this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a test that can tell whether you've ever had the coronavirus is approved in england — the uk government says it could be available in a few weeks. we are keen to get as many as we can and get them out primarily to the front line first, the nhs, social care, and then more widely because this really will be coming the prime minister said to come of this has the potential to be a game changer. health bosses in england are alarmed by the number of people staying away from hospital — accident & emergency visits fall by more than half since the coronavirus outbreak. a former top us vaccine official turned whistle—blower, who was removed from his governmentjob last month, testifies before congress.

i knew that we were going to have a crisis for health care workers because we were not taking action. another three million americans apply for unemployment benefits in the past week, as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy. and worry for theatres in the uk — the lockdown means venues, actors and crews are now fearing for their futures. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. scientists in the uk say a new blood test, which detects whether someone has had coronavirus, is a major step forward. the test looks for antibodies which could indicate some immunity to covid—i9 in the future. it was approved last night by public health england,

and ministers say they want to roll it out as soon as possible — first to health and care workers. a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of the scale of the coronavirus outbreak in england. a survey of 11,00 households in the first two weeks of this month suggest that during a two—week period at the start of this month, nearly 150,000 people — or one in every 400 — currently has covid—19. the number of people going to accident and emergency in england has hit a record low — visits more than halved in april compared with the same month last year. the latest nhs figures also show cancer referrals in england have fallen prompting concern from uk charities. elsewhere a further three million americans applied for unemployment benefits this week. it brings the total unemployment claims in america in the last two months to more than 36 million — representing 10% of the entire us population. and the first cases of coronavirus

have reached the world's largest refugee camp, in cox's bazar bangladesh. the camps are home to more than 800,000 rohingyas, who fled persecution in myanmar. we have more on all those stories coming up — but first, the bbc‘s medical correspondent fergus walsh reports on that seach for an effective antibody test it is what millions of britons want to know. have they already had coronavirus? now it is possible to find out for sure, with a blood test. it has to go through lab analysis. this can be done by hand, like here at imperial college london, or in an automated process, like a new highly accurate antibody test, approved for use in the uk. if you get infected with coronavirus, your immune system starts to produce antibodies. these become part of your immune system's memory. so if you get exposed to the virus again, they should attack it.

but how much protection they will give and how long that immunity will last is unclear. for some coronaviruses, we know that protection can fade and we know from experiments many years ago, for example, that it is possible to re—infect individuals with the exact same coronavirus, may be a year later, even though they developed antibodies to start with, so we have to be careful to assume that any antibody will last for a long time. roche says it can provide hundreds of thousands of its antibody test to the uk each week. pharmacies and health clinics could be involved in collecting blood samples. i anticipate that it will be rapidly rolled out in the days and weeks to come, as soon as it is practical to do so. i also anticipate that the focus will be on the national health service and on carers in the first instance. there are several other types of antibody test which only require a finger prick of blood. some of which are being

trialled by nhs staff. despite buying 3.5 million of them, the government concluded none was accurate enough. this is another way of testing for antibodies. you prick your thumb... and then apply a blood spot to this piece of card, which is then sent off to a laboratory for very sophisticated analysis. that dry spot blood test is being developed at imperial college london. it is planning to send out 100,000 home testing antibody kits once they are proven to be accurate and easy—to—use. the swab goes to the back of your throat... remember, it is a swab test like this which will show if you are currently infected with coronavirus. so this remains crucial in preventing the spread of the virus.

dr mytree shivkumar is a lecturer in molecular biology at de montfort university. good to have you with us. the uk health secretary matt hancock said last month this with a potential game changer. is it? ithink last month this with a potential game changer. is it? i think a really major step forward because as we just really major step forward because as wejust hired in really major step forward because as we just hired in that report, it tells us a positive test on this antibody test will tell if someone has been previously infected and that information we do not have as of now, so he can tell us how the virus is spreading in the community, people who potentially have not shown any symptoms are very mild symptoms who don't know they were infected, we can tell if they have been infected in the past, so it definitely gives us a lot more information to understand how the virus is spreading, which is really useful to further understand what we need to do to be potentially able to

lift lockdown. but what the test does not tell us is about the immune protection that this antibody software. so a person who has antibodies, we not been affected, but we don't know if these antibodies actually provide protection against reinfection by the virus, and what we also don't know is how long if they do have this protection, how long that will last. and based on what we know from some other corunna viruses, this could be anywhere between months and a few years. -- corunna viruses. i wa nt a few years. -- corunna viruses. i want the focus for us all on those people who have very like symptoms and who may be a symptomatic, because they seems to be a lot of confusion about whether they produce antibodies or not. if they take this test co m e antibodies or not. if they take this test come as a possible that there are no antibodies and that person thinks i haven't had it? yes, that

