this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. pressure grows on the uk government over protective equipment for medics as the number of deaths in the country continues to rise. the united states records more than 2,000 deaths in a single day. over 500,000 people there are infected. christians around the world celebrate easter, despite coronavirus restrictions. pope francis will give his address later in an empty st peter's square. in an easter address, the queen has spoken about the importance of hope. she said "coronavirus will not overcome us". and french farmers call for an army of workers to help harvest crops.

hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments nationally and globally. in the daily press briefing, the uk home secretary priti patel said she was sorry if anyone felt there had been failings over the supply of personal protective equipment for health workers. it comes as the british medical association issued a stark warning that many medics are unable to access the ppe they need to keep themselves safe. priti patel also announced the government would be giving £2 million to domestic abuse services to combat an increase in cases since the start of the lockdown. meanwhile, the coronavirus outbreak in the united states has become the deadliest in the world, surpassing italy to record over 20,000 deaths in total. andrew cuomo, the governor of the worst—affected state, new york, has said the death rate there was stabilising, but at a horrific level.

and spain has recorded its lowest number of daily deaths for nearly three weeks. officials say 510 people died — the third consecutive 2a hours in which the daily figure has fallen. more on that soon but first, let's get the latest on the situation in the uk from simonjones. tributes to the latest nhs workers to die after contracting coronavirus. nurse gareth roberts described as a kind and helpful person by the cardiff and vail health board. sarah trollope seen here with the prime minister, a nurse said to have a total determination to get things right for her patients at hillingdon hospital. the health secretary matt hancock said yesterday that 19 nhs workers had lost their lives and now another chief executive has had to break bad news to his staff. i had to share the news of the sudden death of one of our own. a much loved member of our

nursing team, julie 0mar. i also know that this news will have a profound impact on many of you, not least because it brings the tragic consequences of this outbreak ever closer to home than it already was. the government says it is looking into how nhs staff had become infected. but it is facing growing pressure to ensure that frontline workers have all the personal protective equipment they need. i'm sorry if people feel that they —— they have been failings, i will be very clear about that, but at the same time we are in an unprecedented global health pandemic right now. it is inevitable that the demand and the pressures on ppe and the demand for ppe are going to be exponential and are going to be incredibly high and of course we are trying to address that asa we are trying to address that as a government. the ultimate goal is to find a vaccine against coronavirus. the tech billionaire bill gates has promised large sums to fight the infection. but in an interview with breakfast he wa nts a interview with breakfast he wants a vaccine may be up to 18 months away. the thing that will get us back to the world

that we had before coronavirus is the vaccine and getting that out to all 7 billion people and so, the efforts to test those, to build the factories, to understand, you know, is it safe and ready to go, but is a global problem and —— but is a global problem and —— but is a global problem and i am glad that people are coming together to find where is the best work and confine that, you know, the factory will be in a different country than the science is in. this is the whole world working on probably the most urgent tool that has ever been needed. facing his own challenge, the prime minister, recovering at st thomas's hospital in london, he has paid tribute to nhs medics for pulling him through, saying i cannot thank them enough, i over my life. —— i owe them my life. simonjones, bbc news.

europe has so far shouldered the majority of all deaths and infections, though there's now hope the curve could be starting to flatten in some of the hardest—hit countries. freya cole reports. intensive care nurses in france push through the long and exhausting shifts. but, with caution, there is a sense of hope. for a second day, the number of new admissions has dropped and the daily death toll appears to be slowing. translation: a very high plateau for this epidemic appears to have been reached, but the epidemic remains very active. there are still many cases coming into the hospital. in spain, huge makeshift field hospitals are full. 16,500 people have so far died, making it europe's highest death toll. but day by day, the number of fatalities is also dropping. plans are in motion to start reopening some factories and construction sites. but authorities have warned that for a majority of people, the lockdown remains. translation: from monday, we spaniards are still

in a state of confinement. the result of this is that lives have been saved and that we are getting closer to defeating the virus for good. but it is important, i insist, to continue to enforce the measures. in scandinavia, sweden's relaxed approach to the pandemic has been controversial. now, even the prime minister has admitted that his country could be better prepared. translation: it's not been good enough and it is evident to everyone in many different aspects. that is why we've adopted a national security strategy, and that includes everything from water supply to cybersecurity. behind every statistic is a personal story of love and loss, "a test of our shared humanity" in the words of the german president in a rare televised address.

translation: we will be a different society after this crisis. we don't want to become an anxious or distrustful society but a society with more trust, with more consideration and with more confidence. in italy, these policemen and women are carefully screened before making a special delivery — 300 easter eggs to children in hospital. many were sick before this pandemic intruded into their country, but their struggles are not forgotten. it's the little moments like this which provide hope to carry on. freya cole, bbc news. the united states has become the first country in the world to record more than 2,000 deaths associated with coronavirus in a single day. there have now been more than 20,000 deaths there and more than 500,000 confirmed infections. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports from new york.

