Coronavirus - 26th April

Summary for Sunday, 26th April

   - Number of people known to have died from the coronavirus passes 200,000 - Johns Hopkins University
   - More than 20,000 deaths in hospitals in the UK - the fifth country to pass that milestone
   - UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is appearing on the Marr show to be quizzed about testing
   - The UK military is to begin testing essential workers in mobile units in "hard to reach" areas
   - World Health Organization says people who have recovered may not be protected against reinfection

Good morning and welcome

Our team in London will be updating you throughout the day on the latest developments around the world. Here are some of the main headlines:

• More than 200,000 people around the world have now died from Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There are 2.8 million confirmed cases globally
  
• New York state, the epicentre of the virus in the US, will allow testing to take place in pharmacies. Some 5,000 pharmacies will be able to conduct the tests
  
• Here in the UK, more than 20,000 people have died in hospitals alone. The government is coming under more pressure to make testing more widely available
  
• Children under the age of 14 in Spain are now able to leave their homes for an hour a day. Children have not been allowed out for six weeks
  
• President Trump has not held his daily coronavirus briefing at the White House, tweeting that it was not worth it
  
• Saudi Arabia is partially lifting its lockdown. The curfew will be lifted from 09:00 to 17:00. Shops will be allowed to reopen from Wednesday for two weeks during Ramadan. However a 24 hour curfew remains in place in Mecca.
  
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday. He was discharged from intensive care two weeks ago, saying medical staff had saved his life.
  
• In Peru, 17 police officers have died from the virus while enforcing a nationwide lockdown. On Friday, the president sacked the interior minister, Carlos Moran, who had been criticised for failing to provide officers with masks
  

100,000 deaths in 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, Franceand 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.

UK Military to carry out 'pop-up testing'

The UK military will begin to test essential workers in "hard to reach areas across the country".
At least 96 pop-up facilities will travel to care homes, police and fire stations, prisons and benefit centres with plans to be up and running in May.
It comes as the government looks to reach its target of carrying out 100,000 tests per day by Thursday.

What's coming up this morning in the UK

The Andrew Marr Show
We’ve got a busy Sunday morning coming up in the UK packed with interviews and opinion.
The Andrew Marr show starts on BBC One at 09:00 BST and this morning and we will be hearing from:

• The first secretary of state, Dominic Raab
  
• The first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon
  
• The shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rachel Reeves
  
• Sweden’s deputy prime minister, Isabella Lovin
  
• German Foreign Office secretary, Andreas Michaelis
  

Where are fastest-rising 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.

Doctor's diary: Inseparable in sickness and in health

They had been inseparable since they were 13. So when Michael and Mary Blessington were brought into hospital suffering from coronavirus, their son called the hospital to tell them to put them in adjacent beds.
In the latest of his coronavirus diaries Prof John Wright tells their story.

Angry Trump says briefing media 'not worth it'

President Donald Trump did not hold his daily briefing on Saturday, tweeting that it was not worth his "time or effort" and blaming the media for asking "nothing but hostile questions".
He was heavily criticised after suggesting at Thursday's White House news conference that disinfectant could potentially be used as a treatment for the virus.
The performance caused embarrassment even among some of his supporters, BBC North America correspondent Peter Bowes says.
Mr Trump's tweet appears to confirm reports that the conferences may be coming to an end because polls suggest they have not bolstered the president's popularity among voters, our correspondent adds.
His remarks on Thursday were condemned as dangerous by doctors and manufacturers, as disinfectants are hazardous substances and can be poisonous if ingested.
In New York City, calls to the hotline for exposure to certain household chemicals more than doubled in the 18 hours after Mr Trump's remarks - 30 cases compared to 13 for the same time frame last year.

Care home staff struggling to get tests

UK care home staff looking after thousands of vulnerable residents are struggling to get tested for coronavirus.
Out of 210 care providers spoken to by the BBC, 159 said none of their workers had been screened.
The government has said all those care workers showing symptoms as well as their families will be tested, but some have reported long journeys to reach testing centres.

All coronavirus patients discharged in Wuhan

The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first reported, has no remaining cases in its hospitals, according to officials.
Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, told reporters the last patient in a serious condition was "cured" on Friday.
They also confirmed that there are no new cases of the virus in the city.
Since the outbreak began in December, China has reported 82, 816 cases and 4,632 deaths.
Wuhan reported 46,452 cases, 56% of the total.

