tonight at ten — a significant rise in the uk death toll — as the government warns there are harder times ahead. the faces of some of those who've lost their lives to the disease in the past four weeks. among them the fourth medic to die in the uk — a semi—retired doctor who'd worked for the nhs for a0 years — his son says he couldn't believe how quickly it all happened. the rapidness of the deterioration is just shocking to see, and how powerful the virus was, and how itjust took over his body. nhs workers queue up to be tested in an ikea car park — as ministers order any spare tests to be used for front line workers. almost a million people have applied for universal credit in the past fortnight —

nearly ten times the usual number. after weeks of strict lockdown in italy — a taste of freedom as some families are able to take their children for a walk. and david hockney in lockdown in france — shares with us some of the ipad drawings that have kept him busy. coming up on bbc news, wimbledon is cancelled for the first time since world war ii because of coronavirus, as the summer's entire grass court season is abandoned. good evening. there's been another rise in the number of people who have died from coronavirus in the uk as the government warned that this invisible killer is the biggest threat our country has faced in decades and that worse was to come. 563 patients have lost their lives in the past 2a hours,

taking the total number of deaths in hospitals to 2,352 in less than four weeks. the latest increase in deaths is sadly in line with scientific predictions. most of the cases are in london but nhs england says the threat is everywhere and the growing number of hospital admissions in the midlands is now a cause for concern. today it was confirmed that a 68 year old semi—retired doctor in hertfordshire has become the fourth doctor to die. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. hilda churchill, who lived through a pandemic a century ago — the oldest victim at 108. dr adil el taya, the first medic to pass away. doreen hunt, a grandmother, who died on mothering sunday. as coronavirus has taken hold, just some of the faces of its hourly victims, but as the numbers grow, more families lose mothers, daughters, fathers and sons. and one of the latest, the fourth medic to lose his life, dr alfa saadu, who had returned to work to help. this is his son.

we said our goodbyes and we just told him to fight for us. and then, the next 2a hours, 48 hours, his bodyjust deteriorated, from what they told us his body shut down, he had organ failure. he just couldn't fight any more. i massively admire the people in the nhs and the job that they're doing because it's nojoke. this is a serious virus and people are risking their lives to save people out there. a message repeated by the government today... all our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives. this is more tragic evidence that this virus does not discriminate. look at how the numbers have grown... from the first counted on the 6th of march, eight days later the daily toll reaching double figures.

20 days from the start it reached over 100, and now less than a week later more than 500 people recorded to have passed away in 2a hours. the overall count 2352. the peak of the disease seems to be coming earlier than the government expected, but you're missing testing targets, there is a lot of evidence of staff not having the equipment they need and not enough ventilators. do you now accept that the approach and response from government has been too slow? increasing testing capacity is absolutely the top priority for the government and we are now at 10,000 tests per day, we're rolling out additional networks at labs and testing sites and in terms of phe, 390 million products have been distributed in the last two weeks and, of course, we will continue to do more. there is evidence, too, that people are taking to the roads again, flouting the stay—at—home advice. there are frantic efforts under way

to make space for those falling ill. the army moving in to help in cumbria tonight. in belfast, in glasgow, in cardiff and around the country, hospitals are being created out of conference centres in just a matter of weeks. but the broad political consensus that's backed the government's approach is starting to fray. what we're calling for now is a national testing strategy, to ramp up community testing and contact tracing, like we're seeing in other countries. that's how other countries have been able to beat this virus or get it under control. we're not doing it yet so we need that national plan. a former minister and practising gp says the government just hasn't moved fast enough. we'd anticipated this is a risk, a tier one national security risk, that's in the public domain. it beggars belief that we didn't act quicker because we knew, we'd done an exercise and we knew we had these challenges. no ordinary recovering patient — prince charles urges us all to stick together.

