this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk government defends itself against criticism over a lack of coronovirus tests for nhs workers — saying it aims to carry out 100,000 tests by the end of the month. 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 be patients for whom the result of the test will 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. in the united states, a record number of people have filed for unemployment benefits — 6.6 million this week alone.

spain's intensive care units pushed to the brink — almost a thousand people have died in the past 2a hours and clapping for our carers — another national round of applause in the uk tonight — and this time key workers like teachers and supermarket staff will be included too. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first... the uk's health secretary matt hancock has been setting out how the government hopes to achieve ‘a significant increase‘ in coronavirus testing, after criticism about the small percentage of health workers screened in england so far. in his first public appearance since recovering from covidi9, the uk's health secretary said

he was now setting a goal of conducting 100—thousand tests a day by the end of the month. in the united states there has been a record rise in the number of new claims for unemployment benefits as the economic impact of the pandemic deepens there. in the past week, there have six—point—six million applications on top of 3.3 million last week. no respte in spain — they have just recorded 950 coronavirus deaths in a single day — that the highest figure in a single day anywhere in the world so far. it has killed more than 10,000 people in the country. tonight here in the uk people are being encouraged tojoin another nationwide round of applause to show support for health workers, care workers, pharmacists and other key workers. our first report this evening — on the situation in the uk — comes from laura kuennssberg. 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. i 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 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 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? 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 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. let's put some of that to laura trott. laura trott is a british member of parliament for boris johnson's conservative party — and a member of parliament's health and social care committee. no firm date for mr hancock on when

nhs staff who need those tests will get them and we do understand his priorities. patients come first but we will need those doctors and nurses in the days ahead. absolutely. a clear plan for addressing testing but it is important to addressing testing but it is im porta nt to reflect addressing testing but it is important to reflect on what... the first and most important thing is to diagnose patients and i think the secretary of state... 0h diagnose patients and i think the secretary of state... oh dear, i think we lost her there. we will try to get a better connection but clearly questions for the testing strategy and we will see if we can get her back. 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 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 take two weeks off because his son had symptoms. it might not have been necessary if he had been tested. if 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 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. in the united states there's more evidence of the massive impact the virus is having on the country's economy. six and a half million people applied for unemployment

benefit last week alone, that's the highest number the country has ever seen. the latest death toll in america is now more than 5,000. from washington, our north america editorjon sopel reports. it's a perfect spring day in washington and this is one of the city's 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 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 nojob, 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 has ever seen anything like this. the entire world has shot down. you go from having the most powerful economy in the world and from other countries that are doing well 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 in new york the government says they will run out of ventilators soon. right now we have a burn rate that 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 for food,

unemployment soaring, the most powerful country in the world somewhat powerless in the face of this invisible enemy. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. katty kay is in washington. these figures are astonishing. how much worse does it get?|j these figures are astonishing. how much worse does it get? i guess there are two questions on everyone's mind, how long does the shut down last and how much worse if the economy for everyone already hurting. the president has come round to the view that you have to at this shut down to protect the us economy and people are starting to look at historical data and say there are incidences from the 1918 flu that when measures were taken, that helped the economy rebounded. that message got through to the president and extended the shut down until the end of april. washington

dc was put down into full shut down a few days ago and that will go for another month. all the scenes that he just showed us will continue, and presumably unemployment went from 3 million last week, two 6 million last week and you have to assume that as more businesses are shut down around the country the number is going to rise at least next week and potentially the week after because not every american state has been on shut down as long as others and as texas gets into lockdown you will have more people laid off from jobs there. it is a huge country and every state is doing things differently said the economy is being affected at different rates. these job numbers we are seeing, these losses we are saying i do not think any economist is suggesting this is the end of that. you plate and contacts the great depression 30 million over three years. and the

population of the united states has been pointed out to me as almost twice the size that it was then but even so these are staggering numbers, close to 10 million americans have filed for unemployment and the space of two weeks and there are already more than the entire 2008 financial crash and nobody thinks this is going to stop. and economist i spoke to a couple days ago suggested we are looking at a recession into next year as well. people thought this was going to be a temporary blip and we might have a market rebound as things open up but the damage to the structure of the american economy is already being done right now. that will take a long time and every small business, people who own shops and have cafes here and let your shops in my neighbourhood, they have already laid off their workers and those people are now going to be filing for unemployment benefits and

