Image source, PA Media

Heathrow recorded a 48% increase in passenger numbers in August compared with the previous month.

Some 2.2 million passengers travelled through the west London airport in August - the highest monthly total of the pandemic and up from 1.5 million in July.

However, the airport says demand is still down 71% compared with pre-Covid.

Quarantine restrictions were eased on 19 July for fully vaccinated people travelling to England from amber-list countries.

But Heathrow has called for the amber list to be scrapped completely and for less testing to be required for travellers.

You can read more about the UK's travel restrictions here.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

The UK’s four Chief Medical Officers have submitted their conclusions on whether children aged 12 to 15 should be routinely vaccinated.

It’s expected they will approve the extension of the vaccine programme to cover 12 to 15-year-olds. An announcement could come as soon as today.

The government has refused to comment.

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

Out of the tens of thousands of Covid deaths recorded in England in the first half of the year, 256 were in fully vaccinated people, according to the ONS, external.

These “breakthrough” deaths are in people who have had two jabs and first tested positive more than two weeks after their second dose.

These rare deaths mainly took place in people over the age of 84 and were seen slightly more often in men (61%) than women (39%).

They were more likely to happen for people who were immunocompromised - 13% compared with about 5% of Covid deaths in people who were unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated.

The figures cover the period between 2 January and 2 July, when there were a total of 51,281 deaths involving Covid recorded in England.

Image source, Getty Images

A Scottish health charity is to distribute more than £11m worth of equipment to help protect against Covid in three countries in Africa.

Edinburgh-based Kids Operating Room will send supplies to Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia after raising funds from business and the Scottish government.

The personal protective equipment, which includes visors and goggles, is due to arrive later this month.

The donated items were identified by NHS National Services Scotland as unlikely to be used within the health and social care sector.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

This morning Prof Neil Ferguson pointed out the UK was leading in Europe on vaccination rates until recently when some countries began giving jabs to 12 to 15-year-olds and moved ahead.

So what do the UK's vaccine figures look like compared with other countries in Europe and around the world?

According to statistics up to last Friday - 10 September - the UK has given 137.2 doses per 100 people and there are six EU countries which have higher rates - Malta with 155.9, Portugal at 149.8, Denmark with 148.8, Spain at 145.5, Belgium on 140.5 and Ireland with 139.9.

Gibraltar has the highest rate in Europe at 234.6 and Armenia the lowest at 10.2.

Around the world China has administered the highest number of doses at more than two billion - which equates to 147.23 doses per 100 people.

You can find out the progress of a country's vaccine rollout by using our look-up tool here.

Image source, Getty Images

While plans to introduce mandatory vaccine passports in England have been dropped for now, in Scotland people will have to prove they have been fully vaccinated to go to nightclubs and many large events from 1 October.

However, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery John Swinney says vaccine passports will only be used in Scotland in a "limited set of circumstances".

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme there is "no question that vaccine certificates will be applicable to any public services whatsoever under any circumstances".

He adds the Scottish government has "no immediate plans" to use vaccine passports for cafes and restaurants.

You can read more about when you might need a vaccine passport here.

Image source, Getty Images

Nearly a third of people arriving in England and Northern Ireland as the coronavirus Delta variant took off may have broken quarantine rules.

More than 300,000 cases were passed to investigators between March and May, according to figures seen by the BBC.

The government was not able to say how many of these were found to have broken the rules or could not be traced.

The Home Office says it aims to pay home visits to all travellers suspected of not following the rules.

But Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds says the figures obtained by the BBC "confirm our worst fears" about the government's "lax border policy".

And he accused the Home Office of "gross negligence".

Coronavirus headlines are sharing the front pages of the UK's papers with photos of a smiling Emma Raducanu holding up her trophy after winning the US Open.

The Daily Mail welcomes reports that many Covid restrictions in England will be lifted, external, but warns against "half measures", objecting to what it calls any "draconian" rules being retained.

The Sun sees it as a "win for liberty" , externalalthough the i newspaper suggests that tougher rules may still be imposed, if people don't act cautiously, external.

According to the Guardian, Conservative opponents believe that vaccine passports could still be made mandatory later this year, external, despite Sunday's announcement that they're to be shelved in England.

The Times calls it a "risky" U-turn, external, suggesting voluntary vaccine checks may not be enough - while the Daily Telegraph is concerned that different rules in different nations could confuse people and calls for an end to all restrictions, external.

You can see a review of some of this morning's newspapers here.

What to expect from the PM's Covid winter planpublished at 09:11 British Summer Time 13 September 2021

09:11 BST 13 September 2021

Adam Fleming
Chief political correspondent

Plan A is a booster campaign for vaccinations and potentially 12 to 15-year-olds getting the vaccine too.

There will be various elements though of a Plan B, depending on what happens with the virus.

So I expect we’ll probably see the revival of the idea of people being advised to work from home.

Maybe we’ll see hints about what could happen with mask-wearing in certain scenarios.

And then what about Covid passports?

You might remember, in July the prime minister said that in September the government would make Covid passports mandatory for nightclubs and other large events where people were gathering in big groups.

Well yesterday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government wasn’t going to proceed with that.

But it could be that the idea of Covid passports are held in reserve.

