thank you very much, hugh pym, oui’ year. thank you very much, hugh pym, our health editor.will help pay the wages of staff during the pandemic has gone live and by late this afternoon 140,000 firms had made claims. thejob retention scheme allows staff to be furloughed where they stay on a company's payroll while the business isn't operating and will cover 80% of a person's wages up to £2,500 a month. it's one of a number of schemes as our business editor simonjack explains. lockdown britain, streets deserted, shops closed, workers at home. but, due to a government scheme that went live today, nearly 10 million of them will be paid by the government to stay there. i'm peterjackson from peterjackson... a godsend for businesses like this jewellers's, who has 40 staff across four closed stores. it's a lifeline. it's always been my wish that we would be able to look after all our team and continue to pay their wages. but while we have so little income coming in, we simply wouldn't be able to do that without the scheme. so, the fact it is there means that everybody can stay on ou

hugh pym, bbc news.hildren would be about to go back to school at the end of the easter holidays, but now the emphasis is on online content and trying to make sure of provision for disadvantaged children — and those without access to technology. 0ur education editor, bra nwen jeffreys, reports from staffordshire. the streets in stoke are empty, the schools in england are closed, but for how much longer? carl ward runs four schools and a college. he doesn't expect to reopen them soon. and when they do, it won't be back to normal. i think we are going to be part—time. there is certainly not going to be a moment where all children come back to school together. we are going to have to take into account the health and safety of staff. that's going to be really important. as we look after children. social distancing will have to be considered. there will have to be plans going into that, as schools have done so far with quite a few less students than they have been used to. ministers know parents have to be co

hugh pym, bbc news.e expected hit around 25 degrees in some parts of the uk this weekend. and the government has repeated again the need for people to stay at home, unless they go out for the following reasons. you can leave home to exercise once a day, alone or with members of your household. there is no set time limit on this, but people are asked to stay near their homes. you can shop, but only for basic necessities and as infrequently as possible. and you can go out for any medical need or to provide care for a vulnerable person. you can also travel to or from work, but only if you can't work from home. fiona trott is in scarborough for us. this here, it looks as though people are sticking to those guidelines. this is the most popular holiday destination outside london during a normal easter weekend, there would be thousands of people here in scarborough, many of them packed into those amusement arcades behind me. but today visitors have stayed away. local people and emergency services are relieved.

hugh pym, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is with me.er terrible daily death toll here in the uk and it comes in a day where the global death toll has surpassed 100,000 people. is there any sign the situation here could be starting to ease? more shocking figures and it seems like the death toll will rise above 1000 in the uk, in terms of new cases each day. the experts look ahead at hospital data, particularly to see whether we are reaching something close to the peak of this epidemic. there was one chart shown today at the downing street briefing on critical care bed usage, patients in critical care, intensive care in the uk. you can see that london number in red is coming down a bit. the midlands has flattened. scotland and wales are flattened. scotland and wales are flat as well. that is being seen as a little bit of a tentative sign that things at least are beginning to plateau butjonathan van tam, we heard him earlier saying that it was still a dangerous situation. of course, protective equipment is another issue that has cropped up

hugh pym, bbc news.llion items of personal protection equipment including masks, alcohol wipes and aprons, have been delivered to nhs staff over the last two weeks. but one london nurse looking after coronavirus patients contacted us saying her ward is running out of safety kit two or three times a day and she is having to make heartbreaking choices about whether to help patients in a critical condition because she's told not to, unless protected. her dilemma comes as it was confirmed that a member of nursing staff in his 50s who treated patients without protective clothing has died. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. southend hospital in essex, where staff are threatening to limit care for patients with covid—19, such is theirfear for their own safety. like many nhs staff, they say they don't have the correct protective equipment. the hospital says it's fully complying with official guidance on ppe. today in london came news of the first member of nursing staff known to have died with c

hugh pym, thank you.he evidence about whether the public should wear face masks in crowded places to help stop the spread of the virus. the mayor of london has called for masks to be worn in public for additional protection. a growing number of european countries are recommending using them. here's our science editor, david shukman. popular in asia before the pandemic, masks are now appearing in more and more countries around the world. the government here is weighing up the options and the mayor of london believes we should cover our faces anywhere crowded. think about when you're using public transport, if you really have to, or you're in a shop and you can't keep two metres apart. wearing a non—medical facial covering makes it less likely you may inadvertently give somebody else covid—i9. one reason is that coughs and sneezes can travel much further than previously thought. another is that people can spread the virus before they have any symptoms. but the government has a serious worry, that the best m

