i have developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, temperature and a persistent cough, and on the advice of the chief medical officer have taken a of the chief medical officer have ta ken a test of the chief medical officer have taken a test that has come out positive. in italy the biggest rise in the death toll in the country that has been locked down for almost two weeks. the united states now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world. the death toll has also leapt in new york state. also in the programme — as people are encouraged to limit trips to the supermarket, what are the safest ways hello and welcome to bbc world news. let's take a look at the main developments in the coronavirus pandemic this hour, starting right here in britain where prime minister boris johnson has tested positive for the virus. he is is self—isolating in his official london residence. mrjohnson says he's developed mild symptoms but will continue to lead the government via video conference. the health secretary, matt hancock, has also tested positive.

the chief medical officer chris whitty has also developed symptoms, and is self—isolating. italy reports a record surge in virus deaths bringing the toll there to more than 9,000. more than 900 have died in a single day, according to the most recent figures. the international monetary fund has warned the world's economy has entered a recession as bad or worse than the financial crash of 2009. it says that an execeptionally high number of countries require emergency funding. and the world health organization says the chronic global shortage of protective equipment is the biggest obstacle to preventing deaths from the pandemic. our chief political correspondent vicky young has more. keeping their distance. like many neighbours, the prime minister and chancellor stepped outside to pay tribute to nhs staff last night but four hours later, boris johnson tested positive for coronavirus.

i've taken a test, that's come out positive. so i am working from home, i am self—isolating and that's entirely the right thing to do. but, be in no doubt that i can continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern technology, to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fight back against coronavirus. that top team has been spending less time in the same room this week. cabinet was held remotely. the chief medical and scientific advisers where keeping further apart at online press conferences, but today chris whitty said he had symptoms and was self—isolating. mrjohnson had his weekly audience with the queen on the phone. in the commons on wednesday there were fewer mps at prime minister's questions, but ministers sat together on the front bench, including the health secretary. he developed coronavirus symptoms that night and is also in self—isolation. i will be continuing to do

everything i can to get our carers the support they need and i will be doing that from here, but with no less gusto. with the prime minister unavailable, it fell to michael gove to take questions at the daily press conference. the prime minister has coronavirus, the health secretary does as well, the chief medical officer is in isolation. people will be looking at this and may be wondering whether you haven't been taking your own advice, or you may have acted too slowly when it came to stopping the spread of the coronavirus? the virus does not discriminate. we are all at risk and that is why it is so important that we practice social distancing measures. those are in place in government. ministers are working remotely and from home using video conferencing in order to make sure that we can follow the strict advice that all of us should be following in order to help to protect the nhs. like any other workplace, downing street has been affected by staff absence. the prime minister's chief adviser dominic cummings

is still up and running. mrjohnson's girlfriend, who is pregnant, posted this photo of her and dog, dylan, saying self isolating wasn't so bad. as for the prime minister, he will stay in the office and flat in number 11 downing street for seven days. meals will be left outside the door. jonathan blake is in westminster for us. looking westminster for us. at those looking westminsterfor us. at those pictures looking westminster for us. at those pictures of his fiancee, looking at those pictures of his fiancee, carrie symons, this will be difficult for him both personally and politically. just as anyone displaying symptoms of covid—i9 and having to self—isolate, it will put a strain on the prime minister's personal and professional life, as you suggest. being holed up in a flat above number 11 downing st is not ideal when you are prime minister at any time, let alone in the grip of a crisis such as this. but, as you saw in vicky's report, the prime minister was at pains to

say he was getting on with the job and using technology to his advantage and remains in control and in charge of the government's response to the coronavirus crisis. number ten is saying very little about the situation of the prime minister's fiancee, who is of course pregnant. we know the advice to pregnant. we know the advice to pregnant women is to be especially careful when following the social distancing advice. the prime minister will be on his own in that flat, meals are left outside the door, working remotely, following the guidance that everybody else has to in this situation, displaying symptoms. in the prime minister's casey had a test to confirm he has coronavirus, and it will be a very difficult seven days or so ahead. questions in the briefing about whether they had been rigorous enoughin whether they had been rigorous enough in cabinet, distancing from one another, following the advice they had given out. whether the

