New data from Public Health England shows 55% of those in hospital with Covid are unvaccinated
Data from PHE also suggests double-jabbed people are less likely to be infected but if they are, may get the same levels of virus in the body
The first 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK are being invited to book their Covid vaccine
The coronavirus reproduction rate in England has fallen to between 0.8 and 1.1 - down from 1.1 to 1.4 the week before
Most of Wales' remaining Covid rules end on Saturday
About one-in-80 people in the UK would have tested positive in the week to 31 July, the ONS says - down from one-in-70 a week earlier
Thousands of British holiday makers are scrambling to get home before new quarantine rules kick in
Changes to the green, amber and red lists apply to people returning to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 04:00 BST on Sunday
That's all from the live page today - thanks for joining us - we'll be back with more Covid updates soon.
Friday's writers were Jo Couzens, Alexandra Fouche, Victoria Lindrea and Jen Meierhans. The editors were James Clarke and Alex Therrien.
Image source, PA MediaElliot Aston, 16, got his first Pfizer jab at the SSE Arena in Belfast
Today's live page will be coming to a close shortly. Here are the main headlines on Friday evening.
Government staff are out and about across South Shields to try to persuade people to have a Covid vaccination.
The 25 government workers will spend Friday and the weekend knocking on doors across areas of South Tyneside where take-up is lower than average.
They are looking to contact younger people aged 18 to 29 years old and working-age men.
It's part of the government's package of "enhanced measures" for the area and it's expected more teams could soon be going out knocking on doors in Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
NHS staff have published a video showing the abuse they have received from patients.
The 90-second video by NHS Lanarkshire reveals some of the slurs, swearing, racial abuse and threats of legal action dished out to frontline workers.
The health board says the accounts are a "harrowing snapshot of the harsh reality" facing social care and health workers "due to the behaviour of a minority of people".
NHS Lanarkshire says it had a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse.
A joint statement by Lanarkshire's health board and social care partnerships says the footage in the video "brought several senior colleagues, with many years of experience, to tears".
"We are continually working in partnership with local police in the management of aggressive and violent individuals and we will continue to do so.
"We have an equally clear message to our staff and partners; we have your back."
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Image source, Getty ImagesThe family have been in Cancun
A woman holidaying with her family in Mexico says she was "sick with worry" at the announcement the country was to move on to the red list on Sunday.
Teresa Morrish-Griffin from west London was due to fly back from Cancun with her husband and two daughters, aged 18 and 15, on Monday.
But they have changed their flights to get back just hours before the rules change to require a 10-day hotel quarantine.
She says: “We were in a blind panic when we first heard about Mexico going on the red list and had to spend an anxious few hours looking for flights out of Cancun.
“Eventually we settled on a flight to Mexico City and then a BA flight to Heathrow at a cost of £4,000 for a family of four."
Teresa says after a sleepless night they found BA had arranged additional flights from Cancun so they cancelled the flight from Mexico City but we told they could not be refunded.
She says: “I feel blessed we have had nine days here but so concerned for the British families who flew here in good faith and found out mid air about the government’s plans. It is disgraceful how they are treating their citizens.”
Image source, Penny StevenChris Quealy and Penny Steven met in Spain in 2015
A long-distance couple, separated by pandemic travel rules for 18 months, have been granted an exemption to get married in England.
Since March last year, Australia has banned its citizens from leaving the country as part of its Covid strategy.
But Australian Chris Quealy, 72, now has dispensation to leave after he proposed to Penny Steven, 69, over Zoom this year.
"I am on cloud nine," says Penny, from Amersham, in Buckinghamshire.
"It is a dream come true."
Australia's tough border rules have been controversial - but the government says its measures aim to reduce the risk of Covid entering the country, as it grapples with its worst outbreaks in a year.
Read Chris and Penny's story here.
Most of Wales' remaining Covid rules will be lifted tomorrow.
We reported earlier on First Minister Mark Drakeford as he set out the changes to restrictions that will come into effect at the start of the weekend.
