an australian team from the university of queensland has reached a new phase of testing, partnering with a dutch company for preclinical studies. now, panorama. tonight on panorama, how are the most at risk coping with the killer epidemic? they might die, i might die and we'll never say goodbye. the desperately ill who are no longer getting the help they need... i feel that potentially having this treatment taken away, it's stealing some time. i haven't got a lot. ..and those not able to lock down and stay safe. the homeless people are scared enough when it's normal, never mind when there's a virus about.

we're with the people offering support... are you getting money in or do you need some emergency funds? ijust tried to ask for universal... universal credit. ..and with those dealing with this new threat. i got told by my gp that, "you do realise that if you get this bug, it will kill you?" and back! ted is four years old. he has cystic fibrosis. if he gets coronavirus, it could be very serious. deep breath. cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition. it affects all the vital organs, mainly the lungs and the digestive system. it means that i'm special.

there are many, many more people like ted who have been told they are vulnerable. the government says there are a million and a half people in the uk who need to take extra precaution. we gave them a camera to film what life is like inside their home. it's a fortnight since it was announced they must stay at home for three months. the government called it shielding. fiona got the news in a text. even though i knew it was coming, it was still the realisation that he is a vulnerable person. because covid—i9 can affect the lungs and breathing, ted is vulnerable.

it's vital he doesn't leave home or be with anyone other than his mum. it could very, very easily be life threatening for someone like ted. as a mother, it makes you feel like there's not a lot you can do really. i worry about not being able to get him to hospital appointments that, you know, that are coming up. he knows there's a virus. he knows it's bad. he knows we need to get rid of it before he can go out again but it's a difficult thing for a child to understand at his age. why is it bad? cause it catches on to people. and what have we got to do? stay away from people. the family lives in rural cheshire. ted's dad is still working and needs to be out to get food and medicine.

this is your home. yeah, it is. so, he has moved out of the house, away from his family, to a caravan at the end of the garden. i take comfort from the fact that he's pretty much locked up, so he's safe enough. i suppose, the most difficult bit is not knowing how the future will pan out i suppose, the uncertainty. what about 12 weeks of this, though? you're like a week in now, aren't you, i think? yeah, personally i think that it'll be quite a bit longer. for ted, for us, anyway. just because it's so contagious, i don't think that it'll be safe for ted really to go out until there's an effective vaccine, which is, you know... i think we'll be quite a while off that. i'm heading north to manchester. nationally, the 1.5 million vulnerable people were told by the government they would be supported. i'm heading north to manchester. nationally, the 1.5 million

vulnerable people were told by the government they would be supported. ‘you're not alone,‘ was the message. so, how's that working out? i've been told by the government to stay in the house, do not go out of the house or my garden, for 12 weeks. paula has complex medical needs and has used a wheelchair for the last 28 years. i've got a few things going on. primarily, i've got primary immune deficiency which means my body doesn't really make antibodies to bugs that well, so i'm really susceptible to a lot of infections. i've also got heart failure and i'm diabetic. her life has not been defined by her disabilities. she's danced for her country... i compete at an international level. you know, i'vejust competed in the, well, six months ago, competed in the world championships in poland. so i'm not ready to

be written off yet. ..and even made an appearance on britain's got talent. you've got four yeses, congratulations. she relies on carers, as well as her assistance dog, indie. good girl! indie‘s 0k, she's happy, but she's having a nap now. and then she'll give me a hand to take the rest of my clothes off before i go to bed. she loves doing that and usually my socks end up everywhere because she likes throwing them around afterwards. government food parcel‘s arrived this morning. those identified as the most vulnerable are among those who can apply for a free food box. it says, "bio food shield package." my lowest moment so far

was the moment i realised the true reality of being in the ‘at risk‘ group. the first hint about how bad it was going to get was when i got told by my gp that, "you do realise that if you get this bug, it will kill you?" there wasn't any if, buts or maybe. this will kill you if you get it. paula receives two visits from carers a day. they help her with meals and cleaning. she also gets help from a district nurse with her medication. so you can see, there's some syringes left out there for laters. one of the medicines i have to take in a little while. as coronavirus spreads across the uk, it's had a knock—on effect with her visits. it's nearly seven o'clock. saturday. my care call is normally between half five, six o'clock. and my blood sugar‘s getting low. and it scares me that this

