after days of criticism, more questions for the government after a lack of testing for health workers after the death toll rises again, 569 people have died in the last 2a hours. questions tonight over why london's three new testing centres for nhs staff appear to be empty this afternoon despite thousands of front line workers wanting results. this whole covid—19 has exposed that the country wasn't as well—prepared as it have been. and we see that in a number of areas. in the last half hour, the health secretary announced new measures — he said the goal was 100,000 tests a day by the end of april — and defended his approach so far.

i understand why nhs staff want tests so they can get back to the front line. of course i do. but i took the decision that the first priority has to be the patients for whom the result of a test could be the difference in treatment that is the difference in treatment that is the difference in treatment that is the difference between life and death. spain's intensive care units pushed to the brink — almost 1,000 people have died in the past 2a hours. the catering industry — hit hard like so many others — turns its attention to helping some of those most in need. and clapping for our carers — another national round of applause tonight — and this time key workers like teachers and supermarket staff will be included too. and coming up on bbc news: england manager eddie jones may have another chance to win the rugby world cup after agreeing a contract extension until 2023.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the government is facing more questions tonight over its testing programme for nhs workers. the health secretary has just been setting out his plan to ensure that in time anyone who needs a test for coronavirus will have one. but matt hancock, who himself has just returned from self isolation after falling ill with the virus, admitted there had been big challenges with testing in the uk from the outset and that the country had not been geared up for it. the latest figures show 569 more people have died from coronavirus in the last 2a hours bringing the total

number of confirmed reported deaths in the uk to 2921. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. nicola and her husband are both gps in cheshire, both stuck at home, both have been unwell. but with no test, they don't know, they can't know if they have had the virus or not and can't go back to work. know if they have had the virus or not and can't go back to worklj just can't see that this is right. we are both keen to work, both desperate to work, and as with most gps we would work through a minor illness. we don't take time off lightly. after days of accusations of mishandling, the health secretary, just back at work after the virus himself, was trying to show the government is getting a grip. i understand why nhs staff wa nt tests, grip. i understand why nhs staff want tests, so they can get back to the front line. of course i do. but i took the decision that the first priority has to be that the patients

for whom the result of a test could be the difference in treatment that is the difference between life and death. he called on business to help, outlined nationwide sampling and eventually an antibody test that could diagnose big chunks of the population. but tests for health workers are what matter here and now. i am now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. that is the goal and i am determined that we will get there. can you give us a firm date by when any nhs staff that needs a test will get a test? in a fast—moving crisis like this the end of the month is still a long time away. i'm delighted we have now managed to test 5000 nhs staff. i will come over the coming weeks, seek to ensure that every nhs front line staff member who needs a test

gets one. remember, there are two kinds of test, one to show if you have had the virus after recovering. but the one thing is nhs staff are queueing up for at a superstore car park turned testing drive through our four park turned testing drive through ourfour if park turned testing drive through our four if you already have the virus right now. if the drivers of these cars are negative they could get back onto the desperately stretched wards as doctors and nurses. that's why it is so urgent now. we should be the first! so that

we can look after our patients. i'm very sad. it was quite efficient and it allows us to go back to work as soon as we can do so that's the best thing we can do for our nhs staff. privately, the government has admitted it has been slow to make this happen. testing has become the most acute political problem in this crisis. the senior labour mp dawn butler who lost her uncle to the disease, in grief and anger, insisting the government needs to test everyone who works in hospitals without delay. we are going to need a strategy for community—based testing. for the majority of population over the time. that is the route out of lockdown. but a former cabinet secretary, no stranger to managing crises, suggests there might be deeper roots to the problem. does it seem to you that the government was too slow?|j think when we look back on it, i think when we look back on it, i think all of us should take a share of the blame here, pandemics, even in my time, was top of the risk register. did we build enough spare capacity? did we do enough to get the materials in hand and have an event alleges, enough protective equipment? probably not. but let's

