That finishes our live updates from today's coronavirus briefing. Here are the main developments:

• A decision on any changes to Covid rules will be taken over the next seven days, with rates at their highest level since December
• The Welsh government is "ready to go" on vaccinating 12 to15-year-olds, with a decision on this from chief medical officers due next week
• First Minister Mark Drakeford said he was concerned not everyone is taking the opportunity to be vaccinated and called on them to do so
• The Welsh government will look at whether to follow Scotland in introducing vaccine passports
• Mr Drakeford said an October lockdown is "not inevitable"

Thanks for joining us and have a good weekend.

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Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Darren Hughes, believes Covid is one of many pressures facing health providers and also called for a clear plan for social care.

“As cases rise, so too do the numbers of Covid patients in hospital and for some, intensive care, adding to the already extreme pressure on the NHS and its staff.

"Taking up the offer of a vaccine remains the best form of defence and we strongly encourage all those who have not yet taken up the offer to come forward."

However, he says pressures on the NHS are not just from Covid, but dealing with a backlog of patients while experiencing unprecedented levels of demand on ambulance services and emergency departments.

“These pressures are being compounded by the inability to discharge many medically fit patients into social care settings due to extreme pressures faced by the sector," he added.

“Now that the government has more information on future funding for social care, we need a clear, sustainable, long-term plan for the sector, as well as short-term solutions to stabilise what is a very challenging and untenable situation.”

From today, people will not be able to visit loved-ones in hospitals in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend.

Because of a rise in Covid cases, Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said the decision was made with "the safety of our patients and staff" in mind.

Under the new rules, visitors will only be allowed for those receiving end-of-life care, while one partner or support person will be able to accompany a woman in labour.

A partner will also be able to attend ultrasound appointments, but all outpatients must attend alone.

The health board encouraged patients to use the free wi-fi available to keep in contact with loved ones.

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Giving booster jabs to everyone is unnecessary, says the scientist behind the Oxford vaccine, as she calls for doses to be sent to countries in need.

Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert told the Daily Telegraph some vulnerable groups would need boosters but immunity was "lasting well" in the majority of cases.

"We need to get vaccines to countries where few of the population have been vaccinated so far," she added.

The UK vaccine advisory body is due to give its final advice on boosters soon.

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Cases are almost 50% higher at this point in the third wave than they were in the second wave back in December.

But the number of patients in hospital with confirmed Covid was three times higher then.

“I am absolutely against Covid passports for domestic use because of the ethical reasons but also because of the legal ramifications," said Welsh Conservative health spokesman Russell George.

“In fact, there are so many issues which make me believe that Covid passports for domestic purposes are wrong."

The Montgomeryshire MS also said talk of further lockdowns was wrong, adding: “We have got to learn to live with Covid."

His Plaid Cymru counterpart, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said Covid passports should not be totally dismissed.

The Ynys Mon MS said he would be prepared to support their use in “very, very limited places”.

He also repeated calls for a Wales-only inquiry into pandemic.

Currently the Welsh government plans to give evidence to the UK inquiry but he said Wales was “more than a chapter” in the pandemic.

Boris Johnson's plans to raise National Insurance to find additional cash for social care and the NHS in England allows the Welsh government to push ahead with its own proposals for social care, Mark Drakeford said.

The first minister said "we now know the architecture" for the system in England, and how much money the Welsh government will receive to construct its own plans.

A Welsh government committee previously set up to consider how care should be paid for will be reconvened.

Mr Drakeford said the news from the prime minister this week had "helped us to move forward with the specifically Welsh solutions that will meet the different circumstances on the different landscape that we have here in Wales".

New figures show there has been one case in Wales of a new variant of coronavirus, known by the Greek letter Mu.

The World Health Organization added the strain to its watchlist on 30 August.

It was first detected in Colombia in January and there is some concern that it may have a number of mutations which could help the virus escape the protection given by vaccines or antibodies from previous Covid-19 infection.

It has been detected in more than 30 countries worldwide, including the United States and several countries in Europe.

In total, there has been 53 cases of the Mu variant in the UK, with 47 detected in England, three in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland.

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A rise in cases has also seen the number of people being treated in hospital with Covid increase, latest figures from Thursday show.

Those with confirmed cases in hospital have risen to 441 - including 112 in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area that covers Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.

Overall, patients being treated for Covid has risen by 65% in a week - at the end of June, there were no patients with coronavirus in the health board's beds.

Across Wales, the daily average number of people in hospital is 375, compared to 277 a week ago - a 35% rise.

There could be as many as 100 new Covid hospital admissions a day as the Delta wave peaks at the end of this month, Wales' first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said the figure was based on modelling work carried out by Swansea University.