as a nation we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens. none of us can say when this will end, but end it will. but a time of anxiety for our health and the country's wealth is a growing time of political pressure, too. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. nearly a million people have applied for universal credit benefits in the past fortnight — that's almost 10 times the usual number. 0ur economics editor faisal islam joins me. faisal, that's two weeks since the prime minister told us all to stay at home — just underlines the immensity of what's happening to people's livelihoods. it isa it is a often it isa it is a grim rise, it is really off the scale. what it shows is the

impact of the shutdown and that some of the government schemes, there are gaps, and this is what will feel it. the government have increased the generosity of universal credit and they want people to claim this and they want people to claim this and they will also argue it shows some of the early teething problems in terms of the huge increase of people applying for it, that they have been worked through and that the civil serva nts worked through and that the civil servants have done an amazing job in getting a million people registered. some of this will flow through into the jobless numbers what we don't know is how many companies will take up know is how many companies will take up the option to park their workers, that will affect the jobless numbers and some are predicting that could double. thanks forjoining us. the health secretary matt hancock has ordered any spare coronavirus tests to be used for nhs staff. up until now, staff were only allowed to account for 15%

of all testing, despite some hospitals reporting as many as a quarter of all doctors and nurses being off work in self isolation. the uk can currently carry out more than 12,000 tests a day. yesterday, just under 10,000 were conducted. the government is aiming to test 25,000 per day by the end of april. with more here's our health editor hugh pym. nhs staff getting tested for coronavirus. it's a new pilot scheme in england run by the government, designed to speed up the process and get them back to work quickly if they've been self isolating and need an all clear. but it's very limited at this stage. i've been off work for four days becaue i've been symptomatic and my wife has been symptomatic as well. i had these symptoms, very bad ones. i'm due to come back to work on friday, so i thought before i come, i want to get checked. almost all testing is analysed in hospital and public health laboratories and the problem is they're struggling to keep up with the workload. until this week, they'd been told

to only test patients. the representative of trusts in england told me a shortage of raw materials was a concern. everybody will be working as hard as they can to increase the number of staff tests, but we just need to remember there are severe shortages of both swabs and reagents, so one trust said to me today that they've only got three swabs per day to test staff. the first coronavirus cases in the uk were announced on the 31st of january and testing of all recent contacts of cases was adopted. 0n the 11th of march, the government announced an aim of 10,000 tests per day, a week later the prime minister said that this would be more than doubled. we'll massively scale up our testing capacity in the weeks ahead so that we hit 25,000 tests per day. by this time, testing was focused on nhs patients, not in the community. 0n the 19th of march i asked the government chief medical adviser why nhs staff were not being tested? the ability to test their staff, our staff, particularly

if they have mild symptoms, that mean they could normally go back to work, is absolutely critical. but it wasn't until the 29th of march when hospitals in england were told to allocate 15% of testing to staff. today they were told, do as many as possible. by yesterday the number tested was stilljust below 10,000. and tonight the prime minister made a new pledge. i want to say a special word about testing because asi special word about testing because as i have said for many weeks this is the way through and this is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle and this is how we will defeat it in the end. private sector technology companies with labs say they want to help and just need the government to tell them what's required. we need exact clarity on what it is are the pinch points within the system. we may be able to help with some of them, we can't promise to help on all of them, but there is a large community out here really keen to help. there was no shortage of takers back

at the drive—in centre. 2,000 have been tested so far at five sites like this. this initiative certainly seems popular with nhs staff but this is just a trial. rolling it out more extensively and creating more capacity will be a complex challenge and it will be hard to do quickly. and with nhs staff badly needed back on the front line, time is not on the government's side. hugh pym, bbc news. the government says almost 400 million items of personal protection equipment including masks, alcohol wipes and aprons, have been delivered to nhs staff over the last two weeks. but one london nurse looking after coronavirus patients contacted us saying her ward is running out of safety kit two or three times a day and she is having to make heartbreaking choices about whether to help patients in a critical condition because she's told not to, unless protected.

