so many we have had lovely skies, high pressure is in charge of the weather. it is good to be a dry night with a brisk breeze on our eastern because last post. maybe if you practice of frost in scotland. tomorrow, high pressure still with us but stronger eastern wins, a0 mph, so for most it will be sunny to the day, the wind will be knocking the edge of temperatures, particularly in the east of england and scotland. those winds will eventually fall out as we get towards wednesday and temperatures will push well up into the 20s at that point.

this is bbc news, the headlines... 596 more people have died in hospital in the uk from covid—19 — that's the smallest increase in nearly two weeks. the national care forum estimates that the number of deaths linked to coronavirus in uk care homes may be far higher than thought. it says more than a,000 residents may have died. the last official figure for england was 217. it comes as reports suggest the uk is looking to gradually lift some lockdown restrictions, such as re—opening schools and allowing some small social gatherings. but the reports have been rejected by a government minister. protesters in several states in the us are demanding they're allowed to go back to work, saying lockdown measures are too tough. president trump has accused some state governors of getting "carried away" with the restrictions. some of the biggest names in music have joined forces to celebrate health care workers in a globally televised concert. lady gaga, paul mccartney and billie eilish were among those who performed songs

from their homes. a team of scientists at oxford university has reported encouraging developments in the search for a coronavirus vaccine. patients are expected to take part in trials next week. professor sarah gilbert — who is leading the team — warned the bbc‘s andrew marr show nobody could be sure it would be successful. no, nobody can be absolutely sure. that is why we have to do trials and find out. the prospects are very good but it is clearly not completely certain. to get the vaccine to a stage where it is absolutely safe, you have to do a lot of trials and it can take some time. where on that process have you got to? we have not immunised anybody yet. we are about to start clinical trials we hope towards the end of next week. we are waiting for the final safety

test to be done and final approvals to be given. in the meantime, we have been given permission to start recruiting volunteers and explaining the process of the vaccine trial to them, to take blood samples, check their health status. by the time we have all the approvals for the vaccine ready, we should have a pool of volunteers to draw from and we will be able to get going quite quickly. if all of that goes well, fingers crossed, when might it be ready? it depends what you mean by ready. there are a lot of complex stages in vaccine development. we have to immunise healthy people between 18 and 55, the safety of vaccine, we have used this type of vaccine many times before, so we are not expecting any surprises with this. it has a very well characterised profile of what happens to people after vaccination. they may have the usual things you have, slightly sore arm, slight fever, but that is all expected.

we will increasingly immunise more people and going to older people, start to look at the safety and immune response to the vaccine in older and younger people. it is the older population we need to protect but for vaccines in general, you get not so good immune responses as the immune system ages. we need to find out how good this vaccine is looking in older people compared to younger people by measuring immune response. we need to be looking to see if the vaccine works to protect people and stop them getting infected and the way we get that is half the people in the trial will receive the coronavirus vaccine and half of them get something else, another vaccine licensed to protect against meningitis. people do not know which they have, and then people will come to us

to get tested and we will arrange to have them tested very quickly and when enough people have become positive to the coronavirus, the statisticians will look at which groups the people were in to find out if they were in the group with the coronavirus vaccine or in the group with the other vaccine. we are hoping for the infection to only happen in the meningitis vaccine group and if that is the case, we can say it works in the age range vaccinated and we can expand studies and apply for emergency use. it sounds like it is very unlikely this vaccine would be ready for the wider population until the end of the year. very difficult to predict and there are two parts to that, demonstrating the vaccine works, that will be affected by how much virus transmission there is at the time of testing. we are seeing a drop in hospital admissions now, probably a drop in virus transmission in the community, great for the population as a whole but it makes vaccine testing more difficult because we need a very