could be happening. what are the implications of that? some studies suggest that there is not really a huge correlation with the amount of antibodies produced and how severe the infection was. so i guess if someone, the infection was. so i guess if someone, i think if thinks that they have not had the infection but have had the infection, that doesn't come in sense states false positive or somebody thinks they have the infection but they have not because they think they might be immune when in fact they could potentially be susceptible to the virus. so i may give them a false sense of security? exactly. i understand. what does this go next. people want the test clearly. people will discover that they have had it who perhaps didn't know they had it. then what?|j

they have had it who perhaps didn't know they had it. then what? i think at the moment, they are being only brought out to health care workers as of now. so i think it is important in that setting for people to know whether they have been affected or not. in terms of the general public, it is useful information to know but i would be cautious about using the information for immune passports because like i said, the correlation between having these antibodies and immune protection is still not clear. so this test will give scientists a lot of information about what these correlations can be but it is impossible to say that will directly impact the general public. now until we have more information. before i let you go, i want to get your thoughts on this study. they have looked at the people and 11,000 households, extrapolated the

information to suggest that in this first two weeks of april, 150,000 people might have had corunna virus. that is one in 400 of the population. that may be mirrored in other countries around the world. that's that sound about right to you? yes. -- michael and. important to remember that was just a snapshot. and that was done at the lockdown. —— coronavirus. —— then during the lockdown. now with the lockdown pes committed difficult to say how those numbers will change with these changes. it is reassuring that the number was low and suggest that the number was low and suggest that somebody continues to socially distance and doesn't encounter large crowds in public transport will be, the risk of them getting the infection will be low, but as i said, it is impossible to say how that will change over time,

especially with this easing of lockdowns. so many unknown still. thank you very much forjoining us. there is serious concern that tens of thousands of seriously ill people in england are not seeking help because of fears that they might catch the coronavirus in hospital — or be a burden on the nhs. the starkest illustration of this is the drop in visits to accident and emergency departments — down by more than half since the outbreak began. doctors worry that conditions as serious as heart attacks and strokes are being overlooked. here's our health editor hugh pym. plenty of staff and not many patients. it's got a little busier here in a&e in recent days, but not much. like many other hospitals, they saw an astonishing drop in the number of patients coming through the doors last month. april here was busy from a covid—19 perspective, dealing with sick patients. it was all very calm, controlled and safe but we were busy from that perspective, but we saw a real drop—off in demand

of other types of patients that we usually see. normally, assessment cubicles in a&e would be pretty busy but, right now, all these ones along here are empty. they are for non—covid patients. it is a sign of how different things are right now. the worry is that people who might need urgent care are staying away because they are scared of catching the virus. the message from all hospitals, we are open for business and patients who need treatment should come in. if you are concerned about having a stroke, a heart attack, perhaps cancer, do come forward and, at the same time, the nhs will be redesigning the way in which services are offered to keep them safe. the latest figures for england show that a&e visits fell by nearly 57% in the year to april. the monthly total was below 917,000, the lowest since records began. there are no comparable figures yet from other parts of the uk. the number coming in for routine operations fell by nearly a third

in the year to march. all non—emergency surgery was postponed because the nhs needed to clear beds for coronavirus patients, but that has left others, like helen, frustrated. she was told she needed a hysterectomy urgently in february. it didn't happen and she hasn't heard any more. if something is deemed urgent, it's deemed urgent for a reason. i think there are an awful lot of people who have various conditions that are being put at great risk of further damage due to these precautions being taken. jane has been waiting since february for a gall bladder operation, and, again, hasn't been told when it could happen. i understand that in this current situation that, you know, i'm not a priority. i understand that fully. it does concern me. i'd like to get it over and done with, really, you know, so that i feel it won't build up again and there won't be

any further problems. nhs leaders have now told hospitals to restart non—urgent operations and procedures, but all patients who are asked to come in will be instructed to self—isolate for 14 days beforehand — a reminder of the continuing concern about the possible spread of the virus. hugh pym, bbc news. when the time comes to look back on the us response to coronavirus, the focus will fall on who knew what and when. and today there are two stories in congress which speak to that theme. the first is the news that richard burr — one of the most senior republicans in the senate — has stood down as chair of the all important intelligence committee. he is being investigated by the fbi, over allegations he dumped substantial amounts of stock after he was briefed about the likely spread of the virus. the other headlines of the day come from testimony given by whistle—blower dr rick bright,

