888 more people die with covid—19 in the uk, taking the total now above 15,000. it comes as the government accepts that some personal protective equipment was in short supply in england and that more needed to be done to secure stock. we have got to do more to get the ppe that people need to the front line. this is an extremely challenging situation. 84 tonnes of personal protective equipment is due to arrive tomorrow from turkey, including 400,000 gowns. the number of people who have died in care homes from coronavirus could be higher than official figures show. an extra £1.6 billion

for councils across england to protect services — as they're told to keep parks open for the health of the nation. as coronavirus cases in moscow rise, ambulances queue for more than nine hours to drop patients at hospital. and our latest nhs video diary — showing life as a nurse inside a busy hospital treating coronavirus patients. good evening. the government has accepted more needs to be done to get personal protective equipment to health workers treating coronavirus patients. a large consignment of personal protective equipment including 400,000 gowns is due to arrive

in the uk from turkey tomorrow. last night, public health england issued advice suggesting health workers should either substitute or re—use some personal protective equipment that's in short supply — but some unions today claimed doctors and nurses are losing faith in the government's response. the department of health insisted the advice was in line with guidance from the world health organisation. it comes as new figures show more than 15,000 people have now died in the uk with coronavirus. the latest official figures show there were 888 deaths reported in hosptials in the last 24—hour period. that brings the total number of people who have died in the uk to 15,464. that number doesn't include deaths in care homes or in the community in england and northern ireland. with more here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. john coker, a detective constable for british transport police, who leaves a wife and three children. retired paediatrician judith darmady, founder

of a children's charity, awarded an 0be, who dedicated her life to the care of others. two of more than 15,000 deaths caused by covid—19. it's hitting families across the country but the really sad thing for people is when someone dies, they are dying alone. they're probably scared, and theirfamily are not able to console them, not able to know how it happens, and after all this is over, there are going to be many stories required to be told by nhs staff who were the last people with loved ones as they died. more lives are being saved than lost, but medical staff are worried they're being put at risk because of the continuing shortage of personal protective equipment, ppe, especially gowns worn when treating the sickest patients. as hospitals face the possibility of running out of some kit, public health england changed its guidance —

some gowns could be reserved for the most high—risk procedures while staff could re—use washable clothing. today, a promise that fresh supplies are on the way. 84 tonnes of equipment, including 400,000 gowns. we are trying to do everything we can to get the equipment we need. we're trying to source more internationally. that is difficult at times, and there is a great deal of demand for it and the security of that supply can prove very challenging, but we are making progress there. but medical workers are anxious about where this leaves them. a&e doctor nick works directly with covid—19 patients. back on shift tomorrow, he doesn't know how much ppe will be available. there are apprehensions about what there might be and what might there not be and how much has deteriorated and changed, especially when we see news reports saying stocks might be close to zero, nationally, that is really worrying, especially being on the front line.

but we have to do what we do and it comes with the job, but it would be good if we were adequately protected. the new guidance is in line with world health organization advice and hospital managers are facing a global shortage of ppe. we have to really focus on what we can do because there is a shortage of gowns, and in that situation, following world health organization guidelines has to be the way that we go. they are saying that if other stocks are not available, then this is the way to go and this is safe to use. the new guidance only applies when ppe stocks are running low, and the picture across the uk is mixed, but the patience of health care workers is also in short supply. and dominicjoins us from salford now. lots of questions around tests to see if people who have had the virus

