We're bringing our live coverage of the pandemic to a close for the day. Thanks for joining us, we'll be back tomorrow morning.

Here's a recap of the day's main Covid news:

• The UK has ordered 35 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as it prepares for a booster jab programme - with these doses expected to arrive in the second half of 2022
• Meanwhile, the Pfizer vaccine has received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), becoming the first jab to be fully licensed in the nation
• Police were called to ITN's London headquarters after anti-vaccine protesters entered the building
• More than 80 private Covid travel test providers listed on the government's website will be issued two-strike warnings over misleading prices and 57 providers will be removed altogether
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended the country's coronavirus lockdown, citing the need to be "cautious" after the spread of the Delta variant
• The UK has recorded 31,914 new Covid-19 infections, as well as 40 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test

The UK has recorded a further 31,914 new Covid-19 cases, Monday's official figures show., external

There have also been a further 40 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Meanwhile, a further 40,345 first vaccine doses have been administered, as well as another 116,352 second doses.

It means that 76.9% of over-16s in the UK have now been fully vaccinated, while 87.7% have had at least one dose.

Reality Check

As we reported earlier, coronavirus was the ninth biggest cause of death in England in July, up from the 26th most common cause in June.

In Wales it was the 22nd leading cause of death, having been too low to rank the previous month.

The total number of people dying rose back above the average levels for 2015 to 2019 in July.

The number of deaths was 7.6% higher than average in England and 10.4% higher in Wales, figures from the Office for National Statistics , externalshow.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Covid has been the number one cause of death in England and Wales for six months (April, May, November and December 2020 and January and February 2021).

When there isn't a pandemic, the top causes of death are usually heart disease and dementia.

The figures record the one condition named as the underlying cause of death.

So, it does not include cases in which Covid was just mentioned on the death certificate as a contributory cause.

They show the deaths registered in each period, not when the deaths actually occurred.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Getty Images

There’s a lot of focus in China today on one of the country’s top medical experts being cleared over academic misconduct.

Zhang Wenhong is a renowned infectious disease expert who is often nicknamed “China’s Dr Fauci”.

He is extremely popular in China and has become of the country’s most trusted voices on Covid-19.

However, the national Global Times newspaper notes that there were calls in early August to investigate his academic background, with some on the popular Sina Weibo microblog claiming that his doctorate paper showed signs of plagiarism., external

Fudan University, which is one of China’s top universities, subsequently said it would carry out an investigation into these claims, in accordance with relevant academic standards.

Today, the university has released the findings of these results, and according to the national China Daily newspaper, has found that “Zhang’s doctoral dissertation had met the requirements for doctoral dissertations at that time”.

In a statement on its website, external, it says that his work “does not constitute academic misconduct”.

Given Dr Zhang’s popularity, many on China’s Sina Weibo social network are pleased with these results.

Comments are rife on the platform about how those that made “slanderous” comments about him should apologise or “be held accountable” for spreading online rumours.

Global Times notes, external that recent criticism over Dr Zhang might have been sparked by an early "misinterpreted" remark he had made, that some saw as contradictory to China's official messaging on Covid-19.

Cumbria's director of public health is urging tourists to take a lateral flow Covid test before visiting the county in north-west England.

It follows a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the Eden district.

There are now 387 cases per 100,000 people - double the number compared with the week before.

Colin Cox says it is unclear whether tourism is a factor, but is urging people to check they are Covid-free before travelling and to continue wearing face coverings in public places.

As we reported just now, police have been called to ITN's London headquarters after anti-vaccine protesters entered the building.

We've got a bit more detail now from ITN.

In a statement, a spokeswoman says police are attending a "breach of security" at its studios on Grays' Inn Road.

ITN says it takes such breaches "very seriously" and that the safety of its staff and journalists is of "paramount importance".

"All personnel have been advised to either stay in the building or stay away while the situation is being dealt with," the statement adds.

Pfizer's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine has received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), becoming the first jab to be licensed in the US.

The vaccine had initially been given emergency use authorisation. Its two jabs are now fully approved for those aged 16 and older.

The approval is expected to set off more vaccine mandates by employers and organisations across the country.

It comes amid lingering vaccine hesitancy among many Americans.

In a statement, the FDA says its review for approval includes data from approximately 44,000 people.

Acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock says that the public "can be very confident" the vaccine meets high safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality standards.

Read more on this story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Abattoirs, butchers and meat processors are set to employ prisoners and ex-inmates to help plug 14,000 job vacancies.