not worry too much about the m ista kes not worry too much about the mistakes of the past. even if testing centres become a familiar sight, with no cure, no government can make coronavirus go away. but the actions they take can make a difference to how it affects us all. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. 0ur chief political correspondent, vicki young is in westminster. the government has been heavily criticised over the past few days over testing. will the new plan the health secretary has set out be enough? i think in the months to come there will be many questions about whether the government acted quickly enough on this issue of testing. they really have come in for huge criticism over it. the problem has been that we have seen minister after minister stand there in front of the cameras and talk about ramping up the number of tests that are going to take place and there has been a massive disconnect

with what is happening on the ground. so what matt hancock was doing today was to come there and trying to tackle this head on, talking in detailfor the trying to tackle this head on, talking in detail for the first time about what some of the problems have been, justifying some of the decisions, saying that he personally took the decision to put the priority on patients in hospital. they should be tested first. and then going into detail about how he's going to try and change all this, talking about how he will try to bring in commercial partners to increase the amount of testing. and ata time increase the amount of testing. and at a time of national crisis, people need to be able to trust those who are standing there and telling us what we need to do, coming forward with these plans. he has really got to hope that people believe him now when he says this and he will be judged very much on the delivery of all of this. by the end of april, saying he wants the number of tests to increase massively and that is how he will be judged. thank you. one of britain's most eminent scientists says the coronavirus crisis has "exposed that the country wasn't as well prepared as it should have been". sir paul nurse was speaking as his leading research centre began helping to carry out coronavirus tests. in an interview with the bbc, sir paul added that it wasn't the time to go into detail and it was important right now to work together to get through it. here's our health editor, hugh pym. the first day of research centres, the francis crick institute. lab is

here used for work in other areas including cancer have been switched to analysing swab samples. today the government called on academic and industry teams to help in a new national drive to boost virus testing. had this come a little late in the day, i asked the director, sir paul nurse. i think this whole covid—19 has exposed that the country wasn't as well—prepared as it have been. we see that in a number of areas. i don't think now is the time to go into that in great detail because we all have to work together, all put our shoulders to the wheel and get through it. at this research centre they have started serious testing today. they hope to get to 500 a day by monday, and then a couple of weeks later, 2000 a day, that's equivalent to what all the public health laboratories in england were doing in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. a priority for all labs is testing nhs staff who have self—isolated, so if they are

given the all clear they can return to work more quickly. this gp had to ta ke two to work more quickly. this gp had to take two weeks off because his son had symptoms. it might not have been necessary if he had been tested. had symptoms. it might not have been necessary if he had been testedm i had been able to take the test and see that i was no infection risk to anybody i would have continued to come into work. i would have carried on doing thejob come into work. i would have carried on doing the job as come into work. i would have carried on doing thejob as much come into work. i would have carried on doing the job as much as we are able to, and i would have been able to provide a better level of health service to my patients, basically. hospital admissions in england for covid—19 patients are rising fastest in london. the midlands has also seen a pick—up in the speed of the increase. the south—west is the area with the slowest rise in patient numbers. so, how does the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk, measured from the tenth one recorded, compare with other countries? spain has seen a faster rate of increase, south korea one of the lowest of all the affected nations. so, how will the uk get through it all? a question i put to

sir paul nurse. we will get through it and when we do we will have potential vaccines and potential treatments and we will learn how to manage it if it doesn't go away in the future. but make no mistake, two things, it has damaged us and the second thing is the only way through this is through scientists and experts finding their way through it. the nhs in scotland has set up a drive—through testing centres for critical care workers, including this one in fife. similarfacilities in the london area appeared very quiet today, even though there is clearly a demand for testing amongst health workers. hugh pym, bbc news. there are two types of tests for this virus — one is the swab test — which tells you if you currently have the virus or not. the other — which is being developed — is an antibody test — which will be able to tell you — whether or not you actually had coronavirus — many people may get it without ever knowing. a number of different companies and research institutes are working