hugh pym, bbc news.e's a new government promise that all residents and workers with symptoms in english care homes will now be tested, along with anyone returning to a care home from hospital. although care home providers welcome these plans, many say their calls for greater support in terms of staffing, training and specialist kit continue to be ignored. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has been to hear firsthand how one care home in essex is coping. singing. today, at the st ives lodge care home in chingford in essex they said goodbye to six of their elderly residents. five of the deaths were linked to covid—19 — the signs of its presence in the home marked out by the masked and gowned staff. he had a brilliant like of music and a great zest for life. each life lost, a member of this family. a simple service to provide a few moments of reflection at a deeply distressing time for staff, residents and families listening online. the home cares for 35 people, many with dementia. a resident retu

hugh pym, bbc news.ng eu members to co—ordinate any plans to ease the lockdown measures — and to maintain rules on social distancing. the death rate in individual european countries has varied widely — with germany and austria experiencing fewer than 5 deaths per 100—thousand inhabitants, while italy and spain have seen more than 30 deaths per 100 thousand. as the lockdown continues here — a limited number of shops and businesses are being allowed to reopen in italy, spain and austria. our rome correspondent mark lowen reports. a tiny step towards unlocking italy. camilla cocchi's baby shop reopening today after five weeks, as this country dips its toe back into normal life. a limited experiment to see how italians react, with new rules on hygiene and limiting numbers on site. we're really glad, really excited. of course, it's not normal times, so we are worried at the same time. but we have to work, we have bills to pay, we have rents to pay, we have wages to pay. leaving your business that you started,

hugh pym — bbc news.us — more than nine out ten people who've died in the last few weeks have been over 60. familes up and down the country will have to get used to life without a revered grandparent. whether it's a lively veteran who still had ambitions or someone so frail they needed looking after, the loss is the same. our special correspondent lucy manning has been speaking to two familes working through their grief. across the country, in every city, in every town, in every village and community, few areas left untouched by grief. deaths come. hundreds a day. thousands upon thousands a week. when just one is too much for a family to bear, how does a country cope with, comprehend, these numbers? even though my dad was 76, it still feels like he was taken too soon, and it feels too premature. so, he had lots of plans. he leaves three children, eight grandchildren, and 15 great—grandchildren with a 16th on its way, so he's leaving quite a legacy behind him. the newspaper obituaries list a new cause of d

the first question we have got is from hugh pym at the bbc. that stocks of ppe were allowed to run down and a couple of years before the pandemic? and why was moore not done to get hold of more ppe in march and early february, including using british companies? well, what we've seen when that... what we've seen over the last few months is an enormous effort, a national effort but also an international effort, to secure ppe from right around the globe, but we have seen so many brilliant british businesses re—purpose themselves in order to provide it, and we have seen many educational settings also being able to do it. but you know the government, from the first moment that we were in a situation where the scientific was highlighting to us that we were facing a real challenge in terms of the coronavirus, and this could potentially evolve into a pandemic, every resource potentially evolve into a pandemic, every resource of government potentially evolve into a pandemic, every resource of government has been deployed to notjust expanding what we ne

hugh pym, our health editor. university researchers and industry, which we reported on a few weeks ago, has now resulted in the production of 10,000 thousand breathing aids for seriously ill coronavirus patients. this afternoon, mercedes formula one completed manufacture of the continuous positive airway pressure — or cpap — devices which were designed in partnership with engineers at university college london. initial trials suggest they may be able to prevent more patients from needing ventilators, as our medical correspondent fergus walsh reports. as our medical correspondent this is the stark reality of intensive care in this time of coronavirus. royal surrey county hospital in guildford has many critically ill patients on ventilators. ijust remember it being really, really difficult to breathe, and it would hurt to breathe. it was horrible. it literally scared me. i thought that was it when they were taking me away. tim hall is over the worst — the 37—year—old spent four days on an alternative breathing devi

