A further 167 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, with 38,0013 new cases recorded
The Scottish Parliament votes in favour of vaccination certificates being needed to allow entry to nightclubs and larger live events
The number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high, new figures show
"NHS staff have pulled out all the stops... despite caring for many more Covid patients," says NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis
Universities are expected to give students face-to-face teaching this term rather than online learning, the education secretary says
A six-week consultation gets under way to decide whether it should be compulsory for all NHS staff in England to be vaccinated against Covid
Several people have been killed in a fire at a hospital treating Covid patients in North Macedonia
Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive will meet to decide whether to lift the remaining coronavirus restrictions
Thank you for following our live updates on coronavirus, that's all for today.
Your updates were written by Jennifer Meierhans and Marie Jackson.
This page was edited by James Clarke and Rob Corp.
Have a good evening and we will have more coronavirus news for you tomorrow.
There's been quite going on today on the coronavirus front, here's a recap before we finish our live updates.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe pandemic made it hard for many to book a dentist appointment
As most of us will be all too aware, booking a dental appointment got a little tricky with the upheaval of Covid and various lockdowns.
For one woman things were so bad she tried to remove her own rotten teeth with a pair of tweezers after struggling to get treatment.
Over 18 months, Bolu Muheeb, 23, estimates she has rung the NHS 111 service more than 200 times because of the pain she was in with her teeth.
And she's among a number who have contacted the BBC to report continuing problems booking NHS appointments.
NHS England said dentists were prioritising those with urgent needs.
One dentist in Birmingham says his practice is currently open six days a week, 12 hours a day, attending to NHS and private patients.
Read more stories of tooth troubles here.
MSPs have voted to introduce Covid vaccination passports for entry to nightclubs and some crowded events.
68 members voted for the government motion, with 55 against.
The move will mean that from 1 October only people who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed into nightclubs, major sporting events and many concerts and festivals.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the UK Government has a "duty" to consider making vaccines compulsory for NHS staff in order to protect the vulnerable.
A six-week consultation has been launched considering whether health and care workers should have to be jabbed.
"The reason we have launched this consultation today for the health sector, for the NHS, is because obviously hospitals are full of vulnerable people and I think it's our duty to make sure that we are considering this," Javid says on a hospital visit.
Asked whether NHS staff who refused to have the jab risked losing their jobs, Javid says: "I don't want to prejudge the outcome of the consultation, it's important this is done properly and we want to listen to what people have got to say.
"But patient safety will always be a priority."
Image source, ReutersHealth Secretary Sajid Javid says he is "confident" the vaccine booster programme will start later in September.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs are safe to use as boosters, but the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has yet to give its advice to ministers.
"We are heading towards our booster programme, so the news from the MHRA today is welcome," Javid says during a visit to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
"But also I want to wait for the final opinion of the JCVI, it's important that we do and we listen to what they have got to say.
"I'm confident that our booster programme will start later this month but I'm still awaiting the final advice."
Image source, Getty ImagesMSPs are voting on plans to allow only fully vaccinated people into crowded venues and events in Scotland. We're expecting the result in a few minutes.
The plans for Covid vaccination certificates - so called Covid passports - are similar to those in England, but there are some key differences.
Scotland
If the proposals are approved by Holyrood, the passport scheme is expected to come into force at the end of the month.
The new rules will mean people over the age of 18 will need to show they are fully vaccinated before they are allowed entry to:
England
People will need to prove their Covid status to get into nightclubs and some other venues from the end of September, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi says.
The changes are likely to affect:
There are no proposals yet to use Covid passports for events and venues in Wales or Northern Ireland. Here's what we know about the plans for England and Scotland so far.
Image source, ReutersWhile we await the result of MSPs voting on whether vaccine passports will be required for entry into nightclubs and large scale events in Scotland, let's look at their wider use.
Showing proof of double-jabs is already a requirement for some international travel.
The NHS Covid pass in England, or its equivalents in other parts of the UK, lets fully vaccinated adults avoid quarantine when returning from amber-list countries., external
Adults fully vaccinated in the US and most European countries also don't have to self-isolate on arrival in the UK from amber-list countries.
Those vaccinated in the US can show a CDC card and proof of US residency, such as a passport or Green Card, external.
Proof of vaccination status is also required by some other countries for entry. Several European destinations now accept the NHS pass.
Check your destination's entry rules before booking and keep checking up until you travel.
Some holiday providers insist customers are fully vaccinated - including Saga and P&O.
Image source, AFPAstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization
Europe's medicines regulator has added the nerve-damaging disorder, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, as a possible side-effect of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, which is widely used in Africa.
The European Medicines Agency says a causal relationship between GBS and the jab is "at least a reasonable possibility".
But the EMA says the side-effect is very rare, saying there has been less than one case in 10,000 people.
The EMA stresses the vaccine's benefits outweigh the potential risks.
In July, the EMA listed Guillain-Barre Syndrome as a "very rare" side effect of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which uses the same adenovirus technology as the AstraZeneca shot.
South Africa has been giving people the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Read more: How do we know Covid vaccines are safe?
Members of the Scottish Parliament have been debating the plans for a scheme requiring people going to nightclubs and big sports stadiums to show their Covid vaccination status.
