britain's coronavirus death toll keeps climbing, as another 847 people lose their lives. while hospitals are being transformed to cope with victims of the pandemic, there are warnings tonight about the impact it's having on other people. it's likely there are people who are having heart attacks, who are then subsequently not getting the treatment they need and could be dying as a consequence of this. tonight the global death toll from covid—19 passed 150,000. scientists in oxford are hoping for a million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by september, as the government sets up a task force to find one. should we all be wearing masks in crowded places now? the government says it is reviewing the evidence.

the legendary former leeds united footballer norman hunter has died, another victim of coronavirus. the duke and duchess of cambridge on coping with the pressures of lockdown on family life. don't tell the children we've actually kept it going through the holidays, ifeel very mean! and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, premier league clubs commit to finishing the season, but there's no date agreed about when top—flight football should resume. good evening. there are warnings tonight that people are dying of heart attacks and strokes because they are so frightened about catching coronavirus that they are avoiding going to hospital when they should. a consultant at one of england's leading hospitals also expressed concern about the rising numbers of victims of domestic violence and people who've attempted suicide.

the latest official figures for the uk show there were 847 deaths reported in the last 24—hour period. it means that the total official number of deaths in the uk linked to coronavirus is 14,576. that number doesn't include deaths in care homes or in the community in england and northern ireland. have been inside addenbrooke‘s hospital in cambridge to see how they're dealing with the virus. 0ne hospital's battle against coronavirus. many of us have had dark times, but together we've supported each other. patients tell us what they're going through. i'm just in the good hands of the doctors and nurses, they do all they can. and the hidden victims of the covid crisis. so some people will die as a consequence of not getting treatment for their heart attack, their stroke. this is the face you now see

at the front door of a&e. fantastic, and why are you here? a triage nurse in full protective equipment. they're not taking any chances. pop inside, there's a nurse in green on the left. addenbrooke‘s in cambridge invited us in to see how the response to coronavirus has transformed every part of the hospital. first, in a&e. normally at this time of the day, there are people waiting outside to come into the emergency department, but right now it's empty. it's quite extraordinary, numbers are down 40% month on month. doctors fear that patients are staying away because they're worried about the virus. is there potentially quite a lot of damage to people's health as a result of that, do you think? we don't know yet, but it's likely there are people who are having heart attacks who are then subsequently not getting the treatment they need and could be dying as a consequence of this.

there's a separate red zone in a&e with its own entrance. here, ambulances arrive with suspected covid—19 patients. this is much busier, and there are other possible consequences of the lockdown which bring in more patients. what are you seeing more of, in terms of non—covid cases? well, we're seeing a lot more domestic violence. we're seeing quite a lot of alcohol—related problems, and we've seen some fairly nasty suicide attempts. it's early to know whether this is a true reflection of what's going on, but it seems plausible that this is a cause for concern. to streamline the system, there's a specialist assessment unit for patients with coronavirus symptoms. if you look at anyone wearing a full surgical gown, i'm probably more protected from the neck and chest area now. matt, who's a consultant, trains colleagues on how to safely use personal protective equipment, including aprons.

so bare below the elbows policy, with regards to the arms, but i'm going to clean those afterwards. this hospital says it has enough protective equipment, known as ppe. they provided what we used. we donated our own supplies of ppe in exchange. well, you can probably see by my visor fogging that it gets quite hot. it's quite uncomfortable, and you can only do it for a certain period of time. they change some items several times in a shift. graham is 83 — he wanted to talk to us. his wife, who has coronavirus, is on a different floor of the hospital. we've been married 62 years and known each other 66 years. it's a long time. but we will get through it, she is a fighter. hmm. we will be able to get you to see your wife, 0k?