110w see if people who have had the virus now have the antibodies and might be immune. and the question of whether the presence of antibodies offers the presence of antibodies offers the path to immunity? our bodies produce antibodies in response to infections so the idea is if you can make a test that could detect the antibodies produced by a covid—19 infection, that could be a good way of seeing who has had this infection and they might have some immunity, and they might have some immunity, and that could offer a way out of lockdown. you can develop a test that shows those people who might be immune, they could then perhaps return to work or resume their lives, but that is very difficult to do in practice because these tests need to be massively sensitive. you can't have a test that gives too many false positives or false negative results because that way disaster lies and that is why these

tests have not yet actually come into being. none of them exist, not ina into being. none of them exist, not in a clinically proven way. here the question is, if we can develop a test that was reliable, that would surely speed up the return to normality? yes, if, this is a big if, the antibodies produced by covid-19 do if, the antibodies produced by covid—19 do actually give some immunity. and for some infections antibodies cannot give protection for some time and sometimes years, but sometimes only months, and this is what the world health organization was driving at. the presence of antibodies in themselves do not offer someone automatic immunity because underlying all of this is the fact that this is a new virus and it has only been around for a few months and there is so much which is not known including how antibodies may act on the level of protection they may offer against reinfection. dominic, thanks for joining us.

there's more evidence tonight of the scale of the problem care homes are facing. according to one organisation representing not—for—profit care providers — deaths in one week were double those for the whole of the previous month. the national care forum says if the pattern seen in the homes that took part in its audit is repeated across all residential and nursing homes, then more than 4,000 older and disabled people will have died. this doesn't include residents who died in hospital from the virus. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. this is a care home in liverpool and in recent weeks they have lost eight out of their 25 elderly and disabled residents and all the deaths are related to covid—19, a sign of the huge pressures ca re related to covid—19, a sign of the huge pressures care homes are under from the virus, and staff here have found it has spread rapidly. from the virus, and staff here have found it has spread rapidlym from the virus, and staff here have found it has spread rapidly. it was very unpredictable, so people would present with the virus in different ways, so present with the virus in different ways, so we present with the virus in different ways, so we had some people who might be fine in the morning, i can

think of one example where there we re think of one example where there were a couple of people who were ok in the morning and then by the evening they had deteriorated so rapidly that it was end—of—life care. this is one of the homes that provided the data that lies behind today's report. information collected by the national care forum found that by the 13th of april there had been 299 deaths linked to covid-19 in there had been 299 deaths linked to covid—19 in not—for—profit care homes looking after 30,000 residents in the uk. they calculate if that pattern is seen across all residential and nursing homes then they could be more than 4000 coronavirus linked to deaths, most of which are not yet reflected in officialfigures. once of which are not yet reflected in official figures. once residents of which are not yet reflected in officialfigures. once residents who died in hospital are included, they say the number will be considerably higher. clearly the concern is if we don't make some important changes 110w don't make some important changes now and if we don't focus on social ca re now and if we don't focus on social care and give it the resources and attention it needs, then at those figures could increase and we could

be talking again about this next week where they have higher levels of deaths within homes. the government has set out an action plan for social care and says is it working round—the—clock to provide the support and equipment that care staff need. lovely, well done. but some homes have taken matters into their own hands... hold that down. at this a care home in derbyshire residents are helping staff make their own protective equipment. they are virus free and want to keep it their own way. we are in a war this time and we have got to do what we have to do to battle on. one small sign of the determination in such homes, to protect the people they ca re homes, to protect the people they care for. allison hot, bbc news. —— halt. councils across england are to receive another £1.6 billion in additionalfunding from the government as they continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. the announcement from

the local government secretary came after council leaders warned they may have to consider "extreme" measures to cut costs. this report from our political correspondent, nick eardley. closed. like many parts of the country, council facilities have been shut down, starving local authorities of cash, just as they face extra pressure to pay for things like social care, and to support vulnerable communities through the crisis. this afternoon the government said it would make extra money available for councils in england. today, i'm providing an additional £1.6 billion of new funding to support councils. we are backing councils to make sure vital services such as adult social care, children's services, support for the most vulnerable, and waste collection, continue, despite the increased pressures. there will be extra cash

