green listed countries, and amber list countries when they have been fully vaccinated. the uk government asks people who have recently had a covid test to make a short recording of their cough as part of research into developing an app. they also want people to make voice and breathing recordings. lerwick's annual up helly aa festival, which celebrates the shetland islands' viking history, is cancelled for a second year because of covid. the winter festival is next scheduled to take place on 31 january 2023. 14 august carrie johnson, the pregnant wife of prime minister boris johnson, receives her second covid vaccination, and encourages other pregnant women to get themselves vaccinated. the government of sark confirms that two people on the island have tested positive for covid-19 after experiencing symptoms. 15 august the uk government confirms 23 august as the date by which all 16 and 17-year-olds will in england will have been offered a covid vaccine, or the chance to book an appointment. ferry operator caledonian macbrayne cancels its campbeltown to ardrossan service after two crew members tested positive for covid. the mv caledonian isles will be deep cleaned during the suspension of crossings. 16 august people in england and northern ireland who have received both vaccines, and those aged under 18, are no longer required to self-isolate if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19. instead they are advised to take a pcr test, wear a face covering indoors, and limit their contact with anyone classed as clinically vulnerable. tom russell, uk operations manager for tmd friction, one of the world's largest manufacturers of brake pads, has highlighted the problems faced by businesses whose staff were being alerted by the nhs covid-19 app. as many of 15% of the company's employees were absent from work at one point because of the "pingdemic" caused by the app, and the firm came close to having to close down operations. andrew tyrie, former chairman of the competition & markets authority describes pcr tests as "a predictable covid rip-off". 17 august the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (mhra) approves use of the moderna vaccine for children aged 12–17. a further 26,852 daily cases are reported, along with 170 deaths. with the online ordering of takeaway food having become more popular during the pandemic, the information commissioner's office warns customers to think carefully about handing over personal data when ordering food and drink via their mobile phones. six of the uk's teaching unions have written to education secretary gavin williamson to call for urgent action for better ventilation in schools in england amid concerns about a rise in covid cases when pupils return to the classroom for the new academic year. figures from the office for national statistics indicate a record number of job vacancies, with 953,000 vacancies in the three months to july, while unemployment fell by 4.7% in the three months to june. fast food chain nando's has temporarily closed 50 of its outlets after running short of chicken following the effect of the "pingdemic" on supplies. the developers of the astrazeneca vaccine have given volunteers the first dose of a new plague vaccine. the scottish government launches a consultation process making some of its emergency covid powers permanent. the coronavirus (scotland) act 2020 is due to expire in march 2022, but the scottish government would like to retain some powers, such as the ability to impose lockdowns, close schools, make it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants and release prisoners early. 18 august parliament is recalled to discuss the situation in afghanistan, and the house of commons is full for the first time since march 2020. most conservative mps choose not to wear face coverings despite government advice for people to wear them in enclosed spaces. a study, the largest of its kind, finds that the best protection against indian variant covid is to have both doses of covid vaccine, with both the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines offering high protection. after falling for several weeks, the data shows a slight rise in covid cases, with the daily average for the preceding seven days standing at 30,177. a judge is to decide whether a woman left brain damaged and paralysed from the neck down after being ill with covid-19 should be allowed to die. doctors at addenbrookes hospital believe the patient should be taken off life support, but her family disagree so the matter will be heard in the court of protection. 19 august health secretary sajid javid confirms a covid jab booster programme will take place, with september set as a provisional date for it to begin. scientists at imperial college london have detected irregularities in the blood of long covid patients that could lead to the development of a test for the condition. 20 august ronapreve, a drug that uses a pair of laboratory created covid antibodies to treat the virus, is approved for use in the uk. it is shown to lower hospitalisation or mortality by 70% and to shorten the duration of covid symptoms by four days. figures show the number of people "pinged" by the nhs covid-19 app fell dramatically in the week to 13 august, the first full week following modifications to the software, with 261,453 people receiving self-isolation alerts. optometrists have reported an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with myopia since the start of the pandemic, which is attributed to the increased amount of time they have spent using electronic devices. official figures have shown government borrowing to be at £10.4bn in july 2021, £10.1bn less than the same month in 2020. the fall has been helped by the reopening of the economy as restrictions were eased in england and other parts of the uk. data from the uk government's covid pilot scheme shows major events such as sporting events "can be conducted safely". figures show that uk box office takings for the first month without covid restrictions were half their pre-pandemic levels as many people continue to be cautious about visiting indoor venues such as cinemas. 