hugh pym, bbc news.is virus — one is the swab test — which tells you if you currently have the virus or not. the other — which is being developed — is an antibody test — which will be able to tell you — whether or not you actually had coronavirus — many people may get it without ever knowing. a number of different companies and research institutes are working on this antibody test as our medical correspondent fergus walsh explains. this is what a home antibody test looks like. this one is for hiv and can be bought online. it's this kind of highly accurate fingerprick blood test which is needed for coronavirus. an antibody test would tell you if you've previously been infected with coronavirus and have built up some immunity which might protect you in future. the british company behind the hiv test says it hopes to have a similar one for coronavirus ready within weeks. i think it would make an incredible difference. the question everyone's asking themselves is, "have i had it? "i had a cold injanuary and

here's our health editor hugh pym.coronavirus testing at one of britain's leading science research centres, the francis crick institute. labs here used for work in other areas, including cancer, have been switched to analysing swab samples. today, the government called on academic and industry teams to help in a new national drive to boost virus testing. had this come a little late in the day, i asked the director, sir paul nurse. well, i think that this whole covid—19 has exposed that the country wasn't as as it should have been, and we see that that the country wasn't as weell—prepared as it should have been, and we see that in a number of areas. i don't think now is the time to go into that in great detail because we all have to work together, all put our shoulders to the wheel and get through it. at this research centre, they have started serious testing today. they hope to get to 500 per day by monday, and then a couple of weeks later, 2,000 per day. that is equivalent to what all the public health laboratories in

our health editor hugh pym reports.e sunbathing, it's not acceptable, says the health secretary. the official rule is that people should stay at home unless they are taking one burst of exercise or going for essential shopping, and he warned that if the public didn't act in the spirit of the guidelines, then firm action would need to be taken. we've included exercise as one of the things that you can leave your house to do because exercise is good for our physical and our mental health. but, please, do not bend or break this rule. we can't rule out further steps, but i don't want anyone to think that any changes to the social distancing rules are imminent because the vast majority are following the rules. at the downing street news briefing, the latest information on hospital admissions in england was shown. after a downward move, the london figure has carried on rising and there was a steep increase in the north—west. all other regions saw increases. officials said the nhs did have the capacity to manage the caseload.

hugh pym, thank you.o calls for far more testing and greater protection for staff looking after elderly residents. the northern ireland government has revealed there are at least 20 care homes dealing with multiple cases of coronavirus among residents. it‘s put staff in care homes under intense pressure, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. this is the first timejulie bennett has seen her father in four weeks. no, you can‘t touch my hand. he doesn‘t understand why she can‘t come in. heartbreaking, heartbreaking. it was lovely to see him. staff at this care home in belfast have been coping with a number of suspected and confirmed cases of coronavirus. all 82 residents are being kept in isolation, but it‘s not easy. many have dementia. he‘s looking for us, you know, and saying, why‘s his family not coming to see him? but i know the staff here are so good to him and i know he‘s being well cared for. they‘re afraid to go to work themselves because they probably have vulnerable people at home and y

hugh pym, our health editor.enges they face. 0ur health correspondent, catherine burns, has more details. she has been in touch with staff and asking them to keep video diaries. a critical care consultant shows as two days at work at a hospital in buckinghamshire. as a consultant in intensive care medicine at milton keynes university hospital, drjamie strachan is at the heart of the fight against coronavirus. but first of all, he‘s a husband and a dad. bye, guys, see you later on! bye... bye. just setting off to work. got back about 11 last night. started to see a rapid influx of very unwell people. so, it‘s something we were prepared for. but it‘s still such a strange and unusual way the world is going. we have got a really full unit, and a really full hospital, so we‘re going to get on and make some decisions for the day and plans for people. that was the start of a long day, dealing with some of the very sickest patients. none of them are allowed any visitors. their families can only hope to see them again if

hugh pym, bbc news.t says almost 400 million items of personal protective equipment including masks, alcohol wipes and aprons, have been delivered to nhs staff over the last two weeks. but one london nurse looking after coronavirus patients contacted us, saying her ward is running out of ppe two or three times a day, and she is having to make heartbreaking choices about whether to help patients in trouble because she's being told not to unless she has the kit to protect herself. her dilemma comes as it was confirmed that a nurse in his 50s who treated patients without protective clothing has died. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. southend hospital in essex where staff are threatening to limit care for patients with covid—19 such is their fear for their own safety. like many nhs staff they say they do not have the correct protective equipment. the hospital says it is fully complying with official guidance on ppe. today london came news of the first member of nursing staff known to have