Branson invites urgent offers for Virgin Atlantic

Sir Richard Branson is seeking urgent offers for his stricken airline Virgin Atlantic.
The billionaire Virgin Group boss has asked the UK government for a commercial loan, believed to be around £500m and said his Necker Island home in the Caribbean could be used as collateral.
It comes as Virgin Group's airline in Australia enters administration.
The airline had asked the Australian government for £710 million but the request was denied.
The airline, which serviced domestic as well as short-haul international destinations, was founded in 2000 by Sir Richard and was one of Australia’s main aviation providers.
In a letter to the airline’s staff, which he tweeted, Sir Richard said it “is not the end for Virgin Australia, but I believe a new beginning”.

Father of 13 tests positive

As if being in lockdown with 10 children was not tough enough father-of-13 Roy Hann, from Dundee, has now tested positive for coronavirus himself.
The Hann family are known as one of the largest families in Scotland.
Nurse practitioner Roy said the illness had been "very mild" and that he had been surprised to test positive due to using protective equipment at work.

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.
  

Labour MP 'heartbroken' at not being able to comfort families

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting and the party's spokeswoman on mental health, has told Sophie Ridge on Sunday she came home from hospital shifts “heartbroken” at not being able to comfort grieving families.
She said the UK entered lockdown “too late” and that the government was failing on “mass testing and contact tracing” as well as on access to PPE (protective personal equipment).
“It would have been impossible to save all the lives that we’ve lost but we did enter lockdown too late, we did not deliver PPE to the front line when it was needed, we did not follow global advice on self-isolation and we haven’t rolled out mass testing and contact tracing."
The government insists it is basing its decisions on science and that testing will reach 100,000 a day by the end of the month.

Saudi Arabia relaxes restrictions

Saudi Arabia eased some of its restrictions on Sunday.
A 24-hour curfew has been lifted and people will be able to move freely from 0900 to 1700 local time.
From Wednesday, shops will be allowed to open and some factories will resume operations.
The eased restrictions, which cover the first two weeks of Ramadan, won't apply to places where social distancing can't be maintained such as gyms and restaurants.
The cities of Mecca and Medina and previously quarantined neighbourhoods will remain under lockdown.
More than 16,000 cases have been confirmed and 136 people have died in the country.

Tests to be available in New York pharmacies

The state of New York, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in the US, is planning to allow pharmacies to carry out tests for the virus.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said some 5,000 pharmacies would be able to carry out testing, with the aim to provide 40,000 per day.
It is part of a drive to find out how widely the virus has spread across the state of 20 million people.
"Twenty-one days of hell, and now we are back to where we were 21 days ago," he said. "Testing is what we are compulsively or obsessively focused on now."
Healthcare staff and essential workers - such as police officers, firefighters, bus drivers and shop assistants - would be able to get tests even if they did not have any symptoms of infection, he said.
This was important not just for their own safety but also to protect the public, he said.
The US has more than 938,000 confirmed cases. Almost a third of the 53,751 deaths happened in New York City alone.
Read more - New York to allow virus tests in pharmacies

'Important we take people with us' on UK lockdown

The Labour Party's Rachel Reeves has told Andrew Marr it is "incredibly important" the government takes people with it by showing them a path to coming out of lockdown.
The Labour MP for Leeds West and shadow cabinet office minister said: "I think the vast majority of people support the lockdown and want to support the government and national effort.
"It is important that people continue to stick by the rules because it is only by doing that that we will defeat the virus.
"We must take people with us on this journey by giving them a greater idea of what comes next."
She also called for testing at community level in venues such as town halls or libraries so that people without cars could reach them.

Israel allows some shops to reopen, schools may go back

Israel allowed some businesses to reopen on Sunday and said it would consider reopening schools.
Shops with street access are allowed to open but shopping malls and markets must remain closed.
Under the new restrictions, restaurants are now allowed to offer take-away food in addition to delivery services.
However, officials have warned that the changes are reversible should the number of cases rise.
Israel has had 15,398 cases and 199 people have died.

Kipchoge takes part in the 2.6 Challenge

If this was an ordinary April, we would expect to see the world’s best distance runners and tens of thousands of others pounding the streets, taking part in the London Marathon.
But given the lockdown, that of course is no longer an option for the likes of Olympic champion and men’s world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, who was due to race in the now rearranged event.
Instead, the Kenyan is encouraging people to get involved in the 2.6 Challenge, which aims to raise money for charity during the lockdown, with his focus on his home country.
In a post on Twitter, Kipchoge provided people with the incentive of bidding on a running vest from his sub-two-hour marathon in October and said, “I am happy to participate in the #TwoPointSixChallenge whereby today the London Marathon would have raised wonderful funds for charities. I want to invite you to join me in the challenge.”

