Coronavirus - 25th April

Summary for Saturday, 25th April

Good morning from our team here in London and welcome to our rolling updates on the pandemic.
Here’s what you need to know so far this morning:

• More than 2.8 million cases have been confirmed globally and more than 197,000 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University
  
• Nearly 60 new cases have been recorded among the crew of an Italian-registered cruise ship docked in Japan's Nagasaki
  
• Thousands in Australia and New Zealand have marked Anzac Day. With mass gatherings banned, households marked the day of remembrance on their driveways
  
• US President Donald Trump walked out of a shorter-than-usual daily press conference, refusing to take questions from journalists. He has faced controversy after he suggested injecting disinfectant could be beneficial to coronavirus patients
  
• In India, the government has allowed neighbourhood stores to reopen. The interior ministry said only 50% of staff should work and they should follow social distancing measures and wear masks
  
• Bookings on the UK government’s website for key workers to apply for coronavirus tests were filled within an hour of it reopening on Saturday - apart from some in Scotland
  

Doctors dismantle Trump's treatment comments

On Thursday, during the White House coronavirus taskforce briefing, President Donald Trump attracted widespread criticism after he suggested research into whether Covid-19 might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body.
He also appeared to propose irradiating patients' bodies with UV light, an idea dismissed by Dr Deborah Birx at the briefing.
On Friday, President Trump said his comments had been made "sarcastically".
However, doctors warned that some people might take the president's comments to heart. Speaking to the BBC, Dr Jonathan Spicer warned that "these products have corrosive properties that melt or destroy the lining of our innards."

Video Journalist: Shrai Popat



Sergio Moro: Brazil's popular justice minister quits in Bolsonaro clash
Brazil's popular justice minister has resigned from President Jair Bolsonaro's government, accusing him of political interference.
Sergio Moro, a former judge who oversaw the country's biggest anti-corruption probe, quit after the president fired the federal police chief.
Mr Moro said Mr Bolsonaro demanded someone who would provide him with direct intelligence.
In a public address, the far-right president called the claims "baseless".
"The appointment is mine, the prerogative is mine and the day I have to submit to any of my subordinates I cease to be president of the republic," Mr Bolsonaro said flanked by most of his cabinet in the presidential palace in Brasília.
But Brazil's public prosecutor Augusto Aras asked the Supreme Court to allow an investigation into Mr Moro's allegations against the president.
More here

Coronavirus test website slots booked up within hour of site reopening
Coronavirus tests for UK key workers were booked up through the government website within an hour of it reopening, apart from some in Scotland.
The site had to close to new applicants within hours of launching on Friday, after 46,000 people tried to access it. Some 16,000 bookings were made.
Home testing kits became unavailable less than 15 minutes after bookings reopened on Saturday morning.
Tests at drive-through sites in England were booked up within an hour.
Requests for drive-through tests in Scotland are still currently available on the site.
No 10 has said appointments for tests at drive-through centres and home testing kits would become available each day from 08:00 BST, with their release staggered throughout the day.
More on this story

Japan cruise ship sees rise in infections

Nearly 60 new cases of coronavirus infections were confirmed among crew members of a cruise ship docked in Japan on Saturday.
The total number of cases onboard the Costa Atlantica now stands at about 150. There are said to be 623 crew members on the vessel.
The ship had no passengers on board and diverted to Nagasaki in January for repairs rather than continue on to China, owing to the virus outbreak.
The crew were meant to have been confined to the ship but local media reported that some left the vessel.
Japan is currently facing a growing coronavirus crisis. There are more than 12,800 confirmed cases and 345 people have died.
The head of the Japan Medical Association, Yoshitake Yokokura, recently warned Japan lacks enough hospital beds, medical workers and personal protective equipment.

Seek urgent medical care if needed, public told

Doctors and charities are urging people to seek medical care when they need it – and not be put off by the coronavirus pandemic.
They warn that anyone who delays seeking treatment – for example, for chest pain or symptoms of stroke - is putting their long-term health at risk.
Half the usual number of people are going to Accident and Emergency (A&E) at UK hospitals and treatment for heart attacks and strokes is down.
NHS England's medical director Stephen Powis suggested this was because people were worried about bothering the NHS or feared contracting the virus in a medical environment.
You can read more on this story here.

