tonight at ten — the uk records the highest number of deaths linked to coronavirus of any european country. the latest figures also mean that the uk has recorded more deaths than any other country in the world except the usa. italy was the worst—hit country in europe. the lockdown there is now being eased, but ministers say comparisons are not straightforward. i'm not sure that the international comparison works unless you reliably know that all countries are measuring in the same way. and it also depends on how good, frankly, countries are in gathering their statistics. we'll have the latest, on the day one of the government's main scientific advisers stood down. professor neil ferguson, one of the architects of the lockdown, stepped aside because he'd broken social distancing rules.

virgin atlantic says the business effect of the pandemic is devastating. it plans to cut 3,000 jobs and might end its operation at gatwick. and we meet the choir that's come together online to fight isolation and to support each other. and in the sport on bbc news — as other sports voice concern over their future, the english football league says it could be facing a loss of £200 million. good evening. in the seventh week of the lockdown, the united kingdom has now recorded europe's highest number of deaths linked to coronavirus.

we have overtaken italy, the first country in the world to instigate a national lockdown to control the pandemic. dominic raab, the first secretary of state, said the latest figures portrayed a massive tragedy but he warned against making comparisons with other countries until much more information was available on all causes of death. today's figures show there were 693 deaths linked to the virus recorded in a 24—hour period in the uk — that's in hospitals, care homes and in the community. that brings the total number of deaths formally linked to the virus to 29,427, which is second only to the usa worldwide. experts say there are several key factors to be considered when making comparisons including population size, different testing regimes, and geographical spread, as our science editor david shukman explains. every so often, there are grim national milestones. this time, as the uk's death toll

rises above that of italy, making it second only to the united states, and with every figure a story of loss and grief. the virus never loses the power to shock, killing three members of one family within days of each other. first, keith dunnington, a nurse from south shields, then, a week later, his father maurice and his mother lillian, leaving the family stand. i'm still in disbelief a little bit. keith's children are...erm, absolutely devastated. and then, to lose their nanny and grandad, they're really devastated. my children are both absolutely heartbroken. at today's government briefing, the latest graph shows how the death tolls are rising in different countries. the official numbers confirm that italy has lost 29,315 people, and the uk now slightly more, at 29,427. if it does turn out

that we are the country that's hardest hit in europe, what's your reaction to that? there are different ways of counting deaths, as we know, we've had that debate in this country. we now publish data that includes all deaths in all settings, and not all countries do that, so i'm not sure that the international comparison works unless you reliably know that all countries are measuring in the same way. and it also depends on how good, frankly, countries are in gathering their statistics. and our own office for national statistics is widely acknowledged to be a world leader. there are important differences between the two countries. the uk has more people than italy, and london is far bigger than any italian city. 0n the other hand, the population of italy is older and more generations live together, which increases the risk to grandparents. it's a complicated picture, that's still evolving. everybody knows that making international comparisons in such

statistics can be difficult, and it may be that that will take some time to sort out, and this isn't over yet. but all this raises questions about the uk's handling of the outbreak. the nhs has avoided being overwhelmed — a real success, unlike in northern italy. but it emerged today that fewer than 300 people were put into quarantine earlier this year, at a time when 18 million arrived without any kind of screening. and testing for the virus got off to a slower start than in other countries, and that's now been officially acknowledged. in the early phases, and i've said this before, i think if we'd managed to ramp testing capacity quicker, it would have been beneficial, and... you know, for all sorts of reasons, that didn't happen, and i think it's clear you need lots of testing for this. the numbers dying everyday are now falling, the lockdown is working.

but this comes as tens of thousands of people across the uk are now grieving. david shukman, bbc news. the impact of the pandemic on some of the most vulnerable people in society is becoming increasingly clear. the latest figures from the office for national statistics show deaths related to coronavirus in care homes in england and wales increased by more than a third in the week ending the 24th april. that week there were 2,794 registered deaths in care homes linked to coronavirus. that means a total of nearly 6 thousand care home deaths up to april 24th. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has the latest on the care sector and the intense pressure it's under. tonight at glenabbey manor care home in county antrim, it was confirmed that 14 residents have now passed away after testing positive for, or showing signs of, coronavirus.