her dilemma comes as it was confirmed that a member of nursing staff in his 50s who treated patients without protective clothing has died. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. southend hospital in essex, where staff are threatening to limit care for patients with covid—19, such is theirfear for their own safety. like many nhs staff, they say they don't have the correct protective equipment. the hospital says it's fully complying with official guidance on ppe. today in london came news of the first member of nursing staff known to have died with covid—19 — thomas harvey, who worked in mental health. nhs england says the current guidelines don't require mental health workers to wear protective equipment, but mr harvey's family are devastated and blame the government for his death. i feel like from the start of it if he had just had the right equipment then maybe we would not have been in this predicament and it would not have escalated the way it did and he would not have

deteriorated the way he did. unions representing health care workers say the lack of ppe forfront line workers has become a crisis within a crisis, and nurses say that without more ppe there will be more deaths. obviously, we know that this virus doesn't discriminate, and we expect to put ourselves at risk to look after our patients, but we also expect to be given adequate equipment. here at the royal college of nursing they feel that the role of nurses has been overlooked, that for weeks no—one considered just how exposed nurses were to the virus, whether working in hospitals, care homes or the community, and that unlike some other nhs staff, the work of nurses is almost always up close and personal. the government says it's working around the clock to provide the protective equipment that staff need. it says in the past two weeks, with the help of the army, it's delivered 390 million pieces

of equipment, with another 4.7 million facemasks today in england and smaller deliveries are taking place in the rest of the uk. but doctors say it's not just about the quantity of equipment they are receiving, but also the quality. the packsjust are inadequate, and they have very few items in them, and they simply won't be enough to protect staff for more than a few hours at most, and we know that this is a virus that potentially is deadly to people that catch it. what we've seen from italy and china and elsewhere is that if we don't get this right, then doctors and nurses will die. tomorrow, new official guidelines are expected to be published about which protective items each health care worker needs in order to stay safe. ensuring those items are delivered is likely to be an ongoing challenge for the government. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. the coronavirus is so new that scientists are learning about it all the time and there's still a lot of confusion about

what it does to people's bodies. how much do we now know about what the virus does to us once we've caught it? here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. the virus uses its surface proteins, these spikes on the outside, to hook onto a docking point on the surface of human cells. after it has docked, the coronavirus is able to insert its genetic material, rna, into the cell. once inside, it hijacks the machinery of the cell nucleus to make multiple copies of itself. these burst out of the cell, destroying it, and then infect other cells. now, for most people, their immune system mounts a response and they begin to feel better after around five days. but in some, the immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking the lungs and other organs as well as the virus. this can cause pneumonia and breathing difficulties and damage to other organs.

fergus walsh there. well, hugh pym joins me now, a significant rise in the number of people who have died in the past 2a hours in the uk, but we are being prepared for much bigger daily death toll is, even by the end of the week. that's right, the end of the week. that's right, the prime minister said it was a sad day, public health official said concerning. experts look at the trajectory, how quickly the death rate is growing, and one or two have pointed out it is slightly slower than early in the epidemic. even so, they expect the number of deaths to double twice in a week. that would mean the total number of deaths in the uk might hit 1000 per day by the weekend. the world health organization said tonight that almost1 million people have now contracted the coronavirus, how do we compare to other countries around the world? yes, the global picture is very interesting, and a chart shown at downing street's breathing we can look at now, based on the number of deaths once it had reached 50 in each country, where the line

goes after that, the red line is the uk. just about where france is, and italy, below spain but above china, and well above south korea in the number of deaths based on that. now, experts say the number of deaths, very sadly, is what they look at to see how the pandemic is progressing, and here they say, in a week or so's time, that number will be very important — is to plateau, perhaps asa important — is to plateau, perhaps as a result of social distancing measures introduced in the uk? hugh pym, thank you. one of the hardest, cruelest parts of all this is burying the dead, and the fact that social distancing rules mean hardly anyone can attend a funeral now. maybe ten people at most, all two metres apart. cremations are closed to the public. only a small number of mourners are allowed at graveside burials. some funerals are now being streamed online. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. the last time i seen her was when she was being put into the ambulance.

it's heartbreaking. just heartbreaking. i wouldn't wish it on anyone. no church service, only a prayer at the graveside for anne best from fermanagh, who died from coronavirus. after a lifetime together, her husband of 51 years, tom, now in isolation, was unable to be with her at the end. i told myself that i was going to break all the rules and walk up there and see her buried, and i couldn't do that because it would be selfish on the other people. at least now they're together, and they're not suffering any more, you know, or in pain. yeah. so that's the main thing. quarantine is a lonely place to grieve. i'll put you on speaker. can you hear me ok there? ican hearyou. we reached out to fiona in belfast — on the weekend both her mother and her father died from the virus within hours of each other.