on this antibody test as our medical correspondent fergus walsh explains. this is what a home antibody test looks like. this one is for hiv and can be bought online. it's this kind of highly accurate fingerprick blood test which is needed for coronavirus. an antibody test would tell you if you've previously been infected with coronavirus and have built up some immunity which might protect you in future. the british company behind the hiv test says it hopes to have a similar one for coronavirus ready within weeks. i think it would make an incredible difference. the question everyone's asking themselves is, "have i had it? "i had a cold injanuary and i didn't feel well", so for us antibody detection is the key, really, to accelerating how we handle this. the government agrees. it's already bought 3.5 million antibody tests but these are still being evaluated to check they're accurate. we are currently working with nine

companies who have offered these tests a nd companies who have offered these tests and evaluating the effectiveness. these antibody tests, blood tests, offer the hope that people who think they have had the disease will know they are immune and can get back to life as much as possible as normal. but they've got to work. this is one of several covid—19 antibody tests already on the market. this one is designed for health professionals to use rather than in the home. you draw two drops of blood, put them in a sample tray, add a chemical and wait ten minutes. this is really rather surprising. i've not had any symptoms of coronavirus yet these two lines here suggest that i have previously had covid—19 and it suggests that i may now have some immunity from the disease, if this test is accurate. the company that makes the test is based in northern ireland. it says it's highly accurate

but it's not been endorsed by medical regulators. we have not been approached directly by the government or public health england or any of the other public health agencies of the four nations. if we were approached we'd be happy to submit our tests for validation. we think that's a good thing. an accurate antibody test would help us get back to this — britain at work. medical staff and other key workers could be checked to see if they have had coronavirus and may now have some immunity. it cannot come soon enough. fergus walsh, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym joins us now. 100,000 tests by the end of april is the new goal. first of all, what are these tests and is it really realistic? it does seem an extraordinary new target. the target was 25,000 by the end of april, and that seemed quite a long way out of

reach, given that we are still only on about 10,000 tests a day. it does include the antibody tests we have heard about their in fergus cross piece, as well as the test for the the swab tests, previous targets didn't include the antibody tests. rash fergus's piece. i think matt hancock thinks now having got a grip on it with his officials and put the appeal to industry and academic laboratories, that a lot more research capability and testing can be brought on stream, including the francis crick institute which can move pretty quickly to doing 2000 a day compared with commercial also taking the strain that may well be something that can get us nearer that target. but he's put his colours up the mast. we will see whether we get anywhere near it. the antibody tests, there is still quite antibody tests, there is still quite a lot of uncertainty about it, as we we re a lot of uncertainty about it, as we were hearing, and when it comes to these drive—through tests for nhs staff as we saw in the pictures earlier, it seemed pretty quiet this afternoon, not exactly hundreds of people going through there. there

may be bureaucratic glitches associated with that. thank you. more than 550 people have died in the past 2a hours. most of them had underlying health conditions. the people who died were aged between 22 and 100. but among them, 44 people had no other health problems — including a 25—year—old. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson has been talking to the family of one of the victims of this virus. rabbi neil kraft, one of a growing number of people in the uk who have lost their life to covid—19, described by those who loved him as warm with a wicked sense of humour. his was a traditionaljewish burial, given a helping hand using the latest technology. extraordinarily there are over 600 people joining latest technology. extraordinarily there are over 600 peoplejoining us together now and that is 600 computers and laptops and phones

which may mean more than 1000 people. a fellow runabout was the only mourner at the ceremony. social distancing rules meant friends and even his closest family were not able to be at the graveside or even at his bedside in hospital as he lay dying. his wife of 28 years is still taking it all in. honestly, one of the many surreal moments was the realisation that we couldn't go and see him we couldn't leave the house. we are in self—isolation until next week, so we are not the only ones, it's tough for many people, this is our story. the best estimates suggest the risks of dying of covid—19 is below 1% for those aged under 60. that rises the over 80s but a 13—year—old boy is thought to be the youngest person who has died from the virus. these are some of

the faces of almost 3000 people known to have died from covid—19 in the uk. today came news of the death of comedian eddie large. his family said he had heart failure and became infected with the virus in hospital. his comedy partner of 60 years, syd little, said he was devastated. the world health organisation is deciding whether to update its guidance about face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. new research has suggested that coughs and sneezes may be projected much further than previously thought. 0ur science editor david shukman has more details. the shocking power of a sneeze. but do we know for certain how far it might project coronavirus? that's the question now being assessed and it could change how we respond to the pandemic. according to the world health organization, the infection can be spread to anyone up to eight metre away.