As he revealed an end to limits on the number of people that can meet indoors, nightclubs reopening and the lifting of social distancing laws in workplaces, he emphasised it does not mean a "free-for-all". You can watch part of his speech below.
Covid: First minister outlines end of most restrictions
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
Image source, ReutersTwo weeks ago, cases of Covid-19 were detected at an airport in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. Cases of the virus are now in at least 17 provincial-level regions and local lockdowns are in place in at least 12 of these regions.
Although in some areas, cases of the virus are only in the single digits, China has a track record for moving to impose strict lockdowns to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread. Official media say 192 communities spanning 12 provincial-regions now have lockdowns in place.
Schools and universities in a number of cities, including the capital Beijing and the original virus epicentre Wuhan, have announced in line with these new cases that they will delay the opening dates for the new school year.
China’s customs agency has added it has enhanced anti-Covid-19 measures at sea, land and airports.
Despite public concern at this latest outbreak – the first major one since the start of the year - China’s top medical experts have told media that thesituation is “generally controllable”, external
Media have sought to emphasise recently that the majority of patients are exhibiting mild or no symptoms, due to large vaccination uptake. At least 40% of China’s 1.4bn population are fully vaccinated, external.
Image source, Getty ImagesJennifer Aniston has expanded on why she has cut off some of her friends who have refused to be vaccinated.
Earlier this week, the Friends actress said, external she had "lost a few people" from her friendship group who had decided against having a Covid jab.
Some of her Instagram followers have since asked why she was so worried, given that she had been vaccinated.
"Because if you have the variant, you are still able to give it to me," she posted on Thursday.
"I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital and or die.
"But I can give it to someone else who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition) - and therefore I would put their lives at risk."
Image source, Getty ImagesClubbers will not have to wear masks while dancing, according to the latest Scottish government guidance.
New rules, published on Friday ahead of the lifting of most Covid restrictions on Monday, say face coverings can be removed while dancing, drinking and dining.
It follows calls from the industry for clarity.
Clubs can reopen on 9 August for the first time since March 2020.
Nightclub owner Tony Cochrane welcomes the news, calling it "a great relief".
"We have been working around the clock to get the venues safe.
"We know the virus is still out there and we will do everything we can to keep staff and customers safe," Cochrane says.
Image source, Getty ImagesSixteen and 17-year-olds across the UK are being invited to book their Covid vaccine.
GPs in England have been told they can contact this age group, while invites are also being sent out in Wales.
This weekend, walk-in centres will accept people aged 16 and 17 - but NHS England says not every centre in the country is able to offer the jabs.
People in that age group are currently unable to book an appointment using the NHS website.
In Northern Ireland, walk-in centres are now open to older teenagers, and in Scotland they can register their interest online.
It comes as new figures show most patients in hospital with Covid in England continue to be unvaccinated.
Read more here.
Image source, Getty ImagesONS chief Sir Ian Diamond says "all the evidence" suggests there "hasn't been a major surge" since England relaxed its strict coronavirus rules on 19 July.
Speaking to the BBC, he says: "I would suggest that maybe that people have listened to the advice to remain cautious.
"We certainly saw things go up a little after 19 July but we are clearly seeing a decline now."
Sir Ian says he is confident England will not see another surge in the next few weeks "unless something that simply we don't know about were suddenly to appear".
But he urges people to continue social distancing, to be cautious and to wear face coverings.
Results from ONS surveys show there has only been a small drop in people socially distancing and most people want to continue wearing masks in shops, he says.
"I think that degree of caution, which we're seeing in our other surveys, is incredibly important as we move forward into the autumn."
Another 35,500 people in the UK have had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the past 24 hours, the government figures show. And a further 172,692 have had a second vaccine dose.
It means 88.8% of the adult population has had at least one jab, while 73.8% are fully vaccinated.
It comes as 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK are invited to book their Covid vaccine, following advice from vaccine experts on Wednesday.
Meanwhile new data shows most patients in hospital with Covid in England continue to be unvaccinated.