'Up to 10% of UK population may have been infected'

Oxford University's Prof Christophe Fraser told the BBC's Andrew Marr between three and 10% of the population was predicted to have contracted coronavirus by this stage - up to six million people.
Prof Fraser is working on developing an app which would allow for tracing people who had been in touch with those with Covid-19.
Prof Fraser said the app helps deal with the problem of 50% of infections occurring before syptoms are showing.
He said with the software, people could be alerted if they had come into contact with a person with symptoms, in which case they should observe stronger social-distancing, or a confirmed case which would mean going into isolation.

Sweden: Pandemic is 'marathon, not a sprint'

Sweden has been more relaxed than many other countries in the restrictions it has brought in.
Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lovin has been on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme.
She told him the pandemic was a “marathon and not a sprint”.
And she said it was a “great myth” that Sweden hasn’t taken serious steps to try and address the pandemic.
The country has limited gatherings to 50 people and banned people from visiting nursing homes.
Sweden has a higher death rate than neighbouring Scandinavian countries. More than 2,000 people have died compared with 193 in Norway.
She said: “I think every country needs to take its own measures but it’s a real fear that if you have too harsh measures, then they can’t be sustained all the time, maybe you can get a counter reaction and people will not respect the recommendations that need to be there for a really long time until we have a vaccine and until the pandemic has an end.
“We don’t want to fatigue the situation,” she added.
Read more: Has Sweden got its science right?

'Not where we want to be on PPE' - Raab

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he was ill with coronavirus, admitted to Andrew Marr that "we are not where we would want to be on PPE".
Raab said 78 NHS workers and 16 care workers had died from the virus and it had been challenging to obtain personal protective equipment.
But the first secretary of state said the UK was now the "international buyer of choice" for PPE amid a global shortage.
"No stone is being left unturned," he said, both in terms of domestic production and globally acquiring kit.

Modi tells India to remain vigilant

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the country to stick to its lockdown as cases in the country continue to rise.
There has been an increase of 2,000 cases registered in the past 24 hours. So far, more than 26,000 cases have been reported and more than 800 people have died.
In a nationwide radio address, Modi called on people to maintain social distancing and to end the habit of spitting in public.
“I will urge you that we should not be trapped into over-confidence and nurse the belief that in our city, in our village, in our streets, in our office, coronavirus has not reached and that is why it will not reach,” he said.
On Saturday, small shops in the country were allowed to open with 50% of staff as long as social distancing can be maintained and staff wear masks.

Luck and extra intensive care capacity crucial in Germany

Germany has been held up as an exemplar for its response to the pandemic.
The latest figures from the Robert Koch Institute, the German public health agency, put the number of deaths in the country at 5,500, which is lower than the UK, Spain, Italy, France and the US.
Andreas Michaelis, a senior foreign ministry official, says that is in part down to "luck" and also his government’s decision maintain excess capacity in intensive care units.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, he said the country had 40,000 intensive care beds, 30,000 of which can be used with ventilators.
“This is really a heritage of our health system – it is almost the core factor of our health system.
“A lot of experts were criticising us for having too much capacity, too much expenditure – I think the people of Germany can now say that’s an extra capacity they are very happy to have financed in the past.”

Scotland could diverge on lockdown lifting - Sturgeon

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she could lift the lockdown measures in Scotland at a diferent pace to other parts of the UK if necessary. But any such decision would not be political.
Sturgeon told Andrew Marr: "If, and it is an if, I'm not saying that we're likely to get in to this territory, the UK government took decisions that I thought were premature in terms of coming out of the lockdown then clearly I would want to make sure that Scotland did what I judged was best to protect the population."
She also agreed that pupils could return to school on different days to allow for social-distancing measures but said it would not be safe to do so yet.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab later told Marr he would not be drawn on what measures might be put in place for schools but said it was "inconceivable" schools would not return without measures like those currently in place for the teaching of essential workers' children.

Ramping up UK testing key for 'medium to long term' - Raab

Dominic Raab has said ramping up testing for coronavirus is key to the "medium-to-long-term" plan as he reiterated the UK government was on track to reach 100,000 daily tests by the end of April.
"We have certainly got to get the daily testing up to hundreds of thousands. That, along with tracking and tracing, will give us more flexibility to open up measures, open up access," he said. "That, along with vaccine and therapeutics will be the medium-long-term way to fight this virus."
When asked by Andrew Marr about reports the UK had ordered 30 million antibody tests amid a breakthrough in the technology, Raab said: "I'm not sure we have ordered those but we are certainly looking closely at it".
He said he was not sure if the antibody test, which would show if someone had had the virus and therefore possibly immunity, could be scaled up at this stage.