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) tells the BBC that Covid has contributed to a looming "recruitment crisis".

The industry body says businesses will seek to link up with prisons that contain prisoners who are part of the Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) programme.

It's a risk-assessed scheme that inmates in open prisons use to gain work experience to help them in their transition back into the community.

Tony Goodger, from AIMS, says some members already employ inmates on ROTL, and have found them to be "well behaved, hard-working, and willing to learn".

We've got more on this story here.

A group of anti-vaccine protesters have entered ITN Production's London headquarters on Gray's Inn road, in Camden.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday , external- and subsequently retweeted by ITN - the Metropolitan Police said officers were "responding to a demonstration at a private premises on Gray’s Inn Road...where people have unlawfully gained access to the building" and that police were "engaging with building security and removing those who have gained entry".

Image source, Getty Images

A Covid vaccination clinic that had to close because of an anti-vaccine protest will reopen later this week.

The pop-up clinic inside Cabot Circus Shopping Centre in Bristol was shut when about 60 protesters gathered outside on Sunday afternoon.

Avon and Somerset Police says the clinic closed "for the welfare and safety of staff and patients".

In a statement, the NHS said it was "disappointed" that vaccinations had to be paused.

Some of the protesters addressed shoppers outside the clinic using a megaphone, telling them not to get the vaccine.

The pop-up clinic is due to re-open to people aged 16 and over on 27 and 28 August from 11:00 to 19:00 BST.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, EPA

China’s capital city Beijing has today relaxed its remaining local lockdowns, meaning that life is somewhat back to normal for residents.

There were fears of a widespread outbreak in Beijing after a local case of Covid-19 was detected in the city on 28 July.

Sporadic cases were subsequently reported, meaning that the city swiftly locked down communities where people had tested positive, and imposed travel restrictions on people entering and leaving the city., external

Large-scale testing drives , externalinvolving millions of people also took place.

Almost three weeks ago, the city’s government stressed that all large-scale events throughout August should be cancelled, including the Beijing International Film Festival, external.

Parks, cinemas and libraries were told to limit the number of visitors, and many universities, including the prestigious Tsinghua University, announced that they were suspending the start date of their new terms.

But Beijing - which has population of around 21 million people - has not recorded any new symptomatic cases since 11 August, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, external, so the city has deemed it safe to lift its lockdowns.

Image source, Reuters

So we know that another 35m Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are on order, on top of the 100m that have already been used or are on the way already - but who are they earmarked for?

Because Prizer was the first vaccine to become available for use in the UK, that is what was given to the elderly and most vulnerable who were prioritised when the vaccine rollout started last December.

Oxford-AstraZeneca was the second to be approved and because it was quickly available in particularly large numbers, it became the predominant vaccine as the UK rollout started to work down the age groups.

But when rare instances of blood clots in younger people were linked to the AstraZeneca jab, under-30s were told they wouild be offered Pfizer or Moderna vaccines rather than the AstraZeneca one. Since then the AstraZeneca vaccine has been largely used for the second vaccines of those people who were given that first time around.

The UK regulator has now approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12-15 and the UK's vaccines committee will now decide whether children should get the jab.

The UK's booster programme is due to start next month but no decision has been announced on whether this third jab must match someone's first or second jab. If that is what is decided, then Pfizer will be used to boost the immunity of the elderly and vulnerable groups who were first to receive it at the end of 2020 and start of this year.

If you're just joining us, here's a quick round-up of the main headlines this lunchtime:

• The UK government has signed a deal for 35 million more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to ensure the country "remains ahead of the virus for years to come", with doses due to arrive from the second half of next year
• Staff and supply shortages have taken their toll on the UK's economic recovery this month, according to survey the IHS Markit/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers' Index
• New Zealand's national lockdown has been extended, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stressing the need for a "cautious" approach amid the spread of the Delta variant
• More than 80 private Covid travel test providers listed on the government's website will be issued two-strike warnings over misleading prices, while 57 will be removed from the website altogether
• Young long-Covid sufferers have featured in a new NHS video to share their experiences, as they urge others to get vaccinated against coronavirus

Back to our main news that the UK has ordered another 35m coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech. , external

That's on top of an extra 60 million doses of the same jab it ordered in April as part of the vaccination booster programme in the autumn.