when things start to open up again how long will it be before americans feel confident about going back to restau ra nts a nd feel confident about going back to restaurants and shopping. people have lost their savings. at the moment the restrictions are lifted they will not rush out and spend large amounts of money because all the money they had invested in their pension funds and stock market is gone. and consumer spending was a big driver in the us economy. the president has changed his tune over the last three days and in the last hour he tweeted 30 days to slow the spread but how many governors around the country are now signed up to this? the last time ten or 12 were digging in and out closing down. this? the last time ten or 12 were digging in and out closing downm is interesting that the medical people who have been in the white house have been saying very firmly to states like florida, a big state that was a lag and they came on board and that we will have a shut

down and texas is still behind and having a shut down. the message from the white house medical barrow is you have to do this now. to protect the economy and the country and lives in you have to get on board with this that you are right some governors are more resistant than others and the president called the governor of florida and spoke to him and it was after that that we got the shut down in florida. those calls are going out from the white house as we speak, it does not help when the president sends out tweets like you get a couple of hours ago criticising some governments over others. and saying they have an insatiable appetite for some of the equipment they need and there is a sense on the governors that they have to be on the same page and that has to be driven as well by the federal level and a corporation for the white house and not criticism necessarily from the president. good to see you and thank you very much for that update. we will go back to

laura trott. laura trott is a british member of parliament. she is balancing precariously on a wall in her garden so we will go to you. patients must come first but we will need the doctors and nurses in the weeks ahead so shed some of them be prioritised? we are actually going to meet our nhs workforce that it is critical as you say to make the point that every patient that needs a test so far has had one and we will make sure that continues to happen in the future. of christ there is more that needs to be done on the nhs and i think what the health secretary that out today is a good plan to make sure we will do that and by the end of april have 100,000 tests a day which will be a remarkable achievement on behalf of the nhs. we have a realtarget which is 100,000 by the end of april but

also the antibody test that shows if you had it and for me that seems to be crucial because that is what is going to open up the economy. absolutely whether we know whether we had coronavirus and are safe to go out and meet people and meet our pa rents go out and meet people and meet our parents and grandparents that will bea game parents and grandparents that will be a game changer is. it is a question of making sure the test works and can be rolled out at scale. units that health secretary's plan is to do antibody testing which isa plan is to do antibody testing which is a special task set up by one of our lives but that can be very small scale at the moment and crucial is that it can be scaled up and working with a number of companies to do that. interesting detail that we have not had from government in the last days, and not is important detail, no point putting a test at that does not work. a very important detail and with saying that the government will only pay for these tests if they do work which i do not

think it is a big thing that has not been communicated either. one thing doing the rounds is that we would getan immunity doing the rounds is that we would get an immunity certificate, if you had covid—19 and can prevent through the antibody test he would get a certificate. i can see why that is advantageous for the reasons we just discussed but it raises some real issues, doesn't it? we could end up with a two—tier society?” issues, doesn't it? we could end up with a two-tier society? i think there is a lot of thought going on at the moment and at the moment we are still in the very early stages andi are still in the very early stages and i think everyone sitting at home, please carry on doing what you are doing and saying him and protect the nhs and save lives. coming out of it they will be interesting questions on how we did that and i think the antibody test will be a crucial part of it that you are right it raises ethical questions which will need to be carefully worked through. the government had some real caking in the last 2a or 48 hours. some real caking in the last 24 or 48 hours. he did he get feeling as a

conservative member of parliament the sort of people that are on top of the detail? obviously it has been a worry for all of us that the prime minister and health secretary have beeniu minister and health secretary have been ill and i am glad the health secretary is back at work and the prime minister is recovering but i know they have both been enclosed throughout their time so i think it is great we had a plan and i think it is crucial to emphasise that best that every patient so far that has needed a test has had one. it is a tremendous achievement on behalf of the nhs. we are very grateful for your persevering and the spot where your persevering and the spot where you are is where you have to do all the lies from now on. thank you. 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. in france, just over 4000 people have lost their lives in total. italy still has the highest death toll with nearly 14,000 people dying since the outbreak began.