Police in Wales reveal bizarre excuses for essential travel

Buying drugs, nail clippers for the dog and not watching the news are just some of the bizarre excuses used for flouting the lockdown in Wales.
Police forces in the country have released examples of the reasons people have given for supposed “essential” travel.
The lockdown has been in place for five weeks to stop the spread of the virus.
Most people are following the advice to remain at home but police said a small number had "selfishly put others at risk".
People found breaking the rules can be fined a fixed penalty fee of £60 ($74).
Read more excuses here

Raab: My job was just to step up

Asked about whether he relished standing in for the prime minister, who is due to return to work tomorrow, Raab said his job had been to "step up just like the rest of the country".
"When your prime minister is stricken with the coronavirus, and particularly when we knew it was touch and go, you're thinking very much personally of him but also the role of leading the government," he said.
"I also think of the country, and the position it's in. And like all of those key workers, like the rest of the country, my job is just to step up to the plate."
Raab added Boris Johnson was "raring to go".

Germany's cautious approach to removing measures


More now on the approach taken in Germany, which has suffered fewer deaths than other major European countries.
German foreign ministry official Andreas Michaelis told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the first steps to lifting Germany’s lockdown would be to send certain age groups of children back to school, and to allow some non-essential shops to open.
Other measures include introducing a contact-tracing app by June and hiring staff at district levels.
“I think this is a careful way of moving forward and seeing if we can still remain below one in the (infection) rate of (Covid-19),” he said.
“We think roughly a team of five for 20,000 people is what we have to come up with – that is 650 teams only in the case of Bavaria, which is not easy.
“The app is important in moving into that phase but it has to be complemented by other measures as well.”

Why is Cicero trending on Twitter?

Cicero is trending on Twitter in response to an article on Prime Minister Boris Johnson in The Sunday Telgraph.
The paper reports that the PM, who studied Classics at Oxford, quoted the Roman statesman and orator when speaking to aides.
The health of the nation should be "supreme", he said - or "salus populi suprema lex esto" - interpreted by some as suggesting that the PM is against any easing of the restrictions at present.
Johnson’s comments come as he prepares to return to work on Monday, two weeks after he was released from intensive care.
One of his first tasks will be working out a strategy for easing restrictions and reviving economic activity.
Dominic Raab who has been standing in for him, said Johnson was “raring to go”.

Everton 'appalled' by player breaking lockdown

Premier League club Everton said they were "appalled" after images emerged appearing to show their player Moise Kean at a house party despite the UK's lockdown.
The Daily Star Sunday reported that Italian striker Kean, 20, filmed himself at the party in his apartment.
Everton said they were "appalled to learn of an incident in which a first-team player ignored government guidance and club policy in relation to the coronavirus crisis".
The club has "strongly expressed its disappointment to the player".

'My husband went to the doctor and never came back'

A Scottish woman has made a plea to the public to take lockdown measures seriously after her husband died with Covid-19.
Andy Wyness was 53 when he passed away on 6 April, just six months after he married his partner of 25 years.
His widow Sandra last saw him when he left the house to go to an assessment centre as his symptoms worsened.
Mrs Wyness said: "He drove himself. The nurse practitioner phoned to say they were concerned about his breathing and his oxygen levels and that they would be getting him an ambulance from there."
Mr Wyness was taken to Wishaw General Hospital in North Lanarkshire where he died without his wife seeing him.
Read more

The billionaire trying to stop coronavirus (and fix China's reputation)

Celia Hatton - BBC Asia Pacific Regional Editor


The richest man in China opened his own Twitter account last month - in the middle of the Covid-19 outbreak. So far, every one of his posts has been devoted to his unrivalled campaign to deliver medical supplies to almost every country around the world.
"One world, one fight!" Jack Ma enthused in one of his first messages. "Together, we can do this!" he cheered in another.
The billionaire entrepreneur is the driving force behind an extensive operation to ship medical supplies to more than 150 countries so far, sending face masks and ventilators to many places that have been elbowed out of the global scrap for life-saving equipment.
But Ma's critics and even some of his supporters aren't sure what he's getting himself into.
Has this bold venture into global philanthropy unveiled him as the friendly face of China's Communist Party? Or is he an independent player who is being used by the Party for propaganda purposes?
He appears to be following China's diplomatic rules, particularly when choosing which countries should benefit from his donations, but his growing clout might put him in the crosshairs of the jealous leaders at the top of China's political pyramid.
Read more - The billionaire trying to stop coronavirus (and fix China's reputation)

Raab on the Marr programme: What else did he say?