i know it's really hard for you. we can get you to see her. we will try all we can, all right? 0k, thank you. so don't worry. if i have to get her on facetime, we've got plenty of mobile phones in hospital, and we will get you to see her. we're entering what we call the pod, which is a five—bedded area of our intensive care. the sickest come here, to intensive care. andrew is the consultant, and natalie is a health care assistant, who helped plan a doubling of critical care beds. so we're now going to walk in here. this is a covid area now. they're attached to a ventilator through a tube that's going through their mouth into their lungs. those patients require one—to—one nurse—patient ratios. so we've got a nurse or a physiotherapist by the bed space looking after every patient. the atmosphere is calm and quiet, but the intensity of the work can take its toll. it's only by teamwork

that we've managed to do it. many of us have had dark times, but together we have supported each other, and we're getting through it, together with the support of the community. they've been absolutely fantastic with their gratitude they're showing us. where we're so involved normally with the families and making sure we're with them every step of that end—of—life process, to all of a sudden now being in that environment where it's just us with the patient is very difficult. but, you know, what i will say is that we are always with them, they're never alone. there's always a nurse holding their hand, and we do the best we can. nothing in their training has prepared them for this. they know it's now the reality of their working day. and they don't know when it will end. very difficult work for the teams involved. the teams you film with

have enough ppe, we saw that in the film, but tonight the government has confirmed new guidelines surrounding ppe. there are reports that some, but not all, hospitals will run out of gowns for intensive care in the next few days, so these new guidelines will tell staff that they can reuse some protective equipment if it is laundered, gowns and other equipment as well, in certain circumstances. the bma, representing doctors, says this is a dire situation, it is because of failings to get enough supplies of ppe. the department of health and social care says there is a global shortage of gowns, but the new guidelines are designed to reassure staff what they can do if they run short, and they have been supported by the health and safety executive. and we saw in your film the and safety executive. and we saw in yourfilm the emotional and safety executive. and we saw in your film the emotional pressure that the people looking up the patients are under. yes, the sheer professionalism, the dedication to their patients is quite moving and

very impressive to actually see in action, and it does take its emotional toll. the other thing that was very striking is the way that a hospital like addenbrooke and many others have transformed themselves in weeks, creating all these critical care beds, and they have spare capacity at the moment. but what is not happening, routine procedures, outpatient appointments, all cancelled. we have heard about long—term problems that might be stored about people not coming into hospital, and the message is that people need to go into hospital if they need to care. so what we don't know is when the nhs will get back toa know is when the nhs will get back to a sort of normal service, it is very ha rd to to a sort of normal service, it is very hard to answer that. the situation could go on for some time yet. scientists in oxford are hoping to have a million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by september, and hundreds of millions by the end of the year. they are one of a group of research teams who'll receive funding from a new government task force set up to find a vaccine. meanwhile, the pressure to carry out more tests on front line staff continues, the health secretary says

it will be extended to the police, fire and prison service. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh reports. more than 70 scientific teams across the world are trying to do in months what would normally take many years — develop a coronavirus vaccine. one of the leading groups, at oxford university, says manufacturers in europe, china and india are set to produce their vaccine so it's ready to roll out in september if by then it's shown to be effective. it's pretty clear the world is going to need hundreds of millions of doses, ideally by the end of this year, to end this pandemic, to let us out of lockdown and ensure we can do that safely. a vaccine is the exit strategy for this pandemic. the government has announced a coronavirus vaccine task force to help scale up manufacturing and support teams like this one at imperial college london. at the number ten briefing,

the scale of the challenge and its importance was all too clear. producing a vaccine is a colossal undertaking, a complex process which will take many months. there are no guarantees, but the government is backing our scientists, betting big to maximise the chance of success. when we do have a vaccine, how will you prioritise who gets it first? well, first of all, i think we have got to get a vaccine. that isn't two days away, it's not two months away. making a vaccine is a difficult, complicated process. it doesn't only have to work, it has to be safe. i think it is going to be important that we vaccinate in the way that you normally do for these diseases, which is to make sure the most vulnerable are protected and then to roll out to wider vaccination. but that's some way off. until then, community testing of all those with symptoms will be vital to help rein in the epidemic, but the capacity simply