When can UK sport restart?

Dan Roan - BBC Sports Editor
The UK government plans to set up the first of a series of regular meetings involving senior medical directors of the major sports this week in a bid to return to action as soon as possible.
The move was described by a source close to the plans as a "quickening of the pace" and intended to help sport resume "within weeks", if progress was made.
The specifics of each sport would be examined by health experts to see what protocols would be needed to get each up and running as soon as possible, meaning some would return sooner than others.
And government officials have accepted that at this stage, sport would only be able to take place behind closed doors.
You can read more on this story here.

Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac day

Australia and New Zealand have commemorated Anzac Day, but on a much smaller scale than usual.
The day marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) during World War One.
Usually, a number of commemorative events are held but with social distancing in place, people in both countries chose to stand in silence in their driveways to pay tribute.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was pictured with her father and her partner outside Premier House in Wellington.
Scott Morrison, Australia's Prime Minister, attended a closed ceremony in Canberra.

'No evidence' virus recovery stops reinfection, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that there is "currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection".
It has been suggested that people who survive an infection may develop antibodies that can attack the virus and prevent reinfection.
In the UK, antibody blood testing and surveillance to determine the rate of infection among the public is one of "five pillars" of the government's testing strategy, designed to suppress the virus.
Antibody testing - to show if someone has had the virus in the past - is considered crucial in providing an exit pathway from the current lockdown, as well as providing data to those developing a vaccine.

Latest UK developments

Good morning. If you're just joining us in the UK, here are some of the latest news stories:

• People should seek medical care when they need it and not be put off by the coronavirus pandemic, say UK doctors, charities and the health service.
  
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has attended meetings of the scientific body advising the government on the outbreak.
  
• Tests for UK key workers were booked up through the government website within an hour of it reopening on Saturday, apart from some in Scotland.
  
• NHS workers, police and firefighters must get better pay and treatment after they "see us through" this crisis, says the head of the Fire Brigades Union.
  
• Payouts to UK firms over coronavirus could cost £1.2bn, initial estimates from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate.
  
• Around two million children in England face higher risks in lockdown, says the Children's Commissioner.
  

Political adviser attended meetings of UK's independent scientific group

Dominic Cummings is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's closest political adviser

The opposition has criticised the UK government after it emerged the prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, attended meetings of the scientific body advising the government on the coronavirus outbreak.
The government said Mr Cummings had attended meetings of the independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to better understand the scientific debate around the virus – but was not a member of the body and did not affect their advice.
The Labour Party's chief health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Mr Cummings should not attend the meetings and raised concerns political advisers had “influenced the debate”.
However, National Health Service England's medical director Stephen Powis, who is one of the few publicly known members of Sage, told the programme he was “confident what happens at Sage is a scientific discussion involving the scientists and the experts who are members”.
You can read more on this story here.

From Kevin Rowlinson - The Guardian:

British soldiers to get insect repellant as Covid-19 protection
While the US president has apparently suggested that transfusions of disinfectant could be used to cure coronavirus, in the UK it has emerged that British armed forces are to be given insect repellant to protect them against Covid-19 infection.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed on Friday that it plans to buy stocks of a product containing a lemon eucalyptus oil extract called citriodiol. But questions remain over its effectiveness, with British officials refusing to reveal any evidence it would work, writes Guardian reporter Kevin Rawlinson.
After the news emerged, Public Health England confirmed the government’s guidance does not include using any such substance to protect against Covid-19 infection.
Similarly, the World Health Organization said there was no evidence the virus can be transmitted by mosquitoes and that an insect repellant would therefore be ineffective. The use of citriodiol to prevent infection does not form part of its advice.
More on this story here

Delayed London Marathon could feature elite athletes only

This year's postponed London Marathon could be staged with elite athletes only, race director Hugh Brasher has said.
Brasher said that was one of 10 options which were "changing all the time" and could also see a further delay.
The event was due to take place on Sunday 26 April but has been moved to 4 October because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 43,000 runners took part in 2019, with £66.4m ($81m) raised for charity.