On his final day filling in for the prime minister, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stressed "caution" on the issue of easing the lockdown measures so as to make a "sure-footed step forward".
But he reiterated that social distancing measures are going to be with us "for sometime", when he appeared on the Andrew Marr Show.

• Raab said it would be very difficult for sport to be played outside this summer; but it may be different for professionals because of the "scale of testing" that could be introduced.
  
• On the lack of testing at airports, he said the scientific advice was that "it wouldn't make much difference" due to the low numbers travelling. Raab added he asked about it every week.
  
• On businesses reopening, he said it would be important they followed the same practices put in place by firms in essential sectors when it came to social-distancing and cleaning.
  

Military to test key UK workers in mobile units

The military is to begin testing essential workers around the UK for coronavirus in mobile units operating in "hard-to-reach" areas.
At least 96 new pop-up facilities, which will travel to care homes, police and fire stations, prisons and benefits centres, are due to be running by May.
The testing units, which can be set up in 20 minutes, will see swabs collected by "specially trained" military personnel and taken to one of three "mega labs" to be processed, with results expected within 48 hours.
The number of mobile centres is being scaled up after a successful pilot last week, with eight units testing key workers on Sunday at sites including Salisbury, Southport and Teesside.
Figures on Saturday showed that 28,760 coronavirus tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours, well below the government's daily target of 100,000 - which it aims to achieve by the end of April.
Read more

The critical importance of the infection rate

David Shukman - Science editor, BBC News


The key measure that all governments are worrying about is the rate of infection, what is known as the ‘R’ number.
Last month in the UK, people who had the virus were spreading it to about three others on average.
Now, with the help of the lockdown and other measures, that rate has been driven down to an estimated 0.7.
Crucially that’s below the threshold of 1.0 – anything above that means an infected person is passing the virus to more than one other and that allows the infection rate to become exponential again.
At the moment, estimates from Imperial College London show that allowing public gatherings could force the rate up by 0.6 – taking us above the critical line.
However they reckon that it might be possible to stay just below it while reopening schools – the move might nudge the rate up by 0.2 -- but there’s huge uncertainty about this.
No one is yet sure of the role of children in spreading the virus between households. One of the scientists advising the government described this as “one of our biggest research questions”.

PM 'raring to go'

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson having spent more than three weeks out of action after contracting Covid-19, his deputy says he is now "raring to go".
Mr Johnson is due to resume full-time duties in Downing Street on Monday after spending a week in hospital - including three nights in intensive care.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been standing in for the prime minister in his absence, told the BBC's Andrew Marr his return would be a "boost for the country".
On medical advice, Mr Johnson has officially not been doing any work during his convalescence at the prime minister's country estate, Chequers.
But last week he spoke to the Queen and US President Donald Trump, and also met senior ministers to discuss the next stage of the UK's response to the pandemic.
Read more

Auschwitz survivor dies with coronavirus

One of the last Belgian survivors of the Holocaust, Henri Kichka, has died with coronavirus at the age of 94.
Kichka spent two-and-a-half years in Nazi concentration camps from September 1942 to April 1945 after he and his entire family were taken from their home in Belgium.
After the war he returned to Belgium and in recent years wrote a memoir and gave lectures in schools.
Kichka spoke to the BBC's Kevin Connolly in January, 75 years after Auschwitz was liberated.

How long does it take to recover from coronavirus?

Coronavirus affects us all differently with some people shrugging off the illness quickly and others left with longer-lasting problems.
Age, gender and other health issues all have a bearing on whether you become more seriously ill from Covid-19.
As is well known now, the main symptoms are a cough or a fever, with some people developing muscle aches. People with these mild symptoms should make a good and speedy recovery.
However, some people will develop more serious symptoms, including breathing difficulties and may need oxygen treatment in hospital. GP Sarah Jarvis says it could take two to eight weeks to recover from these symptoms.
The World Health Organization estimates one person in 20 will need intensive care treatment, which can include being sedated and put on a ventilator.
It will take time to recover from any spell in an intensive or critical care unit (ICU), no matter what the illness.
Dr Alison Pittard, Dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, says it can take 12 to 18 months to get back to normal after any spell in critical care.
Read more here

