tonight at ten, the prime minister is spending a second night in intensive care, as he's treated for coronavirus. mrjohnson, last seen a few days ago, is said to be in "good spirits", and the queen has sent her best wishes for a speedy recovery. he is being treated at saint thomas ince hospital where he is reported to be an oxygen and the minister deputising for mrjohnson has offered his support. all of our thoughts and prayers are with the prime minister at this time, with carrie and his whole family. and i'm confident he'll pull through, because if there's one thing i know about this prime minister, he's a fighter. with boris johnson in with borisjohnson in hospital, the number of cases continues to rise. the government's chief scientist suggests that the rate of infections could be moving in the right

direction. and we'll report on the government's admission that the uk can learn lessons from germany on testing and finding a way out of the crisis. also tonight. inside one of the uk's busiest hospitals. our special report on the kind of treatment patients are getting for covid—19. i have felt there were times when my body has been willing to just give up completely and i'm not... i'm a very young and fit individual. and how restrictions are now being lifted in wuhan, the chinese city where the pandemic started. and in sport, english football could lose clubs and leagues, warns fa chairman greg clarke, because of the economic challenges posed by coronavirus.

good evening. the prime minister is spending a second night in intensive care being treated for coronavirus, but downing street said today he was in "good spirits" having been admitted to hospital on sunday evening. dominic raab, the foreign secretary, who's deputising for the prime minister, said mrjohnson is in a stable condition. he's being given oxygen, but he's not on a ventilator. the queen has sent a message of support to mrjohnson‘s family, including his partner, carrie symonds, who's expecting their child. the latest official figures on the spread of coronavirus show that 786 have died in hospital. that's the highest reported so far for a 24—hour period, but experts say the growth in numbers is actually lower than the predicted long—term trend. it brings the total number of deaths in uk hospitals to more than 6,000.

the government admitted today that the uk could learn lessons from germany on testing and on finding a way out of the crisis. let's join our political editor laura kuenssberg at westminster. when we talked this time last night, there was a real sense of shock here in westminster and i'm sure around the country, too. it was only a couple of hours since we had learned that the prime minister had been moved to intensive care, struggling with the symptoms of coronavirus. now, he is still in intensive care tonight but i think it is important tonight but i think it is important to note and to say that his symptoms have not been getting worse. it seems he has not been deteriorating while in hospital. the government, that said, is insisting business is going on as much as usual as possibly can be. the government machine is still ticking away. but still, there are questions about how exactly they are managing with a leader absent at what is still a time of profound political and

practical pressure. nothing stops the spring. but the country is on pause. not knowing how deep this crisis will really cut, if the prime minister himself will recover. after a night for boris johnson in intensive care, the foreign secretary in his place at the lectern. he remained stable overnight. he is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance. he has not required any mechanical ventilation or noninvasive respiratory support. he is notjust the prime minister, for all of us in cabinet, he is notjust our boss. he is also a colleague and he is also ourfriend. so all of our thoughts and prayers are with the prime minister at this time, with carrie and with his whole family. and i am confident he will pull through because if there is one thing i know about this prime minister, he is a fighter. politicians in other parts of the globe have been laid low, but borisjohnson is the only world leader needing this kind of emergency care. stable for now, but in

a fast—moving situation. the last public glimpse of the prime minister was on friday. 0bviously ill, speaking from his flat. admitted to hospital on sunday, then into intensive care last night. behind whitehall‘s closed doors and empty spaces, the government's machine still whirs. specific cabinet committees are grappling with different challenges from the crisis, the civil service continues whatever happens, but many dilemmas are ahead. with the prime minister absent at this vital time, if there is a genuine disagreement in the cabinet, who actually makes the decision? decision—making by government is made by collective cabinet responsibility, so that is the same as before, but we have got very clear directions and instructions from the prime minister and we are focused with total unity and total resolve on implementing them. of course, any prime minister is actually the ultimate decision—maker.