who until april led the us agency that was spearheading the research into a vaccine. in his testimony to a congressional committee he recalled the moment he realised how grave the lack of preparedness was. i would never forget the e—mails i received from mike bowen and indicating that our mass supplier was completely decimated and he said we are in deep expletive. the world is. we need to act. and i pushed forward to the highest levels i could and hhs. i got no response. from that moment. i knew that we would have a crisis for health care workers because we were not taking action. earlier i spoke with our washington correspondent, gary 0 donoghue and asked him what we know about the allegations surrounding burr. richard byrd is a senator from richard byrd is a senatorfrom north carolina, a senior senator, but he

is chair of the intelligent select committee. 0ne is chair of the intelligent select committee. one of the key posts inside the senate. —— coronavirus. -- burr. inside the senate. —— coronavirus. —— burr. investigators got a warrant to search his home and see his his phone as part of an investigation over potential insider dealing in terms of selling stock related to companies that might be affected by the corunna virus. so there are no charges at this stage, we have to stress that as far as we know. but the question is did mr burr get information through his briefings as a senator that may have led him to start selling stock from the middle of february to the middle of march? so stock sales are a matter of public record. they are out there and being investigated. and of course the stock market plans, a lot of people sold stock and the question is whether or not he sold ata time question is whether or not he sold at a time when he had information that was in the public domain and

that was in the public domain and thatis that was in the public domain and that is insider trading and it to law. that was explicitly banned in terms of senators in the briefings they get back in 2012, although interesting richard burr was one of three senators who voted against that law. this really strict to this wider theme that we explored today through the testimony of dr rick bright, because he is saying back in january, we were getting briefings about how serious this was in his words, pages of the pandemic textbook were being ignored. words, pages of the pandemic textbook were being ignoredm words, pages of the pandemic textbook were being ignored. it is interesting as the two thinks tied together. he was warning notjust about things like not getting virus samples from china, not checking about their supply route for swabs and testing, apparently their main supplierfor swabs and testing, apparently their main supplier for swabs was in and testing, apparently their main supplierfor swabs was in northern italy. imagine the problems that pose for them. not putting in place a system for distributing the equipment that was needed. while

these kind of things that rick bright is saying he was complaining about. and as you say, it was being played down in large part by donald trump and the administration more generally. the question i think for richard byrd as well, i don't know what he said publicly at the time but if he was part of a party that was playing those things down but at the same time taking action on the basis of those warnings that will be very serious for him indeed. a further three million americans applied for unemployment benefits this week. the number of new weeklyjobless claims reached a peak of almost seven million in late march — though it has been slowly falling since. but it is still extraordinarily high. it brings the total unemployment claims in america in the last two months to more than 36 million — representing 10% of the entire population — an unthinkable figure a year ago. all this just a day after the chair

of the us federal reserve said that long term joblessness could become a reality if lawmakers don't take drastic action soon. jason furman, professor of the practice of economic policy at harvard kennedy school and former chief economic adviser to barack 0bama. great to have you with us. i suppose the trend is down where in terms of the trend is down where in terms of the unemployment figures, but what do you say in the the latest numbers today? wejust... do you say in the the latest numbers today? we just. .. three milligan is only small compared to where we were a few weeks ago. —— 3 million. it is still five times larger than the worst weeks we had during the financial crisis itself. we still have a major economic problem caused by the major major health problem. jerome powell, the fed chair, waiting yesterday raising eyebrows

in congress. i wonder if it speaks to the conversations you were having him back in the days of the financial crisis. did you know that you just have to put that money in their as quickly as possible? so that you can come back as quickly as possible? yes. read limitations on what monetary policy can do right now. interest rates are already zero, even if they want to negative happy point, that would not encourage a lot of business activity. it is really fiscal policy what you do with taxes and spending back and protect families and tied to business this through and put us ina to business this through and put us in a better position that when the virus is more contained, that economic activity can be returned, only congress and the president have a really powerful tool to do that. in your view, you spend the money now over and above any concerns that some have become republicans i know on the opposite side, about the deficit ballooning? yes. bond

markets are sending a signal and interest rates are really low. you can borrow at a negative interest rate adjusted for inflation right now. now is not the time to be worried about it. and by the way, if you care about fiscal sustainability, you need an economy to repay your debt. and what the goal of these policies are is to make sure we still have an economy thatis make sure we still have an economy that is there at the table. and to repay the debt. that is more important right now. gdp, not dead. talking about the near future, i wa nt to talking about the near future, i want to come of the testimony we have from dr rick bright today. we listen to some of that. —— i want to hear commentary from. he says they are infora hear commentary from. he says they are in for a dark winter i left administration comes out with a comprehensive plan was that the who was saying yesterday it seems to be this false equation of choosing between the economy and public health. every comes back, this virus come up with a vengeance later, what does that mean for the us economy?” think a lot of it is investment, you