Chechen leader tells people to shave their heads amid lockdown

Vitaliy Shevchenko - BBC Monitoring
op officials in the Russian republic of Chechnya have shaved their heads in response to pressure to reopen hairdressers amid the lockdown.
When asked about the closure of barber shops, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov suggested people shaved their heads. Two days later, the authoritarian leader appeared in an Instagram video with no hair.
He said: "All our beauty salons are closed, so I've done what our ancestors did and shaved my head. I suggest you do the same."
The Chechen Emergencies Directorate has posted numerous pictures of its hairless officers, boasting on Instagram that "100% of our male staff have now shaved their heads".
It encouraged colleagues from other regions to do the same.
There have been no reports of other emergency workers doing the same so far.

UK needs 'careful steps' out of lockdown - Raab

"Careful steps" are needed when easing the lockdown so social distancing will be with us for "some time", Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said.
He told the BBC that passing 20,000 deaths in the UK was "heartbreaking" but the toll could have been "much worse" without the strict measures.
However, Mr Raab did hint at some ways schools, sport and businesses could begin to return to "a new normal".
Labour's Rachel Reeves said the UK should "potentially" be following the example of countries like Belgium, Germany and Denmark which have already signalled partial reopening of some businesses and schools.
"We want to work with the government in bringing forward a plan and getting it right," she told Andrew Marr.
Read more

Vaccine volunteer very much alive - despite reports

Fergus Walsh - Medical correspondent
Fake news has been circulating on social media that the first volunteer in the Oxford vaccine trial has died. This is not true.
I spent several minutes this morning chatting with Elisa Granato via Skype.
She is very much alive and told me she was feeling “absolutely fine”.
Dr Granato, who is a microbiologist, said she was going to "chill and enjoy the nice weather today".
She had a group chat with her family and reassured them in case they saw reports of her death. The rumours seem to have originated on a website that mixes fake and real news reports.
It is written in poor English with lots of grammatical errors, often a clue to disinformation.
The head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Prof Andrew Pollard, who is leading the trial, said: “This sort of fake news could damage our ability to tackle a pandemic. We can’t let that happen.”

Spain records lowest daily death toll in over a month

Spain has reported its lowest daily death toll since 20 March, with 288 fatalities.
The figure is a steep drop from the 378 deaths recorded on Saturday.
The health ministry said the total number of fatalities now stood at 23,190.
Fernando Simon, director of the Spanish Health Alert and Emergency Co-ordination Centre said: “For the first time in a long time, we are below 300.
"Although it may be hard to give these statistics, it's a figure which indicates a clear, positive direction in the evolution of the epidemic."
On Sunday, Spain allowed children under the age of 14 to leave their homes for the first time in six weeks. Lockdown rules had banned them from leaving the house. They are now allowed outside for one hour a day between 09:00 and 21:00.
Read more about the lockdown here.

Dutch mink farms confirm cases among animals

Two mink farms in the Netherlands have confirmed cases of coronavirus among its animals.
According to a ministry of agriculture statement, the minks showed various symptoms including respiratory problems.
The ministry said previous research had found that ferrets, in the same family as mink, are susceptible to Covid-19 contamination.
An investigation has been launched to determine the source of the infections.
The farms, in Brabant province, both had employees who showed symptoms of Covid-19.
Officials stressed that there was currently no evidence that farm animals or pets could spread the virus.

• Can my dog or cat catch coronavirus?
  

Walkers and cyclists have been told to stay at least 400m (437 yards) away.
It is not the first time an animal has become infected with coronavirus. Earlier this month a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in the US tested positive.

What will the new normal look like?

Michelle Roberts - Health editor, BBC News online
Government ministers in the UK still won’t be drawn on when or how easing of the lockdown measures will happen.
What is clear is that we shouldn’t expect things to return to normal any time soon. Instead, we need to find a "new normal" for many months to come as scientists continue to work on a vaccine and treatments.
That new normal will have to include more testing to spot new cases. It will also require some social distancing measures in shops, schools and workplaces, and any other locations where people mix.
That raises some big questions, not least around transport. How do you keep commuters safely apart? And what should be done about travellers arriving in the UK who may be carrying coronavirus?
If restrictions are lifted too much or too quickly, infections could soar. That would risk another peak and more lockdown measures – things none of us want.