we have more fromlt our h editor, hugh pym.h: work on birmingham's hospital has on so fast they are ready to take patients today, the latest nightingale hospital for coronus cases at the expo center. some staff are worriedbout theisafety. they say they are still not abl to get the right personal protective equipment and some feel aious thahat they do get is not adequate. >> we are getting a lot of front line that thesi current ation is in many parts of the country inadequate. people are feeling unprotected, they feel scared at work, unable in some places to use the kit they are able to bring in from home because others [indiscernible] and do not feel confident in what is provided. hugh: staff at hospital say they have had confusing messages. national issues with suly and aprnd of gallons, an should be used for aerosol-generating procedures. nsthat melease of airborne particles. a few hoursater they were told an apron instead of gown should be used in non-confirmed coronavirus pients. the doctor said i feel betrayed by those mea

hugh pym, bbc news.s warnings about the dangers of relaxing lockdown conditions have been echoed by the world health organization. it's said ending lockdowns has to be done in the right way. we need a transition strategy that gets us back into more control of the virus. we need to get ahead of the virus, and then if we are in control, we can protect our economies. but if we lurch from lockdown to poor control and back to lockdown and back to poor control, that is not what anybody needs right now. so the investment we need to make, the lockdowns have given some time, have taken the pressure out of the epidemic. we see that. this is precious time not only to strengthen the health care system, but precious time to put in place the public architecture, the testing, the community education and build this response from the community. the issue of testing is one that the uk government has been heavily criticised over. it's now set itself a target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. 0ur

our health editor hugh pym there.the united nations, political leaders and business leaders from around the world have launched a new initiative, aimed at speeding up the development of treatments and a vaccine for covid—19. a key element of the effort will be to make sure that any vaccine is made available and affordable to everyone in the world — but there were some conspicuous absences from the international commitment, as reged ahmad reports. preparations for a second wave of coronavirus infections in germany, even as the country eases its lockdown. while in italy, the russian military releases pictures of its personnel disinfecting hospitals. this pandemic has breached into nearly every corner of the world, and governments have warned we are just at the beginning of this unprecedented crisis. some experts say the only way back to normality might be a vaccine. to that end, in a virtual launch, the un isjoining forces with world leaders and the private sector to speed up development of a vaccine and raise billions

hugh pym, bbc news.me minister borisjohnson and his partner carrie simonds have spent their first day as parents after the birth of their baby boy. downing street says the prime minister won't be taking paternity leave at the moment. the prime minister is known to have fathered five children but as dan bloom from the daily mirror points out... well, here's what the foreign secretary dominic raab told parliament. both mother and baby are doing well, and i'm sure the whole house will want to join me in sending congratulations and our very best wishes to them. iain watson is in westminster. for the first time, the uk is now counting death and care homes and in the community and unsurprisingly, the community and unsurprisingly, the number of deaths has gone up. that is right. the government very keen to shut this is ace not a surgeon a keen to shut this is ace not a surgeon a break because what happened before as we got daily numbers. desh keen to say this is not a surge in numbers. we counted those for hosp

hugh pym, bbc news.e east sussex trust, as staff gave one of their own round of applause today. a nurse who was leaving critical care. let's get some of the day's other news. the number of people currently confirmed to have the coronavirus in italy has fallen for the first time. officials announced a drop of 20 compared to the day before with fewer people in intensive care beds. the total number of fatalities is more than 211,000. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, and his main rival, the knesset speaker, benny gantz, say they're forming an emergency government of national unity to deal with the pandemic. mr netanyahu will be prime ministerfor the first 18 months. mr gantz would then take overfor the remainder of a 3—year term. virgin australia has confirmed that it's gone into voluntary administration. the airline is one of the first major corporate casualties of the covid—19 pandemic. the company said revenue dried up after it was forced to cancel nearly all flights due to the global health c

hugh pym, bbc news. the situation in brazil, where the handling of the coronavirus epidemic has also opened a dispute within the government. the country became the first in the southern hemisphere to record 1,000 deaths. more than 1,700 have now died and there have been over 28,000 confirmed cases, but numbers are expected to be higher. for weeks president bolsonaro and his health minister have been at odds over the country's coronavirus response. let's get more on this with journalist gustavo ribeiro. he's the co—founder of the english—language news site the brazilian report. welcome. thank you very much for your time. it does sound almost inevitable that the president will sack the health minister. why and what are the implications of that? well, the health minister and the president had not seen eye to eye on how to tackle the covid—19 pandemic. the health minister wants brazil to follow who recommendations. he is in favour of social isolation, though the president says that brazil's first and foremos