pay an upfront cost to get a benefit later on. the investment was the lock down. but we didn't make quite big enough investment and so we are not going to get the payoff we could've gotten. if you look, a lot of the reductions in economic activity are because the government told people they couldn't do things. it is because people don't want to do things without all the restau ra nts do things without all the restaurants in my neighbourhood could be open up for dinner tonight. i would not be going out to dinner at any one of them. the prerequisite foran at any one of them. the prerequisite for an economy is that we controlled the virus and that might require taking more steps or longer steps now. someone and i knew from said to me earlier today that this virus is signing a spotlight on the wea knesses signing a spotlight on the weaknesses we have in each of our country. —— someone weaknesses we have in each of our country. —— someone in the newsroom. now we see as we come out of the lockdown that the old division starting to reappear. does that worry and concern you? it terrifies me. we look at polls, if there is a vaccine, democrats say they were taken and republicans say they would

not. i cannot imagine a worse form a polymerization then the way people are answering that question right now. best polymerization. we did haveit now. best polymerization. we did have it initially effective policy response and part fed, which is independent and nonpartisan, but in congress came together but now they could not be further apart and that isa could not be further apart and that is a problem because a lot more legislation is going to be needed a lot more coming together to work in these issues. thank you for talking to us. a group of health service workers from wales have become an internet hit, after their rendition of simon and garfunkel‘s ‘bridge over troubled water‘ was shared around the world. the video by staff at a coronavirus field hospital in llandudno came to the attention of paul simon, who described it as ‘extraordinary‘. tomas morgan reports # when you're weary. # feeling small...

the harmonies of nhs workers in north wales. collaborating in a bilingual rendition in both welsh and english of simon and garfunkel‘s famous bridge over troubled water. sings in welsh. these medical professionals have been working out of venue cymru, a theatre hall in llandudno, which has been converted into field hospital ysbyty enfys, translated as " rainbow hospital". if it helps bring any awareness, i'm just glad of the opportunity to do a little something to help. their rendition has been an internet hit, with the song's composer, paul simon, sharing it on social media. and one of venue cymru's usual stars was all applause for this welsh performance.

ijust thought it was such a positive response to such an awful situation, because we normally go there and play when everybody is enjoying themselves. now nobody can go and play anywhere, so to turn this into something like this is really wonderful, i think it's really great, what they've done. from paramedics to doctors, porters and nurses, those working on the front line tackling coronavirus are still staying strong and able to bring a smile to our faces in these most testing times. i love that song. going to be humming all the way home. so many good renditions of songs on zoom over the last few months. let me tell you, not easy to edit so many voices and bring them altogether. credit to the songwriters and also to the editors. stay with us. plenty

more to come on bbc news. thank you for watching. hello. it may have turned into a pleasant afternoon out there but it was a chilly start for the time of year this morning, and here is one of our weather watchers in derbyshire making a statement about the frost, ice and the date. and there will be a touch of frost again tonight in places but things are changing. the blue, the chilly air, coming down from the north or north—west but a gradual change with the air beginning to edge in from the south and temperature is heading up over the weekend, not with sunshine everywhere because there will be rain in some spots but not for everyone. we have had a few showers today and some will continue overnight across particularly the northern half of scotland, may

be a rogue one pushing into north—western parts of england. for many of us, temperatures are higher tonight but through wales and the southern half of england, staying clearest for the longest overnight, this is where temperatures will get close to freezing for a touch of frost in the coldest spots. starting with sunshine, but cloud will increase and it is a cloudy day across the uk tomorrow particularly into england and wales, some cloud and sunny spells into ireland and scotland, chance of a shower across the northern half of scotland but you might see one in the north—west of england, wales, and temperatures a little bit higher. high pressure has kept many of us dry this week. that's now into the we can squeeze southwards with weather fronts coming closer from the atlantic, more by sunday. for saturday, pretty much as you are, with a few showers running into the northern half of scotland, one or two for northern ireland, much of england and wales sting dry, some cloud and sunny spells with temperatures around the mid—teens.

part two of the weekend, sunday, that is when the weather front start to come into play but not for everyone so if you want to rain, it is just towards northern ireland and scotland, in particular western scotland will see the rain move in. we might see some in the north—west of england which isn't guaranteed, and much of england and wales sting dry with hazy sunshine and temperatures edging up a bit where you get to see some sunshine and temperatures will be heading up into next week.