Another 368 virus deaths in England, Scotland and Wales

A further 368 people have died with coronavirus across England, Scotland and Wales, according to the latest figures from hospitals.
NHS England said 336 deaths had been recorded, taking the total to 18,420.
In Wales 14 more deaths have been recorded taking the total to 788 while in Scotland there have been 18 more deaths, a total of 1,249.
The figures do not include deaths in care homes or other settings.
The latest figures for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole are expected later.

Religious services resume in South Korea

Religious groups in South Korea have resumed services after the government relaxed restrictions on such gatherings.
A religious sect, the Shincheonji Church, was blamed for the early outbreak in South Korea after thousands of its members were infected.
After the relaxation of restrictions, many churches and temples still required worshippers to register online ahead of the service and to have their temperature checked before entering the building.
Worshippers also had to sit well apart and wear face masks.

Trump asked to call off New York graduation address

Trump plans to speak at the West Point military academy graduation

President Trump is drawing flak from critics who say his plan to deliver a commencement speech at the West Point military academy in New York will create unsafe conditions for the 1,000 cadets returning to campus.
Trump is due to speak on 13 June at the academy, which is located about 60 miles (96km) from New York City, the epicentre of the US virus outbreak.
The decision led the editorial board of the New York Daily News to write that the Commander-in-Chief "is unconcerned about the damage he could cause to those around him".
The paper asked him to "stand down" and accused him of using the occasion as a campaign publicity stunt.
The US Naval Academy in Maryland called off its own commencement and instead held a virtual graduation. The Air Force Academy in Colorado allowed seniors to graduate last week, but required them to maintain strict social distancing.

Air Force graduates sat over 6ft apart from each other at last week's graduation ceremony, where the US vice-president spoke

Scot describes 'naked chin' trauma

Scot John Adamson, a member of Edinburgh Beard and Moustache Club, says he is "devastated" after having to shave off his beard.
John has had a beard for as long as he has been able to but the need to wear a face mask for his job as a care assistant has meant he had to shave it off.
John said his wife of 10 years had never seen his chin before he shaved.
"I just can't get used to it and I don't like how I look now," he added.
"In fact, I would be more comfortable having no clothes on than having a naked chin.
"I did it for a really good reason, but I don't like it at all."
Read more

Chelsea Flower Show to move online for first time

It's coming up to that time of year when thousands of people prepare to flock to the Chelsea Flower Show. But this year's event will be a little different.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the show will take place virtually for the first time, with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) hosting free content including garden tours on its website.
The famous event has taken place at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two world wars.
Every morning between 18 and 23 May, a leading designer, florist or gardening personality will provide a tour of their own private gardens.
There will also be daily "school gardening clubs" for families, "potting bench" demonstrations showing techniques for growing and maintaining plants as well as Q&A sessions with special guests.
UK growers who would have been at the event will give tours of their nurseries and replicate the displays they would have taken to the show.
A special series of programmes celebrating the show will also be broadcast on BBC One and Two throughout the week.

UK government briefing to be led by environment secretary

We're standing by to cover today's Downing Street news conference at 16:00 BST.
It will be led by Environment Secretary George Eustice, who has previously updated us on food supplies to supermarkets during the pandemic.
He'll be joined by NHS England's national medical director Prof Stephen Powis, who also attended yesterday's briefing.

Mum with terminal cancer asks to travel for US trial

A UK mother with terminal cancer wants permission to travel to the US so that she can receive potentially life-saving treatment.
Sarah Wright, nee Gray, 33, was told that her breast cancer had metastasised and was incurable in August 2019, the month after she gave birth to her daughter, Everleigh.
But Mrs Wright, from Ashford, Kent, has been accepted on a trial for a promising new drug, leronlimab, which could save her life if she can go to a clinic in San Francisco, California.
However, lockdown restrictions on entering the US mean that the family are unable to travel there.
“It feels like an utterly helpless situation, a situation where everything is out of your control,” said her husband, Adam Wright.
“I would never wish for anyone to experience what we have over the last year.”
Mrs Wright has tried a series of treatments but in April the NHS told her it could no longer help. The family has also contacted local MP, Damian Green, who they say is “on the case” with parliament and the UK’s ambassador to the US.

Wisconsin election 'infected 40 people in Milwaukee'

In Milwaukee, only five polling sites remained open out of 180, causing long queues of voters

About 40 people may have become infected in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, when they voted in the state’s election on 7 April, according to a local NPR News affiliate. Milwaukee's health commissioner says that the data is still being analysed to determine how many of the approximately 400,000 residents who voted got sick after going to polling stations amid lockdown orders.
The election was held earlier this month after courts backed Republicans opposing the Democratic governor’s move to push back the election. Residents were told that they must leave their homes in order to cast their vote, after absentee ballot efforts were also blocked.
On Friday, the state reported its largest single-day spike in cases, with an additional 331 infections and four deaths.