government had been practising what it preaches basically, having told people to only go to work if necessary , people to only go to work if necessary, to work from home wherever possible, and to stay two metres apart if you are around other people. there had been questions about practices in the house of commons, whether mps had been following guidelines strictly enough. we saw pictures of the commons at times looking pretty busy and mps sitting close to each other, and mps sitting close to each other, and at other times it spacing themselves out as required. then there were questions about government as a whole. the last cabinet meeting was held remotely for most of those present via video link. it was only the prime minister, the health secretary, the cabinet secretary and the chief medical officer that were present in the cabinet office itself. nevertheless, with the news that the prime minister and the health secretary have now tested positive, many others in government and in whitehall will be wondering how closely they have come into contact

with those two and others and how soon they will start displaying symptoms themselves. the first world leader to get it that we know of. jonathan, thank you very much. italy has recorded another enormous surge in deaths from coronavirus, with the highest daily increase since the epidemic emerged. released just a short time ago, it went up by 919 to 9,000100 and 34. the previous largest single toll was registered six days ago, when 793 people died. the total number of confirmed cases has gone up to 86,498 from 80,539, taking italy's total past that of china. and 6% of those currently diagnosed with the disease — almost 4000 people — are in intensive care. here's mark lowen in 919 deaths in the past 2a hours

which is shocking. it is hard for italians to take in these cases, hundreds dying every day. but there isa hundreds dying every day. but there is a chink of light, the infection rate is down a bit, the curve is flattening. the national restrictions are working in that respect. but progress in this lockdown that has now lasted well over two weeks is slow and unmoving and the awful news just keeps on coming. 46 doctors have now died here since the outbreak began. you are telling us yesterday that the concern is that the virus is now starting to spread to other parts of italy. yes. the deaths and cases are rising. here in rome and the regions around rome, in lazio and in the south and in naples, that is a region that is much poorer than the north. in lombardy alone, in milan in the north, 540 people have died there and in the last 24 hours the

hospitals have been completely stretched. if the hospital in lombardy cannot cope with this, people are dreading what would happen if the cases saw in campania and the south. in the last few minutes or so on a very rainy and very empty saint peter‘s square the pope has been speaking. he has given an extraordinary address to the city and the world, which he usually only gives at christmas and at easter. he gave another one today and compared the situation to the thick darkness of the gospel story and he said, we find ourselves afraid and lost at the moment and doctors, nurses, carers and others are exemplary companions on this journey. but it is hard at the moment for italians to keep faith. they are taking things day by day, hoping, pleading and many of them praying for the peak to come. we will hear from one of the doctors in turin later in the programme.

the united states has more confirmed cases of covid—i9 than any other country in the world with more than 86,000 positive tests. the death toll has jumped to more than 500 in new york state alone, more than a third of the total us deaths. today the state governor announced plans to build four more temporary hospitals around new york city. from there, nick bryant reports. new york, new york, the worst infected city in what is now the worst infected country. there was always a sense this planetary pandemic would end up ravaging this global hub and, although there is a deceptive calm on its now quiet streets, it's behind the doors of its inundated hospitals that the crisis is playing out. emergency calls have hit their highest levels since the attacks of september the 11th. hospital staff are describing a tsunami of patients flooding emergency rooms. they are thought to be three weeks away from the peak here but already they are exhausted. new york is paying a price for being such a vibrant and international city. we are so dense, so together,

which is what makes us special, gives us that new york energy, gives us that new york mojo, but that density becomes the enemy in a situation like this. in midtown manhattan something we haven't seen since 9/11, refrigerated trucks ready to store the corpses of the dead, each one capable of holding up to 44 bodies. these workmen were constructing a makeshift morgue. america is paying the price for not being prepared, for not taking the coronavirus seriously enough when it was ripping through china, for not ramping up testing quickly enough when it first came to these shores. for losing precious time. like the rest of the world, america is notjust facing a public health crisis but an economic emergency and congress has now passed a $2 trillion stimulus package, a lifeline to an economy that this week saw its biggest spike

in unemployment in its history. america's businessman president is itching to lift the lockdown. the sooner we get back to work, every day we stay out it gets harder to bring it back quickly. our people do not want to stay out. america is on a war footing, led by a commander—in—chief desperate for the conflict to come to a speedy end. let's get more now from katty kay in washington. looking at those figures, terrible figures in new york. andrew cuomo, the governor, saying he does not expect the apex of the curve for 21 more days. that is the problem in terms of resources. they say they have enough in terms of resources, protective gear for doctors and nurses and ventilators, but only for the next couple of days. the