each death, an individual tragedy — the personal loss that lies behind the weekly official numbers and a distressing marker of how the virus continues to reach into residential and nursing homes across the uk. i got to the care home and my youngest sister was there at that time, she was looking through the window. and it was, like...surreal. at a liverpool care home, joe brown only managed to see his mother, bertha, from outside after she tested positive for covid—i9. she died a few days later. he doesn't understand why the virus wasn't mentioned on her death certificate, but those are questions for another day. there was my mum, not three metres away behind the glass, and the care workers were trying to get her to look at the window to see us, you know. at one point she lifted her hand a few inches, but i couldn't do anything. and i like to think i've been quite

a strong person myself all my life, but i felt totally helpless. more than a third of deaths in care homes in england, scotland and wales were registered as linked to covid—i9 in the week up to april the 24th. but overall, the number of deaths in uk homes from all causes is higher than usual, particularly so in england and wales. almost four times more deaths than we would expect to see at this time of year were registered in that last week. about 280% more deaths registered in care homes, above that five—year average, and that number is going up. and 35% of those mentioned covid on the death certificates. once again, these official figures paint a distressing picture of the impact that coronavirus is having on care homes. i understand that within days, the government will set out a plan of intensive support for care homes in particular, including additional back—up from councils and health services.

with care providers still having trouble with protective equipment and testing, many see more support as overdue but vital. we need more help from the government on testing, on ppe and financial support. and i think we need more help so we can reduce the deaths in care homes going forward. we need to be at the centre, not on the periphery. for weeks, care staff have said they felt largely on their own as they try to protect residents. the test of more coordinated support will be whether that changes. alison holt, bbc news. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. can hugh pym, is here. we talk about more about this rather can we talk about more about this rather thorny issue of making comparisons between the uk and other countries — what is your reading of the differences? well, it is certainly a sombre moment, with a death toll of near 30,000, but of course london is three times bigger

than italy's biggest city, and like new york, it is an environment where the virus might spread quickly. the uk has got a bigger population than italy. and of course there are some issues around international comparisons. and the nhs has coped remarkably well in the circumstances, it hasn't been overwhelmed, despite productions. 0ne chart stood out, the one showing italy 15 days ahead of the uk in this epidemic. it was one of the first countries to be hit hard, and yet the uk now has a higher death toll. and it comes on a day with more scrutiny of the government by mps at the health select committee, and then in the commons health questions with health ministers, questions with health ministers, questions being asked respectfully, i think questions being asked respectfully, ithink mps questions being asked respectfully, i think mps from all parties know that the government had a very, very difficult job, that the government had a very, very difficultjob, in that the government had a very, very difficult job, in unprecedented circumstances, but questions being asked about, was the lockdown imposed to late? shouldn't testing have been ramped up a lot sooner? sir patrick vallance saying there that he thinks it could have been developed more rapidly and not

stored for a month or so. so, i think these questions can only continue from here. you pen, our health editor, thanks very much. the prominent scientist whose work was a key factor in the government's decision to implement the lockdown, has stepped aside tonight, from the advisory committee called sage. professor neil ferguson said he'd acted in a way that undermined the rules on social distancing. it follows reports in the daily telegraph that a woman had visited his home, in breach of the restrictions. 0ur correspondentjessica parker is at westminster. jessica, what have you learnt about this development tonight? well, as you say, professor neil ferguson, a member of the scientific committee known as sage, which advises ministers on their approach to coronavirus. he has stepped back from that committee this evening following reports in the daily telegraph that he breached social distancing rules after a woman visited his home. i will bring you some of his statement tonight. he said... i accept i made an error of judgment. i acted said... i accept i made an error of judgment. iacted in

said... i accept i made an error of judgment. i acted in the belief that i was judgment. i acted in the belief that iwas immune judgment. i acted in the belief that i was immune having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms. he goes on to say he deeply regrets any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic. it was professor ferguson's work alongside a team at imperial college london about how devastating this epidemic could be which seen as a key driver bit behind the uk government's decision to go into lockdown. so, his work was hugely influential, and it remains so. you might also remember a similar case about a month ago where dr catherine calderwood, scotland's chief medical 0fficer, resigned from her post after she was found to have breached the rules after visiting her second home. so tonight, perhaps a reminder that there was who are involved in setting the regulations are also under pressure to keep to them. jessica parker, many thanks. virgin atlantic has announced plans