isn't there yet. today, the government announced testing will be extended to front line police, fire and prison staff. but many nhs workers are still not getting checked. welcome to this session of the house of commons... a committee of mps led by the former health secretary was told britain should expect further waves of infection and must learn from its mistakes. where were the system errors that led us to have probably the highest death rates in europe? and we have to face the reality of that — we were too slow with a number of things. but we can make sure that in the second wave we're not too slow. we could see 40,000 deaths by the time it's over. it is a sobering thought, and a reminder that social distancing is the crucial measure that will ensure the epidemic here is brought under control. fergus walsh, bbc news. the government says it is reviewing the evidence

about whether the public should wear face masks in crowded places to help stop the spread of the virus. the mayor of london has called for masks to be worn in public for additional protection, and a growing number of european countries are recommending using them. here's our science editor, david shukman. popular in asia before the pandemic, masks are now appearing in more and more countries around the world. the government here is weighing up the options, and the mayor of london believes we should cover our faces anywhere crowded. think about when you're using public transport, if you really have to, or you're in a shop and you can't keep two metres apart. wearing a non—medical facial covering makes it less likely you may inadvertently give somebody else covid—i9. one reason is that coughs and sneezes can travel much further than previously thought. another is that people can spread the virus before they have any symptoms. but the government has a serious worry — that the best masks, which are vital

on the medical front line, will get snapped up by the public. here is how you can make your own face covering in a few easy steps. that is why in the united states, the authorities are urging people to make their own masks. america's top medic showing how. then you fold either side to the middle, and you have yourself a cloth face covering. an old t—shirt is not going to do a greatjob of protecting you from the virus, but think of it the other way round. covering your face with something like this might actually protect others from you. that's because you might be infected with the virus and be passing it on without even realising. if you're wearing a double layer of cotton masks, and you cough and someone is eight to ten inches away, there is a very dramatic reduction in the percentage of virus that is getting to the other person. they still get some, but it is a small fraction of what they would have got if you hadn't been wearing

a face covering. i protect you, you protect me. the czech republic was one of the first european countries to insist on masks, and now many others are following. it could help with the process of reopening factories and offices whenever the lockdown is relaxed. but that'll be a big step, and so far the government has held back from taking it. david shukman, bbc news. the demand for help from foodbanks has soared in some areas as a result of the pandemic, with many people suddenly finding they have no income. in west london, a hall at the 0lympia exhibition centre has been turned into a food parcelling centre. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. each box in this makeshift production line represents a family in need. the hall today should have been showcasing country houses to wealthy londoners. instead, an army of volunteers are supporting the city's poorest residents.

0lympia has donated the area to the local council, hammersmith and fulham, and the food bank to meet soaring demand. it's quadrupled over the last couple of weeks. so, an average week would be giving out about 110 parcels, feeding or benefiting about 250 people each week. we're now doing pretty much those numbers in a day. a small survey by the independent food aid network suggests demand for help has risen hugely, by almost 60% between february and march. food banks say many of their new clients are the formerly self—employed and the newly unemployed. jeremy symons says he lost his job in the property sector as a consequence of the pandemic, and has turned to the food bank for short—term help. have you got any coffee here?

coffee ? yes, we do. it's a completely different way of life at the moment. no, i mean, you know, you work all your life and then something happens and you have to make drastic changes. at this food bank, they've seen a 300% increase in demand. here, families who need help to feed children, who would ordinarily be in school, are a key group needing help. some may have been on free school meals, but there's an issue with the voucher system not working. it's limited where you can redeem them. both the food banks and their new clients hope and expect this surge will decline when the lockdown ends. the trouble, of course, is that no one knows when that will be. michael buchanan, bbc news. the death toll in britain from coronavirus is fast approaching 15,000 people. and that's in the space ofjust six weeks. behind every number is a family grieving. 0ur correspondent allan little looks at some of those who have lost their lives in the pandemic. each face represents an immense private grief. together, they are the faces of a shared national sorrow. none of us is immune, but some

are more vulnerable than others. health care workers, like dr fayez ayache, knowingly placed themselves in harm's way. he was 76, a retired gp in suffolk, but returned to work because, he said, he felt it was his duty to help. isobel and arty vallely had been married for 53 years. they died within hours of each other in hospital in belfast. their daughter said it hadn't sunk in that she'd lost both parents so close together. margaret 0rman, a fit 76—year—old, ran the whitmore arms in grays, in essex. a mother, grandmother and great—grandmother. her family said she was a much—loved figure at the heart of community life. she was the queen of the whitmore arms, in 0rsett, ourfamily business. she'd been together with my dad for 62 years.