good morning, great to see you here. the chancellor, rishi sunak, on the left of mrjohnson, would take the foreign secretary's place if he fell ill. michael gove, on the right of dominic raab, the latest, along with many downing street staff, stuck in isolation at home, but a rare appearance from the former boss of this table sought to reassure. the infrastructure is there day by day, it is the infrastructure of the civil service and the cabinet and ministers and of course junior ministers. and there is always somebody who, if the prime minister is not available, is able to step into that place and lead that cabinet government. normal politics on hold. our thoughts are with the prime minister, his fiancee and his family. the labour party will act in the national interest, and that is why i have offered to act constructively with the government and support them where that is the right thing to do, and push them further where we need to do it. i want to send every good wish to him, to his fiancee

and to his whole family. we are all willing you on, boris, get well soon. a stressful and strange moment of history. an impromptu poster taped to mrjohnson‘s own hero. get well messages from the ward and from windsor, the queen sending her own message of support to the prime minister's family and his fiancee, expecting her first child. boris johnson, prime minister, politician, a partner and a father, too. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. patients suffering the worst effects of coronavirus often need admission to intensive care, as the disease attacks the lungs, and a ventilator is needed to take over the patient‘s breathing. downing street said today that the prime minister was being given oxygen, but had not been placed on a ventilator. 0ur health editor hugh pym looks at what kind of treatment a patient can expect in intensive care. they're the sickest patients.

intensive care units in hospitals have sophisticated monitoring equipment and highly trained staff who are constantly checking those in their care. patients will normally require an oxygen supply, sometimes with devices like this known as cpap — continuous positive airway pressure. there could be patients there who are simply on oxygen. beyond that, we sometimes apply a tight—fitting pressure mask, which if you are wearing it feels a little bit like putting your head out of a moving car window. there is additional pressure to help keep your lungs inflated and help with their work in breathing. if their condition worsens, some patients will be put on a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe. this involves a tube inserted into the airway and the patient will be sedated. ria was in hospital for an operation and then was diagnosed with covid—i9. she describes what it was like to be an intensive care patient. there was a point where i wasn't sure if i would come out of the hospital.

that was the truth. sorry. it was very hard, because i didn't even have the breath to ask the questions. the nurses, the doctors were by my side. they thought of everything i needed before even i could think of it. i owe them my life. my situation started to worsen again. faiz from bradford was another coronavirus patient who was moved to an intensive care unit and stayed there for five days. the first thing was, all the wires coming out of me. that was so scary. and having this mask go on to me for about 12 hours, i think it was. that was really scary. and it was also really weird, each time i'd call for a nurse or a nurse would want to come into the room, they have to put all this protective gear on. sometimes it takes 15 or 20 minutes to put on. but they were fantastic. the latest survey showed the average age was 60 for covid

patients in intensive care. 73% are men and 27% are women. those with a bmi over 25 — defined as overweight or obese — made up 73% of the patients. and those who had to be put on a ventilator within the first 2a hours accounted for 63%. coronavirus patients who are still very unwell after two weeks are most likely to need intensive care and that'll require at least a week in hospital. dr ron daniels, who heads the sepsis trust, is a critical care consultant. he says it can take a long time to make a full recovery. for those who have been critically unwell enough to need to be on a ventilator, particularly if it's for more than a few days, which is the majority of patients, we shouldn't expect to see them return to their full level of function for several months after the illness. this is really going to hit people hard. it all depends. patient experiences in intensive care vary a lot but they are all there because they are seriously ill. hugh pym, bbc news.

so, for a second night, the prime minister is in intensive care. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is at st thomas' hospital. what is the latest you are being told tonight? i think one very important word from the updates today and that is that the prime minister is stable. he is said to be in good spirits, too. that means he has needed oxygen treatment but crucially, is not needed a ventilator. that would be the next and obviously very significant step, and obviously very significant step, a very serious move indeed. i think thatis a very serious move indeed. i think that is offering some reassurance to collea g u es that is offering some reassurance to colleagues and friends but they are also very mindful that things can change very dramatically and very quickly. think back to yesterday, at 5pm, we were being told he was in his hospital bed, working on government papers but then two hours later, he was taken to the intensive ca re later, he was taken to the intensive care unit. today, his political opponents have been making the point