0ur europe correspondent mark lowen reports. 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. let's get some of the day's other developments... the president of the philippines, rodrigo duterte, has warned people they could be shot dead if they cause trouble over restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus. amnesty international has said unchecked force should never be used to fight an emergency. as lockdown measures continue in egypt — thousands of people there have taken to twitter to call for palaces belonging to the country's president to be turned into quarantine centres. it follows social media outrage after expats locked down at a five star hotel near cairo airport were told they would have to foot the bill themselves. president sisi reversed the decision on wednesday. australia has ordered foreign cruise liners to leave its ports, so that they don't flood local hospitals with coronavirus patients.

thousands of international crew members are aboard several cruise liners that have either docked in australia or are waiting offshore. british airways is to lay off temporarily around 28—thousand staff. the airline, which grounded much of its fleet due to the coronavirus crisis, has been in talks with unions after halting most flights because of covid—19 travel restrictions. other airlines have taken similar action. let's bring you some more upbeat news now. after months of severe droughts — one of the world's great natural wonders the victoria falls has roared back to life. the flow of water for the southern african waterfall is now well above the seasonal average following heavy rainfall further up the zambezi river. but few people will get to enjoy the spectacle because zambia and zimbabwe — the borders the falls sit on — have closed viewing areas as part

of a coronavirus lockdown. more to come, stay with us. good evening. well, in the short—term, it's going remain on the chilly side. in fact, particularly nippy in the north of the country, widespread frost on the way. but a different story come the weekend. saturday, it'll start to warm up a little bit, and then come sunday, temperatures in the south of the country and warmth of the late breezes could get up to about 20 degrees. this is what the satellite picture looks like at the moment. you can see the motion of the cloud. that's cold air seeping in from the arctic regions, reaching scotland. that means it's already a chilly evening across the north. temperatures before midnight just a few degrees above freezing, whereas in the south, stilljust about into double figures, for example in the capital. but the skies continue to clear through the night, however, occasionally there will be some

wintry showers there across parts of highland, but across the west and the south, it will be cloudy through the night. so not quite so chilly here, and in fact early on friday morning in birmingham, around four degrees, six in london and around freezing or below in the lowlands of scotland. that is in glasgow and edinburgh. so, it starts off cold, sunny, frosty in the north and east, but then the clouds tend to build up through the morning into the afternoon and there will be a few showers around as well, mostly passing and brief. so, for most of us, a cloudy and cool sort of day with temperatures hovering around ten degrees. friday night into saturday, we start to see some big changes in the air with high—pressure building and also the winds blowing in from the south, so that is a warmer direction. and already plenty of sunshine on the cards, and i think in the very far north, the possibility of thicker cloud and rain, but take a look at the temperatures across many parts of england, the mid—teens as far north as yorkshire.

and then saturday night into sunday, we really start to see that plume of very warm air from the south. so, by sunday, it is a case of sunny skies, and unfortunately most of us will not be able to make the most of the good weather, we are just out in the garden if we are lucky or looking through the window. fine weather there. look at that, 20 in london and 17 expected in newcastle, but always a chance of some showers with thicker cloud there across western areas. and also worth mentioning that the pollen levels will be moderate to high come sunday. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk government defends itself against criticism over a lack of coronavirus tests for nhs workers, saying it aims to carry out 100,000 tests by the end of the month. in the united states, a record number of people have filed for unemployment benefits, 6.6 million this week alone. spain's intensive care units pushed to the brink. almost 1000 people have died in the past 24 hours. and clapping for our carers — another national round of applause in the uk tonight. and this time, key workers like teachers and supermarket staff will be included, too.

hello, and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first... england's health secretary matt hancock has been setting out how the government hopes to achieve "a significant increase" in coronavirus testing after strong criticism about the small percentage of nhs workers being screened. in his first public appearance since recovering from covid—19, mr hancock said he was now setting a goal of conducting 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. at today's downing street briefing, mr hancock was asked by our political editor laura kuenssberg what date will nhs staff be tested by? the new goal of 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month is over all five pillars. now, if one of the large—scale antibody tests that we are working

on and testing comes good, then of course that will be great news. but we will not, as i said in my remarks, we will not be allowing one of those to proceed until we are confident that it is a good test. because no test is better than a bad test. so, the 100,000 a day is across all five pillars, and i'm calling on the life sciences industry, the universities and of course the public agencies that report to me, the nhs and public health england, to unite together to meet that goal. you ask about testing of nhs staff, this is incredibly important as i said, and i'm delighted we have now managed to test 5000 nhs, and i'm also delighted that the absence figures,