hugh pym, bbc news.the us has set a new global record with 1,480 virus deaths in 2a hours. earlier, president trump announced new recommendations for americans to wear masks when they go outside to slow the spread of the virus — but he added that he wouldn't be following the advice. from recent studies, we know that the transmission from individuals without symptoms does play a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood. so you don't seem to have symptoms but it still gets transferred. in light of these studies, the cdc is advising the use of non—medical cloth face coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure. so, it is voluntary, you don't have to do it. now they're suggesting it for a period of time. but this is voluntary. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, has more on president trump's decision not to wear a mask. president trump, of course, has long downplayed the severity of the coronavirus. he revealed once again that he doesn't always take

hugh pym, bbc news.litical calendars around the world, but in south korea they are pressing ahead with parliamentary elections, despite the risk of infection. polling stations opened seven hours ago and voting is under way. it has involved a lot of preparation to get polling stations ready, but the government is trying to reassure its 44 million eligible voters that it's safe to leave their homes. from seoul, laura bicker reports. this is an election like no other. voters must wear masks, stand at least a metre apart. their temperature is taken, they disinfect their hands and wear plastic gloves. these two days of early voting have seen a record turnout. despite the ongoing pandemic, people are still coming here in the thousands to cast their vote. they are going into these little booths here with their plastic gloves, they mark their ballot, and then put it in the box. translation: i thought maybe the election should be postponed because people wouldn't turn up. but now i am here and see so many others

hugh pym, bbc news.sh figures is that around 1 in 10 of all deaths linked to coronavirus happened outside hospital. they includes at least 217 in care homes — and those figures are already 11 days out of date. the government has already confirmed that there have been outbreaks of covid—19 in more than 2 thousand homes in england — as our correspondent alex forsyth reports. my mum was a people's person. she told everyone she loved them and everyone loved her. rose mitchell was a familiar face on her street in south—west london. so much so, her neighbours stood outside to pay their respects on hearing that she'd died. at 81, she passed away in her care home after contracting coronavirus. her daughter and the rest of her family on the end of the phone. they held the phone to her ear, we could hear herjust breathing. and we played her danny boy, her favourite song. and we all told her we loved her and, um, we said goodbye. karen says what is happening in care homes can't be overlooked, praising carers like t

hugh pym, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. taking on the tabloids, vowing not to co—operate with the biggest titles. the stars & stripes at half mast outside columbine high. the school, sealed off. the bodies of the dead, still inside. i'd never thought that they'd actually go through with it. one of the most successful singer—songwriters of all time, the american pop star prince, has died at the age of 57. it's hard to believe it, i didn't believe it. we just — he wasjust here saturday. for millions of americans, the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has meant conflicting emotions. a national day of mourning next wednesday sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. and liftoff of the space shuttle discovery, with the hubble space telescope, our window on the universe. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... donald trump has announced that the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, is to visit the white house on tuesday. the price of us oil goes negative, as demand dries up and pro

hugh pym, bbc news. sign that the country is starting to get the disease under control. but — the reality on the ground is still very bleak for many italians, particularly amongst poorer communities. from rome, jean mackenzie reports. 0n on these balconies there is desperation. people who have not been able to work now for weeks. tito started bringing food to those who can no longer afford to buy it. like stefano who sells houses for a living and now can't feed his two young children. casual work is common here so for many the money has simply stopped. like fort maria rosa. yesterday her money ran out. these sacrifices have helped fight the epidemic here, the situation is finally improving. but the price has been high. this virus has taken thousands and thousands of lives but it's also taking people's and livelihoods, people's futures. it's taken some people's very last pennies. the government has promised to pay part of people's wages but four weeks into this strict lockdown, the money hasn't arrived. a