hospitals would all like to have enough resources to last them a week, but they don't have that. if the apex is 21 days away, they will need an awful lot more in terms of equipment. there is a row going on at the moment between the federal government and the different states over a ccess government and the different states over access to ventilators and it has become intensely political. andrew cuomo and president trump seemed to establish a pretty good working relationship a week ago at the beginning of the crisis, both praising each other in public. now they are taking to twitter to criticise each other and it is around the issue of resources and who should be providing them. should it be up to the white house and the federal government, or should the state to be on their own in getting this? the problem with that is the states are competing with each other and driving up prices of precious resources and it is a mess on top of trying to deal with the poor hospitals, trying to deal with an

influx of new patients. hospitals, trying to deal with an influx of new patientslj hospitals, trying to deal with an influx of new patients. i heard the president on fox news last night gave an interview where he was expressing doubts whether new york needed 30,000 ventilators. that is pretty brave, isn't it? and andrew cuomo rebuffing that in his daily press co nfe re nce . cuomo rebuffing that in his daily press conference. he is giving these press conference. he is giving these press co nfe re nces press conference. he is giving these press conferences and sounding increasingly like the democratic leader people would like, and saying he will listen to the hospitals and let the hospitals tell him what they need. we should not forget the rest of the country. there are now health officials in the states who are starting to look at other cities, like detroit, and chicago, which we have not heard about much, and saying there could be hot zones brewing in those densely populated cities, as well as new orleans, the party town, where people went to mardi grasa party town, where people went to mardi gras a couple of weeks ago, and there is now an outbreak of cases there. we are focused rightly on new york at the moment, because thatis

on new york at the moment, because that is where the immediate pressure is. we have seen pictures of nurses dressed in black, plastic rubbish bags, using those as protective gear. this is the united states in the year 2020 and the nurses are resorting to trash bags to protect themselves. that is coming out of new york, but we have to keep an eye on other areas where there might be more outbreaks in the next few days. what about the spending? the stimulus bill in the house this afternoon. finally. has that gone through? yes, in the last hour and a half. last minute they thought they might have to bring all the members of congress to fly back to washington because there was one congressman from the tea party movement who wanted to hold it up. his motion was defeated and they passed it. now it goes to the president and he can sign it and america is waiting for those $1200 cheques in the post which they

really need soon because, as we saw yesterday, those unemployment rates are spiking. some debate here about whether the us should have done what many european countries have done, basically give employers money to keep people employed because there isa keep people employed because there is a concern that once people fall off the employment rules, get laid off, it is much harder to get them reemployed once this crisis is over. would it be better to fund companies directly to keep people on their pay books? that has not happened, but with this being passed, america will start to get relief hopefully in the next couple of weeks when those checks come out. thank you very much for the update. there has been another significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases in spain, with 769 deaths in 24 hours. the overall number of confirmed cases in the country is now almost 65,000.

this relentless increase has meant that patients are increasingly dying alone, separated from their loved ones. it's putting an enormous emotional strain on families and medical staff, as our correspondent damian grammaticas reports. cheering and applause. from his bed he waves, a moment of triumph in a spanish hospital. he is their first patient well enough to leave intensive care, but the medical staff are the only people there to see it. that is because every new virus patient brought in is immediately isolated from the outside world. not even families are allowed to enter hospitals here, and spain registered another 8500 cases today. it is the awful reality esther garcia is facing. she has covid—19 and is trying to isolate herself, but she thinks she may have infected both her parents, mariapaz and constantino, both now positive, both in hospital and beyond her reach.

you cannot hug, you cannot kiss, you cannot see the other, and it's the situation of so many old people here. esther‘s parents are being treated here in this hospital. it is one of the cruellest aspects of this outbreak, the rigorous separation that has to be enforced between the sick and everyone else, because it is so contagious. this is where her parents were admitted. many hospitals are at double their capacity. staff don't have time to answer phones or update families. it is what happens when the health service is swamped. spain did not bring in is lockdown quickly enough and test spain did not bring in its lockdown quickly enough and test enough people to track the virus's progress. so now people are dying in spain's hospitals, hundreds and hundreds every day, not surrounded by loved ones, isolated and alone. to be so isolated, people get sick alone and they die alone and they are buried alone.

you cannot do anything, you cannot be with them. esther has found a way to reach her parents. a nurse has got a phone in. herfather is improving, but her mother's condition is serious. and night and day as the virus advances, more families are being separated. silvia, who works in one of the hospitals worst affected, posted this notice this week, saying she will pass messages to those inside. these are the ones she is delivering tonight. the family tell me, "say i love you so much, i'm here with you, we can't see you but i'm here." something like this. silvia is a nurse assistant, just 24 years old, delivering comfort to the dying. spain's medics now shouldering the emotional burden of this crisis too. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid.