—— one metre away. the advice of the british government and many others is that two metres can be considered a safe distance, but research in the united states shows that coughing can project small droplets up to six metres and that sneezing can go even further, up to eight metres. now, there is no definitive proof that coronavirus can be spread that far, but there are scientists who believe that possibility must be considered. special cameras in the united states captured a sneeze. some droplets stay close but tiny ones go further than previously thought and the scientists involved say wearing masks could reduce the risk of infection. it is important to account, however, for the fact that these masks are not sealed, not high—grade masks, you're not protected from the inhalation of those invisible small particulates, so it's important to not be overconfident when wearing them as a way to protect oneself against inhalation of those

droplets, it's more about protecting others from our own exhalations. everyone who has to leave their house has to wear a face mask. promotional video in the czech republic, and more and more countries including the us are considering similar rules. in austria, supermarkets are insisting that they are worn but for the experts assessing whether masks really help, there are concerns about how they might be used. it might be that wearing a mask is equally as effective or more effective than distancing, provided that mask is worn properly and provided that people don't infect themselves when they are taking the mask off and touch another surface which may be contaminated. for health workers, getting this right is critical. the message from the new research is that the virus can reach further than you might think, making it harder to stay safe. david shukman, bbc news.

in the united states there's been more evidence of the massive impact the virus is having on the country's economy. last week 6.5 million people applied for unemployment benefit — that's the highest number the country has ever seen. the latest death toll in america is now more than 5000. from the capital washington dc, jon sopel reports. it's a perfect spring day in washington and this is one of the cities busiest shopping streets, except it's not. the stores are closed, the streets empty, nobody is buying and this is what that looks like in graph form. years of unemployment going up a couple of hundred thousand here and there but 10 millionjobs have gone in the last two weeks. these workers in california are among the many who have suddenly found themselves out ofajob, have suddenly found themselves out of a job, victims of coronavirus. we

still have to pay rent and bills, that's a lot of stuff that we still have to pay and with no job, what will we do? the us is closed for business, the old saying goes that when america sneezes the rest of the world catches cold, maybe not the right phrase to use during a pandemic but this will hit the global economy. but the president is confident the rebound will be swift. nobody is ever seen anything like this. the entire world has shot down. you go from having the most powerful economy in the world to everything being shut down. it's very sad but we will get it going and be stronger than ever. that is tomorrow's battle. the fight against covid—19 is the immediate concern and from new york the government says they will run out of ventilators soon. right now we have a right would suggest we have about

six days in the stockpile that we have extraordinary measures in place that can make a difference if we run into a real ventilator shortage. america is adjusting to a new reality, queueing forfood, unemployment soaring, the most powerful country in the world somewhat powerless in the face of this invisible enemy. john sobel, bbc news, washington. 950 people have died in a single day in spain — that's the highest daily number anywhere in the world. it's the sixth day in the row that the daily death toll had risen above 800. more than 10,000 people have died in spain. in france just over 4,000 people have lost their lives. italy still has the highest death toll with nearly 111,000 people dying since the outbreak began. 0ur europe correspondent mark lowen is in rome.

with europe at the epicentre of the pandemic, the daily death tolls are staggering but on the infection rate spain and italy say the peak is now being reached, the curve is stabilising yet the pressure on hospitals is still immense as we have seen in every country that has fallen to this virus, italy, frame —— spain, france, britain, the us. today we got access inside a spanish hospital, deluged but not defeated. hoping for a sign of life. when the disease hits, it decimates. fighting it demands precision and speed to cope with these numbers. this is one of spain's biggest hospitals, in catalonia. but it could be anywhere else that the virus has struck, because this is its hallmark, to plunder a country, overwhelming its hospitals.

