England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has answered your Covid questions
He said we are in "half time of extra time" in the pandemic in the UK - but the final whistle hasn't blown
"There are hard months to come in the winter, and it is not over," he says
But he says he expects "calmer waters" by the spring
Prof Van-Tam says masks remain important in some settings - but declines to criticise MPs who don't wear them in Parliament
He also says making masks mandatory in more places is a matter for government, not scientists
The UK reported a further 33,865 cases and 293 new deaths on Tuesday
The number of daily cases is falling in the UK - down 10% week-on-week
That's the end of our live coverage of Prof Jonathan Van-Tam's question and answer session on the BBC.
You can read our story on his comments here, or watch his warning about the "hard months to come" below.
Thanks for reading.
Van-Tam on Covid: 'There are some hard months to come in the winter"
Image source, Getty ImagesEarlier, we brought you the news that the US has fully approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five and up.
But a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation - the UK's independent body that advises on vaccine rollouts - said it was "far too early" to follow the lead of the US.
Currently, those aged 12-17 are being offered a Covid vaccine in the UK - although it's only a single dose for now.
Prof Jeremy Brown from University College London Hospitals said the British regulatory bodies have not yet looked at the data from the US.
"I think there's a case for using a vaccine on those children that have underlying diseases that make them more vulnerable to Covid, having severe side-effects from the Covid infection. That's possible."
But he said very few healthy adolescents were having severe problems from Covid "and the same will be true for, in fact, probably more true, for the 11s and under".
Brown also said the infection rate was at a "precarious point" - but he does not believe the current case numbers of coronavirus are "out of control".
Earlier, Prof Van-Tam said rates in the UK "are higher than in most of Europe...we are running quite hot - I think that's the right expression".
Although country-to-country comparisons are difficult, because of different testing policies, the UK does have higher cases per capita than Germany and France.
However, cases per capita are higher in much of eastern Europe, including Estonia and Latvia.
As this recent chart shows, cases have been rising in many European countries.
Van-Tam: We can't predict when final whistle will be blow, but hope for spring
Image source, PA MediaWe've reported this morning that Prof Jonathan Van-Tam thinks there are some "hard months ahead" with Covid this winter - and Northern Ireland's health minister has said he cannot rule out reintroducing some Covid restrictions.
Robin Swann said he and his colleagues would do all they can to avoid another lockdown - but the approaching winter was the most difficult ever experienced.
Many hospitals in NI are currently operating over capacity.
But rules were lifted as recently as Sunday, when nightclubs reopened and legal requirements on social distancing were also scrapped.
Last week, Wales also suggested that some Covid rules could be brought back to enable people to have a normal Christmas.
Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News
Jonathan Van Tam warned this morning that people should not assume the pandemic was over, or let their guard down.
He said there were "some hard months to come" and urged caution, particularly when meeting other people, and the wearing of face coverings in appropriate places.
He was clear that vaccinating young children from the age of five is not a priority in the UK - unlike in the US. Instead, boosters and first doses for the five million unvaccinated are much more important.
But it's not just Covid he's worried about.
Flu and other winter respiratory viruses are returning this season after a complete absence last year when no one was mixing - and anything we can do to protect against Covid will protect against them too.
But Prof Van Tam was upbeat too - by the spring he forecast "calmer waters" and, using one of his much-loved football analogies, he said the country was now at half-time in extra time.
The final whistle may be only months away.
Van-Tam on Covid: 'There are some hard months to come in the winter"
The deputy chief medical officer for England spent half an hour answering questions from BBC viewers, listeners, and readers this morning. Here are some of the stand-out lines:
Jim Reed
Health reporter, BBC News
One of Prof Van-Tam's key points was the importance of people getting vaccinated - including the booster jabs for people who've already had two vaccines.
Over the past month, 2,148 people over 50 years old have died in England after testing positive for Covid - despite having two doses of a vaccine.
There is some evidence that protection from the Covid jab does fade or "wane" over time.
The answer - say scientists - is the mass rollout of booster vaccines for the over 50s, medical staff and young adults with some health conditions.
But there is concern that the programme of third doses has not kept pace with the numbers becoming eligible six months after their second shot.
Roughly 5.8 million people now qualify for a booster in England but have not yet been jabbed, according to John Roberts, from the Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group, which has been tracking the vaccine rollout - up from 2.8 million a month ago.
The speed of the rollout has also been criticised in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
From this week anyone eligible can turn up at a walk-in centre to get their booster in England.
But doctors and others involved in the programme have told the BBC that they are still concerned about the speed of the rollout.