easter weekend in new york city — a date in the calendar that donald trump spoke of only a few weeks ago as the moment to reopen the american economy. but the restrictions will remain in place at least until the end of the month, and there were signs today that coronavirus spring could become the coronavirus summer. new york announced its schools will remain shut at least until september. siren wails. good friday ended up being the most deadly day since the virus reached these shores — more than 2,000 people lost their lives — and america has now surpassed italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths. 783 people, 777, 799. these are just incredible numbers depicting incredible loss and pain.

for america, this has been by far the worst week of the coronavirus crisis, but there are signs of hope. the hospitalisation rate in new york is down. they believe they are flattening the curve. and evoking a famous quote from winston churchill, the governor here spoke of reaching "the end of the beginning". this isn't an easter ritual but now, a nightly one in new york. part of the same wave of applause that has gone around the world, the sound of thanks, the sound of admiration for medical workers. the sound that momentarily drowns out the sirens. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. earlier i spoke to darren walker, president of the international social justice philanthropy ford foundation. i asked him what it was like in new york city now. slightly disorienting and eerie, because the city has been depopulated and the neighbourhoods are very quiet and there are very

few cars on the road. so it's absolutely not a typical new york day. and one of the things that you're most passionate about is obviously talking about vulnerable communities, and no—one really seems to be more vulnerable than prisoners and people locked up in prison, especially at the moment. it's pretty impossible to practise social distancing in a prison. well, not only is it impossible to practise social distancing, in manyjails and prisons in this country, prisoners don't even have access to basic sanitation, to soap, hand sanitiser — which some prisoners make — they don't have access to it because it contains alcohol, which is a contraband. so, places like cook county jail in chicago have higher rates of infection than wuhan or milan on their worst days. and so we have to take action to address the issue of prisoners. we also have to recognise that the larger challenge

of covid—19 in the communities across this country reflects the inequality. it is no surprise that the people who are dying at the highest rates are the same people who have the highest rates of poverty, low levels of access to healthcare, live in the most unsanitary or poor quality housing, suffer from chronic disease. these are all the americans who are at much higher rates. i mean, the rates of death among african americans in this country is shocking, it's appalling, but it's consistent with other indicators of well being, maternal mortality, the levels of hiv and aids infection. all of this is consistent, regrettably, with what we're seeing with this virus. covid, in some ways, is like a heat—seeking virus that finds the most vulnerable

people in this country and kills them at much higher rates than it does for whites. yeah, it's sectors of society that may otherwise be forgotten about. what actually are you and your organisation therefore calling for authorities to do? first, we need to reduce inequality in our society. we need an economy that produces better jobs for more people. we need healthcare for all americans, and so we need to produce a system of healthcare that provides for everyone. and we need to address the issue immediately, urgently for people who are incarcerated. many governors in this country have started to release elderly and infirm prisoners, or accelerate the release of people who are within weeks and months of their release date. this is a humane approach. if we are to get through this crisis, it will be because we extend to others compassion, grace, generosity and love.

darren walker speaking to me a little earlier. well, in the us, the danger from covid—19 seems to be highest for america's minority communities, who've been disproportionately affected. as we were just hearing there. and the government here has admitted that there's emerging evidence of the same trend in the uk. the majority of frontline doctors who've died in the nhs have been of black, asian or minority ethnic heritage, and new research has also found patients from these backgrounds are being disproportionately admitted to critical care units across the uk. our community affairs correspondent rianna croxford reports. when you can't even hug your mother two hours after your father passes away, that pain really does affect you. it hurts you so much. this is amer awan. his father nazir died on wednesday. this is his message. if you love your loved ones, you love your parents and you love your family and friends, please stay at home. the grandfather of six

was described by his family as "a legend". the backbone of his community, a man who loved his city and gave so much back to it. we said, "you're going to get through this and you're going to fight this" and he lost his battle, he lost his battle within two days. he is one of thousands of people who have lost their lives to coronavirus. early research is suggesting that people of black, asian and minority ethnic heritage are being disproportionately affected. 0nly14% of people in england and wales are from these backgrounds, yet they currently make up 34% of patients in critical care units. i do have colleagues who have taken to buying their own goggles and visors. thisjunior doctor works at ealing hospital in london, one of the worst—hit areas in the country. she said there could be many factors behind the figures. whether there is a genetic component, we don't know, but we have seen certain underlying comorbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc, can impact the way you experience

this disease. places of worship can be a huge source of spread because there are so many people in such a small space. there is clear evidence to show that coming from a lower socio—economic background, if you can't speak english, and particularly in this current environment when you cannot bring a family member in with you, because of our concerns with corona, that can have a huge impact, simply being able to say, "i'm in pain, i'm short of breath". labour has called on the government to urgently investigate the data and said it was deeply disturbed by the number of ethnic minority doctors who have died. drjohn chinegwundoh is working on the front line at kingston hospital. he has recently lost his father and colleagues to the virus and says more data is needed. i think it's really important we look at why people have died, look at the patterns so if there are any lessons we can learn for the future, i think it would be very important. i'm hoping the department of health and public health