so tragic, stories that are repeated in country after country. the world health organization has warned that a global chronic shortage of personal protective equipment is one of the biggest issues preventing covid-19. more of the biggest issues preventing covid—19. more than 2 million items have been sent to several countries, but much more is needed. france's prime minister is saying that the country is facing an extremely urgent surge. he warned that the situation was putting the entire health care system under enormous pressure. a nationwide lockdown has now been extended for a further two weeks. indonesia's coronavirus crisis is far worse than has been officially reported and the government's response is in tatters, according to the doctor's' association. the government has officially 87 confirm coronavirus debts, the highest toll in asia. the

government has announced draft regulations to quarantine those regions affected. in the uk, as in many countries, people have been encouraged to limit trips to the supermarket and use food delivery services where possible. but we know coronavirus can be transmitted if you touch a surface where coronavirus droplets have landed. so what are the safest ways to go shopping for food or accept a delivery or takeaway at home? let's speak to our science correspondent victoria gill. i was wondering this the other day when i was in the supermarket. of course, people look at the ingredients on a packet or the calorific content in a meal and then they might put it back down. i don't know if they have washed their hands. exactly. unfortunately, one expert was telling me that supermarkets are a place where that contamination, that contact is a

real risk. people picking up produce, putting it down, not to mention the close contact you might have with other customers. of course all shops are mandating this two metre separation. my partner went to the supermarket yesterday and there was a socially distance to kew with only a dozen people allowed in the store at once, so a lot of shops are taking great care with that social distancing, and that is very important. the primary and the known transmission rate of this virus is by close contact, so that two metres distance is very important, just as much in the supermarket as anywhere else. but there are other steps you can go to to take care in the supermarket and minimise the risk. one of the things is hand washing, or high alcohol —based hand sanitiser. before you go shopping and after you go shopping, wash your hands, and that reduces the spread of the risk to anyone else and yourself. when you get your shopping home, one of the experts said for

the current crisis maybe we need to go back to single—use plastic bags, as uncomfortable that may be for many, because you can dispose of them right away when you get your shopping home and wipe that surface. there was a publication earlier this week that was looking at how long that virus can survive on surfaces. on cardboard it is not more than a day and this is one study, we are learning about this virus so quickly, it is new to humanity, so this is limited evidence. but on plastic some of the evidence is suggesting it is up to three days. with containers goods, the virus needs human bodies to be able to replicate and survive, so if you can put that away safely and hygienically in a cool place for storage for three days before you touch that package and before you eat it, that will be saved. that has

implications when we are receiving parcels from amazon or couriers who bring things to our door. exactly. at that point the risk is pretty low. there is a limited chain of transmission, it is not as much of an area mixing with different people who are in close and quick contact like the supermarket. again there are like the supermarket. again there a re steps like the supermarket. again there are steps you can take to take care. it is important for vulnerable people particularly. one hygiene expert was advising people, especially if they are isolated, if they are expecting a delivery, leave a note on their door and tell a delivery driver to step away and leave it and they will be able to go out and clean those goods and handle them safely. some really useful advice. thank you very much indeed. hot tips when you are going shopping. stay with us. plenty more to come on the programme. we will be

talking about those internet scams and the misinformation swirling around on the internet. you should be listening to people like victoria instead of some of these other things. stay with us. the weather is going to feel very different for many of us this weekend. there has been warmth in the spring sunshine in england and wales recently, for scotland and northern ireland we have got this cold front bringing patchy like rain and drizzle. overnight it sinks southwards, by this stage just a band of cloud. some clearer skies and wintry showers across scotland, leading to icy stretches. with the strength of the breeze it should keep any frost at bay. this is how do weekend shapes up. through the first part of saturday we still have this slow moving cold front, really

just a band of cloud at this stage. notice the squeeze and the isobars and we pick up a colder, north—easterly wind. this system is the divide between the milder air we have had recently and something much colder sweeping across the uk, a real chill in the wind on sunday. on saturday, variable cloud and sunny spells. more cloud than recently in england and wales, also some wintry showers, especially in eastern counties of scotland and england. temperatures ranging from 6—12. but it will feel colder that with the wind. the way in strengthening all the while through tomorrow and that will continue on sunday. through the early hours of sunday the clocks go forward one hour. we start british summertime, forward one hour. we start british summer time, but on sunday it will feel even colder. a lot of cloud around, the best of any sunshine in northern ireland and still the