The worry is that complacency, and changes to the way jabs are offered, could leave millions of vulnerable people at higher risk of serious illness this Christmas.
Van-Tam: Deaths from virus are increasing, scientists concerned we're "running hot"
We told you Prof Van-Tam loves a football metaphor so we're ending his question and answer session by asking him for his analogy on where we are in the coronavirus pandemic.
He says we are at "kind of half time in extra time".
He says although we can't predict when the final whistle will be blown, he thinks we've got a few more months to run - and "we will be in a calmer set of waters by spring".
Until then, he urges caution as "this is not quite over" - and he says vaccines and boosters "are really important".
If you can't get enough of JVT's football metaphors we've got more here.
And a more unusual question comes in for the professor: Footballers are seen as role models, but should they be mandatory-vaccinated to encourage others to do the same?
Van-Tam says nobody should be forced into a position where they have to reveal any details about their health if they don't want to.
But he says it is "always very helpful to understand key influences" are on board with the vaccination programme - and he would always encourage public figures to come forward and say they've been jabbed.
Marie has emailed in to ask: "We seem to be relying purely on the vaccination programme - do you believe simple measures like wearing a face mask would help to prevent a Christmas lockdown?"
Prof JVT says there are some "key things that will put us in the best place for winter".
One is human behaviours and caution over the next couple of months, he says.
Another is how well the vaccination programmes go in terms of boosters, people coming for their second doses and unvaccinated people coming forward for their first doses.
He also says scientists will be keeping a close eye on the absence of new variants of concern.
He says although there are currently no variants of concern we have to "accept that we can't predict the future and we have to keep a very close eye on it".
"Why haven't the symptoms on the government website been updated to reflect current research?" asks Margaret - suggesting that cold-like symptoms should also be added.
Van-Tam replies that scientists definitely keep under review the symptoms that are the most predictive.
"We have looked at this several times over this year," he says, "and the answer always comes back from the experts that the key features are the ones that we've already picked out as the definition - and that's what we're staying with for the moment."
We've got some quickfire questions now, the first is from Shoba in Cornwall who asks: "Because the infection rates are going up, what is the indication to make masks and social distancing mandatory?"
JVT's answer is short and to the point - he says whether mask wearing is mandated in law is a matter for ministers, and not for scientists.
The next questions are around giving coronavirus jabs to children and teenagers.
Claire asks: "Will 12-17 year olds who have received a single vaccine dose need a second jab at some point? When will this be?"
Prof JVT says this age group was recommended a single dose and the JCVI is still considering if and when to recommend a second dose.
They'll make the decision on 16 to 17-year-olds first, he says.
He says the majority of protection will come from the first dose - which was why it was so important.
He says the JCVI is moving "slowly and cautiously" and there is "plenty of time for decisions to be made on second doses".
The next question comes from Dennis, who asks: "My wife and I are in our late 70s and had our two jabs plus the booster. Will we need another booster in six months, and is there a limit as to how many jabs a person can have?"
Van-Tam says it's quite likely that the third dose - the booster - is likely to last a bit longer than the protection from the first two doses.
"But I can't give you a straight answer... because the truth of the matter is that this is a new disease and we are still learning about it."
He adds there is no known issue with having repeat doses of a vaccine - giving the example of the flu jab which is given again and again.
We are moving on to questions on booster jabs.
Sally in Surrey says: "I am double jabbed and have subsequently had Covid - do I need to have a booster jab now or should I wait until my immunity wanes, six months after infection?"
Prof JVT says we need to boost the most vulnerable first - that's over 50s and under 50s with high risk conditions.
He says we need to get their immunity as high as possible so we go into winter with the best possible protection for the population and individuals.
He's urging people to get their booster jab when they are called for it.
He also warns not to forget flu - we didn't have any flu last year due to lockdowns so we have a population who are more succeptible, he says.
Getting the flu jab could never be more important than right now, he adds.
"Why are schools not putting masks in place with cases rising in school aged children?" asks Traci.
Van-Tam says he can see masks "could be quite inhibitory to the kind of natural expressions of learning in children involving speech and facial expression".
"I think it's difficult for children in schools with face masks," he adds.
The next is a question from Andrew - who asks Prof Van-Tam his opinion on mask wearing in the House of Commons.
In a previous question, Van-Tam said that masks should be worn during "high mobility" activities - but he declines to criticise MPs that don't wear them indoors.
"I don't think I'm in a position to judge every type of interaction that happens in every workplace - including the House of Commons."