small number to become infected to know the vaccine is working. we need a situation in which some people could have been affected but were not and the people who had the other vaccine were infected and it might take a long time if there is not much virus transmission. the other part is having enough vaccine ready to use. in parallel with clinical trials, we need to stop preparing we need to start preparing to manufacture large amounts of the vaccine. people are talking about millions of doses being available by the autumn potentially. what do you need from the government to make sure that happens? we need support to help us accelerate the manufacturing. there are not any manufacturing facilities in this country that at the moment can make very large amounts of the vaccine. we can make a small amount at the university but we need a much bigger scale. those companies need to have new equipment, they need to have staff trained in using new protocols and new quality control assessments

and all of that can happen but the companies we will be working with are going to need to stop doing what they would normally do and make the vaccine instead. we need to support them to make sure it is done in a fair way while they are trying to do something very important. and now on bbc news, victoria derbyshire has more information and health advice on the coronavirus outbreak, in this special programme... hello, and welcome to the special programme. i'm victoria derbyshire. for the next half an hour, we will bring you further information and advice about the coronavirus pandemic. coming up, you might have seen the video from 2015 which has microsoft founder bill gates talking about the possible impact a global pandemic could have on the planet. we will hear his thoughts now about this covid—19 outbreak. and a reminder that you can always

keep up—to—date with the latest on the pandemic in your country and around the world on our website. but first, charities in the uk are warning that almost a quarter of the youth clubs that have been closed in the lockdown may not reopen after the restrictions are lifted. it leaves thousands of youngsters with nowhere to socialise. anna adams has been talking to teenagers and youth workers to see how they're doing. normally, you'd have 30 to 50 young people here after school or in holidays. mervyn kaye is showing me around this youth club in lewisham, south london. it's been closed since the lockdown. in what ways are you having to change the way you work? trying to meet the young people where they are, so we're using tiktok, we are using instagram. we are basically trying to recreate the youth club and adventure playground experience as best we can in a virtual environment. hi! missing you! how are you doing? nicola is a youth worker. she's chatting online with kids who would normally be here. i'm missing you guys!

how do you think you'll feel if you're not able to come here for three months? i think lads would start sneaking out and going out. well, this club is confident it will survive the difficult months ahead, but others across the country are worried about the knock—on effect of coronavirus and the lockdown, and what that will do to the young people who have come to rely on places like this. the national body for youth workers says it is already getting reports of some young people feeling suicidal, and self—harming. we're seeing an awful lot of services closed and not being able to reopen and provide that vital support. there's around a million young people with needs that are just not being supported today. charities say more than 20% of youth services will not survive this crisis. we've covered all those areas yesterday, i think. i think today we will go together and cover the estate. youth workers in north london out looking for some of the teenagers they have lost contact with. for now, the kids are off the streets,

but can it stay that way? it's those young people who have been perhaps involved in criminal activity or, you know, excluded from school, i would be worried about that group. because those young people are not on the social media platforms that many of the other young people we work with are. in suburban st albans, these houses are full of young people trying to keep themselves busy. so what are you missing the most? my girlfriend. yeah, that's been the hardest part so far. i've missed her a lot. i don't know that i would be able to cope with three months, having to stay inside. why? not being able to see my friends, not being able to see my family. it's just... ..lonely. if i were to know how long it would last for, that would be better, mentally. but it is the fact that we don't know, so it is kind of like waiting every day. and that uncertainty is the hardest thing for these teenagers. no—one knows how long this lockdown will last. nationwide lockdown measures in the uk, which have been in place

the question of how close we are to a vaccine for coronavirus is being asked on an almost daily basis as scientists around the world race to find a way to treat covid—i9. five years ago, microsoft founder bill gates warned about a widespread pandemic, but says he was subsequently ignored. he's now promised to help fund factories testing for vaccines. he spoke to the bbc‘s charlie stayt and he started by explaining why he believed there needed to be a global response to this outbreak. the tools that are going to reduce deaths, the drugs, you know, that's a global thing to get those out, and 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, that's a global problem and, you know, so i'm glad,