chance of wintry showers in eastern counties. but the strength of the wind will be the feature on sunday. gusts of 40 miles an hour. whilst the thermometer may read 6—9, when you add on the strength of the wind, it will feel closer to freezing for some of us with a significant wind chill on sunday and a bitterly cold day compared to recently. as we move into next week, the windsor start to ease down, but still actually feel with frosty nights. sunshine by day and still a chance of wintry showers.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. as the uk death toll rises by 181 people since yesterday, the prime minister and the health secretary both test positive for coronavirus. i've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus. that is to say, a temperature and a persistent cough and, on the advice of the chief medical officer, i have taken a test. that has come out positive. in italy almost 1,000 people have died in the past 24 hours — the biggest daily rise so far — in a country that's been locked down for almost 2 weeks. spain also sees a sharp rise in the number of deaths, but officials there say the rate

of new infections is stabilising. the united states now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world — the death toll has also leapt — in new york state by more than 500. also in the next half hour.... how digital crimes are on rise as online fraudsters try to cash in on people's anxieties. hello and welcome to bbc world news. in the uk, the prime minister's diagnosis comes as there is growing concern that nhs hospitals may be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients as early as this weekend. there's particular pressure on hospitals on the outskirts of london, where some health bosses have warned that intensive care units face a tsunami of demand in the coming days. our medical correspondent fergus walsh has the latest.

i have got what they call locally advanced prostate cancer. chris was due to have his prostate removed on monday, but his cancer surgery has been cancelled. the operating theatre has been turned into a makeshift intensive care unit. i think it is morally and ethically wrong to sacrifice cancer patients in favour of covid—19 patients. it is so important cancer patients don't become the forgotten victims of this chaos that is taking place. the hospital in derby issued a statement saying... it is far from an isolated example. indeed, all nhs nonurgent surgery is being suspended for three months to free up beds for the outbreak. cancer specialists should have the opportunity, with their patients, to decide whether it is more risky for somebody to embark on treatment

at this particular time, given that you are more vulnerable to infection. this conference centre in east london will have 500 beds available for coronavirus patients from next week. which will rise to 4000. it is being built with the help of the army. as is an even biggerfield hospital at the nec in birmingham, which will have up to 5000 beds. a third has been earmarked for manchester. more personal protective equipment is being shipped out from this distribution centre near glasgow, but many medical staff are saying they are still being left at rest, among them, gps. people are really, really scared for themselves, for their teams and their patients. theyjust don't know when they go into see a patient, whether or not, even though they are not displaying symptoms, they may still have the virus.

nhs staff and family members with coronavirus symptoms will be able to turn up at drive—through centres like this as testing for the disease is ramped up. fergus walsh, bbc news. fines have already been issued by the police to some people who have breached the government's stay at home rules after new police powers came into force yesterday. officers are also trying to discourage people from going out in their cars to picturesque locations to exercise, even if no one else is there. here's our home editor mark easton. these police recruits in surrey are being trained to fight crime in a pandemic. note the gloves. inside headquarters, the chief constable is joined by a military planner as agencies consider how to use new far—reaching powers to keep the public at home. we are interpreting the new powers in the style of british policing

in that we police by consent, but of course some colleagues are having to take steps to really explain to people that treating this as a bit of a holiday is not what this is about. footage has emerged of officers in perth confronting a man who claimed to have tested positive for the virus. although this individual did eventually comply, other forces have already used new health protection regulations, issuing a number of £60 fine to people who refuse to go home when ordered. two—week training sessions are planned to get special co nsta bles, volu nteers and recently—retired officers to help the public adjust to the strange new world in which we live. i think the vast majority of people are complying. the businesses that should be closed are closed and people are adjusting their lifestyles to the new what was first advice

and now is regulations. in south wales, police and the local council are planning to use a drone to encourage people to comply with public health rules. please follow government rules at this time. after controversy over whether derbyshire police were right to shame people who drove to the peak district to exercise, the government today issued new guidance, saying people should only use open spaces near their home. in cumbria, visitors are being told they are not welcome this weekend. it's the tourist or holiday—maker traffic we need to reduce to protect our nhs staff and to protect the vulnerable in this community. police chiefs are demanding what they call common sense, adding this is a national emergency — not a national holiday. mark easton, bbc news. let's turn to gaza, where doctors