this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a test that can tell whether you've had the virus in the past has been approved in england. the uk government says it could be available in a few weeks. we are keen to get as many as we can and get them out — primarily to the front line first, the nhs, social care, and then more widely. because this really will be — the prime minister said, "this has the potential to be a game changer." nhs bosses in england are alarmed by the number of people staying away from hospital. accident and emergency visits have fallen by more than half since the coronavirus outbreak. a former top us vaccine official turned whistle—blower who was removed from his government job last month testifies before congress. france has said it would be "unacceptable" for french drug giant

sanofi to prioritise the us market if it develops a covid—19 vaccine. the world health organization confirms a rohingya man has tested positive, raising fears of rapid spread through the vast camps in bangladesh that house almost a million people. hello, and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. but we are going to pause now. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. the government have called again tonight for the premier league to allow more games to be watched

by a wider audience if the season starts again. the cultural secretary said they all would agree they would only go ahead if it was safe for players, coaches and staff. in a statement, they said they would be opening the door for competitive football to return in june, including widening access for fa ns to june, including widening access for fans to view live coverage and ensure the finances from the game supports the wider football family. the premier league are aiming for a restart on 12 june. but the deputy chief medical officer said this evening that tere is stil a lot of work to be done before players can even start full training. —— there is still a lot of work. plans are taking quite some depth to be able to do that. and that will be a stepwise thing. we will have to see how that goes before it is time to move on, or even think about moving on to the return of competitive football matches, as you have outlined in your question. so i think, you know, we have to be slow, we have to be measured.

england captain harry kane has joined forces with leyton orient by sponsoring their shirts next season and donating the space to three good causes. kane made his senior debut for 0rient in 2011 while on loan from tottenham. the club's home strip will carry a message of thanks to front line workers tackling the coronavirus pandemic. obviously i had spurs as a team growing up, but i think everyone has that local team that they looked at, and leyton orient were mine. so i consider a great opportunity to help them, especially in a time where there's a lot of uncertainty on whether financially it will affect them, and obviously if the league don't finish this season, things like that. so it is a really good way to help them out. the england men's cricket team will start limited training next week — a plan safer than going to the supermarket, according

to director of cricket ashley giles. it will be just centrally contracted players at venues across the country. batsmen are not expected to start their training for another two weeks. the women's team could follow injune. weeks. the women's team could follow in june. and he returned to cricket has to be safe. you know, this first phase, step one, as the government have called it themselves, is very clear that this is individual based training. so in many ways, we shouldn't be able to get the control of the environment right, it is safer to go back to practice and it is to go down to the supermarket. it is impractical to stage the race amongst the ongoing coronavirus.” it was due to start in penzance and finish in aberdeen. that route will be followed next year.

and professional golf has returned for the first time since march. the korean lpga championship is taking place at the lakewood country club in yangju. three of the world's top ten, including major champions park sung hyun and jeong—eun lee6, are involved. this is the first golf event to be played worldwide since 15 march due to the coronavirus pandemic. daniel ricciardo is leaving renault at the end of the year to replace carlos sainz at mclaren. sainz is moving to ferrari to replace sebastian vettel, who leaves at the end of the season. the spaniard has recorded this message to his team explaining he'll miss them. i cannot be more grateful to every single member of the mclaren family. and i really look forward to battling you guys next year. it is an honour to be part of your tradition, and all i can say is, thank you. it has also been a pleasure to work with you, my friend. let us finish it off on a high. good luck to him. that is all the support from us for now.

there's growing anger over how coronavirus has taken hold in care homes here in the uk. the government suggests that one in four of the overall deaths in england have been in care homes. the national care association says they feel "completely abandoned", while others are questioning how quickly the extra 600 million pounds of funding for the care sector will get to those who need it. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. at this care home in kent, staff have been living in for weeks now to try to protect their elderly and vulnerable residents from coronavirus. here, the government's plans for more support with infection control are welcome, but feel very late. generally, we start at 7:30am but i have started an hour early to make sure all the ladies are up so we can clean their rooms. obviously, we haven't had a cleaner so it's been a bit stressful... 18—year—old liberty, who has a bunk bed in a room shared with other staff, has kept a video diary for us. we are trying to keep the routines as normal as possible, because, with dementia, the second you change the routine, it gets quite confusing for the ladies.

last night, we had some sad news. one of our residents passed away. it wasn't coronavirus—related, and it was a big shocker. the government plans will try to reduce staff moving between jobs, but as well as being recognised for what they do, it's not clear what that will mean in financial terms. the home's owner says the extra costs and pressures of the pandemic are pushing his and other care companies to the brink. it's been lonely, it's been really lonely. it's been... i have cried some nights, not knowing what to do, how i'm going to get through another week, having to motivate people to stay in the homes has been really soul—destroying. and many care providers argue they haven't had enough support. this home in kettering is closing after serious concerns about its care. 14 residents have died in six weeks. the owners believe their problems were rooted in the discharge of hospital patients into the home.