you know, that people are coming together to find where is the best work and combine 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's ever been needed. can i ask you, in relation to the vaccine — i know that you've donated a sum of money in relation to that — just talk me through how — what do you think are the key elements around developing a successful vaccine? is it money? is it political will? what do you think are the key elements to that? well, we definitely need to fund the research and the manufacturing and the distribution. the distribution piece for developing countries will be gavi, where the uk has always been super generous on that. the research will need to fund about ten —

the ten most promising constructs, because we won't know in advance which one will be prove to be safe and effective. and being effective for older people, whose immune system is weak, is a huge challenge. if you really amp up the vaccine to do that, then you can run into safety issues. so we're going to have to take something that usually takes five or six years and get it done in 18 months. there are — there is an approach called mrna vaccine that people like moderna, curevac and several others have that looks quite promising, but we can't count on that, so we'll back, you know, four or five of those and four orfive companies using a more conventional approach, which unfortunately, the schedule for that probably wouldn't be as quick as this rna programme we've been funding directly and through cepi over the last decade. you'll be aware a lot of people in the uk are asking what is a very simple and straightforward question, which is, when will there be a vaccine?

what — how do you see that? well, it's a perfect question, because we want to get back to the life we had before coronavirus. and people are seeing the economic destruction, the psychological stress. you know, this is such an unprecedented, very tough thing to deal with. the — people like myself and tony fauci are saying 18 months. if everything went perfectly, we could do slightly better than that, but there will be a trade—off — we'll have less safety testing than we typically would have, and so, governments will have to decide do they indemnify the companies and say "let's go out with this" when we just don't have the time to do what we normally do. so 18 months is about what we would expect. we're doing everything we can. we'll write checks for those factories faster than governments can, and they'll come along. it definitely shouldn't

be money limited. it should be all the best constructs, full speed ahead, science limited. as i understand it then, from what you're saying, there may seem to be some compromise in the safety measures that would normally be expected to create a vaccine, because time is so crucial? well, of course, if you — if you want to wait and see if a side effect shows up two years later, that takes two years. so whenever you're acting quickly, like during the hiv crisis, they created a quick way of getting drug approval. there is a trade—off there. in that case, it worked super, super well. and here, we have — we will, i think, be able to get some safety indications, but this is a public good. and so, you know, those trade—offs, the governments working on a cooperative basis will be involved in the decision to say, "hey, the regulator says go ahead,

even though you haven't taken the normal time period". it's been shown that nature can have a really positive impact on mental welfare, according to various scientific studies, so now charities are finding ways to help vulnerable people connect with nature while stuck indoors. the bbc‘s environment correspondent claire marshall has this. if we just close our eyes and take in some shallow breaths. imagine we're walking at the edge of a field. this is a visualisation, a virtual walk in the countryside guided by a mental health charity volunteer. there are so many different plants and bushes and trees that come together. being out in nature can have a powerful impact. and it became kind of a lifeline, really. i feel like there was something

i could do and there was something valuable and beautiful to notice when i didn't feel there was anything. there are many scientific studies that show the health benefits of being in the natural world. so when we're outside, our blood pressure comes down, our heart rate variability goes up, and that's a good thing. 0ur heart rate comes down and our cortisone levels are reduced, and these are all indicators of reductions in stress. so how to get this on lockdown? i know some of us don't have gardens... ironically, the therapy now involves embracing screen time. live online, they share fragments of the natural world they can see from their balconies or gardens. my family and i have been in self—isolation for almost two weeks because i've got a nasty cough and it is tough, but we're lucky enough to have a garden. what about people who don't? i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. and i work for the nhs

in east london and then day by day, we started seeing the reality of that. day by day people starting calling in, saying they couldn't make it. vivienne is a nature lover. to cope, she'd normally go to the countryside, but now, even the local parks are packed. what else am i supposed to do to try and pick myself up? yeah, so ijust feel like there's no point in trying. but people like emily are trying to help by giving us an intimate glimpse of the private lives of some of our most loved animals. the wildlife trusts have set up around 20 webcams across the country. nationally, we've seen 275% increase in the number of visitors who are watching it, compared to this time last year. huge people are tuning in and it's so important right now that people are getting that connection with nature, so they're doing it through digital platforms and online wildlife webcams. it may be some comfort to have a look and see that as human society struggles to cope with the virus, the natural world

carries on uninterrupted. and just to let you know that you can keep up—to—date with the latest advice on our website, and you can keep in touch with me on twitter 2a/7 at @vicderbyshire. thanks for watching.

