Covid live news: case rates rising in most areas of England; jabs from halted Moderna batch used in Japan

Case rates rising in England except London and Yorkshire & the Humber; thousands of shots from Moderna batch given before use suspended

• Seven destinations to be added to England's Covid travel green list
• NHS planning Covid vaccines for children from age 12, reports say
• US Covid hospitalisations rise above 100,000 for first time since January
• NZ: Ardern rejects criticism of elimination strategy after 68 new cases
• See all our coronavirus coverage

6.30pm BST

The number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 in the US has risen above 100,000 for the first time since January, when the mass vaccination campaign was just getting under way.

Related: US Covid hospitalisations rise above 100,000 for first time since January

6.20pm BST

Gary Lewis, CEO of the Travel Network Group, the UK's largest independent travel membership organisation, representing over 1,200 members, comments on news that Canada, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Azores will move from amber to the UK's green list at the end of the month.

This announcement is little comfort to the travel sector whose recovery has been hampered by the complicated and ever-changing restrictions around travel.

Until people are travelling close to pre-2020 levels again, redundancies and business closures are a real threat to those working in the sector. The industry needs continued support from the government alongside an increased effort to allow the public to travel more freely or travel businesses will struggle to survive. This would be a tragedy for the industry and have a negative impact on high-streets and communities across the country.

Related: Seven destinations to be added to England's Covid travel green list