Former chancellor calls for UK to start reopening economy

Philip Hammond was chancellor under Theresa May until last year

Former chancellor Philip Hammond has called on the UK government to begin easing the coronavirus lockdown.
"The reality is that we have to start reopening the economy. But we have to do it living with Covid," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"We can't wait until a vaccine is developed, produced in sufficient quantity and rolled out across the population. The economy won't survive that long.”
He added that measures to protect the population from the virus would be needed alongside any reopening of the economy.
You can read more about when the lockdown might be lifted here.

Top Dutch football league cancelled

Laura Scott - BBC Sport News Correspondent
The head of the Dutch FA says it was a "bitter day" cancelling the Eredivisie season early and thinks it is "very doubtful" the Premier League will be able to complete the 2019-20 campaign.
The top Dutch league was abandoned on Friday with no promotion or relegation and no champions.
Major events in the Netherlands are banned until September because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Just Spee, president of the Dutch FA, the KNVB, said the prospects of football elsewhere in Europe behind closed doors were "slim".

• More on this story here.
  

India allows small local shops to reopen

India has allowed small local stores to reopen a month after the country went into lockdown.
The interior ministry said only half of staff could work and they had to observe social distancing measures and wear a mask.
The government is attempting to gradually restart economic activity.
India has nearly 25,000 confirmed cases and 780 people have died.

How close is the UK to 100,000 virus tests a day?

The UK has less than a week to reach its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day. But with its test booking website overloaded with requests within an hour of reopening on Saturday morning, can it scale up fast enough?
The UK was managing about 20,000 tests daily last week but ministers said there was more capacity going unused.
Now it has opened up testing to 10 million key workers and their families to ensure they do not have to self-isolate at home unnecessarily.
Greater testing could also inform decisions around social distancing and lockdowns, but tests are not available for the general public yet.
Read the full explainer

Wizz Air plans 1 May return for some European flights

Low-cost airline Wizz Air will resume flying on routes out of Vienna from the start of next month, its chief executive has told local news agency APA. Its UK arm said it will also restart flights from London Luton Airport.
The phased return to operations makes the airline among the first in Europe to announce plans to increase flights after coronavirus left many planes grounded.
The pandemic has hit international flights hard, with the number of departures at UK airports falling by 90% and leaving some at risk of closure.
Wizz Air chief executive Josef Varadi told an Aviation Week webcast that he hoped to restart operations with about 30% of the airline's normal capacity, increasing to 75% or 80% in the next two to three months.
But he said that depended on European countries co-ordinating their pandemic measures to a greater extent. Europe is a "complete mess" at the moment, he said.
The airline said it would introduce "enhanced" health and safety measures, with new distancing measures during boarding, cabin crew wearing masks and gloves, and aircraft disinfected overnight.

Coronavirus death toll slows in Spain

Spain’s coronavirus death toll rose to 22,902 on Saturday, but the increase of 378 was only slightly up on Friday’s 367, the lowest recorded figure in the past month.
The overall number of cases rose to 223,759 from 219,764 the day before, Spanish media reported.
In Russia, there have been 66 more fatalities bringing the total to 681 from 74,588 confirmed infections, with 5,966 new cases.
New infections dropped for the second day running in Germany, where 5,500 people have died. The number of cases rose by 2,055 to 152,438.
A total of 5,650 deaths, up by 67, have been confirmed in Iran, where 89,328 people have been diagnosed with the virus.

Is Sweden's strategy working?

Maddy Savage - BBC News, Stockholm
Sweden's approach to managing the pandemic has generated global interest.
The policy of avoiding lockdown and keeping large parts of society open is widely supported by the Swedish public but has led to debate over whether it is a sensible plan or one that could cause unnecessary deaths.
Photos have been shared around the world of bars with crammed outdoor seating and long queues for waterfront ice cream kiosks, and yet it is a myth that life here goes on as normal - as people voluntary take to social distancing.
But how serious is Sweden's outbreak? Why did it choose a different path to other countries and what do the figures tell us so far about how effective the strategy is?
Read more

Watch how germs spread and how to prevent them

Coronavirus can spread from person to person and officials recommend simple steps to avoid becoming infected.
Dr Adele McCormick from the University of Westminster demonstrates how germs spread and what the best methods are to avoid catching a virus.

