The first people in England and Wales receive their coronavirus booster jab - a central part of winter Covid preparation across the UK
Maternity support worker Catherine Cargill, who works in Croydon, speaks of her joy at getting a third jab
Millions of people, including health and care workers, the clinically vulnerable, and the over-50s, are eligible
Scotland and Northern Ireland request military help amid surging ambulance and health service demand
UK Covid deaths rise by 158 - with 26,911 new cases reported on Thursday
Vaccines in England stopped 230,800 hospital admissions among the over-45s, new figures suggest
France sees 3,000 health workers suspended for going without a jab
Dozens of aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin test positive
That's all from us for today. Join us again tomorrow morning.
Your writers today were Joshua Cheetham, Victoria Lindrea, Jen Meierhans and Sophie Williams. The editors were George Bowden and Robert Greenall.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're drawing our live coronavirus coverage to a close soon, but before we go, here are some of Thursday's biggest global Covid developments:
Image source, Getty ImagesEarlier you may have read our story about Virgin Australia's mandatory vaccine requirement for workers.
They're not the only ones asking their staff to get the jab.
In August, United Airlines - America's largest carrier - became the first in the US to mandate vaccines for employees.
Today it revealed that 95% of management have been fully vaccinated ahead of its 27 September deadline, according to Reuters news agency. About 90% of employees have also uploaded proof of their shots.
United has taken a tough stance on the issue. As an incentive, anyone uploading the vaccination card before 20 September will be eligible for an additional day of pay.
Meanwhile those with religious exemptions from the jab will be placed on temporary, unpaid leave from 2 October.
Image source, Getty ImagesFollowing Monday's announcement about vaccinating schoolchildren, the BBC's James Gallagher takes an in-depth look at which children are now being offered the vaccine - and why the government has come to its decision, after months of discussion among the experts.
Prof Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said it was a "difficult decision", but that ongoing disruption to school, caused by Covid, uld cause mental health problems and have long term effects on life chances.
Evidence suggests a single dose cuts the risk of catching the Delta variant (if you come into contact with it) by about 55%. It also reduces the chances of you getting very sick or spreading it to someone else.
So who will be vaccinated, how will it happen and will the choice be up to parents or children? Read on to find out more.
Covid: Doctor combating jab myths labelled Dr Death
A doctor who has been debunking myths about the Covid vaccine on TikTok says online trolls have dubbed her Dr Death and suggested she should have her medical licence removed.
Dr Bnar Talabani, 32, is the only Welsh doctor on Team Halo, a UN-backed group of doctors and scientists using social media to dispel vaccine misinformation.
She was born in northern Iraq and came to the UK as a refugee, aged 10.
The co-founder of Muslim Doctors Cymru, Dr Talabani believes trainee medics should be given social media lessons as part of their studies.
Image source, Getty ImagesSingapore's health ministry has reported 910 new cases, its highest number since May 2020.
More than 80% of the city-state's population has been vaccinated, but a recent rise in cases has forced the government to halt the further easing of lockdown restrictions.
If you're just catching up with the day's developments - here are some of the today's top coronavirus news stories in the UK.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe European Union has said that it will provide €30bn ($35.3bn; £25.6bn) over the next six years towards a new agency dealing with health preparedness and rapid response.
The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, or HERA, was officially launched on Thursday, and aims to tackle international crises like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to be better prepared for future health crises,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. "HERA will establish new, adaptable production capacities and secure supply chains to help Europe react fast when needed."
The EU has been criticised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. While health policy and outreach is still handled largely by individual members, vaccine rollout was slowed by initial shortages and longer waiting times for regulatory approvals.
HERA is expected to be fully operational by early next year.
Image source, PA MediaAs we reported earlier, reports suggest Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will announce revised rules for international travel tomorrow, for travellers in England.
But while testing costs are expected to come down for fully vaccinated travellers, those who are not fully vaccinated may be asked to take two tests when arriving from a low-risk - or green - destination, and expected to quarantine at home - according to PA Media.
It is anticipated that people arriving from red list countries will continue to be required to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel, at a cost of £2,285 per solo adult traveller.
However, the red list is expected to be reduced with Pakistan and South Africa among the countries which may come off the high-risk list.
The travel sector has been desperate for the testing and quarantine rules for international travel to be relaxed.
Earlier this week, Heathrow Airport said it had gone from being Europe's busiest airport in 2019 to number 10 on the list, behind rival airports in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
The Visual and Data Journalism Team
Image source, PA MediaOne "ping" - an alert asking someone to self-isolate - was issued by the NHS Covid app for every reported case in England in the week ending 8 September.
Data shows 201,081 cases were reported in this period, with 199,296 contact tracing alerts - or pings - sent out by the app.
The number of pings issued for every reported case has been on a steady decline for the past two months, although it is still above levels seen in mid-May.
A total of 211,947 pings were sent out across England and Wales last week, a 2% increase from the previous week.
There have been another 158 deaths of people who tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days, according to latest government figures.
In addition a further 26,911 cases of coronavirus were recorded in the UK over the past 24 hours.
Data shows 836 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, bringing the total number being treated for Covid in UK hospitals to 8,339 - 1,081 of them in intensive care
New rules for international travel are expected to be announced on Friday for England, the PA Media news agency has said.