she was a friend to everyone. she loved to sit and talk to people. she loved to help as much as she possibly could. donna campbell, who was 5a, was a support worker at velindre hospital in whitchurch. her colleagues said they were heartbroken. areema nasreen, who was 36, was also on the front line of the pandemic. she was a nurse and had three children. her sister said she was an amazing person who put herself last. giuseppe casciello was enjoying life in his care home and loved joining the shared activities there. # que sera, sera...# he died two days after his 95th birthday. he'd had a career as a head chef at some of london's most prestigious restaurants. friends said he was proud, private and charming. a cherished father, a wonderful husband and a really funny great—grandad and great grandad. he won't ever be forgotten in our hearts — ever.

love you, dad. it is not only the elderly. danny sharma, a dj from london, was 38. he didn't expect to die. he'd been documenting his time in hospital on facebook. hilda churchill was 108 and died of covid—19 in her nursing home. she lost a younger sister to the spanish flu pandemic more than a century ago and lived through two world wars. she remembered seeing the soldiers off to the first world war, which very few came back. she'd only be a young girl then. she was tremendous. she remembered all of those things, and didn't half tell us about them as well! we weren't even able to say goodbye to her, which is very upsetting. dave roland was 65 and planning to retire this year. three decades ago, he survived the hillsborough disaster. this photograph of him was taken that day. he'd tried to help a 17—year—old caught in the crush. he later rang the boy's family to tell them that their son had not

been alone when he died. his family said he was a proud scouser, youthful, unique, kind and fun. elsie sazuze, who was 44, was originally from malawi. she came here to work in the care sector. her death reminds us of the power of the virus to reach well beyond our hospital wards. individually, each represents a great private anguish. together, a national sorrow, still accumulating. allan little, bbc news. the chinese city of wuhan, where the coronavirus originated last year, has raised its official covid—19 death toll by 50%, adding almost 1,300 more deaths. wuhan officials said the new figure was down to updated reporting and deaths outside hospitals. china has insisted there was no cover—up of the extent of the outbreak. meanwhile, the virus' impact

on the chinese economy was also revealed today with year—on year figures showing a downturn for the first time in almost three decades. 0ur china correspondent, john sudworth reports. three months of economic pain, the shuttered shops and bankrupt businesses, summed up in one figure — a 6.8% economic contraction. 0fficials, though, are putting a brave face on it, highlighting the few recent glimmers of hope. wouldn't a more honest assessment be to call this — the worst figures since records have been published — a disaster? translation: that's a very challenging question. overall the economy has had a relatively big drop, but because of our policies in the month of march, there's been a significant improvement. china has been taking slow steps towards normality, even in wuhan,

where the virus began. but the big question here is not over the economic figures, but the death toll. having been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak, now more than 1,000 have been added to the city's total, taking it to over 3,800. so, for the second time in a day, officials found themselves defending china's use of statistics. translation: in the early stages of the epidemic, hospitals were overloaded and medical staff were busy treating patients. but there has never been any cover—up. so, tell me, mr yu, how is business? in businesses like this one, there is support for the government. the virus may have cost it 40% of its sales, but here too they think the worst is over. translation: since late march the number of customers

coming into our shop has suddenly increased. so long as there's no big problem, we can achieve our original target by the end of april. there's optimism, and then there's the hard economic numbers — the first real measure ofjust how far china has fallen. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. the message from china today is that although things have been tough economically, it is now well on the way to winning this fight. but the trouble it faces is this, as other parts of the world face similar crisis and pain, the questions are only mounting. how did this thing really start? was there a cover—up and could it have been prevented? and although these questions are really difficult to answer, a one—party state with an already shaky reputation on transparency