'Beijing Bikini' banned under new law

The Chinese capital has banned the "Beijing Bikini" as part of a new set of laws that will come into effect on 1 June.
The Beijing Bikini refers to the habit of men exposing their belly by rolling up their shirt.
The Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, confirmed the move on Saturday.
Many of the laws appear to be in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Residents in the capital must wear a mask if suffering from a cold or another infectious respiratory disease.
China, where the new coronavirus emerged in December, has reported more than 82,000 cases and 4,632 deaths.

Another 813 UK hospital deaths put total over 20,000

The UK's Department of Health and Social Care has recorded a further 813 deaths in hospital.
It brings the total number of hospital deaths to 20,319 - making the UK the fifth country to pass 20,000 deaths, along with Italy, Spain, France and the USA.

Mother fears missing birth of first baby

Ellie Hutchinson (centre) is carrying her cousin Olivia Rowlands' baby

A mother-to-be from Scotland fears she could be prevented from being at the birth of her first child because of the current UK lockdown.
Olivia Rowlands and her husband Sam are expecting a baby girl in July - the baby is being carried by her cousin, Ellie Hutchinson, after treatment for bowel cancer left Olivia unable to go through pregnancy.
Olivia, 31, a primary school teacher, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017. After 29 sessions of radiotherapy, she went into early menopause.
Having frozen four embryos prior to her treatment, the couple embarked on a surrogacy through Ellie, 34, who is now self-isolating.
"We have Facetime and photos but it has meant we have missed appointments - like the one where where we would hear the heartbeat for the first time," Ms Rowlands told BBC Scotland.
"But Ellie was amazing and recorded it and sent it straight to us after the appointment finished.
"I wouldn't want to put anybody at risk. We are going to have this baby for the rest of our lives so we can cope."

20,000 hospital deaths - what happens from here?

The first death linked to coronavirus in the UK was announced in early March. It was a woman in her 70s.
There have now been more than 20,000 fatalities since, according to the government's daily figures.
The tragic milestone is significant - at the outbreak's start, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said keeping the death toll to that figure would be "horrible" but a "good outcome" given the country's challenge.
The government had been warned that up to 500,000 people could die if the virus's spread was not stopped.
Does reaching this landmark mean the UK has failed to achieve its goals, and what happens from here?
Read the full analysis

15:55

UK daily briefing to start shortly

In a few minutes, we'll bring you the latest from the UK government's daily briefing - on the day that the total number of hospital deaths passed 20,000.
Home Secretary Priti Patel will lead the government's update. She'll be joined by Prof Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England, and Lynne Owens, director general of the National Crime Agency.

Quarter of staff at Cape Town factory test positive

Will Ross - Africa editor, BBC World Service
About a quarter of the entire workforce at the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) factory in Cape Town has tested positive for the coronavirus.
A spokeswoman said the 99 members of staff were all now in isolation.
On Tuesday, South Africa’s labour department suspended operations at the pharmaceutical company after an inspection found that there was a lack of personal protection equipment for staff.
The facility has since been given permission to reopen.
The spread of the coronavirus has been slowed by a month-long lockdown in South Africa.
But some have broken the rules and there are concerns that about 200 positive cases have been traced to three funerals that took place in the Eastern Cape.

Did Cummings participate in Sage meetings?

Prof Powis is pressed on what part in the meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Boris Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings played.
Prof Powis says he himself has been attending the meetings - which advise the government - since February.
He does not specifically say what, if anything, Cummings said at the meetings. But he says that the advice and contributions to the government were made by scientists.
Downing Street earlier confirmed that Cummings had attended Sage meetings but denied a Guardian report that he was a member of the body.