on 17 march, the nhs said hospitals must free up as many beds as possible at the start of the pandemic. two days later, the home, which had no signs of the virus, began taking in 15 patients. at the time, they weren't tested for covid—19. about a week later, the company says residents and a large number of staff, including the senior team, became ill with the virus, leaving the home struggling to cope. in scotland, running of a home on the isle of skye which was at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak has been taken over, after concerns about care there. the first minister also announced more testing of residents leaving hospital. nhs tests are also given to all patients due to enter or re—enter a care home from hospital, and if they have previously tested positive for the virus, they must have two negative tests before entering the care home from hospital. the government says, in england, it's increased testing and is already providing homes

with a lot of support. there has been a sort of big, national effort to assist them, and i know that the health secretary will be saying more about that soon, but i don't want to sort of underestimate the extraordinary work that has gone into care homes to make sure that most of them have indeed remained covid free. but for care homes, this is a long—term fight to keep their residents safe. alison holt, bbc news. the french government is insisting that any coronavirus vaccine must be made available on equal terms to all countries. the call comes after the french drugmaker sanofi said the us would have first access to any drug because it had invested the most. after being summoned by french president emmanuel macron, sanofi ceo paul hudson said the company was always planning to supply any vaccine around the world. my comments are really around, what do we need to do to make

sure we are in a similar position in europe? it was never a choice. we need to get vaccines to everybody across the world, all parts of the world, doses for everybody. we're all going to have to play a huge part in that, because if we add all the manufacturers together, it still perhaps won't be enough. we must be at the top of our game, we must be ready. earlier, i spoke with georgetown university professor lawrence gostin. i asked him whether the row over sanofi was a harbinger of things to come. you know, if we have ample supplies of vaccine and money wasn't an issue, we would give it to everyone. but that's not the world we are likely to be in, we are likely to be in a world of scarcity, where there is a competition, particularly at the beginning when the vaccine is just approved and then manufactured slowly. so all of our experience tells us that the rich countries will hoard it.

that happened with influenza h1n1, where countries around the world actually promised to share, but didn't, because they wanted to use them for their own populations. and particularly when we are seeing the power struggles going on between the united states and china — i'm not optimistic that we are going to do this unless we plan for equity. yeah, you're quite right. we've seen the scrap over ppe, haven't we, and the way countries have gone about that. there are these international institutions, there the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovation, there is the who, but when you look at the way countries have behaved, all sorts of alliances and international institutions — they've not worked very well?

no, they haven't. groups like gavi, which are phenomenal — what they can do is help support supply, lower cost and deliver vaccines elsewhere. but the fundamental problem is that some countries have prepurchase agreements or understandings with pharmaceutical companies, you got a little bit of a hint of about that with sanofi. 0thers try to get companies within theirjurisdictions — america, europe, china — that might have first dibs at these kinds of things. you know, what we've learned from this pandemic — and we've seen such wonderful things happen from it, but we've also seen the worst. we've seen, you know, people going to scrums and laying one another, accost competition for personal protective equipment, for testing, for ventilators, for life—saving resources.

we have no reason to believe the vaccines will be different unless we actually make an advanced plan. right now is the time for us to have a really good global action plan for equity. you do since that debate over vaccine supply will be one to watch. for the first time, the health service in england has released figures which show the number of people with learning disabilities and autism who have died from covid—19. there have been 451 deaths in hospital settings, which represents about 2% of the death toll there. but campaigners and those working in the care sector fear that it doesn't show the full picture, as our disability correspondent nikki fox reports. married to ann, nigel was well—loved and led a happy life. i've always described her as the nicest person i've ever met. he died of coronavirus in hospital, alone. we miss him already.

people with learning disabilities like nigel often have other medical conditions. more than 40% have respiratory issues, which means they are at increased risk of dying from covid—19, but yet so far this group have had little attention. they have not been told to shield, and until today, there has not been any data. it seems like they have been put to the back of the queue. they were the last group to be looked into, which again suggests to me they are well down the pecking order. after mounting criticism from campaigners, nhs england has released figures showing how many people with learning disabilities and autism have died of covid—19. so far, there have been 451 deaths in hospital, which represents 2% overall, but people who work in the care sector say this is only a tiny part of the picture. a very small number live in nhs settings.