the number of people who aren't at work in the nhs due to coronavirus, is lower than had been previously reported. and i will over the coming weeks seek to ensure that every nhs front line staff member who needs a test gets one, and crucially theirfamilies. because sometimes, some nhs staff have to stay at home because they're following the rules on household isolation if one of their family gets the test. let's talk to nhs doctor emeka 0korocha. it is very good to speak to you. thank you for being with us when i know you are so busy. no apologies there from the health of a terry for putting patients first. i love nhs workers who were stuck at home awaiting a test. what you make of that? that is very interesting

because we are not really looking for apologies but are looking for change and ample mentation in terms of what is happening with our system. —— implementation. like we do put our patients first as well. we are in agreement in that sense we are happy with what they have agreed to do. we as health workers are in a situation where we are thinking about ourselves and our families as well as our patients and we understand that with testing and resources, these things are scarce. obviously they are making a lot more and this is something we have taken on board. however with the got the bigger picture, it is more not about looking for apologies and who said this or what but more what will be done for our patients will be done for us and is this going to happen and when? taught me about your ppe then. scarce is it? iceland before

there are two types ppe. we have standard ppe where we have gloves and aprons and surgical face mask and aprons and surgical face mask and then we have the kind with full gloves and a gallon and a respirator mask and adviser. these ppe tsar worn in different scenarios. but all your risk of getting the coronavirus. we are in a situation where the standard ppe has been accessible for almost all of us who have been working on coronavirus and seeing coronavirus patients. but the enhanced has been used if you are... you are saying there is a shortage of the equipment that you need to wear when you are most at risk? what wear when you are most at risk? what we are saying is that when we are most at risk and that we need the enhanced. there are some cases where we have not had the agreement available so we have had to adapt to the patient and with the patient

goes so the patient and with the patient goes so we the patient and with the patient goes so we have certain wars or we have to move patients around because of the lack of ppe. so we are making adjustments was so what we can see in what we can get our hands on. matt hancox says they shipped 45 million pieces of ppe to the nhs yesterday including 6 million surgical masks. you sent that things are better yesterday? we sense they we re are better yesterday? we sense they were better for what they sent us. we we re were better for what they sent us. we were hoping to receive within two course but the moment i have been waiting today to see patients who have tested positive for coronavirus and people who have not tested positive. i have been insuring my safety in my patients safety and my colleagues safety throughout. we are hoping to see the implementation of the new ppe but until then it is really ha rd the new ppe but until then it is really hard to speak on that. anecdotally on my drive into work today, often to passable people who we re today, often to passable people who were on the streets than in the parts mixing together. but would you say to them as a doctor was meant

what you were experiencing there in your hospital. from a doctor perspective, there are a number of factors that i think we don't actually see or know. speaking to patients and patients relatives about the prognosis of their family members ona about the prognosis of their family members on a daily basis and i can tell relatives who possibly may not make it within two or three days. this is between myself and my colleagues is heartbreaking. something that we discuss amongst ourselves that we hate to go through. so obviously i to british public to follow the rules in terms of social distancing and isolation appropriate. because what we have seen here in the nhs and what we have seen is something we could describe or explain. that is something the public won't really understand but i'm doing my best at the moment to stay indoors and please be safe. who do you go home to at night? unfortunately i go home

at night to myself. i am on my own. i'm driving at what morale must be light for those who go home, for you as well but also for those who go home to their families and some of them are flitting from their families. that's the thing. i've had my discussion with colleagues and many of them have been saying they are struggling. many people work in the nhs as we know and they do have young kids and older parents in the house. because we have not had the testing and in some cases have not had access to ppe we need, some people are going home with anxiety and possibly spreading coronavirus to their loved ones. i think that is a concern that most of my colleagues have actually had which is unfortunate. but obviously the silver lining if we have heard there isa silver lining if we have heard there is a lot more coming into dispute and we are keeping our fingers

crossed and waiting to get it. how many people are missing from your shift at the moment in terms of people who are waiting for that task equipment and also maybe can tell us whether people who have been working on the wards, have any of have gotten infected. that is a very good question. i have been switching wards almost on a daily basis. art rota coordinator is working very ha rd rota coordinator is working very hard to keep us well staffed. we have had many of my colleagues go off to self—isolate it with symptoms off to self—isolate it with symptoms of coronavirus. the unfortunate thing we have seen is in the middle of this there are people having not been tested so unfortunately they don't know whether or not they have had coronavirus or being adhering to the rules of staying at home and isolating for their families before they come back in. so we cannot even speak of the numbers of patients and workers we have had who have actually contracted coronavirus and gone home and come back. we are just