At the moment there are about 40 daily Covid-19 hospital admissions.

He said patients would include many who needed to be in hospital for a long time and need intensive care.

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Everyone must use their freedoms "responsibly", as Covid cases continue to rise, the first minister added.

"The advice I think is very straightforward," he said, answering questions from journalists.

"In order to maintain the level of freedom that we currently have, we all have to use that freedom responsibly.

"There are ways, small, simple, practical ways, in which we can do that, and cumulatively, they make a real difference."

Ministers will decide next week whether vaccine passports should be used to gain entry to some events, Mr Drakeford says.

Scotland is introducing vaccine passports for nightclubs and large events from 1 October, while people in England will need to have a "Covid pass" to access "higher-risk" settings from the end of this month.

Mr Drakeford says rising case rates means it would be irresponsible not to consider a similar move.

A decision will be made ahead of a planned three-weekly review of the Coronavirus regulations next Friday.

“There are a number of practical and ethical issues that need to be considered in relation to vaccine certification, and we continue to work through those,” said Mr Drakeford.

“We will not do that in any setting where people have no choice but to go, so there will be no vaccine passports for people who need to go to use crucial public services.”

But, he said, for events people attend voluntarily, and where vaccination would be part of making the event safer “it wouldn’t be responsible of the cabinet not to look at the case for doing so”.

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In Wales, about one in 65 people are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to September 3, up from one in 110 in the previous week - the highest level since the week leading up to 23 December 2020.

In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is one in 60, up from one in 65.

This is slightly below the estimate of one in 40 for the week to August 20, which was the highest since estimates began for Northern Ireland in October 2020.

For Scotland, the Office for National Statistics estimates about one in 45 people had Covid-19 in the week to September 3, up from one in 75 in the previous week and the highest level since estimates began for Scotland in October 2020.

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"There is nothing inevitable about that," was the first minister's response to questions about an October lockdown.

He urged people to all take actions to protect the NHS and restrict the spread of coronavirus.

There will be no vaccine passports for people accessing crucial services, the first minister says.

However, he adds: "Where people gather voluntarily and where there is evidence two doses is effective in suppressing the spread of coronavirus, given the numbers in Wales, we wouldn't be responsible if we didn't look at doing that.

"And we will before next week."

Mr Drakeford is concerned that some people are not getting vaccinated.

He said “really good progress” had been made vaccinating 16 and 17-year-olds, with more than two-thirds having their first dose.

But he said there were a “significant number” of people who could be vaccinated who haven’t yet had the vaccine and are at risk of catching Covid.

“We know that many who are admitted to hospital have not been vaccinated – and many are those are young people under the age of 30.

“It is never too late to be vaccinated in Wales – so please take this important step to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting vaccinated."

The Welsh government is ready to start jabbing 12 to 15-year-olds as soon as a decision is made, Mr Drakeford says.

"The four UK chief medical officers are continuing to discuss and take further expert evidence about whether the vaccine should be available to 12 to 15-year-olds.

"We are expecting a decision next week and, if the roll out is agreed, the NHS here, will be ready to begin."

The Welsh government is also expecting the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to confirm the arrangements for the autumn booster programme.

"There is emerging evidence from Israel that the effectiveness of vaccines may start to decrease after eight months, making a booster jab important," he said.

"We will start sending invitations out as soon as the announcement is made and our NHS has worked hard to make sure it can start the programme as soon as it gets the go ahead."

The first minister urged everyone to help NHS staff by taking some steps.

He said: "Our health and care staff are exhausted after working so hard and so intensely over the last 18 months."

Mr Drakeford also asked everyone to think before going to A&E, adding: "Please think about what care you need for your condition and whether you can get help from your local pharmacist or GP first rather than going straight to A&E.

"Turning back to coronavirus. There are a range of simple steps we can all take to help to control the spread of this virus and protect ourselves and our families.

"The most important remains being fully vaccinated.

"Our vaccination programme continues to be one of the best in the world – over 90% of people have had their first dose of the vaccine and 74% have had two doses."

Mr Drakeford says there are about 40 hospital admissions every day, with just over 420 confirmed cases in hospitals across Wales – the highest since March.

But, he added, modelling suggests "there could be 100 new Covid-19 hospital admissions every day" as the Delta wave peaks.

"If the virus continues to spread at its current rate, we can expect to see around 3,200 cases confirmed every day as this wave peaks towards the end of the month," Mr Drakeford added.

"Until now, this rise has been manageable, because our fantastic vaccination programme has helped to weaken the link between infection and serious illness.

"But with the rapid spread of coronavirus in our communities, pandemic pressure on the NHS is increasing once again."