face is now not only a health crisis and not only an economic crisis, but and not only an economic crisis, but a reputational one as well. john sudworth, thank you. the impact of the virus is being felt in countries across the globe, with the head of the international monetary fund warning that the impact on people's earnings could be even worse than feared. here the government is extending its rescue scheme for workers who have been furloughed — and so are not able to work — for another month, until the end ofjune, to give more help to those struggling to cope. our economics editor faisal islam reports. this extraordinary crisis has not just hit the world's biggest cities, but almost every single country in the world, because even if the virus hasn't infected everywhere, the economic contagion certainly has, with huge long—term consequences. before the crisis, most of the world was expected to have a prosperous year, with only ten, such as libya and venezuela, forecast to be worse off. now the imf predicts that most of the world, 155 nations, will have reduced income this year, many of them sharply so,

but even that ight not be a worst—case scenario. but even that might not be a worst—case scenario. this may be actually a more optimistic picture than reality produces. epidemiologists are now helping us make macroeconomic projections. never in the history of the imf have we had that. the sheer numbers, the hits to the economy, are staggering. but it isn'tjust that. it's happening in nearly every single country around the world as a result of the fact that this virus respects no borders. and it means that an organisation like the international monetary fund is saying to the world's finance ministers, now is not the time to worry about public borrowing. it's the imf that traditionally worries about too much government borrowing. are you saying that this is a time

when finance ministers should not be worried about those things? governments should spend as much as they can afford and more. but keep the receipts! without stopping the pandemic we simply cannot restart the economy to the fullest. that is what the government here is doing, extending the lockdown, but now also today, extending the job retention scheme until the end ofjune, which could mean over £10 billion to help firms essentially pay to park their staff during the crisis. extraordinary times meaning extraordinary measures here and across the globe. faisal islam, bbc news. in south america, the official death toll in ecuador from coronavirus stands at 403. but new figures from one of the country's provinces suggest the actual number of deaths is much higher. in the first two weeks of this

month 6,700 people died in guayas province — just one part of the country — nearly seven times as many deaths as normal. it's not clear if they died of coronavirus. in the biggest city, guayaquil, graveyards are at capacity and bodies are being taken to neighbouring towns to be buried. on last night's programme we reported that a boss of an nhs trust had contacted the bbc with concerns about the provision of gowns for staff. he had asked the bbc for the phone numbers of burberry and barbour because he was concerned about supply shortages. we should clarify that the person concerned is not the boss of a trust but is part of a network of organisations helping to source personal protective equipment for some nhs trusts. the legendary former leeds united and england footballer, norman hunter, has died at the age of76— another victim of coronavirus. he was a key player in leeds' most successful era, winning two league titles while at elland road. and he was famous for his

ferocious tackling — it earned him the nickname "bites yer legs". andy swiss has been looking back at his life. norman hunter said he enjoyed his nickname. commentator: brought down by hunter, quite blatantly. "bites yer legs" was light—hearted, he reckoned. real bodycheck by norman hunter. his opponents may have begged to differ. a foul by hunter. this certainly is no place for boys. but behind that toughness was a huge talent. hunter made his leeds debut in 1962 and helped turn the team into the best in the land, winning two league titles. his aggressive approach did sometimes spill over. one famous scrap with francis lee... and it looks to me as if it's broken out again. but despite his reputation, there was skill as well as steel. one of the hardest tacklers in the game. a lot of people don't realise, you know, because of the norman bites yer legs, you know... he quite liked it, actually,

ithink, frightening people. but i think it took away from his ability, his actual ability as a player. that ability won him 28 caps for england, but in the era of bobby moore and jack charlton, he was often the understudy. it meant despite being in the squad, hunter never played in the 1966 world cup, eventually receiving a winner's medal 40 years later. it was a fitting accolade for a hugely popularfigure. when the first—ever players' player of the year was awarded... hunter! ..it went to norman hunter. the footballing hardman held in the very highest affection. norman hunter, who has died at the age of 76. the duke and duchess of cambridge are urging people to look after their mental health as the lockdown continues. prince william said the stress and isolation was building and people needed to know where to access help and support. he also spoke about his concern for his father, the prince of wales, when he was diagnosed with the virus last month.