hugh pym, bbc news.s: there have been clashes for a third night between anti—government protestors and the military in lebanon. these pictures show a stand—off in the northern city of tripoli. the country is facing its most challenging period since its civil war, with a rapidly deteriorating economy exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak. switzerland is also announcing a loosening of its lockdown. shops, restaurants, bars and museums will be allowed to to reopen on may 11. but there'll be a limit of four people around restaurant tables with a distance of two metres between tables, and a ban on large gatherings remains in place. the spanish prime minister, pedro sanchez, has said he will take personal responsibility for any mistakes the government has made in its handling of the pandemic. spain is one of the worst affected countries in europe, with more than 2a,000 deaths. a four—stage process of lifting the lockdown imposed in march has now begun. a senior white house health adviser has expressed optimi

hugh pym, bbc news. let's look in brief and what's happening elsewhere.also recorded almost 1,000 deaths in the past 2a hours. it brings the total death toll there to more than 13,000. the authorities say almost a third of those who've died were in nursing homes and other care facilities. in italy, 570 people have died from covid—19 in the past 2a hours, a0 fewer than the day before. the number of confirmed cases also slowed, from just over 4,200 to 3,951. italy has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with over 18,000 confirmed deaths. in ireland, the taoiseach leo varadkar, has said that current restrictions on movement will remain in place for at least another three weeks. but he said it was his "fervent hope" to ease them gradually after that point. the british red cross says there are thousands of refugees and asylum seekers living in poverty in the uk. and in calais in france, many migrants remain in makeshift camps — hoping to cross to the uk. the bbc‘s fergal keane reports on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting those who ha

hugh pym, bbc news. let's look at other countries.rance has recorded almost a thousand deaths in the last day. the authority site almost a third of the deaths so far had taken place in nursing homes and other care facilities. in ireland, taoiseach leo varadkar said current restrictions on movement will stay in place for at least another three weeks but he said it was his fervent hope to gradually ease those restrictions afterwards. in italy, 570 people are confirmed to have died from covid—19 in the past 2a hours, a0 fewer than the day before. the number of confirmed cases slowed from just over a200 to almost a000. italy is one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic with over 18,000 confirmed deaths. pictures have emerged of a mass grave in new york, as the death toll continues to rise. almost 800 more people have died in new york state alone. 0fficials almost 800 more people have died in new york state alone. officials say burials are being ramped up at the site on hart island off the bronx. it has long been used for people with

hugh pym, bbc news.d death tolls continue to soar across the globe, researchers are working around the clock to develop a coronavirus vaccine. an australian team from the university of queensland has reached a new phase of testing, partnering with a dutch company for preclinical studies. for more on the progress of that vaccine, i'm joined by professor paul young in brisbane. so our vaccine is one of the ones that the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovation, or cepi, tasked back injanuary to begin its progress and so we are in the middle of our preclinical studies, just prior to getting to our clinical work, where we go into phase one clinical studies with vaccines in humans in latejune so the critical point we have reached is that we have just begun studies with our colleagues in the netherlands, in rotterdam, to do the critical production studies in an animal model to determine whether our vaccine actually protects those animals from challenge by the live virus. we've already gone through our st

our health editor hugh pym was there and he spoke to the health secretary matt hancock. yes, iam here in yes, i am here in london's docklands at the nightingale hospital. it has just officially opened. at the ceremony was matt hancock, the health secretary, who joins ceremony was matt hancock, the health secretary, whojoins me now. what is the significance of today? the thing is, this is a hospital that nobody ever would have wanted. and it's a testament to the nhs, to the armed forces and to the hundreds of companies involved that in nine days we have been able to put together this 4000 bed hospital. but what really matters about it is that it is our absolute primary aim throughout this whole process to keep nhs capacity to deal with people who have very serious conditions because of coronavirus, to keep that capacity above need. that is what the nhs is therefore. and that is what really matters. and having this capacity of up to 4000 beds in the excel centre here in the nhs nightingale hospital means that in london to keep ahead of that demand, and then expand around t

our health editor hugh pym has the latest. say ah. part of the new push in england to boost virus testing. the number of drive—through centres is being expanded, and more home test kits will be sent out. all to handle possible demand from up to 10 million key workers and their families. but by mid—morning, all slots bookable online for today had been taken by 11,000 people, and 5,000 more ordered home test kits. the department of health apologised for any inconvenience, and said booking would restart tomorrow, with capacity expanded. mike, who is a teacher, had symptoms and wants to know if it's safe to go to work. he managed to get a test slot. the whole process was very seamless, um, i was able to register, and then ijust had to wait for the email to come through, and once i'd got that email, i quickly logged on to the site and selected the testing centre for me, and it has been really easy. mike later drove to the testing centre in peterborough. he showed the email he received. it was scanned by a member of staff, and the test went