we held their hands and were hoping, even though they were not conscious, we were hoping they could hear us and knew that we were there. we got to say at least goodbye, which we know a lot of families haven't had that chance. her mother isobel will be buried, but her father christopher, known as arty, wished to be cremated, which will have to take place without any family there. we can't even do the normal — the wake, you know. my mum would love it, my dad would love a big celebration. playing elvis. why did you want to share this? this is something i would never, ever normally do, but i want to do it for their memory and also to raise awareness about how real and serious this is. because, you know, they are notjust a statistic any more. it is heartbreaking for all our family. and nobody is able to do the natural things they would want to reach out and do. everyone... we are alljust in our houses, you know, all trying to stay safe. yeah, no, it's just... it's hard enough losing both your parents, especially

so close together, but then you can't do the normal process and you can't, you know... so, yes, it is very, very hard. normally in northern ireland, large funerals are a common sight, so the restrictions feel all the more stark. no more than ten people can be at a graveside, and with mourners still compelled to socially distance, it is changing the way we are able to grieve. those who stand beside the bereaved must ensure restrictions are respected. none of us want to do this. we want to assist our bereaved families. we don't want to get to the stage where it is just going to be us and the grave—diggers and the minister at the graveside. it's a hard conversation to have. but i mean, we feel as funeral directors we can still stand together with the bereaved and help them through it in a dignified and most respectful manner that we've done for years. mourning the dead is often said to be as much about a celebration of life, and many people who have lost someone during this time are hoping to arrange more fitting

services for their loved ones when the restrictions have passed. but right now, the full grieving process is on hold. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. the business secretary, alok sharma, has given a warning to banks, after many small and medium—sized firms said they couldn't get one of the emergency loans promised by the government. new research suggests nearly a million uk businesses are just weeks from going bust. andy verity reports. it was billed as the government riding to the rescue of small businesses. they can walk into their local bank branch next week and talk to somebody about the coronavirus business interruption loan that the government is guaranteeing. but with many bank branches shut, many businesses can't get through to overstretched contact centres. thousands of firms have been turned down for a business interruption loan, while others, like this normally thriving nottingham—based engineering firm, have been told they have to apply for a normal loan first —

a process which may take weeks. at the moment, i think too much control has been given to the banks and lenders, the approved lenders, to make this happen, and i think it's still chaotic out there. it seems to be that if you're lucky, you're banking with the right party. if you're not lucky, you'll end up having to close your business. an accountancy network serving 12,000 firms found that, in spite of emergency measures, 18% of firms either probably or definitely won't get the cash they need to survive a four—week shutdown. and if it lasts 12 weeks, that jumps to 32%. the problem for stricken businesses is that they're being expected to borrow their way through this cash—flow crisis in a way that leaves all the risks with the business owner. even if they can get a business interruption loan, the guarantees protect not the business but the bank. and if, like many, they can't get one, the directors have to sign personal guarantees, and that means if the loan isn't repaid, they could lose almost everything.

today the government had this warning for banks. it would be completely unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty. just as the taxpayer stepped in to help the banks back in 2008, we will work with the banks to do everything they can to repay the favour. uk finance says banks urgently need clarity on the government's rules, and the treasury is preparing to reshape its scheme by the end of the week. for up to a million small businesses on the brink, the need for cash is now. andy verity, bbc news. in france, 38 seriously ill coronavirus patients have been transferred by high—speed train from paris to less overwhelmed parts of the country. the army helped to relocate the patients, who have been moved to brittany. france is struggling to free up

space in life—support units and the situation has become critical in the capital, where the number of beds in intensive care units is now almost at the same level as the number of patients. the number of coronavirus cases in the united states has now passed 200,000. more than 11,500 people have died, almost half of them in new york state. president trump has told americans they are in the midst of a great national trial, unlike any the us has faced before. our north america editor, jon sopel, reports. at this time of year, central park in new york would normally be getting ready for concerts and festivals. instead, a massive field hospital is being built there to help alleviate an overburdened health system. in this state alone, there have been 2000 deaths. america is shifting onto a war footing, and it brought a dramatic change in tone from the president — now urgent and sombre. i want every american to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead.

