alternative of a negative Covid test should be adopted for "nightclubs or big sporting events".

He says that's "broadly what's happened over the summer", but that "vaccine passports should never prevent people getting essential services".

Boris Johnson has also been asked whether vaccine passports could be used if Covid infections rates and deaths continue to rise.

The prime minister again says he will be "setting it all out tomorrow".

However, he adds: "What we want to do is avoid vaccine passports, if we possibly can.

"That's the course we're on but I think you've got to be prudent and you've got to keep things in reserve in case things change."

There had been plans to make proof of full vaccination mandatory to access nightclubs and large events in England from the end of September - but on Sunday the health secretary said this would not go ahead.

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer has been asked if he would endorse another lockdown during a visit to south London.

He says he would urge people to continue using "practical measures" such as wearing face masks in order to prevent the virus from spreading.

Starmer says: "Nobody wants a further lockdown because it has a huge impact on people's lives, and of course it impacts on the economy and businesses.

"The best way to ensure we don't have that further lockdown is to go cautiously and to continue with practical measures like masks on public transport and enclosed spaces.

"Nobody likes wearing masks in those situations.

"But it's a small step to protect ourselves and protect other people."

Asked about the prospect of vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds, the prime minister says: "I think you should really wait and see, wait for what the chief medical officers have to say. It's for them to decide.

"Much better, I think, for them to put out their views, rather than politicians."

Boris Johnson adds that booster jabs for adults are "going ahead" and have "already been approved".

He also urges the "10% or so" who still have not had a single jab to get the vaccine.

"Don't forget that the vast majority of people who are suffering seriously from Covid are unvaccinated," he says.

"Very sadly, people who are still succumbing to Covid, dying from Covid, are the unvaccinated, so please go and get your jab."

Image source, Reuters

The prime minister has refused to say whether he would rule out a winter lockdown.

Speaking on a visit to Leicester, Boris Johnson says: "We've got to do everything that's right to protect the country.

"But the way things are going at the moment we're very confident in the steps that we've taken."

The PM adds that he'll give a "full update" on the government's plans tomorrow.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Earlier this month, the body responsible for advising ministers on vaccines concluded it could not recommend extending them to 12 to 15-year-olds.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said the decision was finely balanced – and ministers asked the four chief medical officers from across the UK to make a final decision.

That has now been made and submitted to the government. Downing Street hasn’t officially commented.

But I’d expect to hear very soon what the CMOs have decided – and I’d expect them to say the vaccine programme can be rolled out for all over-12s.

Covid jabs for children a finely balanced decisionpublished at 11:30 British Summer Time 13 September 2021

11:30 BST 13 September 2021

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A decision on vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds is expected soon, after it emerged the chief medical officers have submitted their review to ministers.

It is highly unusual for the four UK CMOs to be asked to consider a vaccination issue like this.

Vaccine advice to government is typically provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

But 10 days ago the JCVI decided - based on current evidence - that there would be insufficient benefit on health grounds alone to warrant jabbing this age group, as there is concern about a small but increased risk of heart inflammation following vaccination.

However, it said ministers may want to consider wider issues - and in particular how vaccination may reduce school disruption.

Many expect vaccination to be given the green light. But this is still a finely balanced decision.

For one thing, it is thought more than half of school children already have natural immunity from previous infection.

School disruption is also linked directly to government policy - changing requirements over self-isolation of close contacts in Scotland or Northern Ireland, or 10-day isolation for asymptomatic cases, for example, would reduce disruption too.

A vaccine made in the UK was seen as a bonuspublished at 11:23 British Summer Time 13 September 2021

11:23 BST 13 September 2021

Laura Goodwin
BBC Scotland

As we heard earlier, the UK government has scrapped a deal with Valneva for its Covid jab, according to the vaccine maker.

Valneva is a French company but this was billed as the vaccine made in Scotland.

I first visited the Livingston factory back in December 2020. At that point, the UK government had already pre-ordered 60 million doses of their inactivated whole virus vaccine.

The company has a background in making vaccines for other diseases and was hopeful its Covid-19 offering would have a good safety profile, perhaps making it suitable for children or those with compromised immune systems.

Given the early supply issues we experienced with some of the other vaccines, having one made here in the UK was also seen as a bonus.

The prime minister visited the factory earlier this year just as commercial production began and the order for Valneva's vaccine was increased to 100 million doses. Two hundred extra staff were brought in and additional production space was built.

The Valneva vaccine was already being trialled as a potential booster and three weeks ago the company announced it had begun a rolling submission to regulators the MHRA with approval expected later this year.

So what now? The company says it was told over the weekend that the UK government is terminating the deal because of an alleged breach in the supply agreement, something Valneva denies. It says work will continue to gain approval, but it may now look to other countries.

Image source, Getty Images

A law firm representing travellers is taking the government to court over the UK's quarantine hotel policy.

Passengers must spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel on returning from red list countries, even if fully vaccinated and testing negative for Covid.

London-based firm PGMBM says it had called for a judicial review into the policy, but the government had refused.

The cost of staying in a quarantine hotel is now £2,285.

More than 60 locations including Turkey, Mexico, Kenya and many countries in Africa and Latin America are currently on the red list.

The other European countries with mandatory quarantine involving hotel detentions - Ireland and Norway - have amended their schemes so fully-vaccinated travellers are exempt from needing to quarantine.

If PGMBM's claim is successful, not only would double-vaccinated travellers no longer have to quarantine at the hotels, but the government could also be forced to refund the fees of all those who were vaccinated and still had to stay there.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK's four chief medical officers are understood to have given their recommendations to the government over whether to offer vaccinations to all 12 to 15-year-olds.

They were asked to have the final say and to consider the wider impact on schools and society after the UK's vaccine advisory body said it could not recommend the move on health grounds alone.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said children were at such a low risk from the virus that jabs would offer only a marginal benefit.

Its decision not to recommend the vaccine to all healthy children was based on concern over an extremely rare side effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that causes heart inflammation, and can lead to palpitations and chest pain.

Data from the US, where millions of young teenagers have been vaccinated, suggests there are 60 cases of the heart condition for every million second doses given to 12 to 17-year-old boys (compared to eight in one million girls).

France, Italy, Israel and Ireland are also offering the vaccine to all children in this age group.