referred to as the delta variant) is twice as likely to end up in hospital than someone with the alpha variant. an organiser of illegal raves known by the pseudonym joy circuit warns that the popularity of illegal raves could grow if nightclubs introduce vaccine passports. 29 august a record number of daily covid cases is recorded in scotland, with 7,113 new cases reported. the news comes as scottish health secretary humza yousaf says that the nhs in scotland is facing a "perfect storm". scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, self-isolates after being identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for covid. she is released from the requirement the following day after providing a negative test. 30 august figures indicate covid cases in scotland have virtually doubled each week since the lifting of restrictions, leading to an increase in hospitalisations, and prompting the country's national clinical director professor jason leitch to suggest a "reverse gear" may be needed with some restrictions. the devolved governments of scotland, wales and northern ireland have urged the uk government to extend the temporary £20 uplift in universal credit payments due to end in october. the welsh government announces a £6million technology fund aimed at stopping the spread of covid-19 in schools, colleges and universities in wales, which will seem them pay for 30,000 carbon dioxide sensors and 1,800 ozone disinfecting machines developed by swansea university. the trades union congress is calling for workers in england and wales to be given an extra bank holiday between september and christmas, saying it would be "a great way to thank working britain for getting us through these tough times". 31 august michelle o'neill, the deputy first minister of northern ireland, confirms she is self-isolating after testing positive for covid-19. death figures released by national records of scotland appear to show the pandemic has widened the gap between those living in deprived areas of scotland and those living in more affluent areas, with deaths registered in 2020 for deprived areas double those of other areas. a business survey conducted by lloyds bank indicates confidence is at a level last seen in april 2017, with businesses feeling upbeat about economic recovery following the pandemic. the independent reports that health officials are holding back on giving the green light for full vaccination for teenagers amid concerns it could disrupt the booster programme for vulnerable older people. 1 september the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation recommends people with weakened immune systems should be prioritised for a third covid vaccine, with a separate booster scheme beginning later. this group includes an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 people with conditions such as blood cancer, advanced hiv, and those who have recently received organ or stem cell transplants. portugal changes its quarantine rules for uk tourists, meaning anyone arriving from the uk will not need to quarantine if they are not fully vaccinated, and can provide a negative pcr test instead. a study carried out by great ormand street institute of child health indicates the risk of long covid in children is much lower than many had feared. scottish first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that vaccine passports will be required for people who wish to enter nightclubs and attend large events in scotland. the practicality of the plans are questioned by the scottish professional football league, which says they could have unintended consequences. figures from the office for national statistics show the number of covid-related deaths in wales have passed 8,000, with the latest weekly figures showing 18 deaths which took the total to 8,002. pub chain wetherspoons says that the shortage of drivers partially brought about by the pandemic has led to them running out of certain kinds of beer. the tour de yorkshire cycle race is cancelled for 2022, the third year it has been cancelled, due to "escalating financial challenges and uncertainties". 2 september at least 18 uk councils have confirmed they are having ongoing problems with their refuse collection due to the shortage of drivers. fitness chain gym group reports that young people short of space at home have helped to drive a "rapid recovery" in their membership numbers, which have increased by a third since february, with two thirds of their members now under 34. organisers of the great north run, scheduled for 12 september, have chosen four health workers to start the race in celebration of the nhs and its role during the covid pandemic. 3 september the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation decides against recommending covid vaccinations for healthy children aged 12−15, saying the benefits of doing so would only be marginal. seqirus, one of the world's largest suppliers of flu vaccines, and a major supplier to the nhs, says that there will be a delay in delivering vaccines to gps surgeries this year because of the shortage in hgv drivers. accolade, suppliers of hardy's wine, becomes the latest company to be affected by the driver shortage, and warns of potential shortages at christmas. anti-vaccine demonstrators attempt to storm the headquarters of the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency in central london; four police officers are injured in the incident. the court of protection rules that a woman left paralysed and brain damaged after falling ill with covid should be allowed to die; medics at addenbrookes hospital want to withdraw life support from the patient in her 50s, but her family had disagreed. 4 september the uk's chief medical officers have been asked to consider the wider implications of extending the vaccine programme to younger children, prompting the opposition labour party to call for clarity on the topic. larry flanagan, general secretary of the education institute of scotland, has described the decision not to vaccinate younger children as "unethical". 