to spend in scotland, wales and northern ireland, too, but money is being spent quickly. council leaders have warned that some councils were facing extreme cuts to make ends meet. they welcomed today's funding. we're very pleased with this announcement, the extra 1.6 billion, but also the commitment to continue looking at the funding requirements of local government to make sure that we can do all those things that we are doing to support our residents. this is another reminder of the massive economic impact the shutdown is having, both on individuals and communities, and the bill the government is facing is mounting, with huge amounts of money already promised to businesses and to try and keep people injobs. but with those extra pressures on local authorities, and fears that some won't be able to pay their council tax compounding the funding problem, some fear the extra money announced today will not be enough. the streets being cleaned this afternoon may be

quieter but important local services continue. in one way or another they have to be paid for. nick eardley, bbc news. councils were today ordered to keep parks open after some had closed their gates in recent weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. communities secretary robertjenrick said at today's press conference that he had made it clear green spaces should not be shut in the interest of the nation's health. the bbc understands that public health england is to start recording coronavirus cases and deaths by ethnicity. it comes after research suggests people from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with covid—19. here's our community affairs correspondent rianna croxford. because, without him, you can do nothing... sylvia douglas was an 82—year—old pastor and grandmother from slough. she tested positive for coronavirus, and died in hospital at the beginning of this month. they called me, video called me from the hospital

on the thursday, so i saw her. i prayed with her and prayed for her, and i said, "you're looking "really strong, aunt. you're going to come through this. "i can see you're struggling to breathe, but you look " really, really well otherwise, and very strong. "you will come through this." i was really surprised, shocked, to say the least, when a few hours later i was informed that she had actually passed. i did not expect that at all. research shows that people of black, asian and minority ethnic heritage are being disproportionately affected by coronavirus. only 14% of people in england and wales are from these backgrounds, yet they currently make up 34% of patients in critical care units. bbc news analysis of reports in the public domain show almost three quarters of 51 health care workers who have died are from ethnic minority backgrounds. you have a higher proportion of bame population

working in key roles such as transport, taxi drivers, bus drivers, shopkeepers, supermarkets. all of which are necessary in the lockdown to provide essential services, and in addition, of course, care and health care workers. while there are many factors, it's clear more data is needed. the bbc understands that the government has asked public health england to start tracking coronavirus cases and deaths by ethnicity. can you confirm this, and will this data be made publicly available so that further deaths can be prevented? there does appear, as you say, to be a disproportionate impact of the virus upon bame communities in the uk, and we've also seen that in some other countries around the world, as well. and it's for that reason that the chief medical officer commissioned work from public health england to better understand this issue. sylvia's family hope more answers will come soon. rianna croxford, bbc news.

the russian president vladimir putin has warned that covid—19 continues to pose a high risk to his country. russia has seen its biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, up nearly 5,000 from yesterday. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has this report. rarely has moscow felt so calm. bells chime so quiet. so empty. in lockdown, a city of 12 million people so peaceful. but not everywhere. on the edge of moscow, ambulances queue outside a hospital that's treating covid—19. the crews had to wait more than nine hours to bring in their patients. this is a health system under pressure.

at another facility, doctors are preparing for their shift in the coronavirus ward. with moscow the epicentre of the outbreak, the hospital is already overcapacity. but its head doctor is used to emergencies — he was a paramedic in chernobyl. translation: the pressure on us has increased. we're getting around 150 new patients every day. we're not at breaking point yet, but we're getting close. when georgiy got sick with suspected coronavirus and was struggling to breathe, twice he called for an ambulance, but none came. the system was overloaded. translation: when i did get to hospital, it was like watching a conveyor belt — ambulances constantly coming and going, bringing in new patients. the strain on the system is close to catastrophic. i decided to go back home. most of the patients were sicker than me.