hugh pym, bbc news.ersonal protective equipment oi’ personal protective equipment or ppe is a necessity for critical care workers on the frontline. social distancing is seen frontline. social distancing is seen as a frontline. social distancing is seen as a vital measure to restrict the virus. let's move on. we will discuss that a little bit later. we go on to spain and the situation there. spain has had its worst daily figure so far. 849 people have died in the past 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to over 8,000. hospitals in madrid have started transferring fourteen hundred patients to its conference centre which has been turned into a makeshift hospital. across italy, towns marked a minute's silence and lowered flags to half mast to mourn almost 12,500 people who have died from coronavirus. for the second day in a row, italy registered a comparatively small rise in the number of new infections, which could mean the situation is starting to come under control. as the coronavirus pandemic cont

hugh pym, bbc news.f coronavirus cases has jumped by 500 in 2a hours, according to official government figures. the russian parliament approved a series laws aiming to slow the spread of the outbreak— including jail terms for breaking quarantine rules. and as steve rosenberg reports, there are fears that president putin may have been exposed to the virus. it began with a handshake. vladimir putin greeting dr denis protsenko one week ago to inspect the main hospital in russia for coronavirus patients. now, the doctor himself has tested positive for covid—19. he and to the president spent the whole afternoon together in close contact. "no one's safe," was the headline on russian tv tonight. "this virus has come so close to all of us now," she says, "even our president." and russia is locking down. there'll be tough penalties here for breaking quarantine — up to seven years in prison. but for the president, for now, it's business as usual. the kremlin says there's no need to panic — the president is absolut

hugh pym, bbc news. a little bit of cheer, possibly.ressed optimism that an existing antiviral drug could help fight the coronavirus. dr anthony fauci said data from a clinical trial of remdesivir showed it could reduce the recovery time in sufferers and that the drug showed great promise. if you look at the time to recovery being shorter with remdesivir it was 11 days compared to 15 days so that is something that, although at 31% improvement does not seem like a knockout 100%, it is a very important proof of concept because what it is proving is that a drug can block this virus. dr anthony fauci. 0ur health correspondent james fauci. gallagher explains the history of the drug. it is been developed by a pharmaceutical company called gilead and it was developed to fight ebola. it was a hugely promising drug that never quite delivered but it has shown to be effective against lots of other viruses, they tried it against sars and if this virus so they started trialling it in patients. the world health organization, when patients. the world

hugh pym, bbc news.able to obey government orders to stay indoors because doing so would leave them unable to feed their families. while official vendor is in chile are closing their doors. unofficial sellers are still trying to make a living with some in mexico saying the pandemic has seen their business half. —— half. for decades 76—year—old maria has made ends meet by selling from this spot. as well as making money to survive, she also supports her family. translation: i have to live. i have to eat. the coronavirus has affected me in sales. look how it has affected me. since i arrived i have not sold anything yet and i have to be here until three or four anything yet and i have to be here until three orfour p.m.. look what i have sold. it gives me no more sales but for these little eggs today. these once bustling streets of santiago and our home to a trickle of passing trade, part of the city had been put under quarantine for several weeks but maria says the restrictions will not stop her. translation

hugh pym, bbc news. much more to come for you on bbc news. including this.he 99—year—old military veteran who's raising millions for medical staff on the frontline. pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked, and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for her sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear. this is bbc news — the latest headlines: president trump says the us is passing the peak of new coronavirus infections. earlier his plans to suspend funding for the world hea

hugh pym, bbc news.f coronavirus than china — the origin of the pandemic. turkish officials registered nearly 4,000 new cases in 24 hours, bringing the total to more than 86000. turkey is now the most affected country in asia. the president of zimbabwe has announced the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic will be extended by two weeks. in a live broadcast, the president said the conditions for lifting the restrictions had not been met russia has registered another sharp rise in new coronavirus cases — more than 6,000, bringing the total to nearly 43,000. more than 300 people have died. officials say the increase in confirmed cases reflects a rise in testing, with more than 100,000 people being tested each day. moscow is the hardest—hit area. while much of the global death toll has come from western western nations, concern is growing about the rise of cases elsewhere. developing nations, with massive urban populations and under—resourced health systems, is could be particularly vul