Immunity passports ‘could increase virus spread’

Governments should not issue so-called "immunity passports" or "risk-free certificates" as a way of easing lockdowns, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
It said there was "no evidence" that people who had developed antibodies after recovering from the virus were protected against a second infection.
Immunity passports could actually increase virus transmission, it warned.
People who assumed they were immune might stop taking precautions, the WHO said.
Some governments have considered permitting people who have recovered to travel or return to work.

• More on this story here.
  

Italy marks Liberation Day with flags and singing

People in Italy have marked Liberation Day by not going out and joining mass gatherings as they normally would. Instead, they've been waving flags from their windows and singing a resistance song.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of Italy's liberation from Nazi German occupation.
Usually veterans march through towns across the country, but these events were cancelled due to the lockdown. The entire country has been in lockdown since 9 March. Nearly 26,000 people have died.
At 15:00 (13:00 GMT) people sang Bella Ciao, the anthem of the resistance. In Rome, the Italian Air Force's aerobatics team conducted a flypast.
Italian Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerin called on people to overcome the crisis by drawing on the values of unity and solidarity shown in the resistance during World War Two.

Death toll slows in Italy

The coronavirus death toll in Italy has risen by 415 - the smallest daily tally since 17 March - to 26,384 people.
There has been a total of 195,351 cases, a rise of 2,357.
Italy has the second highest number of fatalities in the world after the United States.

What we learned from the UK briefing

• Home Secretary Priti Patel and officials set a sombre tone on the day that the hospital death toll passed 20,000 – but when asked, they declined to say whether the loss of life meant the UK should have adopted a different strategy
  
• While car crime, burglary and shoplifting had fallen, Ms Patel said some "sophisticated" criminals were seeking to exploit the situation. Online scams have cost the public £2.4m while criminals have also tried to sell fraudulent protective equipment and coronavirus testing kits, she said
  
• Prof Stephen Powis from NHS England stressed that social distancing was working, bringing down the numbers in hospital, but said that evidence of increased motor vehicle use was causing "a little bit of concern"
  
• Asked about the attendance of controversial Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings at meetings of scientists advising on the pandemic, Prof Powis said the advice and contributions came from the scientists – but he did not reveal what, if anything, Mr Cummings said
  

New York pharmacies to conduct tests

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will sign an executive order to allow independent pharmacists to conduct coronavirus tests.
Governor Cuomo says the measure will "unlock a network of over 5,000 pharmacies as testing locations".
He says testing criteria will be expanded to include first responders, frontline healthcare workers and essential workers.
Coronavirus-related deaths in the state had risen by 437, compared with a rise of 422 the previous day, Governor Cuomo added.
However, he said the number of patients hospitalised because of the virus had fallen to about 1,100 per day - the same level as 21 days ago.

New York man charged with hoarding PPE and sanitiser

A man has been charged with hoarding personal protective equipment and sanitiser in New York state and selling it for excess profit.
Amardeep Singh, 45, has been accused of violating the Defense Production Act in the United States, which makes it illegal to accumulate such products and sell them at inflated prices.
According to authorities, his business was found to be hoarding more than 100,000 face masks, 10,000 surgical gowns and 2,500 full-body isolation suits along with other forms of PPE and sanitiser.
The complaint alleges he sold N95 masks for twice their value, disposable gloves for three times their value, and disposable face masks for $1 (£0.81) despite purchasing them for 7 cents (£0.06) each. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.
Singh’s attorney, Brad Gerstman, told CNN that the decision to prosecute him was “absurd” and said he was not price gouging.
There have been more than 271,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, more than any individual country.

Belarus orphanage hit by virus outbreak

Many of the children at the orphanage have disabilities, some severe

At least 23 people, including 13 disabled children, have been infected with coronavirus at an orphanage in Belarus.
An Irish charity that supports the Vesnova orphanage, in the central Hlusk district, said that some of the children were already "extremely ill".
There are more than 170 children and young adults at the centre, many with severe disabilities and compromised immune systems.
Adi Roche, founder of the Chernobyl Children International charity, said the orphanage did not have enough medicine to treat the patients. The orphanage is appealing to the government to relocate the children.
Belarus's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has resisted calls for a nationwide lockdown, dismissing fears of the coronavirus epidemic as "psychosis". As of Friday there were 8,773 confirmed cases and 63 deaths in the country.