the doctor shows just one of the patients here needing assisted ventilation. there are 200 in this intensive care unit. catalonia, spain's wealthiest region, is at its limit. look how vulnerable we are when it hits, a complex living soul stripped bare, lying face down to help clear the lungs, a basic technique to battle a stronger killer. spain as elsewhere is short of supplies for its medics who make up around 15% of all cases. they tried to prepare for the front line but nurses likejoanna say it is taking its toll. emotionally you are also worried because you are worried about yourself, your safety, you worry about your patient, your own families, lots of people have relatives or friends who are at home unwell. it is quite stressful. after a record daily rise in deaths, spain says it is now flattening the curve

and the infection rate is reducing but it will not be quick. nor will it in france where deaths there have jumped to more than 4000, a specialist plane was configured to transfer the sickest to germany for treatment. european states using every tool at their disposal. germany, with far fewer deaths of its own, also took in patients from italy, critically ill loaded into air ambulances. a virus that knows no borders is taking a worldwide effort to confront it. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. the catering industry — like so many others — has been hard by this crisis as venues across the country have been forced to close and events have been cancelled. but some hospitality companies, more used to providing food for art galleries, weddings and big business, are now attempting to use their workforce and their skills to help those in need. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt reports.

at this yorkshire kitchen, the chefs are turning their attention from catering for corporate events and the nearby hepworth gallery, to providing meals forfront line nhs staff and have vulnerable homeless people, doing what they do best to keep people going. it's not about making profit, it's just purely about keeping the guys in work and feeding those most in need at this moment in time. we are used to doing high end gourmet food. we do private dining in multimillionaires' homes and now we are doing ready meals frozen ready to microwave. it is a complete contrast. and nearly 200 miles south, this london catering company is using the skills of its chefs, many with michelin—starred backgrounds, to provide meals for people stuck at home and desperately in need. jimmy, who runs the firm, is also more used to high end dinners but the shutdown meant everything.

when i first found out on the monday it was almost like a grieving, so that kind of like panic, shock, can't believe it, and it quickly turned into action. so, what can we do, to try and help, really? donations are allowing both kitchens to get food out to those in difficult circumstances. the meals they are making here will go to a range of people who are vulnerable and having to isolate themselves at home. whether that's because they're elderly, disabled or have a cancer diagnosis. and the need for these meals is huge. in london, jimmy's food is being distributed by age uk volunteers along with store cupboard essentials. locally, they've had more than 350 requests for food in ten days. one of the biggest things that clients say to us is that we're taking away that bit of stress and anxiety out of their lives because they know that a regular meal, regularfood is coming their way. at the end of the food line are people like 76—year—old agatha who is self—isolating after an operation. i don't know how to praise them enough. it clearly makes a difference to you knowing that people

are thinking about you? oh, yes, especially when you are alone. especially when you are alone. each meal, one of many signs of people using different skills to ease pressures where they can. alison holt, bbc news. this time last week thousands of people came out onto their doorsteps or opened their windows to applaud nhs workers and carers across the country. tonight it is happening again — and this time the organisers want to extend it to other key workers like teachers and supermarket staff. david sillito reports. it really was a moment. street after street after street. tower blocks and terraces, windows and doors, a round of applause for the nation's carers. and tonight, we are being encouraged to clap again. let's show them our support by again clapping for carers at 8pm tonight. thank you ever so much,

all the nhs and key workers, you do an amazing job. it is not easy putting your life on front line day in and day out for us every day and for this we are ever grateful and thank you so much. it is both a means of giving thanks and to remind us of the whole web of care. this retirement home for instance. are you all fit, well and healthy in there at the moment? working hard? lovely to see because this is about care workers, health workers and key workers and everyone who is helping to keep the show on the road. among those key workers are people like george and mohammed here. whether it is working in the shop or delivery men or postman, or bean collector, they go out every day so we can safely stay indoors and that is all that is asked of us so we want to say thank you tonight.