21 august schools in england are to be provided with around 800,000 carbon dioxide monitors to help improve ventilation and lessen the number of covid cases. a report by the resolution foundation argues that the stamp duty holiday is not responsible for the rise in house prices following the pandemic, but instead the rise is due to low interest rates and changing home preferences. 22 august antibody tests are to be made widely available in the uk for the first time as part of a government study to determine how much natural protection people have after contracting covid. 23 august the uk government orders a further 35 million doses of the pfizer vaccine to be delivered in the second half of 2022. health secretary sajid javid announces that more than 80 private covid travel test providers listed on the gov.uk website will be issued with a two-strikes warning over misleading prices. cornwall council has said that as many as 4,700 covid cases may be linked to the boardmasters festival held in the county between 11–15 august, with more expected to be identified in the coming days. a video released by the nhs urging young people to have the vaccine features three people talking about the effects of long covid and their personal experiences with the condition. 24 august as scotland reports a record 4,323 daily cases, first minister nicola sturgeon says she cannot rule out the reintroduction of some covid measures, but says these would be as limited and proportional as possible. the scottish government announces plans to hold a separate public inquiry into the handling of the covid crisis in scotland, expected to be at the end of the year. as covid cases rise in cornwall, the county's tourist board asks people to stay away from the area unless they have pre-booked holidays. data from the office for national statistics for the week ending 13 august indicates the number of covid deaths in england and wales were at their highest since late march, with 571 death certificates mentioning covid during that week, an 8% increase from the previous week; the figures are compared to the week ending 26 march when 719 deaths were recorded. mcdonald's has become the latest food outlet to be troubled by supply chain issues because of the pandemic after running out of milkshake. health figures show that more than 1,000 people who attended july's latitude festival went on to test positive for covid. 25 august a study of more than a million people shows a decrease in the effectiveness of covid vaccinations after a few months, with the pfizer vaccine decreasing from 88% after one month to 74% after five to six months, and the astrazeneca vaccine decreasing from 77% to 67% after four to five months. scientists say some decrease in effectiveness is to be expected. scotland's deputy first minister, john swinney, says the surge in cases in scotland is partly due to the return of schools. premier foods announce the adoption of a hybrid working model for its 800 office staff, enabling them to choose whether to work at home or the office. analysis by which? for bbc's panorama tv series has indicated uk holidaymakers are paying an average of £300 more for a holiday in the uk than compared to 2019. welsh secretary simon hart has spoken about how senior cabinet ministers feared prime minister boris johnson would die when he was admitted to hospital with covid-19 in april 2020. 26 august following an inquest into the death of radio presenter lisa shaw, newcastle upon tyne coroner karen dilks has concluded the cause of death was as a result of an extremely rare "vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia", a condition which leads to a brain haemorrhage. shaw died in may after becoming ill a week after receiving the first dose of astrazeneca vaccine. canada, denmark, finland, the azores, switzerland, liechtenstein and lithuania are to move to the "green" travel list from 4am on monday 30 august, while thailand and montenegro will move to the "red" list from the same date. nhs organisations in england have been told to prepare for a possible extension of the covid vaccination programme to 12–15-year-olds. but the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation is reported to have concerns about the effect of the covid vaccine on other vaccines administered to young children. figures show that in july 2021, the uk car industry produced fewer cars than in any other july since 1956. the drop in production is associated with staff shortages brought about by the "pingdemic". the latest figures from public health england indicate covid cases are on the rise again in most areas of england, apart from london and yorkshire and the humber, where they have fallen. 27 august the first reading festival to be held since 2019 gets under way, with 100,000 expected to attend over three days. the spending limit on each use of a contactless card is to rise from £45 to £100 from 15 october, it is confirmed. the i newspaper reports that prime minister boris johnson has devised a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether the uk should enter another lockdown, with restrictions returning if the reported number of covid-related deaths looks like surpassing 50,000 over the course of a year, with 30,000 deaths an accepted level. the report, which quotes a government adviser, is denied by downing street. scientists advising the uk government believe it is "highly likely" there will be high levels of covid in schools in england by the end of september. scotland records 6,835 new covid cases, the highest daily increase to date and the third in a week, but first minister nicola sturgeon says the scottish government is not considering the introduction of a circuit-breaker lockdown. a university of oxford study concludes that although the astrazeneca vaccine raises the risk of blood clots and another condition that causes severe bleeding, the risk of these effects is much greater from covid. a bristol study into the side-effects of the pfizer vaccine in children aged 12–15 at high risk of covid are minimal and clear up quickly. 28 august a study published in the lancet indicates that someone infected with indian variant covid (now