What the latest UK figures mean

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
In the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic in the UK, the government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said limiting deaths to around 20,000 would be a “good outcome” given the challenge ahead.
The fact we have now passed this grim milestone in less than two months is both a tragedy for the families affected and a worry to the rest of the country.
There are strong signs - at least in hospitals - that we have passed the peak of deaths. The fact that may have happened without the health service being overwhelmed in the way Italy’s was is at least some good news.
However, the deaths in care homes, which the daily figures from government do not include, are rising rapidly and could prove very difficult to get under control.
In fact, if we included them we would have passed the 20,000 mark some time ago.
Read full analysis here

A-level student does work experience on coronavirus ward

Leeoni Batty applied for work experience at her local hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, while she studied A-levels in chemistry, biology and psychology.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
She was asked if she wanted to become a member of the domestic services team, working on a coronavirus ward on her first day.
Her job involves cleaning and sterilising rooms, as well as serving tea and coffee to patients.
She tells the BBC that some of what she has seen has been "incredibly upsetting", but adds: "I have never been as proud as to be part of this fight."
Read the full story

Turkey sees death toll rise to 2,706

The death toll in Turkey has risen by 106 to 2,706, authorities said on Saturday.
The health ministry also confirmed another 2,861 infections taking the total to 107,773. It is the seventh highest number of cases in the world, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the US.
On Thursday, Turkey imposed a four-day lockdown across 31 provinces to try to stem the spread of the virus. It coincided with a national holiday and the beginning of Ramadan.
Correspondents say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been trying to contain the virus without totally shutting down the economy. However, doctors, trade unions and the opposition have complained that he has not gone far enough.

Wales tightens rules on exercise

Authorities in Wales are tightening guidelines on physical exercise to cut down on unnecessary travel.
The updated restrictions say that, from Saturday, people must exercise "as close as possible" to home.
People should not drive away from home to exercise, with no journeys "of any significant distance". Cyclists are told they should travel no farther than a "reasonable walking distance from home".
The UK government has said it is not going to stop outdoor exercise, but has renewed warnings against sunbathing during the current restrictions.
Read more on the Wales restrictions here

Global death toll passes 200,000

The global coronavirus death tally has passed 200,000 people, according to the global tracker run by Johns Hopkins University, after France recorded 369 further fatalities.
A total of 22,614 people have now died in France.
Earlier on Saturday, the UK became the fifth country to pass 20,000 deaths in hospital from Covid-19, behind the United States, Italy, Spain and France.

Tattoo parlours and nail salons open in US

Some US states have begun to open non-essential businesses as part of a drive to bring an end to the lockdown.
Georgia, Alaska and Oklahoma have all lifted restrictions on businesses including salons, barbers and pet groomers.
Several people have shared pictures of themselves in empty restaurants enjoying a (very) quiet meal with nobody else around.
Some health experts have warned that the easing might be happening too soon and could cause another wave of infections.

Latest as global fatalities pass 200,000

This is what we have learned as the global coronavirus death tally moved beyond another sombre milestone:

• The global death toll currently stands at 200,698, according to a tracker run by Johns Hopkins University,
  
• after it was announced that France had recorded 369 further fatalities
  
• That took the total number of deaths in the country to 22,614, but the daily toll is falling, and the number in intensive care has dropped for the seventeenth consecutive day
  
• The UK become the fifth country to pass 20,000 deaths in hospital from Covid-19, behind the US, Italy, Spain and France.
  
• The death toll in Italy has gone up by 415 to 26,384, Europe's highest
  
• Spain's death toll has risen by 378, slightly more than recorded on Friday, bringing the overall number confirmed to have died of the virus to 22,902
  
• Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned governments against using so-called "immunity passports" or "risk-free certificates" as a way of easing lockdowns
  
• It said there was "no evidence" that people who had developed antibodies after recovering from the virus were protected against a second infection.
  