might be the future, their that actually that we are not going to know when care‘s going to turn up. it's teatime now and they're making my tea. one lady is helping with pots, and then it's time to put more cream on, do meds and get ready for bed. across the country, an army of carers continues to support hundreds of thousands of people, but it's getting harder. dan is a carer in hebden bridge. i always take precautions but i'm taking a lot more precautions than i usually would. such as the mask, for example. this precaution is so i don't pick up anything in the community on my way to see my clients because my clients, by and large, are quite vulnerable. hello, heather. please excuse the mask.

yes. the first thing i'm going to do, though, is i'm going to just wash my hands... of course. ..and take this mask off, 0k? 0k. he's come to help 91—year—old heather, and has filmed it for us. no visitors are allowed. her carers are the only people she still sees. how has this crisis changed your life? well, dramatically, really. yeah. because i don't ever see any of the family now. i think everybody‘s going to have a really big hug when this is over as well. i think so, absolutely. it's awful, isn't it? yeah. shall we do a bit of walking now? yes, i think that's a good idea.

social distancing can be almost impossible for carers. i'lljust move back so that you've got... so we can keep a distance from each other. 0k. obviously some clients require a bit more personal care, so you have to get quite close to them and there's just no getting around it. but with heather i'm able to stay two metres away from her which is, which is good. alright, it was lovely to see you again. and lovely to see you, dan. i enjoyed your company. a real person to talk to! take care. yes, and you too. i'll see you friday. yes. carers visit a lot of people. dan says there needs to be testing for the virus. i isolated last week with a sore throat. i didn't develop the symptoms. the guidelines out there are very vague and they're not mass testing. so, you know, for all i know, i could be like an asymptomatic super spreader — ijust don't know. i'm not a hundred percent confident that i'm safe or that

any carers are safe. and paula worries about what happens if she or her carers become ill. what if the carers can't come in? because if the carers don't come in, i can't get up, i can't get the catheter bag emptied. i've got one friend who can do my medication and that, but he can't do my bowel care, my bladder care, he can't change a catheter. some of the most vulnerable are those who don't have homes at all. what's it like being on the streets during coronavirus? terrible, absolutely terrible. the streets are deserted and then when i'm finding somewhere to get me head down for the night, i'm getting told to move. england has about

4,000 rough sleepers. with such a basic existence, it's hard to keep safe or isolated. so, it's really weird in manchester because there's the odd car but it's mostlyjust clear. the only people that are left here, it feels like, are the homeless and this charity's looking after them. so, thank you so much for all coming in today as volunteers because our organisation is pretty much shut down because we can't do the services we were doing before. this is the mustard tree. in the last fortnight, they've had to reinvent what they do. they've stopped offering training and the cafe has shut. now it's about helping the homeless and the vulnerable trapped in isolation. i think it was much more than 1.5 million that are vulnerable. i would suggest people that, you know, have no money are vulnerable. i would suggest people that are living in, you know, awful accommodation are really vulnerable.

we've got our two big orders coming in at 4 o'clock from the council and northwards. so are we geared up for that, boys? george is one of the drivers delivering food and essentials. generally, people are really happy to see us when we're dropping these off but we're also seeing some real, you know, people who are just down and desperate and don't know what else to do, which is hard. the first person george delivers to is jason, who until recently was living on the streets. he's now been taken in by a friend. the homeless people are scared enough when it's normal, never mind when there's a virus about. you used to be able to go for something to eat but the food banks have been shut. the people used to come round with trolleys at night, night teams, and they'd give out clothing and food. they can't come out because they're

not allowed, they're not classed as essential key workers, but they're doing a key service of feeding people. the only people that are out about in manchester is the key workers. notjust the nurses and that, the ones that take the low paying jobs like the cleaners and stuff, and then they're the ones that are out and they're the ones that are giving money and they can't really afford it. george's next stop is at the top of this tower block. lift: floor ten. hello, it's the mustard tree. there you go, sir. my vision, completely gone. can't see nothing at all, totally blind. yeah, it's frightening for a blind person to go out. yeah, i can't go out anywhere. i can't go to the blind society. i can't go to the mustard tree. i can't go anywhere.