that during a national crisis, a country needs its leader but tonight, boris johnson is country needs its leader but tonight, borisjohnson is preparing for a third night in hospital, a second in intensive care, where we are told he is being kept for close monitoring and still no word on when he might be able to leave. thank you for joining he might be able to leave. thank you forjoining us. vicki young and st thomas' hospital. in the space of a few weeks the nhs has been forced to shift its entire focus to tackle the coronavirus crisis. we've heard from staff across the uk about the challenges they face, along with shortages of equipment and resources. last night, our medical correspondent fergus walsh and cameraman adam walker brought you the story of the doctors and nurses working in the intensive care unit at university college hospital in london, one of the uk's leading hospitals. tonight, fergus reports on the way the hospital has transformed its way of working. at first glance, it looks like a normal hospital, but coronavirus has changed everything.

ward after ward has been cleared for covid—i9 patients. i didn't take this seriously enough... imran isjust 37 and has breathing difficulties due to the virus. you don't know how bad it is until it actually hits you. and so, i would absolutely urge everybody to listen to the government guidance and stay away from people. he has a wife and two children — everything to fight for. i have felt times where my body has been willing to just give up completely. and i'm not... i'm a very young and fit individual. from the moment patients arrive at a&e, nurses and doctors face the risk of infection. i do worry about my staff because

they're being exposed to patients who have a dangerous disease. the man in charge at the hospital throughout this crisis leads from the front. i am a doctor myself. i work in a&e with coronavirus patients. i'm also anxious. but on the other hand, we are all professionals, we know how to protect ourselves and we know the risk, so we can deal with this. the biggest transformation has been in intensive and high—dependency care, where the number of beds has increased fivefold, with plans for even more. but will it be enough? can they cope with the surge? all those questions are really critically dependent on three things, really. it's people, kit and oxygen. we've got enough people. that's difficult because, inevitably, we've had staff go off. we have currently got enough oxygen. our current problem today is having enough itu—grade—type ventilators. if you're purple, you're a confirmed coronavirus case. if you're orange, you're suspected, which is...

the very sickest patients will need a ventilator to breathe for them. if you look at our itu, there are two non—corona patients — both of them, longer—stay, weaning off ventilator slowly. the rest has been taken over by corona. we've got another hospital that's doing urgent cancer, but this place is essentially becoming a huge corona centre, yeah. that's ok... everyone going into intensive care must wear full protective clothing. beds have been created in every available space. so, this is an anaesthetic room, attached to an operating theatre. and just look inside here. this operating theatre has now been repurposed for two intensive care beds. i mean, it's actually rather overwhelming, because itjust reinforces the level of threat, the level of preparations

that are going on here, and just what we are facing. it's the same layout in ten operating theatres, leaving just two for emergency surgery. you're feeling stronger, yeah? great. all hospital visits have been stopped. only in exceptional circumstances might a family member of a very sick patient be admitted. it's the personal case of what's happening to patients, erm, which isjust devastating sometimes. it's really hard because we can't let all the relatives in to see their loved ones, so while the patients may not be aware, the relatives are really feeling this. like all of us, the doctors and nurses wonder when life will return to normal. certainly, in my family, we've got a holiday booked in august. we've all kind of got that as a date. i don't know if that's a hope. like everyone in the country, you know? i mean, in some ways, i've got

a job, i'm getting an income, i know that i'm not suffering like a lot of people are. the whole country's suffering here. and the whole country knows it owes an immense debt to nhs front—line staff — putting themselves at risk from coronavirus day after day, to save lives. studio: fergus walsh joins us studio: fergus walshjoins us now. another stark illustration from you that there is immense pressure on staff in that hospitals and other hospitals too. on the day we have had latest official figures, hospitals too. on the day we have had latest officialfigures, what hospitals too. on the day we have had latest official figures, what do they tell us? 786 deaths from coronavirus, the highest daily death toll. each one of those represents a family grieving, so it's an awful toll. but those grim figures could actually have been much worse if the trend kept rising. it could have been far worse. 0n cases, we had