This extra order means that Pfizer has now pulled well clear of the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine that at one stage made up the biggest part of the government's pre-orders. The latest order count for each vaccine from the very start of the pandemic is:

• Pfizer-BioNTech 135m
• Oxford Astra-Zeneca 100m
• Valneva 100m
• GlaxoSmithKline/Sanofi Pasteur 60m
• Novavax 60m
• CureVac 50m
• Janssen 20m
• Moderna 17m

Add those figures up and the total is several times the entire population of the UK but of course some of those vaccines have yet to be approved for use in this country. You may remember that at the end of last year, before a single vaccine was produced, the government took an early approach of exploring as many avenues as possible in terms of immunisation options..

You can read more about the UK's vaccine programme here.

As we've been reporting today, a new NHS video featuring people in their 20s and 30s who suffer from long Covid is being used as part of efforts to encourage young people to get vaccinated.

Infection rates are currently highest among younger adults, but so too is vaccine hesitancy, according to BBC health correspondent Dominic Hughes.

Dr Joanne Herman, a consultant in infectious diseases, urges young people to get vaccinated against Covid to protect their long-term health.

"Adults may be unable to work, but children will be prevented from learning and I think it's such an important time, you don't want months in bed, you don't want months when you're unable to do your sport or go out dancing or do anything you want, you want to be in the prime of your life."

Image source, EPA

Staff and supply shortages have taken their toll on the UK's economic recovery this month, according to a closely watched survey.

The IHS Markit/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for August hit a six-month low of 55.3, falling from 59.2 in July.

Any reading above 50 indicates growth, but the bounce-back from the pandemic is losing momentum, say researchers.

Firms have complained that self-isolation requirements for contacts of people with Covid have made it hard for them to maintain staffing levels.

IHS Markit economist Chris Williamson says: "Despite Covid-19 containment measures easing to the lowest since the pandemic began, rising virus case numbers are deterring many forms of spending, notably by consumers, and have hit growth via worsening staff and supply shortages."

He says supplier delays have risen to a degree exceeded only once before - in the initial months of the pandemic.

"The number of companies reporting that output had fallen due to staff or materials shortages has risen far above anything ever seen previously in more than 20 years of survey history," Williamson adds.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has sued several companies for ordering employees to receive Covid-19 vaccines or risk the sack.

In an urgent court filing cited, external by privately-owned ZimLive website, ZCTU said the actions of the companies violated workers’ constitutional rights.

“There is no law in Zimbabwe making vaccination compulsory. Each person, having fully considered the implications and effects of vaccination, is expected to make a personal decision on whether or not to get vaccinated,” ZCTU argues in the court application.

Public Service Minister Paul Mavhima and Attorney General Prince Machaya are also enjoined in the case.

The Zimbabwe government, which has ordered all civil servants to get vaccinated, is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million of its approximately 15 million citizens by the end of this year.

Image source, Harley Edwards

People have been working out longer and can fit exercise into their daily routine better since the start of the pandemic, industry figures show.

PureGym's one million members now visit 1.43 times a week on average, compared with 1.21 before lockdown, while the 17:00-20:00 peak has "quietened down".

Visits are also now spread across the day and later into the evening.

And personal trainer Harley Edwards says she has seen a change, with 100 of her 150 clients exercising solely online.

She started an online class in February 2020 and, after lockdown a month later, numbers watching soared to 300.

She says about 80% of her clients are mums who are now able to fit working out around their lifestyle better - logging on before or after work, or when childcare allows.

"I have members of my online group who had never exercised in their lives until lockdown, and now they would never give it up," Harley says.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Iran has recorded a further 38,657 positive cases and 610 Covid-related deaths, the country's health ministry says.

New infections have risen slightly on Sunday's figure (36,419) but deaths have fallen from the 684 deaths reported yesterday.

A further 5,108 people have been hospitalised. A total of 3,961,024 have recovered, while 7,695 patients are in critical condition.

The ministry also says that 16,986,882 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 6,150,817 people have received two doses, bringing the total number of administered doses to 23,137,699.

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Image source, PA Media

There are marked differences in your immune system after a natural infection with coronavirus and after vaccination. Which is better?

It is now a serious question that has implications for whether children should ever be vaccinated. And whether we use the virus or booster shots to top up immunity in adults. Both have become contentious issues.

"We could be digging ourselves into a hole, for a very long time, where we think we can only keep Covid away by boosting every year," Prof Eleanor Riley, an immunologist from the University of Edinburgh, tells me.

Prof Adam Finn, a government vaccine adviser, says over-vaccinating people, when other parts of the world had none, is "a bit insane, it's not just inequitable, it's stupid".

I've spoken to experts to compare vaccine and natural infection with the virus - here's what they told me.