Scotland's health secretary says a claim by French vaccine maker Valneva that the UK has scrapped a deal to buy its jabs will not hit the supply for booster doses.

Humza Yousaf tells BBC Good Morning Scotland: "Two things I would like to give a reassurance on: first and foremost, even if this contract is terminated we have enough supply even for a booster programme moving forward.

"I want to give absolute confidence to anybody listening that we have the supplies necessary to continue to vaccinate, and particularly with a booster programme, hopefully, on the horizon shortly.

"The second thing, of course, is this is a blow for the facility in Livingston. We are very keen and will be reaching out to the company to try to get security and secure a future for that facility in Livingston; we hope that would be with Valneva.

"Clearly, when it comes to their supposed alleged failure to meet their contract obligations, we obviously are looking for more information from the UK Government and would expect that shortly."

Image source, Getty Images

French vaccine maker Valneva says the UK government has scrapped a deal for its Covid-19 vaccine.

The UK had about 100 million doses on order, after it increased its request by 40 million in February.

The company says in a statement, external that the UK government served notice over allegations of a breach of the agreement, which it "strenuously denies".

Valneva's jab is still being tested in trials but manufacturing at a site in West Lothian, Scotland, had already started.

The plant in Livingston is thought to have some 100 scientists and technicians working there.

We've heard the government's winter plan to tackle coronavirus is aimed at avoiding further national lockdowns.

Prof Neil Ferguson says he hopes these toughest restrictions will not be needed through winter but says: “I don’t think you can rule out anything completely.”

“With this level of immunity we have in the population, if we do need to further drive down transmission then it may not require a full lockdown," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

“I was pleased to read that I think things like retaining the option to request people to work from home, for instance, is apparently within the plan," he says.

On the government's now-ditched plan to introduce vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs he says: “I think I’m on the side that healthcare workers, perhaps social care staff, given that they’re interacting with highly vulnerable people, who are most at risk of Covid, there’s a justification there for requiring vaccination.

“And I think in terms of the general population I can see the potential advantages to some extent of reducing transmission. But as a measure to encourage people to be vaccinated these sorts of coersive measures do tend to harden views rather than actually do what they intended to do and increase vaccination rates.”

The prime minister will set out his Covid winter plan tomorrow, the work and pensions secretary confirms.

Therese Coffey tells BBC Breakfast some regulations may still be needed to reduce transmission, including changes to statutory sick pay.

She also says the option of using vaccine passports has not been "ruled out forever" but they are "not deemed necessary at this moment".

"It's reflecting the fact that a lot of young people have come forward and got their vaccinations over the summer," she adds.

There had been plans to require proof of full vaccination to access nightclubs and large events in England from the end of September - but on Sunday Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this would not go ahead.

Image source, Getty Images

The PM is finalising his winter plan to tackle coronavirus in England, which will include what action would be taken if the NHS was at risk of becoming overwhelmed.

Boris Johnson is expected to announce his strategy tomorrow after the UK's vaccine advisory body unveils its guidance on who should get booster jabs later today.

A government source stressed the Covid Winter Plan would emphasise how society planned to continue "living with" the virus throughout the winter and promote Covid and flu jabs.

The Times reports, external that mandatory face coverings and working from home will be brought back in if there is a winter surge in infections.

Sources have told the Times the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has devised a series of options to limit the spread of Covid-19 without the use of lockdowns.

Image source, Imperial College London

The UK is “falling behind a little” in terms of vaccination rates compared with countries including Spain, Portugal and Ireland, Prof Neil Ferguson says.

“We were leading in Europe until recently and now several countries have got higher vaccination levels than us,” says Prof Ferguson, who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

“That’s largely because they have rolled out vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds faster than us,” he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

“They’ve also vaccinated more recently and we know now that vaccine effectiveness decays over time - we always expected that - and so they have more immunity in the population.

“They also principally used the Pfizer vaccine which against Delta is somewhat more effective than the AstraZeneca vaccine.

So there are a set of countries in Europe with considerably more population immunity than us and I think if we want to stop the risk of a large autumn and winter wave we need to boost immunity in the population.”

When asked if he was suggesting doing this by vaccinating teenagers he says: “I think that’s the initial priority”.

“Just because it’s going to take six to eight weeks from starting before those teenagers have had two doses and it’s only with – if we’re talking about Delta, which is the virus which is predominant in the UK now – it’s only after two doses that people get substantial protection.”

Thank you for joining us for live updates on coronavirus in the UK and around the world.

Here are some of the stories we are looking at as the UK wakes up this morning:

• Vaccinating teenagers should be an “initial priority” for the UK, says the scientist whose modelling led to the first nationwide restrictions
• Prof Neil Ferguson says this will help the UK catch up to the vaccination levels of countries including Spain, Portugal and Ireland where they already vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds
• Boris Johnson is finalising his Covid Winter Plan for England which he will announce tomorrow
• The UK’s vaccine advisory body is expected to give its guidance on who should receive booster jabs later
• Nearly a third of people arriving in England and Northern Ireland as the coronavirus Delta variant took off may have broken quarantine rules, according to figures seen by the BBC
• Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has experienced long queues to buy essential items amid tight lockdown measures to control the spread of Covid-19.