the vast majority of people live on their own or in their own family home, so if you are not looking at the whole cohort of people, then don't understand the impact that settings can have on people and their life expectancy. every day, leo chats to her son, stephen. ican i can see that she can smile! —— cheeky smile! he has learning disabilities and autism and lives independently with constant support. cheeky monkey! leo is so concerned about a lack of ppe for the staff that support her son, she has been making her own. it is a great fear. it almost paralyses me, to think about your disabled child dying of this horrible disease, because you can't be there. he will say, "mummy, come and get me home, go home, mummy,"

and it's breaking my heart... the care quality commission has started looking into the numbers of people who have died outside the hospital setting, so there will eventually be a clearer picture, something many families and campaigners believe should already be available so that people with learning disabilities are not forgotten in death — as they so often are in life. nikki fox, bbc news. the first cases of coronavirus have reached the world's largest refugee camp, in cox's bazar bangladesh. the camps are home to more than 800,000 rohingya muslims, who fled persecution in myanmar. officials are now trying to trace anyone who might have come into contact with those who have the virus. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports. for weeks, the largest refugee camp is been locked down. now, the news they been dreading — coronavirus is officially arrived. 0fficials they been dreading — coronavirus is officially arrived. officials say two cases were at invite in the

camps. 0ne rohingya refugee and one bangladeshi national. both were taken to a nearby health facility. for the refugees who live in the cramped and congested dwellings where social distancing is tough, there is fear. translation: we are very afraid of coronavirus. the camps are crowded. i'm worried that many people could die of covid—19. i'm worried that many people could die of covid-19. health care facilities in the camps are basic, with no ventilators. charities are expecting the number of cases to skyrocket. it's very difficult to say, but given the cramped hygiene and slow testing that we have, it could be anywhere in the thousands or hundreds, and it is very likely we will see an explosion in cases in the camps in the coming days. 0fficials the camps in the coming days. officials are currently trying to trace hundreds of others who may have come into contact with the two confirmed cases. the rohingya, who

fled persecution in myanmar, now face a new deadly threat in the form of coronavirus. japan's prime minister shinzo abe has partially lifted a state of emergency which was imposed in response to a surge in coronavirus cases. the measures were due to expire at the end of the month — but will now be removed early in 39 of japan's 47 prefectures. however, they will remain in place in some of the biggest cities, including tokyo and osaka, where new cases are still emerging. south korea has decided to increase the levels of privacy in its contact tracing operation, after failing to trace more than 2,000 people who'd come into contact with the virus in a nightclub area of seoul. it's thought some of those affected could be reluctant to come forward becaue several of the clubs cater for the gay community. the country is also increasing anonymous testing. transport for london has secured 1.6 billion pounds — that's $1.95 billion — in emergency funding in order

to keep its services running. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, said earlier today that without financial support, tfl would need to cut its tube and bus networks. a slump in passenger numbers due to the lockdown has caused a 90% fall in income. tfl has been using its cash reserves to meet the monthly bill of operating services but says that is no longer sustainable as the lockdown is eased, theatres are likely to be among the last venues allowed to re—open. they all face mounting financial pressures — especially regional and local theatres which, even before the coronavirus outbreak, faced a tough time breaking even, let alone amass profits. many are now relying on emergency support. last week, the nuffield southampton city theatres went into administration. 0ur arts editor, will gompertz, reports on a growing crisis. music. many a crown jewel of british theatre has been found and polished in the regions. from the global hits produced

by the royal shakespeare company in stratford—upon—avon, to contemporary classics presented at liverpool's everyman and playhouse theatres, making money for the local economy and inspiring generations of actors to tread the boards. kim cattrall found global fame as new yorker samantha in sex and the city, but she discovered acting as a young girl in liverpool. the local theatres meant everything to me because i was so inspired by them. i look back on the dreams that i had, but they all started regionally. the theatres in each of these towns, in liverpool, they belong to the people of that city. not at the moment, they don't. covid—19 has forced theatres to close, leaving many of those in the regions in a perilous situation. a southampton theatre group, a centrepiece of the city's cultural quarter, has gone into administration. the lighthouse theatre down the coast in poole is also facing a grim future, with cash reserves fast running out.

we have got 6—8 weeks where we can survive. but beyond that, it would be very difficult to continue. opening with social distancing would give us about 16—20% maximum capacity, which, for any venue, is not going to cut the mustard in terms of its financial capabilities. so it is not economically viable for most theatres to open under social distancing rules. which means the show will not go on until we can, once again, gather in large numbers, which might be too late to save struggling regional playhouses. and that would be a big problem for london's west end, a cultural and economic powerhouse which relies on shows created in the regions like everybody‘s talking about jamie. that was made in sheffield. the moment i saw it, i went straight away and said to the director, "i want to bring it to london. i'll give you a theatre

and produce it." london is the capital, but we are a country of many voices and many points of views, and we need to represent those. the government says it is working closely with the arts and cultural sector to plan for its future and find solutions to the challenge it faces. ultimately, that is likely to mean providing access to more money. at a time when there will be many competing calls on the public purse. will gompertz, bbc news. a dublin radio station received a surprise call from the hollywood star matt damon. spin 1038 had been trying to track down the actor who's been on lockdown in dublin with his family, after the filming of a new movie was stopped due to covid19 restrictions. 0ur dublin correspondent shane harrison has more. with its stunning views, the south cou nty with its stunning views, the south county dublin coast has long attracted the rich and famous from home and abroad. but now, the village of dorky has a new resident.