making do with what we can and making do with what we can and making sure everything is safe for us making sure everything is safe for us in our patients. you are doing a sterling job. we are very grateful for the work you were doing. we will be applauding you at 8pm but i guess you will not be seen that because you will not be seen that because you will not be seen that because you will be on the ward. thank you very much. thank you. the world health organization 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. our 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 a 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's no definitive proof that coronavirus can be spread that far, but there are scientists who believe that 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 the high—grade masks, are not protective 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. a 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're 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're 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.

as we've been discussing, governments around the world are making crucial decisions on how to manage the virus pandemic. but some countries are coping better than others. germany has recorded fewer than 1000 deaths despite confirming over 80,000 coronavirus infections. to learn more, i'm joined now by professor tobias welte from hanover university hospital. he also heads the covid—19 task force for the whole of lower saxony. it is great to have you on the programme. why do you get it right and other european countries have gotten it so wrong? welcome and greetings to the uk. so i think we have three major reasons why germany does better than other countries in europe. first, we were prepared when the corona pandemic started in germany. countries like italy and spain did not diagnose corona for a long time in the beginning. and when the majority of ill patients came to

the majority of ill patients came to the hospital they were overrun. germany, having italy in mind, started the prevention programme much earlier than other european countries and so we trained our staff, we ordered enough protective material for example glasses and masks, and we were able to increase the number of hospital beds and intensive care beds which are dedicated to corona patients. the second reason is the number of hospital beds and intensive care bedsis hospital beds and intensive care beds is much higher in germany than in italy and and spain. so we have more than three times more intensive ca re more than three times more intensive care beds in comparison to these

countries and much more intensive ca re countries and much more intensive care beds in the uk. and this better resource makes it easier to cope with the corona crisis. is that because you pay more for health? yes, it did not drop down our health ca re system yes, it did not drop down our health care system during the last ten yea rs care system during the last ten years as it has been done in italy or spain. so in italy, for example, 40% of the intensive care beds have been cancelled during the last five yea rs. been cancelled during the last five years. and always even in normal times, they sail close to the limit and this is not the case in germany. i want to get to the structure because it is a more federal system in germany. here in the uk, testing la bs in germany. here in the uk, testing labs have had to refer to public health england. you are there in

lower saxony heading up the covid—19 task force in your region. does that give you a lot of leeway and power to order the sort of things you think are necessary? that is a very interesting question. to be honest, before the corona crisis, i thought centrally driven systems are better to cope with such a kind of pandemic. but we recognise now is if you have a federal system, which is organised more regionally, it is much easier to organise the local hospitals and the local situation than ina hospitals and the local situation than in a centralised system. so it is more a bottom up than a top—down approach. also that is key because decentralising bio tech labs, you

have one of the world's leading biotech companies committed they have branches all over germany? yes, they have and what we did in germany was with regard to testing, we established the testing systems primarily at the university excites so we have universities in all federal republics and the university sites were responsible for the whole testing programme, which make it faster and more effective in a shorter timeframe. some really important lessons they are perhaps for the uk important lessons they are perhaps forthe uk inquiry important lessons they are perhaps for the uk inquiry when it comes. professor, best of luck with all you are doing. thank you very much. thank you very much and keep safe. and to you. 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, about a month or so after you've been ill, whether or not you actually had coronavirus. 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? you know, i had a cold injanuary. i didn't feel very 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;re currently working with nine companies who've offered these tests and evaluating their effectiveness. these antibody tests, blood tests, offer the hope that people who think they've had the disease will know they're 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. now, 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. well, 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've 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 would be happy to submit our tests for validation. we think that's a great 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've it can't come soon enough. fergus walsh, bbc news. much has been made, wrongly, about how the virus supposedly only affects old people or those with underlying health conditions. not so. many of those who've died had been

perfectly healthy before the virus. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has been talking to the family of a 25—year—old victim who had no previous health conditions. rabbi neil kraft, one of a growing number of people in the uk who've lost their life to covid—19, described by those who loved him as really warm with a wicked sense of humour. his was a traditionaljewish burial, given a helping hand using the latest technology. quite extraordinarily, there are over 600 people joining us together now, and that's 600 computers and laptops and phones, which may mean there's more than 1000 people with us. a fellow rabbi 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're not the only ones, it's tough for many, many people, but 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 steeply for the over 805, 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 with covid—19 in the uk. today came news of the death of comedian eddie large. his family said he'd had heart