but coronavirus isn'tjust a medical challenge. it's a political one, too. in the 20 years he's been in power, vladimir putin has neverfaced a challenge of this magnitude. a virus, an invisible enemy that's not threatening lives but the entire russian economy — and with it, the image that vladimir putin has been keen to cultivate, mr stability. the epidemic has already forced the president to postpone the annual may 9 victory day parade on red square. huge celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the end of world war ii now on hold. and in moscow, the lockdown is tightening. to use a car or public transport, you now need a digital permit. the aim, to slow the spread of the virus by keeping more muscovites off the streets. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

as the outbreak continues to affect all parts of the uk — we've been hearing from frontline health workers about the challenges they face. our health correspondent catherine burns is keeping in touch with a range of staff and has asked them to keep video diaries. tonight we catch up with alice pallot, a nurse in intensive care in southampton. she's worked in intensive care for a year so alice pallot is used to looking after some of the very sickest people, but says at the minute every shift feels like a double. coffee, essential. packed lunch for the day and i'm ready to go. she's had a few days off so is feeling fresh and ready. walking up to the entrance now, id badge at the ready, coffee at the ready. they id us all when we go in now... find out where i'm going to be.

moving over to the paediatric intensive care unit which we're now using for adult beds. mask on, visor at the ready. the patients alice is caring for all have coronavirus so when she comes out of the intensive care unit she has to take her personal protective equipment or ppe off very carefully so she doesn't contaminate herself. she has to remove it in a certain order, washing her hands at every stage. it takes about six minutes in all. now time for a tea break. after her cuppa, she has to start all over again. this effectively becomes your skin for however many hours we are in there. alice is helping to look after three people on this shift. they're all under 60 years of age. two are on ventilators, heavily sedated so the machine can breathe for them. i've been in full ppe for the last three hours, feeling a bit hot and a bit tired, so ready for a cup of tea now. a positive end to this shift is that the patient i've been looking after today has actually

done so well that he's probably going to be heading to a ward in the next couple of hours and from there they will be able to start thinking about discharging him home. the nicest part of the process today is that he was able to call his wife himself. i want people to know that in intensive care we don't look after numbers or statistics. we look after people that have names, people that have family. i think it's so easy to become numb and desensitised to the statistics that we're seeing and i think it is just important to remember that at the heart of all this it's people, it's human relations. alice says she is feeling under pressure at work but knows it is not going to carry on forever. catherine burns, bbc news. to all front line staff, thank you. that's all from me for tonight.

you're watching the bbc news with kate silverton. let's cross live now to the white house in washington, where president trump is giving his daily briefing on the coronavirus outbreak. and for us, all of us. the avenues very much because the numbers of gone down significantly, but it was there. and it was beautiful. 2900 beds. it was incredible what they did. they did it in a matter of a few days. but unfortunately, and it was very good, the relationship was very good and frankly, i'm glad they do not need them. they were there. louisiana, the same thing. the

governor, democrat, good guy. and i think you will tell your story that we had more than enough and i said, we're supposed to build one more in a cauldron and if we do not have to build this hospital, it was an additional enter from 500,000 bets, if you do not need it, would be possible for you to build it someplace else, not build it all and save money, which is looking for government too. is it someplace else and he called me back the next day he said sir, we do not need it. and isaid he said sir, we do not need it. and i said it's great and he dated not needed but we are ready to go and we took good care of louisiana, good ca re of took good care of louisiana, good care of michigan, we took good care of every place, we did not miss a trick and we are in great shape on testing, we have different platforms, we actually have nine different platforms and on monday, will be adding one and i'll be nine to ten. i do not like to count them before up but be left anywhere

between nine to ten platforms with a tremendous testing capability and people can go and especially with phase one. at the same time, just like with the ventilators, we are building the best ventilators. our testing is getting better and better. i took the first test in the first test was not pleasant. this was not a pleasant thing and i said yet to be kidding to the doctor. you've got be kidding. up your nose and the wee hanger right and he goes down here and then we will wiggle it around here under your eye and will pull it out and say, no, that is there is no way they can happen. is that the way it goes? are you sure? this is a very unpleasant task. and that i was tested a few weeks later with the new test that this came out where they just touch your with the new test that this came out where theyjust touch your nose basically put it in the machine and literally a few minutes later they tell you if you are fine and i was lucky in both cases. because i've