and it's almost a case of life imitating art. matt damon, the star of the 2011 movie contagion, has now been himself caught up by the highly contagious covid—19 virus. he arrived in ireland for work along with his wife, three of his four daughters, and their teachers just before the lock down, as he told a local music radio station. i'm in the middle of a movie that we were shooting — we shot the first half in france and we were moving to ireland. and right when we arrived in ireland, the movie was shut down. so that would've been march, early march, i guess? so that would've been march, early march, iguess? like, so that would've been march, early march, i guess? like, two months ago. not able to go anywhere, he made himself at home, even using a local supermarket‘s bag to carry family local supermarket‘s bag to carry fa m ily towels local supermarket‘s bag to carry family towels after swimming. he's around all the time, jogging and dulyjust doing around all the time, jogging and duly just doing family around all the time, jogging and dulyjust doing family things also he's very nice. he's in the shop a few times. seems like a very nice lad. there were no immediate

interviews until the news station finally hunted him down, the star of good will hunting, and told him life your field like a fairy tale. so we feel guilty, we've got this incredible set up in this place which is — i mean, it's incredibly gorgeous. even in lockdown, they're like, "you need to stay within two km of your house." two km here, there's trees, woods, forest and ocean. i can't think of any place you'd rather want to be in a two km radius of. even though the hollywood star might soon return to the states to see his eldest daughter, who's had covid—19, he will be back in dorky. there's still that movie that has to be shot. shane harrison, bbc newsline, dublin. there are worse places. and before we go, take a look at these picture coming into us from mexico. this is harley "el tuerto" — he's a therapy dog set to help out doctors and nurses

at a mexico city hospital. kitted out in all the safety equipment necessary to keep him safe, including a ratherfetching pair of tiny yellow boots. no doubt helps make a "ruff" day at work a little easier. here's some more yellow. this is allentown and pennsylvania, where donald trump is due to speak very shortly. he's touring a medical equipment distributor factory where they make medical equipment. keying of course to focus on his push to reopen the us economy, but no doubt you will be responding to those comments by doctor rick bright, who responded saying that the us may be facing its darkest winter in us history unless mr trump gets a coordinated plan together. so mr trump expected to respond to that, we will bring you more of that on bbc news this evening. and don't forget coming up at 8pm, clap for ca re rs forget coming up at 8pm, clap for carers and for hospital workers. we will be diving around the country watching people as they come out onto their doorsteps, so do join us for that. thanks very much for

watching. bye—bye. hello. it may have turned into a pleasant afternoon out there but it was a chilly start for the time of year this morning, and here is one of our weather watchers in derbyshire making a statement about the frost, ice and the date. and there will be a touch of frost again tonight in places but things are changing. the blue, the chilly air, coming down from the north or north—west but a gradual change with the air beginning to edge in from the south and temperature is heading up over the weekend, not with sunshine everywhere because there will be rain in some spots but not for everyone. we have had a few showers today and some will continue overnight across particularly the northern half of scotland, may be a rogue one pushing into north—western parts of england.

for many of us, temperatures are higher tonight but through wales and the southern half of england, staying clearest for the longest overnight, this is where temperatures will get close to freezing for a touch of frost in the coldest spots. starting with sunshine, but cloud will increase and it is a cloudy day across the uk tomorrow particularly into england and wales, some cloud and sunny spells into ireland and scotland, chance of a shower across the northern half of scotland but you might see one in the north—west of england, wales, and temperatures a little bit higher. high pressure has kept many of us dry this week. that's now into the we can squeeze southwards with weather fronts coming closer from the atlantic, more by sunday. for saturday, pretty much as you are, with a few showers running into the northern half of scotland, one or two for northern ireland, much of england and wales sting dry, some cloud and sunny spells with temperatures around the mid—teens.

part two of the weekend, sunday, that is when the weather front start to come into play but not for everyone so if you want to rain, it is just towards northern ireland and scotland, in particular western scotland will see the rain move in. we might see some in the north—west of england which isn't guaranteed, and much of england and wales sting dry with hazy sunshine and temperatures edging up a bit where you get to see some sunshine and temperatures will be heading up into next week.

and clapping. it's eight o'clock on thursday evening wonderful applause from staff at the nhs national distribution center. for the eighth week ina distribution center. for the eighth week in a row millions are out in the streets to show support and appreciation for nhs staff key workers and our carers. in a moment we will hear from the woman who started it all.