it's hard with this coronavirus being about. i don't want to catch this coronavirus. i want people to know out there what it feels like when you are in a high—rise block of flats with four walls. it's all right, the people that live in houses, like, they think it's all right, but it's not for a blind person. some of the most at risk are those who have existing health conditions. when ezra was born, i guess that's kind of the happiest day of your life. myself and danielle, we're a young family. everything was absolutely brilliant. nic was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer a year ago. he is self isolating with his wife danielle and two—year—old son ezra. obviously we can't go in the house, nobody can.

so we've agreed to talk to nic through an open window. the diagnosis was something that came out of the blue. there were no tell—tale signs for it. the cancer is too far progressed, and, certainly the last conversation i had with my oncologist, he spoke in months. he spoke between 21 and 36 months. that was probably about four or so months into my treatment. so, to do the maths, i guess not long is the... is the kind of reality of it. nic‘s cancer treatment has been cut back because of the crisis. he's been told that continuing his chemotherapy would put him more so, to do the maths, i guess not long is the... is the kind of reality of it. nic‘s cancer treatment has been cut back because of the crisis. he's been told that continuing his chemotherapy would put him more at risk of the virus,

so it's been stopped for the next three months. you're gambling on not having chemotherapy and being safer from coronavirus. or having chemotherapy but then be much more at risk from coronavirus. i can only guess that it's going to mean a shorter life. i'm not ready yet. and ifeel that, you know, potentially having this treatment taken away... it's stealing some time. i haven't got a lot. ezra laughs. i've got a son to raise, and you have plans for life. i'd kind of come to terms with the fact that i wasn't going to get the life that i wanted, but i knew potentially what i was going to get. and now there's a lot of uncertainty around that. and, um, it's hard. we're really lucky we're together. we are locked down together,

so we have each other as a family. but we can't see our family and friends. you know, there's literallyjust the three of us in the house. nic, so far, hasn't been told he's among the 1.5 million most vulnerable. so, me and ezra havejust watched the government broadcast on the news this evening. you can see what ez thought of it all. they spoke about the 1.5 million vulnerable people and how they've sent letters out, or texts out, to 1 million of those. i guess i must be in the 500,000 because i still haven't actually received anything from the government as yet. so for them practicalities like food and shopping are proving tough. at the moment we're really

struggling to get food deliveries. all the websites are either down, or you can only log on if you're classed as vulnerable. my friend tried to get... this sounds ridiculous — tried to get us a loaf of bread the other day and she was told she couldn't have two loaves of bread. she could only have one loaf of bread. there's measures in place to stop people from panic buying. how are you coping with all this? erm... i'm just putting it to the back of my mind, trying to as much as i can, to stay as positive as i can for nic and ezra. and not think too much about it, because, yeah... i don't want to cry. nic‘s frustration led him to try to register as vulnerable online, but that left him more confused. i don't know whether you'd call it miscommunication or for whatever reason maybe we are not deemed as extremely vulnerable by the nhs

and by the government, which is baffling, but it is what it is. the government has told panorama people should speak to their doctor. nic also worries about what would happen if he went into hospital. recently published ethical guidance suggests he might be low priority. in the worst—case scenario that i was to become infected, there's a shortage of ventilators. i'm probably going to be at the back of the queue knowing that this guy's not got much longer anyway. so all of that fear... i can drive myself to distraction if i overthink it. back at the mustard tree, jo is contacting people who've got in touch to ask for help.

are you just staying in? yeah, i'm just staying in, taking my diabetes tablets. at the moment it's really hard, not working and no money. do you need some emergency funds? ijust tried to ask for universal credit. but for a week now it?s not coming in and i need food for the children. that's very important for me and myself... at the moment it's just hard with money. if they can't offer help they will try and point callers in the right direction. are you having to go to the chemist, are you? can they not deliver it for you? no. why? it's methadone, love. so it's methadone as well? yeah. i think at the moment we're in absolutely unprecedented times, aren't we?