3634 been far worse. 0n cases, we had 363a confirmed coronavirus cases today. that's actually down and there are tentative signs that may be part of a trend. we will not know for a week or so but it's not accelerating upward. listening to quite a lot of the content and the official briefing in downing street earlier today, there was one very interesting admission, really, from one of those taking part about the comparison between the uk and germany. chief medical officer chris whitty said that the uk is trying to learn the lessons of germany, which is leading the way on testing. we are doing now around 14,000 tests per day, so better than we were. that's around 100,000 per week. germany can do 500,000 tests per week. it was right to prioritise hospital patients, but we have got to do front line nhs workers and then anyone with symptoms in the

community, because it is mass testing combined with social distancing to bring down the cases which will enable us to get on top of this epidemic and get britain back to work. fergus walsh, thank you, our medical correspondent. today, news broke that two more nhs doctors have died after contracting coronavirus. dr anton sebastianpillai, who was in his 70s, died on saturday. he was admitted to kingston hospital in south—west london four days earlier. it is believed dr sebastianpillai came out of retirement to help the nhs. heart surgeon jitendra rathod was the second doctor named. described as a "dearly loved" and "great" surgeon, he died in the early hours of monday. he was an associate specialist in cardio—thoracic surgery at the university hospital of wales in cardiff for 25 years. the first coronavirus patients have arrived at the new nhs nightingale hospital at the excel centre in east london. the temporary field hospital,

which was officially opened last week, can accommodate up to 4,000 patients. it is the first of several such facilities planned across the uk. medical leaders from across the uk have urged people with any urgent and serious health conditions to continue to seek help during the pandemic. in a statement the academy of medical royal colleges — which monitors patient care — said the nhs remains open and the public should not hold back from getting medical assistance if needed. while the london region has seen the highest number of deaths and confirmed cases in the uk, the midlands has seen a sharp rise in infections. the mayor of the west midlands has insisted the region's hospitals are prepared. the wider midlands region is "a particular area of concern" to the government, with a total ofjust under 1,200 deaths there so far, as our correspondent sian lloyd reports. at the moment...

distressing to watch, a 37—year—old nurse struggling for breath in intensive care. at 29 weeks pregnant, michelle wright does not know where she contracted the virus but feels compelled, she says, to send a message to those who are still not following advice aimed at halting its spread. please... please, please... listen to government advice... 0n social distancing. keep yourself... and yourfamilies... as safe as possible. a new facility to help cope with the sharp rise in cases in the midlands is being prepared. this nightingale hospital on the outskirts of birmingham will admit its first patients in five days' time. and testing is being increased. a new centre at the edgbaston cricket ground opened just yesterday. the wider midlands region has recently been described

as of particular concern by the government, and a spike in the number of deaths is being investigated. those involved in coordinating the response on the ground say they currently have enough capacity to cope but admit understanding more about the transmission of the virus would help. some of the work we are doing at the moment is understanding, you know, density of population. so, you know, we have a lot of families in the west midlands that are large family groups, that perhaps live in, you know, smaller properties, maybe a flat. so that may be a factor. wally hames is one of those who have died. his son is preparing for his funeral tomorrow. i couldn't tell him i loved him. i had to watch the doors shut on the ambulance and he went alone and i had to... i waved to him. and his nurses are doing an amazing job, and they are trying to be there, you know, medically and support as family in the dying moments for people

who can't be there with their loved ones, you know. this family values the support given by the health service, but the midlands is being described as the next coronavirus hotspot, and with that, a message from michelle wright. try and... stay in... and save lives. if you can't. .. ijust pray... that you stay safe. sian lloyd, bbc news, birmingham. the chinese city where covid—19 first emerged, wuhan, has allowed people to leave the area for the first time since it went into lockdown in late january. those with a "green" code on a widely—used smartphone health app, now have permission to leave the city, as restrictions within wuhan have been gradually easing. 0ur correspondentjohn sudworth joins us from beijing.