seen lucky in both cases. because i've seen the damage that this does to people. but we have great tests. they've gotten better and better as we go along. we have a tremendous lab capability capability. some of the governors like to complain and they are not using it. if tremendous capability and we are ready for them. and as we go along just like with the ventilators, will get better, more advanced and will be able to do things that no one would've even believed possible, but we started off with a broken system. we inherited a broken terrible system. they always say it. our cupboards were bare and we had very little stockpile. now we are loaded up. and we also of these hospitals and we are talking about payment, we give billions of dollars of things to hospitals and we have to work that out at some point. in fact,

they're going to be working that out with congress, but they loaded up hospitals, the federal government loaded up hospitals with things to ta ke loaded up hospitals with things to take care of people that are very desperately and we were not weighted payment with that time but we would ta ke payment with that time but we would take care of it at the right time. we give billions and billions and billions of dollars with the medical goods and medicines and equipment to hospitals and we will work it out with them. if you would not like to talk about that. so we have done the job the nobody believed. this was a military and private enterprises march. we marched. and u nfortu nately, march. we marched. and unfortunately, with the other side because they're viewing it as an election, how did president trump do? he did terribly. let's see, yeah. he did terribly. but we just

got them the ventilators that they did not have that they should have had. wejust got did not have that they should have had. we just got them hospital beds by the thousands, we just got them testing that they don't even know how to use. in some cases, they have machines that they're only using 5% and 10% of the machine. because they have in advance machine and did not know how to use it. they can do much more. so we had people explain how to use it. and, i don't know. i don't think i do that on the other side. i think that here we have a crisis the right to work together and we will work together and we are moving along and we are moving along well. this should not be a partisan witchhunt. like the russia witchhunt that turned out to be at total phoney. in their voices here to bring this into politics and whether

it is testing the ventilators or hospital beds or other dimensions of our sweeping public health response, we have had a sweeping response in speaking to the leaders of other countries this morning, they said it is incredible the way you have done this so quickly. we're only about a few weeks since everybody knew this was such a big problem. and the rest of the world is watching and they respect what we've done because i don't think anybody else, nobody else could have done what we've done. and we started with garbage. as her experts said america's testing capability and capacity is fully sufficient to begin opening up the country totally and indeed our system is by far the most robust and advanced anywhere the world by far. the rest of the rope will tell you that. i spoke this morning to a friend of mine the president of

south korea who just won the election. you want to buy a lot. it isa election. you want to buy a lot. it is a big victory that is happy about. he was saying what a great job we have done in this country and i told him the same thing. what a greatjob. what a greatjob we have donein greatjob. what a greatjob we have done in this country. so i appreciated that. he had agreed victory and we are very happy about that. from the standpoint of our country, working very well with them. south korea. as we approach and the approach that we use industry approach hopefully the downward side of what is going on, i think you're going to see some incredible hard facts and evidence that what we did was right and there isa that what we did was right and there is a lot of talk about heard, i don't want to show you charts of people who went to a different way but it is scary. it is scary. we would've had millions of people a day had we done a different way. but

think numbers are just coming out with the our estimate so many will die. it could've been stopped in china. it could have been stopped in china. it could have been stopped in china. it could have been stopped in china. it started. and it wasn't in the whole world is suffering because of it. but this concept and everyone had to think of it at the beginning because look, we have the greatest economy in the history of the world, better than china, better than any country in the world, better than any country ever, we had the highest stock market in history by far and am honoured by the fact that it it started to go up very substantially thatis started to go up very substantially that is because the market is smart in the market is actually brilliant i've seen it. and they're viewing it like we've done a good job. the view it that way. because of you would've told me that we are in 24,000 are beyond, and the highest we were