to cut more than 3,000 jobs in the uk and to end its operation at gatwick airport. virgin blamed what it called the "devastating" effect of the pandemic. it's another major blow for gatwick — the second busiest airport in the uk, just days after british airways said it could not rule out closing its operation there as well. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge has more details. happier times, when sir richard branson launched his airline virgin atlantic at gatwick airport. but that relationship is over for now, at least. when travel restrictions lift, the airline will not run any flights in and out of gatwick. it plans to cut 3,000 of its 10,000 staff. the airline industry is shrinking fast. aviation is heading towards a death spiral, a downward trend across the whole of the aviation

sector which will affect airports, which will affect the supply chain. all throughout the country. virgin's exit from gatwick is a blow, but not a killer punch — it's the ninth largest airline here. ba is the second—biggest and it has suggested it may pull out, too. that would be a major hit for businesses and people nearby. the sheer amount of money that comes into the local economy through people's paycheques at the airport is what powers most of the local economy. we're really looking at something on the scale that we haven't seen in this country since the ‘80s. before the pandemic, planes would queue to get in and out of this airport. now, this is a rare sight. gatwick and other airports were, just a few weeks ago, talking up their expansion plans. virtually all of their slots were full. but all those static tail fins tell you that airlines

and airports are suddenly in a very different era. if there's a vaccine or people feel comfortable about flying, then they will do. there will be a percentage of the population that are quite happy to jump on an aeroplane. but i think a proportion of the people who are not and because of the hassle through the airports, it's going to be momentous. bailing out an airline part owned by a billionaire is potentially toxic. so the government has insisted that virgin atlantic finds new investors before it gets emergency loans. the future for this iconic brand is uncertain. tom burridge, bbc news, at gatwick airport. iata, the group that represents airlines around the world has recommended that all passengers wear masks while flying, but it's expressed concern about the way social distancing can be ensured on board. aer lingus, which is based in dublin, has been criticised after images were published showing

a very full flight from belfast. the airline says it will put on five more flights a week to reduce the number of people perflight, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. it was these pictures taken by a worker travelling from belfast to london which have added to mounting concerns over the way airlines are operating during the lockdown. no social distancing whatsoever. none whatsoever. 0n the plane, the queues were down the steps and out onto the tarmac, as they were before all this has happened — no change whatsoever. since restrictions were imposed, the number of daily flights has fallen by around 80%. some 60 flights a day now arrive at london heathrow, compared to 600 a day before the pandemic. but there is no policy capping passenger numbers. aer lingus has said there was unexpectedly high demand on the day those pictures were taken and that it's now urgently reviewing its procedures on board, but others in the industry have warned that, on a plane, social distancing is basically impossible.

we don't believe social distancing on aircraft actually works, and there are two reasons for that. one of which is the obvious economic one. the second of which is around the air conditioning systems on aeroplanes, which rely, in part, on recycling air within the cabin. that simply defeats the purpose of social distancing. the bbc has also heard from one member of british airways cabin crew who told us ba are also still operating some short—haul flights at capacity. and as these images from paris to madrid today show, other airlines are similarly flying with full cabins. the international air transport association has recommended safety measures, such as masks, but says limiting passenger numbers would push up fares. neutralising seats on an aircraft could have an enormous negative impact and could lead to that increase, up to 55%, in fares.

reviving the aviation industry will be important to the country's economic recovery, but the government said it must be done responsibly. these are some of the big, real challenges that we've got to grapple with, but the safety of people has got to come first. there are predictions passenger numbers may not return to previous levels for several years, and, currently, no standard approach for how to operate on board. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. the scottish government has set out its options for relaxing the lockdown. the current social distancing restrictions are due to be reviewed on thursday, but the first minister, nicola sturgeon, says significant changes are unlikely. she's published a set of options on easing the lockdown, ranging from gradually re—opening schools, to letting people gather in larger groups. 0ur scotland editor, sarah smith, is in glasgow with the latest.