and aid workers fear a vulnerable healthcare system wouldn't cope if coronavirus spreads through the population. latest figures from the palestinian authority show 91 cases of covid—19 across the territories, including nine in gaza. years of military conflict with israel has already tested gaza's hospitals, leaving them severely short of drugs and equipment. ghada majadlee is the managing director for the non—profit, physicians for human rights israel. she explains the risks in gaza. we know the health care system in gaza was collapsing even before the outbreak of the coronavirus. it has been struggling for over a decade to meet the needs of the population and this is why thousands of patients every year are referred to treatments in hospitals outside of the gaza strip. and concerning the coronavirus, the ministry of health in gaza has been calling for support

by the world health organization and international community, since we are talking about massive shortages in basic supplies and shortages in ventilators and intensive care units. as well, the ministry of health has been calling to lift the siege on gaza so they can be able, with the needed support, to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus. as we know, i mean, one of the difficulties in gaza is that it is so densely populated. yes. in addition to the health care system struggling, the public health conditions in gaza are very poor. we are talking about high rates of poverty, unemployment, density and water and electricity prices.

because of and due to the repeated military attacks on the gaza strip in recent years that caused large destruction of health facilities and of infrastructure, all of this together combines will help to spread the coronavirus and will prevent the ministry of health from controlling this outbreak. pakistan has about 1000 confirmed cases and eight deaths from the coronavirus. people in the country have been urged to stay at home to avoid the spread of the pandemic. prime minister imran khan called to limit friday prayer gatherings at mosques, but unlike other muslim countries, the government didn't order an end to the prayers. secunder kermani is our correspondent in islamabad. despite the threat of coronavirus and despite heavy rain, at this mosque today,

a number of people have turned up to perform friday prayers, though many of them are wearing masks. elsewhere in pakistan there is a bit of a mixed picture. in two provinces, congregational prayers have been banned in effect with only up to five people allowed to be taking part in them. elsewhere in the country, there is no such clear instructions, although there have been appeals by clerics and politicians for worshippers to stay at home and perform their prayers there and not to come to mosque. but the fear is, without clearer rules, stricter guidance from the authorities, people will still continue to come to mosque at the risk of transmitting coronavirus. there have already been a number of instances of coronavirus spreading in religious gatherings, both here in pakistan and elsewhere in the world. a church in south korea, for example, was the centre of a major outbreak. elsewhere in the muslim world, many other countries have temporarily suspended friday prayers. in pakistan, other public gatherings are banned. shops are closed. so there has been some criticism of the central government for not

taking further action. so far, there have been more than 1000 confirmed coronavirus cases in pakistan. medical professionals warn that if a major outbreak were to occur, the health care system, which is already weak, simply would be unable to cope. italy has recorded another enormous surge in deaths from coronavirus, with the highest daily increase since the epidemic emerged. it went up by 919 to 9,134. the previous largest single toll was registered six days ago, when 793 people died. italy increased the severity of its lockdown this week. this was the pope on friday giving his urbi et orbi blessing, that's an address to the city and the world. that's an address to

the city and the world. he gave a special address to st peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving an peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving an address peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving an address like peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving an address like that peter's square. have you ever seen a pope giving an address like that to an empty square? extraordinary. dr marco vergano is an anaesthetist from turin. he explained the situation in his hospital. for sure, the north part of italy that was hit harder at the beginning of the epidemic surge a few weeks ago, and lombardy in particular. i live in piemonte and the situation here is still a bit more manageable. we are under high pressure, but not with the same pressure they, our colleagues, are experiencing in bergamo and in the areas in the red zones around there. so, it is difficult to make accurate predictions and even the models cannot make accurate predictions more than a couple of days ahead.

what we know now is that the reliable numbers we used to have just a couple of weeks ago are becoming less reliable because the total death toll and the total number of infected people depends on your testing capacity. with this huge surge of the last weeks, our testing capacity has been focused on patients, health care personnel in critical positions. what is happening is that many people are dying without being tested. probably the death toll is at least twice that number, but some epidemiologists say that it

could be even four times or eight times more. goodness me. that is quite sobering to think like that. we have just heard from the briefing at downing street that there is concern amongst all countries at the moment about front line staff. what is happening at your hospital? do you have an infection problem among people who are treating the patients? not in my hospital, because i think we have started behaving in a very good mannerfrom the beginning and being very protective towards the health care personnel. and so we have a couple of colleagues, nurses and doctors that have tested positive, but our policy is that if you develop symptoms, you are immediately sent home and if you develop symptoms at home, you are forbidden. you just inform your hospital and someone else will take your shift. also, what we are doing is a very stringent contract tracing policy.

