Covid-19: NHS funding boost and call to protect schools from protests

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.

In an effort to help clear the huge - and record - backlog of people waiting for non-urgent tests and procedures, the government's announcing more money for the NHS in England. The extra £5.9bn included in Wednesday's Budget will fund more beds, equipment, new "surgical hubs" and also cover the costs of improving IT. According to Chancellor Rishi Sunak the money's "game-changing", and although welcomed by health bodies, they say staff shortages need to be fixed. Health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive a proportionate amount of extra cash.

Describing it as "sickening" that protesters are spreading "dangerous misinformation" about vaccination, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is calling for councils to be able to use exclusion orders to stop anti-vaccination demonstrations taking place outside school gates. He urged the government to update the law and his suggestion comes as ministers also expressed concern about such demonstrations.

The Beijing marathon, one of China's biggest local sporting events, has been postponed until further notice amid a surge in coronavirus infections. Around 30,000 people were expected to take part on 31 October but the country's top health official warned a fresh outbreak is expected to spread further. Those cases are linked to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The COP26 climate summit is a week away and ahead of world leaders gathering for the conference in Glasgow, Scotland's health secretary is warning there is "absolutely a risk" of Covid cases rising. Humza Yousaf says he expects to see a spike in cases after 25,000 delegates descend on the city but procedures are in place to mitigate transmission.

A man, who realised his addiction to video games was out of control when he considered ending his life, says coronavirus lockdowns have been difficult for people like him. Cam Adair, 32, founded Game Quitters for people struggling with gaming addiction and says while he was able to stay away from a relapse during Covid, many of those in the online support group didn't. Read more here.

Get a longer daily news briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here.

What are the rules surrounding face coverings and are people wearing them less often? We've had a look into it.

Find further information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

What questions do you have about coronavirus?

In some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.

Use this form to ask your question: