to help answer your questions, i'm joined by peter drobac, who's a global health physician at the saidhool in oxford. we can also speak to dr amir khan, a gp who runs large practice. hejoins me from leeds. welcome to you both. thank you for taking the time to answer questions. the first one comes from elaine. "it is clear that the symptoms of the virus are fever and persistent cough. but are the early symptoms different? "i have currently got sore throat, feel achy and a headache. "could this be the start of the virus?" that is a really good question. we know that the vast majority of people will have a fever and a cough as part of the illness, but there is as part of the illness, but there is a whole myriad of other symptoms. so a whole myriad of other symptoms. so a sore throats, headaches, aches all over, sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting, and we are also hearing loss of sense of smell and taste, all being part of it. it is an emerging illness. we are learning more and more each time. so if that lady has got a sore throat and a headache, i would take it as the coronavirus. don't take

we'll be speaking to peter drobac, a global health physician at the said business school in oxford, andn text 611211, or you email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. let's just show you the scene, first, live in madrid, pretty much, as you can see, large number of deaths there now, a chilly, the prime minister pedro sanchez telling the nation in a televised address that spain has now 1326 more deaths, the second highest rate in europe after italy. 52,000 additional health workers have been mobilised in spain and they are racing to finish the construction of field hospitals as the death toll has jumped. that is the scene in a very empty madrid. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello, it is a dry sunday out there across much of the uk. a good deal of sunshine around, just a bit of patchy cloud here and there, and this is how it looks as we go through the afternoon. just 7 or 8 degrees along these north sea coasts. elsewhere, some of us are creeping into double figures. still a bit of patchy rain towards the western is

and also peter drobac, a global health physician from the said business school at the university of oxfordews and i think you were probably listening to the press briefing which may inform some of your answers. we have had so many questions and i'm going to start with one for doctor william byrd if i may from abbey. "if i am a parent of children who cannot exercise alone, am i allowed to exercise once a day for myself in addition to taking out my children for some fresh air and exercise?" thank you, and not going out is the one thing we can really do to make a difference. if we want to keep the nhs, we can keep fit. our immune system is boosted when we take exercise and it helps us deal with the coronavirus so it is important we ta ke the coronavirus so it is important we take that exercise outdoors or indoors. as far as the question is concerned, we indoors. as far as the question is concerned , we are indoors. as far as the question is concerned, we are told only to do it once, that is strict guidance, so if you can do it with your children in one go, that will be guidance we expect. i k

peter drobac speaking to me earlier. >>> the coronavirus is taking a devastating toll on iran. just ahead, why experts believe the outbreak is a great deal worse than the numbers suggest. f twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪ stay two nights and get a free night for your next stay. one night, two nights, free night. book now at bestwestern.com. free night. cdc guidance recommends topical pain relievers first... like salonpas patch large. it's powerful, fda-approved to relieve moderate pain for up to 12 hours, yet non-addictive and gentle on the body. salonpas. it's good medicine. hisamitsu. ♪ you try to find the words say it with a taco pun, ♪ ♪ or maybe with some birds? ♪ maybe this year just leave the cards behind ♪ ♪ give her something that will stand the test of time ♪ ♪ make the moment mean more. ♪ jared. shouldn't you pay less when now you can. data? becau

peter drobac, great as always to get your insight. we appreciate you. thank you. >> thank you. >>> countries around the world trying to combat the coronavirus, but it's taking a huge toll on the world's economic health. the warning from economists is next. my patients i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. they are both very much hand in hand. so you should really be focusing on both and definitely at the same time. the new sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. by brushing with sensodyne sensitivity & gum at home it's giving you the relief that you need and the control that you need to take care of your oral health. and it creates a healthier environment. there's no question it's something that i would recommend. how you watch it does too. tv just keeps getting better. this is xfinity x1. featuring the emmy award-winning voice remote. streaming services without changing passwords and input. live spor

william bird, peter drobac, thank you.our activities and stay at home. this comes as the world health organisation says the pandemic is accelerating across the globe. hospitals everywhere are facing a shortage of equipment, including ventilators. this life—saving equipment helps patients to breathe in the most critical cases when their lung function fails. the uk currently has around 8,000 ventilators in the country, but needs many more. so, how do we urgently get access to more of these machines? can we manufacture more of them in this country? jen copestake has been looking at some of the possible solutions. the uk government has put a call—out to big businesses to help manufacture new ventilators. already, dyson have answered saying they are hoping to start production on 10,000 machines by mid—april. but will this be enough, soon enough? teams of engineers and doctors are also trying to come up with more immediate solutions to this problem, which could be cheaper and more portable. we spoke to some of them this week. mo

in a moment, we'll put your questions to dr william bird and dr peter drobac.oronavirus sara high temperature under dry, repeating car. if you feel unwell, stay at home for at least seven days until you have recovered and you should not leave at all, even to buy groceries. at first, do not call 111 is the helpline is busy. if you are not improving, use the online service instead. if you feel you need a doctor, do not go in person. you can contact your gp and might be offered a video or telephone call. you will only be asked to visit if absolutely necessary. if you are so well you cannot do everyday things like watch tv or get out of bed, you should call 111 to speak to a nurse. if you're struggling to breathe, find it hard to say a few words and are not getting better, then you should dial 999. for most though, covid—19 isa mild dial 999. for most though, covid—19 is a mild disease and you can recover at home. india has gone into a complete lockdown lasting at least three weeks. the country has recorded over 500 positive coronavirus cases, and reported 10 death

peter drobac is an expert in infectious diseases at oxford university, and hejoins me now. we are now? here in the uk, i think we are now? here in the uk, i think we are at sort of a transition point, where we expect the number of cases to rise significantly sometime over the next couple of weeks. we don't know exactly when, of course, and i think the response here in the uk to this point has been very exceptional, but i do think it is time to really consider seriously some of the social distancing measures that you mentioned, like closing of large gatherings, and some pre—emptive working from home, possibly even closures of schools. what evidence we do have about dealing with respiratory viral epidemics like this suggests that social distancing works best when it is implemented before the surge in cases rather than after. what bike i was going to ask you exactly that point about it, because it feels like it is a wait and see in the meantime it is getting out there, and then is there a danger of getting to a point where the social distancing is a waste of time? not that it'