we're all winging it, aren't we? we're all making it up as we go along and i think for us we just take it a person at a time, really, and then just try and speak to them like you would your family and then try and sort it out. one issue is heard time and again. the loneliness of self isolation. yeah, we have where my son is a bit tired. how old is he? seven. seven, so he's still a baby, isn't he? how are you doing yourself, then? are you worried about it, do you have people to talk to? no. i'm keeping my mind on other things because obviously i don't have any one to talk to, not any others? it's such a difficult thing, you know? i know. we are trying. we trying to keep our mind on other things but it's difficult. how much are you hearing about loneliness? all of it. all of it's loneliness. most people will have

low mood or loneliness that we're dealing with. so i've got a gentleman downstairs that absolutely needs to self—isolate, and he's coming here every dayjust to see us and say hello. so it's how do you balance that, because we don't want to encourage him to come, but at the same time he's very vulnerable. it's really stressful because those services are needed more than ever, but because of covid, you can't do it face—to—face. hi,jim. how are you? hello, good morning. jim was a regular visitor to the mustard tree, but now he's in lockdown in this block of flats for the elderly. he's 90, has cancer, and is living alone. how do you feel, then, at 90, with covid—19, with this virus about? i'm very alarmed. very bewildered. and very concerned.

i was ten when the war broke out. and in a way it's very similar, except we weren't separated. that's how it feels? it feels like the war? well, i call it a germ warfare. it's heartbreaking, because i've got friends in this building that i love very much, particularly one, a very close friend, who i love very much. so... excuse me. is it because you can't see these people now? yeah. it's very hard? yeah. and, well... it might be forever because they might die, i might die. and we'd never say goodbye. so how are you finding that loneliness? i don't like the loneliness, no.

no, i'm not used to that yet. it's very, very difficult. these are difficult days for us all. but the most at risk are facing their own battles as they wait in isolation. people i miss are my friends. i call my friends, family. my manchester family. because we are like family, and i miss them. when we've got to the three months part, well, the 12 weeks... there could still be the virus around. that is actually probably harder, or as hard, to get my head round — is the fact that this social distancing thing might last quite a while for me. how are you dealing with all this? everything we talk about, it's just

one big thing after another. how are you getting through? my concern with this challenge is that, is it a bridge too far? we hope not, but it's hard to start thinking about getting back to normality. it's difficult being cooped up indoors. last night, i did lose my temper a little bit with ezra, and that's something that i hate doing because if ez is going to have any memories of me, i don't want to be that way. so it's hard, but we are pulling together, we are getting through. daddy bought you that. do you like it? yeah. ted has never had a birthday like this before.

he's five today and celebrating at a distance from his dad and sister, through the kitchen window. # happy birthday to you... # happy birthday to you.# hip hip. hooray. blow me a kiss. i got it! can i blow you one? right, we need to go and take them out to daddy. put it on the floor. eat the icing then? never in a million years did we ever think we'd be in a situation like this. are you frightened by what's going on? i'm terrified. it doesn't even bear thinking about, at five years old, if he had to go into hospital and he couldn't have

all his family around him to support him, it's a really, really frightening thought. the government has committed to helping the vulnerable, but some still feel alone. as the virus spreads are we all doing enough to look after those most at risk?

welcome to bbc news, i'm simon pusey. welcome if you are watching here on pbs in america, in the uk allaround here on pbs in america, in the uk all around the globe. uk —— or around the globe. our top stories: a further 6.5 million us workers file for unemployment as president trump announces plans to reduce the economic impact of coronavirus. in the uk, another massive rise in the number of reported deaths, but prime minister boris johnson is out of intensive care. the government says there are no plans to lift the lockdown. south america's street traders defying the lockdown to feed theirfamilies. ground control: and lift-off! and getting away from it all — the russian space mission leaving the virus behind.