the bbc‘s health editor hugh pym asked the chancellor whether the government was ashamed that some nhs working on the front line deserves they have the equipment to do theirjob safely we are working around the clock to do ourjobs on that. 12 million delivered yesterday and as you have heard from me we are improving our sourcing internationally and domestically to make sure we can get the ppe we need but what is a very challenging international context. people on the front line can rest assured redoing every free thing we can and everything we can to get the equipment they need. i don't know if you want to add anything. thank you, chancellor. it is of concern that we wa nt chancellor. it is of concern that we want people who are working on the front line with patients at high risk to have what they need. and over this weekend i know, for instance, that 12 million pieces have been delivered to 141 trusts. and has been said there's incredible work going on internationally in a very high burn rate. but also working to ensure that people use the guidance that is there the most precautionary

hugh pym, bbc news. do stay with us on bbc news if you can.including this. # from twenty thousand feet i saw the lights below me twinkling just like christmas bringing a little music and light into these uncertain times — grammy award winner mary chapin carpenter performs for the bbc from her home. pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked, and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for her sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear. this is bbc news. the la

hugh pym, bbc news.arch, people living in areas with high levels of pollution are more like me to die on the coronavirus pandemic than people in cleaner parts. the harvard school of public health research found a large overlap between covid—19 deaths and other diseases related to long—term exposure on pollution. i am joined long—term exposure on pollution. iam joined now pollution. i am joined now by professor francesco dominicci in boston. make this down frost, perverse, if you may. what are the main findings of your study? yes, good evening and thank you for having me. the takeaway of the study is that historical exposure to air pollution is associated with higher risk of death for covid—19. we have conducted a national study in the united states that quantified the potential increase in covid—19 mortality that is associated with historical exposure to air pollution. 0ur with historical exposure to air pollution. our study accounts for over 90% of the debts that have been occurring in the united states

hugh pym, bbc news. health officials have put forward new advice to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, but added that he wouldn't be following it. from recent studies, we know that the transmission from individuals without symptoms does play a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood. so you don't seem to have symptoms but it still gets transferred. in light of these studies, the cdc is advising the use of non—medical cloth face coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure. so, it is voluntary, you don't have to do it. now they're suggesting it for a period of time. but, this is voluntary. he doesn't think he will be following that advice. live now to our north america correspondent, david willis. very much his own man mr trump, as we know, david. the focus is on new york where they are bearing the brunt of this outbreak and, in fact, calling on other states to transcend help. very much so and it's been estimated that a quarter of the 266,000 coronav

that's hugh pym there. let's look at some of the day's other news.coronavirus relief bill into law. it's the fourth of its kind that's been passed in response to the pandemic. the new money will top up the existing small business fund, and around a fifth of it will go towards hospitals and testing. in spain, officials have reported the lowest daily death toll in a month. 367 people died in 2a hours. the prime minister says the country will slowly ease its nationwide lockdown in the second half of may. this sunday, children will be allowed out on short walks for the first time in nearly six weeks. world leaders and the united nations' health agency have launched a new global initiative to speed up work on ways to prevent and cure covid—19. the call to action is being co—hosted by president macron of france and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, alongside bill and melinda gates. in a huge show of support for the who, other world leaders also took part in the announcement — but not the united states, which has withdrawn supp

hugh pym, bbc news.ll has come from western nations, concern is growing about the rise of cases elsewhere. developing nations, with massive urban populations, and under—resourced health systems could be particularly vulnerable. we'll be taking the view fromjapan, india, south africa, and brazil. starting with rupert wingfield hayes injapan, a developed nation which had thought it had dealt with the virus but is now facing a second wave. japan now looks like it is at the beginning of a major outbreak where you've seen more than 10,000 reported cases growing at about 500 a day. the worst hit area is here in tokyo where it looks like the healthcare system is starting to look like it may be overwhelmed. we have seen reports in recent days of people being turned away from multiple hospitals in the city. the whole of japan is now under a state of emergency, but that is not the sort of lockdown you are seeing in the uk, and japan, the government has not done widespread testing. despite that, it looked like japa