BBC News

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.

Confirmed cases of the virus remain relatively steady, but hospital numbers are slowly falling.

Children have had to travel across the border for heart surgery since 1998.

Covid vaccines are not compulsory for NHS staff in Wales but are being mandated in England.

Badges and lanyards signal that the wearer would like others to give them extra space in public.

The Royal College of GPs asks for a national conversation on mandating jabs, as protests are held in UK cities.

They can refer customers to a free online NHS service that runs a programme to get people into shape.

People with conditions that mean the vaccine does not work fear the removal of self-isolation rules.

Shelley Parry says she would have died and left a heartbroken family behind without blood donors.

A microchip has been implanted into her eye to tackle dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Hard-to-reach groups – from rough sleepers to fairground workers – are being targeted in a final vaccine push.

Ex-minister Robert Buckland urges the government to end detention in hospitals for long periods.

Some 350 NI patients received the drugs at home or at an outpatient service in the past month.

Lengthy waits have forced patients to turn to DIY treatment, the British Dental Association says.

They mistreated a vulnerable 54-year-old man they were employed to look after on a seaside break.

NHS chiefs are worried pressures on the NHS may deter people coming forward with symptoms.

John Evans had to sleep in a chair until a bed became available.

The death toll, worst in poorer countries and among the under-fives, needs urgent action, experts say.

South African scientists say their research was not taken more seriously because it was from Africa.

Working from home guidance is also ending as England reverts to "Plan A", Boris Johnson says.

Many were worried after lifesaving tests dropped from every three years to every five in Wales.

It's the most significant drop since the Omicron wave hit the country in December, the figures suggest.

Various restrictions in England, including the recommendation to work from home, will be lifted.

People are being advised to remain indoors to escape the dangerous ash and gases in the air.

France reports nearly half a million new daily cases, with records also broken in Italy and Denmark.

A mental health charity is concerned some people are overdoing it to cope with stress and anxiety.

Despite no lockdowns, a large survey found anxieties over being infected and long Covid were high.

A pet shop outbreak in "zero Covid" Hong Kong will result in the euthanasia of 2,000 small mammals.

Becky and Ellie Downie have joined a defibrillator campaign after their brother suffered a cardiac arrest.

Nightclubs will reopen and large indoor events can resume from 24 January, Nicola Sturgeon confirms.

Hospitality bosses and opposition MSPs call for changes ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's weekly Covid update.

Experts write a guide on a taste and smell disorder, which they say can go undiagnosed in children.

It's not just mental health professionals who have to spot self-harm, updated health guidance says.

Patients say they’ve been placed in unsafe environments, often far from home.

Dr Prit Buttar says he was humbled by the social media response after he comforted a bereaved woman.

Epidemiologist Professor Mike Tildesley says we could be seeing the Omicron wave turning around.

More than half of schools had teachers absent due to Covid-19 during the first full week of term.

People can now stop quarantining earlier - as long as they produce negative lateral flow tests.

BBC Reality Check answers your vaccine concerns - from pregnancy fears to production speed.

Teenagers in England who had their second dose three months ago can book from Monday, the NHS says.

He nearly died after being given fake medicines. Now, his invention can spot them.

After a viral hot mic moment, here's how Fauci's frustration has been building for the last two years.

While case numbers are high, they are falling, but deaths are rising week on week, figures show.

The mum-to-be from Wolverhampton said she was so unwell she did not know her baby was stillborn.

A five-year-old boy with autism is now thriving at school, despite the impact of lockdown.

Health advisors say vaccines give them confidence that most people will not become severely ill with Covid.

Restrictions will lift gradually, with sports fans returning, followed by hospitality back to normal.

A bigger proportion of deaths recorded in the daily data are people who died with Covid, rather than from it.

An average of more than 7,000 NHS staff were off work every day over the past week, according to official figures.

The virus is causing some to develop fevers but not serious illness, experts say.