nicola sturgeon is urging people to keep strictly to the current guidelines at the moment, not least because it is possible the infection is actually spreading at a faster rate in scotland than anywhere else in the uk. but, at the same time she is starting a discussion about what the near future might look like is starting a discussion about what the nearfuture might look like and she is giving a lot more details than we have heard from the uk government. scottish schools are unlikely to go back any time soon, as the government believes a full reopening could lead to a spike in infections. there might be an earlier return for vulnerable pupils as well as students facing exams and those about to move from primary to secondary school. the scottish government says there is evidence of a lower rate of transmission outdoors. they're considering allowing people out more often, orfor longer. once the infection rate has lowered, it might be possible to allow people to spend time with others from outwith their own household in a group or bubble that acts as a single, self—contained unit. nicola sturgeon says the decisions

she has to make go beyond party politics or ideology. can you tell us, are these the kind of ideas the uk government and other devolved administrations are actively considering, they're just not discussing them? i imagine all governments across the uk are looking at these kinds of options. i don't yet know what the prime minister might be thinking of announcing on sunday. i believe it is. when i do know that, i will be able to judge in the areas i'm responsible for based on the evidence i've seen as to whether that is right for scotland or not. it's likely construction sites could reopen first, along with manufacturing and retail sectors. the scottish government want to restart normal nhs services, like nonessential operations and cancer screening as soon as possible, but they can't say when this might happen. nicola sturgeon says she wants to

have a public debate about which lockdown measures could be lifted first. for instance, if you cannot do everything at once, with the public prefer to see some of the restrictions on the economy opened up, or would they prefer the freedom to see friends and family? that is why the scottish government have launched an online tool to allow the public tojoin launched an online tool to allow the public to join in the debate about how lockdown should be eased when the time comes. sarah, thanks again. sarah smith, our scotland editor in glasgow. a new smartphone app released by nhs england with the aim of tracing the spread of coronavirus has been made available on the isle of wight today. it's part of a trial to help shape the government's strategy for easing the lockdown. council and health care workers will be the first to try it with the rest of the island able to download it from thursday. concerns have been expressed about the nature of the app

the data it collects and the implications for people's privacy— as our correspondent duncan kennedy reports. a new advert, a new app and a new strategy against coronavirus. the nhs covid—i9 app lets you know quickly if... the app was launched on the isle of wight today. in testing terms, the island has it all — the right isolation, population density and phone connectivity. so, what do people think of the new app? anna new is a community nurse here and is one of 3,000 nhs staff on the island to be offered the app first. she says she has some concerns about it but will use it to help save lives. it's a really good idea to be able to track and trace exactly what's going on with covid—i9 at the moment. being a community nurse, it's really important, so we know exactly where the movements are. the app is being sent out to nhs staff today and tomorrow. but what do non—nhs people on the island think? will you use it? oh, yes. why? well, it's my safety and everybody else's safety. fantastic. good idea. yeah, great idea. it had to be tested somewhere, didn't it? yeah. so, we are, as they say,

slightly contained. i think it's a good idea, i think anything and everything at the moment. yes, there's civil liberties questions, but as long as it's rolled back afterwards. so, how does the new phone app work? well, it connects random identities of other app users and the time and distance they are from each other. if someone is feeling ill, they upload their symptoms and data to the nhs central server. that data is then analysed and if someone is deemed to be at risk, they're sent a message advising them to self—isolate. the government says, for the app to succeed, at least half the population, here and elsewhere, will need to download and use it. and those who are deemed to be at risk will have to self—isolate. butjust how secure is the app? the government insists the information is anonymous. but the regulator says it's watching. 0ur role as the independent regulator is to do robust audits on how the app has actually performed, and whether or not

off—boarding, or deletion, of obsolete data is taking place. the isle of wight public will be offered the app on thursday. if it works, the rest of england could see it later this month. duncan kennedy, bbc news, on the isle of wight. the health records of thousands of people who've had coronavirus are to be examined in detail to establish whether obesity, ethnicity and gender are factors in the risk of death from the virus. the study, led by public health england, has been ordered by ministers to help understand why the vast majority of people suffer only mild symptoms while others don't survive. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has been looking at the data. it's the virus that's infected millions of people around the world. but some get a much more serious illness than others. researchers are trying to find out why.