failure and became infected with the virus in hospital. syd little, his comedy partner of 60 years, said he was devastated. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. it's never been more important to separate fact from fiction. our reality check correspondent chris morris has been tackling three myths about coronavirus that are being shared online. we're all going to be in this for the long haul and separating fact from fiction is really important. so, here are some more myths you should be aware of. myth number one, lemon juice protects you from covid—19. there have been plenty of claims about things you should eat or drink to thwart coronavirus, and the lemonjuice myth just won't go away. it started with a viral social media post containing advice from a fake chinese scientist. to be clear — lemonjuice is obviously not bad for you. in fact, all fruit and vegetables

are essential while nearly all of us have to stay at home. they can help keep you healthy, but they don't stop you getting a virus like this. myth number two, mosquito bites can infect you with the virus. we all know you can get other diseases from mosquito bites, but there's no evidence at all that the little brutes can infect you with coronavirus. again, remember, this is a respiratory virus spread mainly when someone who is ill coughs or sneezes. the best way to protect yourself is to avoid close contact with anyone who is sick and keep washing your hands. myth number three, blood donations will get you a free test. some people are hoping they might get a free coronavirus test if they donate blood. that's absolutely not the case. but there's been a persistent false belief on social media that it might be. to be clear, you don't get tested

for covid—19 if you give blood. the last thing staff who run blood banks want is sick people coming in. nor, of course, can you get the virus from a blood donation. so, the best advice for now — try to stay healthy while scientists work towards medical breakthroughs. and keep checking our website for all the real facts. many around the world are only allowed outside for one short run a day at the moment, which isn't great for marathon runners — unless, of course, you do the whole 26.2 miles in your back garden. that's what james campbell from the uk did. the former commonwealth games javelin thrower said he'd never thought about running a marathon until he went into isolation. he completed it in just over five hours and also raised £20,000 for charity.

not sure how good that is for his long but there we are, congratulations to him. keep watching my plenty more to come. good evening. well, in the short—term, it's going remain on the chilly side. in fact, particularly nippy in the north of the country, widespread frost on the way. but a different story come the weekend. saturday, it'll start to warm up a little bit, and then come sunday, temperatures in the south of the country and warmth of the late breezes could get up to about 20 degrees. this is what the satellite picture looks like at the moment. you can see the motion of the cloud. that's cold air seeping in from the arctic regions, reaching scotland. that means it's already a chilly evening across the north. temperatures before midnight just a few degrees above freezing, whereas in the south, stilljust about into double figures, for example in the capital. but the skies continue to clear through the night, however, occasionally there will be some

wintry showers there across parts of highland, but across the west and the south, it will be cloudy through the night. so not quite so chilly here, and in fact early on friday morning in birmingham, around four degrees, six in london and around freezing or below in the lowlands of scotland. that is in glasgow and edinburgh. so, it starts off cold, sunny, frosty in the north and east, but then the clouds tend to build up through the morning into the afternoon and there will be a few showers around as well, mostly passing and brief. so, for most of us, a cloudy and cool sort of day with temperatures hovering around ten degrees. friday night into saturday, we start to see some big changes in the air with high—pressure building and also the winds blowing in from the south, so that is a warmer direction. and already plenty of sunshine on the cards, and i think in the very far north, the possibility of thicker cloud and rain, but take a look at the temperatures across many parts of england, the mid—teens as far north as yorkshire. and then saturday night into sunday,

we really start to see that plume of very warm air from the south. so, by sunday, it is a case of sunny skies, and unfortunately most of us will not be able to make the most of the good weather, we are just out in the garden if we are lucky or looking through the window. fine weather there. look at that, 20 in london and 17 expected in newcastle, but always a chance of some showers with thicker cloud there across western areas. and also worth mentioning that the pollen levels will be moderate to high come sunday. bye— bye.

good evening. it is eight o'clock and this is for britain's nhs workers, carers and everyone helping to fight this coronavirus pandemic and keep the country going. take a look and let's listen to the enormous gratitude being shown right now all over the uk. applause. iam in applause. i am in belfast with the firefighters of red watch and central station here, out to show

their support