we are going to go through a very tough two weeks. and hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as i think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we're going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. but that is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks. and if that didn't frighten the american people, this message today from the vice president, visiting essential workers, surely would have done. he said that the us was on a path to follow the worst—hit country in europe. we think italy may be the most comparable area to the united states at this point. for the first time in this crisis, donald trump and his senior medical advisers seem to be marching in lockstep. but one area where washington seems at odds with the rest of the country is on testing, on vital equipment. here, the president says that everything is under control. that's not what you're hearing on the front line.

cheering what do we need? ppe! today, exhausted health workers across the us have been protesting outside hospitals at the lack of protective equipment, and those working inside say supplies are running low. we're running out of medications, we're running out of equipment, and we're even running out of oxygen, which is something that patients that have covid—19 need. and we're running out of equipment in the hospital, nearly everybody coming to the emergency department has this, and we are getting completely overwhelmed. if new york is the foretaste of what's coming to america, this is what's ahead. in the money capital of the richest country in the world, a forklift truck outside a hospital lifting corpses into the back of a refrigerated lorry. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. in italy, the stringent lockdown measures have been extended, although families can now take their children for a walk outside if needed. it comes as the death toll in the country climbs by 727

in the past 2a hours, which is slightly down on yesterday's increase. it takes the country's total number of deaths to more than 13,000. of those, at least 66 are front line medical staff. from rome, mark lowen reports. a glimpse of freedom in italy's new normal. parents are now allowed to take their children out for a brief walk if urgent. after three weeks of lockdown, it's a breath of liberty but no more. welcomed, albeit with apprehension. translation: we're scared to be outside and a bit spaced out, because this lockdown has been our salvation. the measures are working, i'm happy they are in place, and we want them to go on. translation: this eases the tension. we're not used to staying inside the whole day. we need some natural light, and children need some space. the infection rate is slowing, and there is perhaps a little

bit more movement on the streets. but the fear is that if the restrictions are lifted too soon, people could get a false sense of security, and then the numbers could startjumping again, because italy is still far from defeating this virus. deaths are still soaring, and among them doctors. gynaecologist roberto milletti died this week, one of 66 doctors lost to the outbreak here. his friend said the deaths were preventable if medics had proper masks and supplies. translation: we're very shocked, he was much loved. and we're very angry, because we're lacking protection equipment for doctors. we feel vulnerable. wars must be organised during peacetime, not battle. we're being sent in empty—handed, in italy and around europe. so young, inventive italians have stepped in to help, using 3d printing to develop a valve that turns a sports—shop snorkelling mask into a ventilator. the blueprint has been downloaded for free a million times by hospitals in need

across the world. two days ago, it was my birthday, and i received a message from brazil in which a doctor said to me that 130 people were breathing thanks to my idea, and i was very, very happy. i cannot receive a better present for my birthday. shouting italians are generally following the rules, but some frustration is starting to show. in the south, anger over a loss of money and closed shops. it's isolated, but patience has its limits. today, the lockdown was extended to mid—april, so the emptiness goes on. perhaps never again in our lifetime will we see rome like this. the virus is sucking the life out of italy. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. the un climate change summit due to be held in glasgow in november has been postponed because of the virus.

this summer's wimbledon tennis tournament has been cancelled for the first time since world war ii. the all england lawn tennis club chairman said it's going to use the breadth of the tournament's resources to help local communities during this time. the edinburgh festival due, to take place this august, has also been called off for the first time in its 73—year history. the five events normally attract more than four million visitors to the scottish capital. the champions league and europa league have also been suspended until further notice. and with so many games cancelled, there's increasing pressure on premier league players and managers to accept pay cuts. both newcastle and spurs have applied to the government's funding scheme to help pay the wages of their backroom staff. but their first team players, on multi—million pound salaries, are still being paid in full. katie gornall reports. they are one of the world's richest clubs with a state—of—the—art stadium, but it seems even that doesn't make you immune at times like these. tottenham hotspur announced 550 of its nonplaying staff will take