The green and amber lists will be merged to form one category of low-risk countries, while the number of destinations on the red list will be reduced, reports PA Media.
There is also speculation that fully vaccinated people arriving in the UK will no longer need to take a pre-departure lateral flow test prior to their flight, or a post-arrival PCR test.
The changes, which could save individual travellers up to £100 each, would come into force ahead of the half-term break at the end of October.
Simon Atkinson
BBC News, Sydney
Image source, Kristina SahleströmIt has been 18 months since Australia snapped shut its international borders, as authorities try to contain the country's Covid outbreak.
Australian citizens and permanent residents need an exemption to leave the country if they intend to return.
Tens of thousands of exemptions have been granted, including many on compassionate grounds. But tens of thousands more have been refused.
Kristina Sahleström lives in Sydney. Her mum Ylva died suddenly in Sweden in late July.
Kristina says she was twice refused permission to travel back, and so missed the funeral.
"My family told me it was very peaceful, but when you see it on a small phone, that translation of peace doesn't come," she says.
"They were unnecessarily harsh, when compassion should have been shown. It's a blanket rule that doesn't allow for the differences in situations."
Ros Atkins on... why people are using a horse drug
In the US, a drug called Ivermectin is being touted as a way of treating or preventing Covid-19, with celebrities such as podcast host Joe Rogan praising its use.
That's despite official advice which says it's not approved for this purpose.
Ivermectin is primarily used for parasitic infections in animals and also has some application for humans in small doses.
Ros Atkins explores why people continue to use the controversial drug.
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
Image source, ReutersAuthorities are hoping the outbreak can be brought under control by the start of the Golden Week holiday
Chinese health officials say that more than 200 cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed in the southeastern province of Fujian.
Since the weekend, there has been outbreak of the virus in three cities: Xiamen, Putian and Quanzhou.
More than half of these are in Putian, a city with a population of 2.9 million people. There have been clusters of cases at kindergartens and primary schools. Local officials today told a press conference that more than 40% of patients are under the age of 12.
A widespread testing drive has now been launched across the province targeting “all teachers, students and staff in schools in Fujian province”.
Official media are today showing footage of nursery students as young as seven-months-old receiving Covid-19 tests.
China instantly locks down communities when cases of Covid-19 are identified, and carries out multiple rounds of testing to identify anyone who is asymptomatic.
Earlier this week, state media called this latest outbreak “severe and complicated”. Many schools have suspended classes and people are being encouraged not to travel unless necessary. Non-essential businesses have closed in hotspot areas.
However, the authorities are hoping that China’s swift approach means that this outbreak can be brought under control by the start of Golden Week (1 October), the second most important travel and tourism period after Chinese New Year.
Image source, EPASadiq Khan unveiled Bring London Together - a new public art commission transforming 18 pedestrian crossings
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says there has been "a massive increase in footfall" in central London, as well "big increases" in the number of passengers on the Tube and buses since early summer.
He added: "Our theatres now are incredibly busy, more and more productions are opening."
"We’re starting to see the fruits of the Let’s Do London campaign, but we’re not stopping now," the mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Launched in May, the £6m Let's Do London campaign aims to attract visitors back to London to support the city’s economic recovery following the pandemic.
Thursday saw Mr Khan join artist Yinka Illori to unveil 18 new colourful pedestrian crossing designs, as part of London Design Festival.
The Mayor highlighted forthcoming events this autumn such as London Fashion Week, London Film Festival, Frieze Masters and Black History Month.
"It’s really important that we carry on making the progress that we’ve made so far," he said.
More than 60 inmates at a prison in Thailand have tested positive for Covid.
At least a third of the prisoners at the facility in Nakhon Si Thammarat are now infected.
Authorities have told locals not to panic, acknowledging fears that the outbreak could spread beyond the prison.
Thailand's overcrowded prisons have repeatedly become hotspots for the spread of Covid-19. This has sparked renewed calls for reforms to the country's tough drug laws which often prescribe lengthy prison sentences.
Image source, EurostarPassengers in Kent have had to start their cross-Channel journeys from St Pancras in London
Eurostar trains will not stop in Kent until 2023 at the earliest due to the pandemic, the company has confirmed.
Services have not been stopping at Ashford or Ebbsfleet since March 2020.
The train company had previously said train services would begin calling at stations in Kent during 2022.
"As the business starts its recovery, we need to focus on core destinations where demand is highest," a Eurostar spokesman said.
Image source, ReutersSpain has recorded nearly five million cases since the pandemic began
At-risk people in Spain will be given a third booster dose of the vaccine, the country's health ministry has confirmed.
Those set to receive the extra dose include:
Since the pandemic began, Spain has recorded almost five million cases and more than 85,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Image source, GettSweden has become the latest country to offer Covid vaccines to children aged between 12 and 15 years old.
At a news conference, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the scheme would begin later this year, stressing that "it lowers the risk for severe and serious disease and the risk you'll miss school."
More than 80% of Swedes aged 16 and over have already had one dose, and almost 75% are fully vaccinated.
The UK also recently approved vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds. Other European nations like Denmark and Spain have also vaccinated most of their child population with at least a single dose.
Read more here about which countries are vaccinating children and why.