all of the contacts that you have had in the previous days will get a test as well. this allows us to have very few health care staff who are infected and positive in the last couple of weeks. but this is not the same policy in every hospital. and i think this will become a major concern, because the hospitals that are more under pressure are also becoming more and more understaffed because they have maybe 10% to 20% to 30% of their health care personnel that is isolated or tested positive for coronavirus. he told me in that interview that he has not had a day off since february. quite extraordinary the sacrifices that these health care professionals a re sacrifices that these health care

professionals are making. with the entire world preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic, digital crimes are on rise as online fraudsters try to cash in on people's anxieties. one security firm accuses scammers of "weaponising fear and panic". experts say they're seeing an unprecedented spike in email scams all linked to coronavirus. kate bevan is the computing editor at uk consumer assoctiation which? , and she joins me from west london. if there is a way, the fraudsters and scammers will find a way to profit. what are seeing? we are seeing a lot of sms scams. we have lots of ones that are really trying to capitalise on peoples fear. we have seen sms messages sent to people saying they are going to be fined for going outside and giving them a link to click. from canada and all over the world we are seeing them. the link to click is always

them. the link to click is always the commenting here. we have had reports of some people apparently going to vulnerable people's houses and offering to go shopping for them. we have seen e—mails purporting to be from organisations like the world health organization. the inventiveness of the scammers seems to know no bounds. the biggest risks are online. give people some advice of what they can look out for. what i'd be red flags? the red flags are always a tone of urgency, you must do this now, you must act quickly. you mustn't. think about it. the urgent tone is a red flag. the other one is a link. we usually say reputable organisations will never send a link. that has gone out of the window in the last couple of days with texts coming from the government. but still it carefully. if you have doubts, stop and don't do it. the other thing is, some

slightly dodgy english there, written by people whose english is not their first language. some strange typos and spelling mistakes as well. when people are looking to avoid the scams or frauds in the first place, is there anyway they can check where these e—mails have come from? is there anybody they can approach to check it? no, because they are quite often spaced as well so it is hard to know exactly where they are coming from. the best advice we can give is to watch out for those red flags, but make sugar phone and your computers are up—to—date, because often antivirus packages will flag up the stings as well. —— make sure your phone. scientists at imperial college london say that around the world as many as forty million lives would have been lost to coronavirus, without the global response. but there's a warning that the poorest countries are still more likely to be hit hardest. our science editor

david shukman reports. all over the world, very different reactions to the virus. in africa, rwanda was the first to lock down, while in senegal the streets are still busy. and now, new research points to a catastrophe unless there is an immediate global response. what this latest study shows is that if literally nothing is done to stop the virus, as many as 40 million people could die from it worldwide this year. now, that isn't likely to happen because so many governments are introducing public health measures. and if they all do, the death toll should fall to 9.3 million, still horrific of course. the key to this is timing. if those measures are adopted rapidly, the number dying could fall to 1.3 million. itjust shows the critical importance of governments acting urgently. in bangladesh, a refugee camp for rohingya people. overcrowded and fearful.

it's the poorest who will be hit hardest according to the scientists studying the pandemic. even in the most optimistic scenarios in terms of the control that can be put in, it is still very likely that the health systems in the poorest countries will become overwhelmed. many of these countries have very few numbers, for example, of intensive care beds available, and indeed hospital beds are very much in demand for the other diseases that are prevalent in those settings. in india there is meant to be a national lockdown, but it is hard to manage. and, as in many developing countries, the health care system is fragile. if unchecked it is going to basically make our health care systems collapse, that's the prospect we are facing. and the other crisis we are facing is an economic crisis. if you take very strong, draconian measures, it is going to shut down our economy and sent it into some sort of cardiac arrest. many countries are now doing what they can,

but to defeat the virus it will take action on a global scale. top officials at the international monetary fund say they are looking at ways to help countries going through an economic and financial crisis, linked to the coronavirus pandemic. its managing director kristalina georgieva says it's clear the global economy has entered a recession as bad or worse than in 2009. as bad or worse than 2009, gas, and thatis as bad or worse than 2009, gas, and that is because the economy has been brought to a standstill because large swathes of economic activity just not happening. she said that also, although the cause of this was the lack of activity linked to containment efforts to control coronavirus, she said those efforts are absolutely necessary if we want to be able to continue with our way of life, and therefore, the question now is to take this action, this containment action and prepare for a