There have been a further 31,808 cases of coronavirus reported in the UK today, according to the latest government figures, external.
And there have been another 92 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days.
Image source, PA MediaThere is clear evidence of a decline in Covid infections across the whole of the UK, the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics says.
National statistician Sir Ian Diamond tells the BBC, while rates remain "relatively high", cases in England, Scotland and Wales are dropping.
This is particularly true for the North East, and the North West - the two regions of the UK which had the highest levels - he says.
"In the next four or five weeks I'm expecting a continued decline," Sir Ian says.
"Not, I would suggest, incredibly steep but I think we will see a continued decline."
He added: "However, in four or five weeks' time, schools will go back, universities will reopen and people will start to go back to work, so I really don't think we're in a position to say we have reached the end of Covid.
"Nor should people stop a degree of caution."
But Sir Ian emphasises: "The link between infections, which do remain relatively high, and hospitalisation and, of course, very sadly death is very, very, very much weaker."
Image source, Paulina Guerrero GutierrezA teacher from Mexico who lives in London has told how she is having to cut short her trip home to see family to avoid hotel quarantine when the country moves to the red list on Sunday.
Paulina Guerrero Gutierrez says she hadn't seen her family for almost two years.
“So when the school summer holidays started I booked a flight to go back home to see them, as I am now fully vaccinated too.
“I was due to return next week but when I found out that Mexico had been put on the red list we had a family meeting and decided that me isolating alone in a hotel was just not going to be possible.
“So I had to find a PCR test that delivers results in 24 hours and have made arrangements to leave early."
Her flight leaves at 22:25 Mexico time and arrives in the UK tomorrow morning.
Paulina says: “My mother and I cried because I had to cut my time with her by a week.
“It cost £750 to change my flight but it is still cheaper than the cost to quarantine.”
Sarah says government pressure to get vaccinated 'tends to put me off more'
Sarah Cooper, 27, has not taken up her offer of the Covid vaccine. She says she is not against the vaccine - it's just "not for me".
She tells BBC Scotland News her grandmother - who has the respiratory disease COPD - was gravely ill with Covid, and she understands how severe it can be, but says nothing could persuade her to get the jab.
The mother-of-one, from Paisley, says: "If I was older I might have had a different view: I don't get the flu jab every year. I have been lucky enough not to have Covid but other family members have.
"My partner and all my family have had the vaccine. But I have given it a lot of thought and feel the government is putting a lot of pressure on getting it - and that tends to put me off more."
She adds: "I don't think there is any amount of evidence or trials that could persuade me. Everybody's body reacts differently. It's more my fears of something I could get. And they might never reverse any damage it does to my body.
"It's my body and my choice. I just want people to know I have experienced coronavirus,
"I don't believe I am being selfish. I do believe the vaccination will help people, but I just believe it is not right for me."
Yesterday, the new chief executive of NHS England urged young people to get vaccinated, warning those who have not been jabbed could become seriously ill.
Amanda Pritchard said the level of young adults being admitted to hospital in England was four times higher than the peak last winter.
Image source, Getty ImagesUp to 200 people can now gather at organised outdoor events in the Republic of Ireland.
It's after new guidelines were published by Fáilte Ireland, the country's national tourism body.
Customers will be able to book multiple tables at outdoor venues but mixing between them is not allowed.
Live music and performances in outdoor venues is now also permitted following the changes.
Restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend a wedding remain in place, with 100 people being the maximum allowed.
Image source, Getty ImagesPublic Health England's vaccine surveillance report, external has some updated figures on the impact of the country's jab rollout on the population:
Image source, Getty ImagesItaly is introducing a digital certificate for access to some services and venues.
The "green pass" will give access to people who have had at least one vaccine dose, have recovered from coronavirus or who have tested negative within 48 hours.
From Friday, anyone over 12 at venues such as gyms and restaurants must show their pass.
Italy is the second European country to require proof of status, after France introduced a health pass for access to restaurants, bars, planes and trains.