5 september vaccines minister nadhim zahawi confirms that vaccine passports will be required for nightclubs and other indoor venues in england from the end of september. bbc news reports that opposition to a vaccine passport scheme in scotland is growing, with scottish labour saying it will not support the proposals, which are scheduled to be debated in the scottish parliament on 9 september. the resolution foundation think tank predicts that job creation will remain strong after the furlough scheme ends at the end of september, but that there is a risk of a rise in unemployment. ministers are reported to be consulting on plans to allow the continuation of some outdoor hospitality on a permanent basis, with extra seating introduced during the pandemic to be allowed, but al fresco street dining to end. street markets may also be allowed to open all year round under the plans. ikea becomes the latest company to be affected by the shortage of hgv drivers, and says it is struggling to supply around 1,000 of its products. a senior government source tells the bbc that an extra £5.5bn will be allocated to the nhs over the coming winter to help with the backlog that has built up due to the covid crisis. 6 september the total number of confirmed covid infections since the start of the pandemic exceeds 7 million after a further 41,192 cases are recorded, taking the total to 7,018,927. the uk government confirms the nhs in england will get an extra £5.4bn over the coming six months to help deal with the backlog caused by covid, and to help with its response to the pandemic. bbc news reports on how pupils are returning to school after the summer holidays with the majority of covid restrictions lifted. dr richard stanton, a virologist at cardiff university, has called for all teenagers to be given a covid vaccine in order to prevent the dangers of them developing long covid. 7 september an unnamed government scientist tells the i newspaper that the government has devised plans for a firebreak lockdown during the october half-term if covid hospitalisations threaten to overload the nhs. in response the government denies that any such plans have been made. addressing the house of commons, prime minister boris johnson announces a new health and social care tax worth £12bn designed to deal with the backlog caused by covid and improve social care in england. scottish first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that work will resume on plans for a second independence referendum, which had been suspended during the covid crisis. 8 september mps vote in favour of the government's nhs and social care tax rise plan by 319 votes to 248, a majority of 71. prime minister boris johnson describes the rise in covid hospitalisations among unvaccinated people as "concerning". the bbc reports that the uk government plans to overhaul the traffic lights system for travel. scottish first minister nicola sturgeon says the rate of covid infections in scotland may be slowing down, and that hopefully no new restrictions will be needed to control the surge. bosses at pharmaceutical company astrazeneca warn that moving too quickly to offer people booster covid vaccines could risk depriving them of the opportunity to study data on the effectiveness of the vaccine. official figures have revealed that people in the north of england were 17% more likely to die from covid-related illnesses than those in the rest of the country. 9 september the scottish parliament votes to approve vaccine passports, meaning adults must be fully vaccinated to enter nightclubs and major events from 1 october. figures show that 5.6 million people were on nhs england's waiting lists in july, while the average waiting time for an ambulance during a life threatening call was eight and a half minutes in august; the target is seven minutes. the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (mhra) approves the astrazeneca vaccine and pfizer vaccine for use in a booster jab programme. education secretary gavin williamson urges uk universities to give students face-to-face teaching when the new academic year begins. scottish comedian janey godley is dropped from a scottish government health campaign urging people to wear face coverings and take lateral flow tests after historic tweets were published in which she made derogatory comments about a number of black performers. 10 september professor dame sarah gilbert, the scientist who developed the astrazeneca vaccine, tells the bbc the vaccine is still providing good protection a year on from the two initial doses, and questions whether booster jabs should be prioritised over providing help to developing nations. in response to her comments, a spokesman for prime minister boris johnson says the uk can give boosters and donate vaccines to poorer countries. figures from the office for national statistics show the uk economy grew by 0.6% in july, the sixth consecutive month of growth, but the increase was dented by the "pingdemic" which kept many workers at home. dogs trust reports a 35% increase in calls from people wishing to give up their pet dogs since the lifting of restrictions. the sale of pets increased significantly during the pandemic as people stayed at home. the uk government confirms plans to speed up the process of obtaining a hgv licence in order to help deal with the shortage of lorry drivers. 12 september speaking on bbc one's the andrew marr show, health secretary sajid javid confirms plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other venues in england have been scrapped. 10 downing street says the plans will be kept "in reserve". hm revenue and customs predicts the health and social care tax will have a "significant" impact on wages, inflation, and company profits, and could also lead to the breakdown of families. in response, javid says it is the fairest way to fund investment. the 2021 great north run is held in tyneside, the first time the event has taken place since 2019 after the 2020 event was cancelled due to covid. michael o'leary, the ceo of ryanair, tells the sunday times that an increase in demand for holidays abroad will push up the price of flights during 2022. 13 september french pharmaceutical company valneva says the uk government has cancelled an order for 100 million doses of its covid vaccine over an alleged breach of contract, which the company "strenuously denies". speaking about the decision the following day, health secretary sajid javid says the vaccine would not have received regulatory approval for use in the uk. the uk's four chief medical officers recommend that healthy children