and a key area they are looking at is age and sex. 0verall, coronavirus is having a worse impact on men than women. for covid—i9 patients admitted to uk hospitals, 60% were men and 40% were women. and this is repeated in data looking at deaths. across every age group, more men are dying with coronavirus than women. and this difference increases the older you get. this pattern is seen around the world. ageing affects the immune system, making it easier for the virus to infect cells. but for men, there's a second factor. their sex hormones, unfortunately, give an extra boost to the virus to allow it to also enter their cells even more quickly and more efficiently. so, the older male has this double hit, making them more susceptible, and when they do have the infection, it's easier for the virus to replicate and spread. 0besity has also been linked to severe cases of covid—i9,

and the more obese, the higher the risk. scientists believe it's caused by complex interactions in the body. fat cells themselves can actually interact with the immune system to exaggerate it, so you get a bigger immune hit. and at the same time, people who are overweight have an impaired ability to cope with that immune function because their lungs don't take as much oxygen in, their heart isn't as efficient to be able to pump that oxygen around the body, their pipes, their blood vessels, aren't delivering that oxygen as well to the tissues. there's emerging evidence that covid—i9 may also be having a disproportionate impact on some ethnic groups in the uk and elsewhere. hospital data shows about a third of critically ill patients were black, asian orfrom other minority ethnic backgrounds, a higher proportion than the general population. scientists say the picture is complicated. even though there may be more people coming to hospital, and it appears that they're more badly affected, when you adjust for the underlying diseases that

they've got, and you adjust for the local area deprivation, the differences between ethnicity become much smaller than one might imagine. the government has now ordered a rapid review. identifying who is most at risk and understanding why will be essential in the fight against covid—i9. rebecca morelle, bbc news. clubs in the english football league face a shortfall of £200 million in their finances by september, according to chairman rick parry. the efl consists of 72 clubs across england and wales in three divisions below the premier league, and mr parry says it was difficult to answer how many clubs might go out of business because of the pandemic. 0ur sports editor dan roan has the story. match—going fans have always been the lifeblood of sport, but nowhere are they more important than here in the football league where clubs are far more dependent on ticket sales than broadcast revenue. and seven weeks after the season

was suspended, the true cost of the coronavirus crisis was today laid bare. we are heading for a financial hole of about £200 million by the end of september. we need a rescue package, but i do think we also, at the same time, need to address the longer term. we can'tjust go from one bailout to another bailout, we have to look at the structure and assess it root and branch. parry told mps an overhaul of english football finances was now required, including a redistribution of revenues to bridge the chasm between the premier league and the rest. the end of parachute payments are to relegated clubs, calling them an, "evil that must be eradicated." the salary cap to stop ridiculous spending by clubs and restrictions on squad sizes. here at league i rochdale, they've been preparing to celebrate a century of football league membership next season. instead, they're bracing themselves for no fans through the turnstiles well into next year and face a fight for survival. in an ideal world what we'd do now is mothball the club and reopen it in a year's time when the world may

be back to some form of normality, with people paying to get in football grounds. but, you can'tjust do that, people need being paid and the biggest cost base in any football club is the playing staff. long before this crisis, there was mounting concern that football finances outside of the premier league were unsustainable, especially at clubs like this, where 90% of income goes on player wages. now, the fear is that the football league season could be just days away from being cancelled, a growing sense that its economic model has to change for good. it's uncertain whether the vastly wealthier premier league will now come to the rescue of the 71 lower league clubs, and that may hinge on whether the top flight can resume its own season. dan roan, bbc news, rochdale. over the past couple of months the pandemic has created immense difficulties for people with learning disabilities,

and those with underlying health issues who find themselves having to self—isolate. but a choir in oxford has shown that music can be one means of challenging the isolation. the soundabout inclusive choir has harnessed technology to support its members, as the bbc‘s fergal keane reports. # amazing grace # how sweet the sound... a voice from a deep confinement. music helps make isolation bearable for sam pittick, aged 37. he has a vulnerable immune system and can't leave home. # i once was lost, but now i'm found # was blind... and when you're all singing together, what is the feeling?