Covid: Scotland spending watchdog's concerns, and travel firms confident for 2022 - BBC News
Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.

The Scottish government provided £4.4bn in grants and business rates relief between the start of the pandemic and October last year. A further £375m was announced following the emergence of Omicron last winter. But the spending watchdog Audit Scotland says it's unable to determine where all of the nearly £5bn of Covid business funding went, and so can't provide a detailed analysis. The speed and scale of the rollout helped to safeguard thousands of jobs and businesses, the government says.

Most people would still be willing to go on holiday abroad this year, despite the possibility of higher ticket prices, according to one travel firm. The industry has confidence it will bounce back after coronavirus restrictions. The past two years have been particularly difficult for independent firms but they believe the sector is going to recover strongly. Read more here.

Some US students are divided over wearing face coverings in school. There have been protests to keep them in place over health concerns - while others welcome not wearing them. We've spoken to students on both sides of the debate to find out how it affects them. Watch more here.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Why US students walk out of classrooms over masks

The latest Covid surge in Scotland may peak within the next fortnight, then decline as the virus runs out of people to infect. That's what public heath expert Christine Tait-Burkard thinks, and says the resurgence has been driven by a new more transmissible sub-variant of Omicron. There were more patients with Covid on Wednesday than in January. Read more here.

A wheelchair youth rugby club is down to just one player with a disability since resuming training after a two-year hiatus due to Covid. Tal, 14, who has cerebral palsy, said: "I think that a lot of people were scared about coming back because of Covid." Here's the full story.

Here's everything you need to know about the difference between a cold and Covid.

You can find more 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:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.