How Covid-19 has spread

100,000 deaths reported in past 16 days

It took 90 days from the first reported death in Wuhan, China, on 11 January for countries to record more than 100,000 confirmed coronavirus fatalities.
Just 16 days later, that total has passed 200,000. But which countries have been hardest hit?
The US has suffered the largest death toll, with more than 52,400 recorded.
Italy, for weeks the epicentre of Europe's pandemic, has seen 26,384 deaths and is now beginning to talk about a new "Phase Two", when it can start reopening society
Spain, France and the UK are the other countries to report death tolls above 20,000.
In Spain, children under 14 will finally be allowed outside for the first time in six weeks on Sunday. French PM Edouard Philippe has just said he will detail his country's plan to relax the lockdown on Tuesday.
Among the most severely affected countries, Belgium has the highest number of deaths per capita, with six deaths per 100,000 people compared with 4.9 in Spain and 1.6 in the US.
But, unlike many countries, Belgium records suspected coronavirus deaths in care homes while many other countries have reported these at a later stage.
There have been more than 7,000 deaths recorded in Asian countries and a similar number in Latin America, while in the Middle East the figure is over 8,800. The current toll in Africa stands at about 1,350.

Latest from US & Canada

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a press conference today that Canada would not reopen until there was enough PPE (personal protective equipment) for all. “I don’t think we should be talking about reopening any parts of the economy if we do not have a strong plan to protect people working,” he said
  
• In the US, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the state had seen a “continued flattening” of coronavirus cases, and that social distancing measures would continue
  
• And Michigan state Senator Dale Zorn has apologised for the “choice of pattern” on a face mask he wore yesterday. He trended on social media as people said the face mask resembled the Confederate flag.
  

  :tweet: :Left Quotes: Chad Livengood:
Republican state Sen. @DaleZornSenate denies he was wearing a Confederate flag face mask on Michigan Senate floor. @WLNSKiyerra interviewed Zorn, who acknowledged the design looked like the flag of the Confederacy. He thought it was Kentucky or Tenn. flag.https://www.wlns.com/news/local-news/it-was-not-a-confederate-flag-state-senator-explains-questionable-mask/ …

Driver clocked at 134mph in London

During Saturday's UK briefing, Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed that a driver was recorded travelling at 134mph (215kmh) in a 40mph zone in London.
Speeds of up to 151mph had been clocked on the M1 motorway, she said, with a warning against people breaking the law during the lockdown.
"Police are still responding to all sorts of crime that include some extrarordinary dangerous driving, with a minority of drivers using quieter roads as their own personal racetracks," she said.

Other developments around the world

• Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the country should draw up economic plans based on a worst-case scenario of nearly a year's disruption from the coronavirus, as the death toll rose by 76 to 5,650
  
• In Nigeria, state governors asked President Muhammadu Buhari to make face masks compulsory in public places as confirmed coronavirus cases rose
  
• South Africa's trade minister Ebrahim Patel said the country planned to reopen its agriculture sector and allow some manufacturing and retail to start operating again, in an attempt to balance restarting economic activity with curbing the spread of the virus
  

Where are fastest-growing outbreaks?

While the US and European nations have been at the centre of the pandemic for the past few weeks, other nations are also seeing cases rapidly rise.
In Ecuador, there are now 22,791 confirmed cases - up from six on 2 March. Officials have suggested the death toll, currently under 900, may be in the thousands and families have said they have struggled to bury their dead.
After recording its first case on 26 February, Brazil has reached 55,224 cases, with 3,762 deaths. Amid the largest outbreak in Latin America, President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised for joining protesters against the restrictions designed to slow the virus’s spread.
Turkey confirmed its first case on 11 March and now has 107,773 - making it the seventh highest total worldwide. There have been 2,706 deaths.
And in Russia, the total number of confirmed infections reached 74,588, rising from about 1,000 on 28 March. The death toll has reached 681.

20:23

That's all for now

We are bringing this page to a close now, on a sobering day where the global coronavirus death toll passed 200,000.
The UK became the fifth country to record more than 20,000 fatalities - each one a tragedy for family and friends.

Our writers today were Steve Sutcliffe, Becky Morton, Joseph Lee, Sophie Williams, Frank Keogh, Sean Fanning, David Walker, Tom Gerken, Paul Kirby and Alex Bysouth.