Here's run-down of some of what's been said so far this afternoon:
Image source, Getty ImagesAbout 400,000 to 500,000 people in the UK will be eligible for a third dose of vaccine, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announcement, external.
This includes those with blood cancer, advanced HIV and recent organ or stem-cell transplants - who make up less than less than 1% of the population.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said people would be contacted "as soon as possible, to discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose".
He said the separate booster programme prioritising those most at risk from Covid-19 was still planned to begin in September. Here's what we know so far.
Image source, Getty ImagesIndia's cricketers have cancelled their training session on the eve of the fifth Test against England, after another positive Covid test result among their coaching staff.
Players have been told to stay in their hotel rooms after having fresh tests this morning, with a spokesperson for the India team telling BBC Sport "everyone is being tested regularly".
Head coach Ravi Shastri tested positive during the fourth Test at The Oval, which India won by 157 runs.
India lead the five-Test series 2-1 and are looking for their first win against England since 2007.
Indian media , externalare reporting that the latest positive was in close contact with the players in the last Test.
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler says he does not know much about India's camp but England were preparing on the assumption the game would go ahead.
"Things are all fine in our camp - we trained well this morning," he adds.
Read more here.
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
Image source, ReutersProtests have taken place this month in Buenos Aires over the Argentine government's handling of the pandemic
According to the national Chinese newspaper Global Times, 200,000 doses of a Chinese vaccine are going to be provided to homeless people and refugees in Argentina, external.
The newspaper says that shots of the CanSino vaccine arrived in the country on Tuesday, and that local Argentine media have confirmed they will be given as priority to these two groups.
This news comes on the heels of China pledging to provide Afghanistan with three million vaccine doses and 200 million yuan’s ($31m; £22m) worth of emergency aid
China has been a key exporter of vaccines throughout the pandemic. Official media say that Chinese vaccines have been approved in more than 100 countries, and that China has actively exported some 800 million vaccines to more than 60 countries, external.
The official Xinhua News Agency said in August, external that “China is far ahead of the rest of the world in donating vaccines” and it has been common over the last year for Chinese outlets to stress that China has played a key role in helping developing countries and vulnerable communities secure vaccines.
These reports have coincided with articles criticising Western countries for either wasting vaccines, external or demonstrating “vaccine apartheid”, external.
The UK has given a total of 92,053,472 coronavirus vaccinations, according to the government's latest figures., external
That's 48,344,566 first doses and 43,708,906 second doses and means 88.9% of people aged 16 and over in the UK have had one jab and 80.4% are fully-vaccinated.
There have been a further 167 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test in the UK, according to the government's latest figures., external
There were also 38,013 new coronavirus infections recorded.
Image source, Ariel SkelleyUniversities have been urged to provide face-to-face teaching when students return this term.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says students should expect to be taught "in-person and alongside other students".
It would be right to stay online when there's a "genuine benefit to using technology", he says.
But he warns university leaders: "I do not expect to see online learning used as a cost-cutting measure."
Parents would find it "odd" if students could go to other social activities but were not allowed back into lecture halls, the education secretary tells the Universities UK conference.
Williamson, speaking via a video link, says students are craving a "return to normality" - and that even with safety measures against Covid there should not be unnecessary delays on starting face-to-face classes.
Members of the Scottish Parliament have begun debating a scheme requiring people going to nightclubs and big sports stadiums to show their Covid vaccination status.
Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney has opened the debate, saying the certification scheme is "a proportionate response to a world in which there is the continued risk of serious harm from Covid, where our hospitals are under strain and we are beginning to see the serious impact of long Covid".
MSPs will vote on the measures - set out in this government document, external - later today.
We'll bring you an update before this page comes to an end.
But you can follow all the latest live updates here.
More figures from Public Health England show the Covid-19 vaccination programme is estimated to have directly averted 112,300 deaths across the country.
Previous estimates had put the number at 105,900 deaths. Estimates for the number of hospital admissions among people aged 65 and over prevented by vaccinations are unchanged, at about 143,600.
Image source, Getty ImagesCovid-19 case rates are rising in all regions of England except the South West, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.
North-east England has the highest rate, with 378.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 5 September, up from 320.3.
Yorkshire and the Humber has the second highest rate at 378.4, up from 343.0. London has the lowest rate at 240.0, up slightly from 237.5.
Case rates are also continuing to rise in most age groups, the figures showed.
The exceptions are 20 to 29-year-olds, 60 to 69-year-olds and people aged 80 and over.
The highest rate is among 10 to 19-year-olds, with 681.4 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 5 September, up sharply week-on-week from 478.3.
The second highest rate is among 20 to 29-year-olds, down from 412.1 to 373.2. The lowest rate is among people aged 80 and over, at 114.0, down slightly from 115.4.
Guy De Launey, BBC Balkans Correspondent
Image source, EPAPresident Stevo Pendarovski has visited the site of the fire
A bit more now on the terrible fire in the North Macedonian hospital.
The country's president, Stevo Pendarovski, says there is no indication that last night's fire in Tetovo was started deliberately.
At least 14 people have died at the temporary treatment centre for coronavirus patients.
President Pendarovski says "we will know the truth in a short time," after investigators complete their work.
Firefighters at the scene said they suspected an explosion in an oxygen tank was the cause of the fire.