the headlines: 596 more people have died in hospital in the uk from covid—19 — that's the smallest increase in nearly two weeks. the national care forum estimates that the number of deaths linked to coronavirus in uk care homes may be far higher than thought. it says more than a,000 residents may have died. the last official figure for england was 217. it comes as reports suggest the uk is looking to gradually lift some lockdown restrictions, such as re—opening schools and allowing some small

social gatherings. but the reports have been rejected by a government minister. some of the biggest names in music have joined forces to celebrate healthcare workers in a globally televised concert. lady gaga, paul mccartney and billie eilish were among those who performed songs from their homes. hello and welcome to viewers on bbc one, as we build up today's coronavirus briefing from the government, lead by the education secretary gavin williamson, alongside drjenny harries, the deputy chief medical 0fficerfor england. a further 596 people have died in the uk from coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths tojust over 16,000. over 120,000 people have tested positive for the virus. it comes as the government denies reports that it has drawn up plans

to allow some schools and businesses to open in mid—may. elsewhere, a delivery of some protective equipment for health care workers, that was due to start arriving in the uk today from turkey, has been delayed. teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds in england are to be lent laptops and tablets by the government, to help them study at home during the lockdown. today's briefing is due to start in about ten minutes' time. but first, our health correspondent, jane dreaper looks at the situation in the uk. stephen pearson, who died from coronavirus over the easter weekend is 51, was devoted to his wife and two daughters. he was also a mental health nurse, who had given the nhs in the north—east of england more than 30 years' service. his younger daughter bethany told me about the family's shock. i said to him, "just humour us. "on a scale of one to ten, one being the best day of your life

"and ten being the worst day of your life, how do you feel?" i mean, he told us he was a five. he said, "girls, look, you're worrying about nothing." my dad slept upstairs in the bedroom, my mum slept away from him, and we woke up in the morning and he was gone. bethany, her mum and sister have since tested positive for covid—19, and have felt ill from the virus in the midst of their grief. please stay at home while you can. i mean, my dad couldn't and he lost his life. so if you can... i know it's horrible, no—one wants to be stuck at home 2a hours of the day, every day, but it's what we need to do right now. and if it saves one life by staying in the house then, it's absolutely worth it. the government says there isn't enough information yet that would allow the lockdown restrictions to be lifted. ministers confirmed today that hotels, pubs and restaurants will be among the last businesses to reopen, and suggestions that children might be back in classrooms soon have been denied.

we wanted to make sure that we make a balanced judgment about which restrictions can be relaxed at what time. and you're quite right to say that we've stressed that the reporting in today's newspapers that schools will open on the may the 11th, that is not true, we have not made that decision. lockdown is a blunt tool in and of itself. we need a testing and tracing strategy alongside it, to help us manage and cope with this virus for the coming months. so let's see where we get to, but so far the government hasn't met the promises it's made before on testing. uk scientists are working at a pace to research a vaccine that could protect against the virus. but, as well as testing a new jab for safety, which will take time, researchers say there will need to be a massive effort to sort out manufacturing facilities. those companies need to have new equipment, they need to have their staff