after its initial faltering steps, china eventually hit this virus hard, shutting its whole economy down. and while there is some doubt about the detail of the official figures, it is clear the government believes the trend is going on the right direction. the priority now is to cautiously get the economy going again, which is why today we have seen again, which is why today we have seen something that few people would have thought possible a couple of months ago, the reopening of the city where this whole thing began. after 76 days of lockdown, the trains were lined up and ready to go, the barriers taken down from the highways and wuhan re—opened its links to the outside world. it is a long way from this. the outbreak which began in the city had by late january spiraled out of control. so strict were the quarantine rules that only a select few were allowed to move around the city,

including delivery drivers, providing a vital lifeline. translation: the roads were empty, it made me feel sad. as people couldn't leave their homes, people would ask us for help with things like delivering medicine to their elderly parents. president xi's walkabout in wuhan last month was the first sure sign that the infection rate was now under control, but questions remain. social media footage of the long lines outside funeral homes led to claims that deaths were far higher than officially reported. and there is still deep anger directed at local officials for covering up the outbreak early on. this man lost his 76—year—old father to the virus. translation: it is because of the cover—up by a small group

of wuhan officials that led to my father's death. i need an apology and i want compensation. but for the authorities the focus is on getting the country moving again. the reopening of wuhan is a hugely symbolic moment in china's efforts to declare victory over this virus. while its handling of the outbreak may raise many questions, it offers some hope as well. these roads in bejing were deserted just a few weeks ago, look at them now. 0fficials admit new outbreaks could still occur but for now they are celebrating. wuhan‘s success was marked with a light show. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. let's take a brief look at some of the day's other news. the us state of new york is on the verge of overtaking italy for confirmed cases of covid—19. with almost 132,000 cases, it has 700 fewer than italy, but with only a third

of italy's population. the united states is now the epicentre of the pandemic. in france, coronavirus deaths have passed 10,000, one of the highest levels in the world. the authorities in paris have intensified the lockdown, banning outside exercise during the day. the new rules will come into force between 10am and 7pm from tomorrow. japan has declared a state of emergency in the capital tokyo and six other regions, in an attempt to tackle the spread of coronavirus. despite a relatively small number of infections, there are concerns a sudden rise in cases in tokyo in the past week could lead to a major outbreak. after heavy criticism in recent weeks of the slow response by banks in supporting businesses, the boss of britain's biggest lender has defended its response to the coronavirus outbreak. the head of natwest group — formerly known as rbs — says it has struggled to cope

with the huge call volumes from customers. the chief executive alison rose has been speaking exclusively to our business editor simonjack. it's an economic race against time. this bar and wine shop in stockport has been paying suppliers, staff, rent, and cash is running out fast, but 330 billion in government—backed loans from the banks has been slow coming. we're really struggling and just need some help with cash flow right now. it's been too late. anything that comes now is more than welcome, but we really, really, really need the help now. requests to his own bank, natwest, and others, have so far gone unanswered. i put his case to the boss of the uk's biggest lender to business, alison rose. one of your customers was promised a call the very next working day. that was two weeks ago. he's heard nothing. why is that? what's going wrong? 0ur call centres normally take 3000 calls a day. we are now receiving 25,000, which is why i'm redeploying staff,

retraining staff, and getting people to help, and the money is starting to move but i appreciate it's, you know, a very desperate situation for a lot of businesses. we've removed the requirement... last week the chancellor tried to make it easier to get access to loans, removing personal guarantees for smaller loans and letting firms go straight to the emergency ones rather than jump through normal hoops first. 11 years ago, banks were saved by billions of taxpayers' money. many feel this time the banks should take some losses on the chin themselves and accept they may not get back all of their money. i recognise the sort of challenge that you're putting down, which is why we restructured our business, we refocused on people. we are putting funds out as quickly as we physically can to these businesses to help them during this period. many uk businesses are unable or unwilling to borrow their way out of this crisis. more radical solutions are being discussed, including governments or banks taking an ownership stake in thousands of businesses.

a decade ago, the banks were part—nationalised. this time it could be parts of the entire economy. simon jack, bbc news. so, in the midst of a full—blown national crisis, the prime minister is having to spend his third night in hospital — the second in intensive care — suffering from the very disease that's caused turmoil in the uk and around the world. our home editor mark easton has been to the prime minister's parliamentary constituency of uxbridge in west london to find out what people there think about the events of the past few days. in the midst of a national emergency, the country's leader is on the front line fighting a personal battle with the enemy that threatens us all. in borisjohnson‘s constituency today, people of all political persuasions said their thoughts and prayers were focused on the member for uxbridge and south ruislip.