recovery in 2021. she said in order to do that, the imf would be drawing on its entire $1 trillion lending capability. she said there would also be a doubling of emergency funding for countries that requested it. she said that 81 countries had so far come forward with requests or inquiries about emergency funding. normally, the imf would be dealing with just a handful. normally, the imf would be dealing withjust a handful. she normally, the imf would be dealing with just a handful. she said there has been a real surge. what the organisation is focused on is particularly poorer countries that have been struggling. large amounts of capital have been taken out of this country moment, giving them potential problems for the future. she said a coordinated action is needed, more action is needed and the imf and other multilateral organisations need to stand ready to do it. we have seen big amounts of money put into the system from the united

states today. a 2 trillion package approved there by the house of representatives. that from the imf and also 5 trillion committed by the 620 and also 5 trillion committed by the g20 countries yesterday as well. we're being flooded with news about coronavirus online, some of it helpful and some potentially harmful. you might have seen some misleading messages on whatsapp or email, or seen dodgy posts on social media sites like facebook and instagram. but how can you spot and stop this kind of content spreading online? the bbc‘s disinformation and social media reporter marianna spring joins us. i think we can talk to her. she would press? yes, she is. we have seen all sorts of theories about how you can stop coronavirus, the sort of treatments that will deal with it. how do you pick out the fact from the fiction? there lots of ways

that you can spot misinformation online. at the moment, it is quite believable stuff. you will see medical advice where one or two of the things look true, like washing your hands. and then you read other things that are quite misleading. like, sunlight kills coronavirus which there is absolutely no evidence to prove. or drinking warm drinks prevents you from getting coronavirus, there is no evidence of that. across these misleading posts and texts is that they are often introduced with claims attribute and then to someone you might know, like your friend's friend then to someone you might know, like yourfriend's friend or then to someone you might know, like your friend's friend or your dad's friend who has a masters degree or a doctor or a hospital. it is really important when you see posts like this to interrogate the source and work out whether you know where this is really come from or whether this has just been copy and pasted and forwarded on to you. where can return for a trusted and reliable

information, asks the man from the bbc. i would like to say the bbc, because we have but a team here who are trying to go through and debunk and verify a lot of the misinformation and misleading things we are seeing online. but there's also the trusted bodies, the nhs, the world health organization and the world health organization and the government to issuing a lot of guidelines in different countries about what everybody should be doing. thank you very much indeed for that. just to bring you the latest headlines, martin will be with you at the top of the arrow to give you those. to recap, boris johnson is confirmed today to have coronavirus. he is working from home. they confirmed in the briefing today that there will be two more nightingale hospitals to deal with the pressure in birmingham and manchester and from next week they are going to be stepping up the testing from those front line workers. arab doctors and workers

will be infected while they are treating doctors and nurses infected by their treating patients. it is to be tricked crucial. the weather is going to feel very different from any of us this weekend. there has been warmth in the spring sunshine in england and wales in recent days. for scotland and northern ireland we have had ice cold front which are slow—moving, bringing some patchy cloud and drizzle. by this stage, reallyjust a band of cloud. maybe the odd patch of drizzle here and there. some wintry showers across scotland, leading to some icy patches. with the strength of the breeze, it should keep any frost at bay. for most, it will hover a degree or so above freezing. maybe three or four in the centre of town. in the first pa rt in the centre of town. in the first part of saturday, we have but a

slow—moving front. reallyjust a band of cloud by this stage, but notice the isobars. we pick up a colder north—easterly wind, and this frontal system is the dividing line between the mild we have had recently and something much colder that has been sweeping the uk. a real chill and that went come sunday. it is a mixture of variable cloud, some sunny spells, certainly more clout than we have had recently across england and wales. some wintry showers, especially across eastern scotland and england. temperatures in a range of six to 12 celsius. it is going to be cold and in parts of scotland, it is going to struggle to get above for celsius. through the early hours of sunday, the clocks go forward one hour. restart british summertime. on sunday, it is going to feel even colder. a lot of cloud around. the best of sunshine across northern

ireland, north—western subletting then. still the chance of wintry showers for eastern counties, but the strength of the wind is going to be the feature on sunday. thus 30 to 40 miles an hour. whilst the thermometer may read six to nine celsius, when you add on the strength of the wind, it is going to feel closer to freezing to some of us. a cold wind chill on sunday, particularly compared to recently. the wings to start is down, but still ha feel with a frosty night. still the chance of some showers. that's all for me.