trained in using new protocols and new quality control assessments, and all of that can happen, but the companies that we're going to be working with, are going to need to stop doing what they would normally do and make this vaccine instead. so we need support for them all to make sure that that's done in a fair way while trying to do something that's really very important. today, the drive to get vital ppe to nhs staff suffered a setback. a flight from turkey with a vital shipment, including a00,000 surgical gowns, is not expected to arrive, though the government hopes it will be here in the coming days. jane dreaper, bbc news. with me now is our health correspondent, nick triggle. let's begin with the number of deaths that was reported in hospitals for the last 2a hours that came out in the last couple of hours. yes, they were 596 new deaths announce, bringing the total to over 16,000. that is actually the lowest

figure for nearly two weeks. yesterday they were 888 deaths announced. it has been hovering over the 700, 800 mark announced. it has been hovering over the 700,800 mark for announced. it has been hovering over the 700, 800 mark for over announced. it has been hovering over the 700,800 mark for over a announced. it has been hovering over the 700, 800 mark for over a week. good news, but we must look at these figures with caution, because often at weekends we see a little bit of a drop because there are delays in reporting the deaths that happen. we are more likely to see an improvement in the picture on the number of cases from hospital admissions first. they have been showing some signs of levelling off and flattening that curve, the officials have said for the past week or two. today, it was announced there were another 5850 cases, hovering around that mark for the last couple of weeks. we are beginning to plateau. that is about deaths in hospitals, not in the community crucially, care homes, where there have been concerns about the numbers there that might have died. yes, the national care forum has been looking today at the numbers of deaths in care homes. at

the start of april, the office for national statistics said there had been just over national statistics said there had beenjust over 200 national statistics said there had been just over 200 deaths, national statistics said there had beenjust over 200 deaths, but national statistics said there had been just over 200 deaths, but they rely on death certificates that the doctors have mentioned the coronavirus on. so the national care forum represents the percent of care homes and it has asked its staff to come from the cases of coronavirus but also suspected as coronavirus. they suspect it was six fold higher at the start of april and they have been tracking it during the rest of the month and they believe now there are perhaps over a000 deaths in care homes, much higher than the official figures suggest. just before we leave you for now, personal protective equipment seems to be a big issue again. it was the expectation that the shipment from turkey would arrive today. expectation that the shipment from turkey would arrive todaym expectation that the shipment from turkey would arrive today. it was going to contain a000 —— a00,000 gowns, a bit of equipment that is on the brink of being none left. we

might not see that for a few days, there has been a delay. it was coming from turkey, the raf are there but the shipment has not arrived yet for the raf to fly into the uk. thank you for that. with me now is chief political correspondent vicki young. gavin williamson the education secretary will be at the helm today. what are we expecting? the first time he has been at one of these press c0 nfe re nces , time he has been at one of these press conferences, the timing is obvious, given that school terms on the summer term is about to start for thousands of pupils. but not any way that many of them would have thought was going to be happening. soi thought was going to be happening. so i think there will be quite a bit about online learning, how families cope with all of that, with home—schooling and trying to work out the best way for children to learn. and in line with all of that, one of the things they are going to be talking about is extra help for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who might not have a laptop of the tools to deal with that. they will

allow some of the older pupils to borrow laptops to help them with ag connection, for example, just to make sure that they can follow things in the same way as everyone else can. but there are sure to be lots of questions of course about when schools might reopen and the impression i get is that the government is not willing to discuss dates, that date there of may the 11th and one of the newspapers, that has been absolutely dismissed by ministers, saying that no decision has been made. and they are not willing to talk about the sequence really of how things might change in the next few weeks. i certainly don't think we will get any details about how certain measures might be lifted until relate that next review, which is over 2.5 weeks away. in law it must be looked at every three weeks. we heard from dominic raab standing in for the prime minister on thursday and he said certain things must be in place before they can think about changing things from the way they are at the moment. the message from gavin williamson i think will be for the

next few weeks at least, pupils will still be learning from home. thank you, vicki young. we willjoin you injust the you, vicki young. we willjoin you in just the second. just to remind eve ryo ne in just the second. just to remind everyone that the latest number of deaths we have had announced in the uk in hospitals is 596