Another 413 deaths in hospital in UK

Mr Eustice opens by giving the latest death toll in the UK, with 413 additional deaths in hospital bringing the total to 20,732.

US health agency updates symptom guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US has updated its guidance to add six new symptoms to its list of possible signs of coronavirus.
The US health agency had previously only listed fever, cough and shortness of breath as symptoms.
However, it has now included chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. Shortness of breath has also been changed to shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
The CDC says any of the nine symptoms can develop from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

'Benefits of social distancing showing'

Prof Stephen Powis, the National Medical Director of NHS England, says the benefits of social distancing are clearly showing with the number of hospital admissions and the number of critical care beds in use both declining.

How is the UK tackling food supply in lockdown?

The environment secretary sets out how food suppliers have been trying to address the supply of groceries while the nation remains in lockdown.
Mr Eustice says that staff absence due to self-isolation and illness has dropped significantly in food suppliers, from 20% earlier in the lockdown to less than 10% at the end of last week.
He says 500,000 food parcels have been delivered to the people with medical conditions which require them to be "shielded" indoors for 12 weeks.
And supermarkets have carried out 300,000 priority deliveries to these groups.
Mr Eustice says supermarkets have increased delivery slots from 2.1m to 2.6m a week, and intend to add a further 300,000 over the next couple of weeks, but he acknowledges "it will still not be enough to meet all the demand that is out there".

UK test capacity is at 50,000 a day - Eustice

Mr Eustice is asked about concerns from care homes, which say they still have difficulty obtaining tests - even for residents who have Covid-19 symptoms.
But the environment secretary says the capacity for testing has now risen to 50,000 a day. He says that "significant numbers" of people in care homes are obtaining tests.

Delighted' PM is back but 'too early' to review lockdown

Mr Eustice is asked if when the prime minister is back at work he will follow the first ministers of Scotland and Wales in publishing a lockdown exit plan.
He says Mr Johnson "has been in all of our thoughts as he faced a very difficult encounter with the virus" and they are "delighted he is back at the helm".
But he said it is "too early" to review social distancing, saying the evidence will be examined at the regular three-week review.
Prof Powis says it is "a continually evolving approach based on emerging science".

Conscious decision' by UK not to close borders

Asked about reports that the government might introduce quarantine for international travellers arriving in the UK, Mr Eustice says "no decisions" have been made.
He says that as the UK moves to a new phase, at some point in the future "international travel could become a more significant risk to manage".
So far there have been few additional measures at airports because international travel represents "only a tiny proportion" of cases, Mr Eustice says.
The government had "taken a conscious decision not to close our borders" to "keep trade flowing".

Refugees still stranded at sea

A boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has been turned away from Malaysia, with the government citing fears over coronavirus.
One survivor estimated between 20 and 50 refugees died before Bangladeshi coastguards rescued the boat, with witnesses saying they saw bodies "thrown into the sea".
It is believed hundreds of refugees are still stranded at sea, while it is unclear if Bangladesh will accept them.
The refugees, who originally fled persecution in Myanmar, left camps in Bangladesh, according to some accounts.

US social distancing 'to continue through the summer'

Dr Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus taskforce co-ordinator, has said in a series of US media interviews that social distancing will remain the norm for the next several months.
“Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases,” Birx told NBC on Sunday, referring to the three stages of reopening that the federal government has outlined.
Her comments come after Vice-President Mike Pence said the virus would be largely "behind us" by the 25 May Memorial Day holiday, which signals the unofficial start of summertime in the US.
On Saturday, Birx told Fox News that new cases and deaths "will be dramatically decreased by the end of May".
Birx on Sunday also criticised the media for its coverage of Trump's suggestion on Thursday that disinfectants or UV light could be injected to fight off the virus - a comment that he later claimed was "sarcastic".
She told CNN that it "bothers" her that "this is still in the news cycle".
"I think I've made it clear that this was a musing, as you described. But I want us to move on to be able to give information to American people that can help them protect each other," she added.

Brad Pitt plays Dr Fauci on Saturday Night Live

Long-running US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) tapped Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt to play top disease expert Anthony Fauci - a mainstay of many White House coronavirus briefings.
In the opening sketch, Pitt fact-checks Trump's claims about the virus.
“Yes, the president has taken some liberties with our guidelines,” Pitt said. “So tonight, I would like to explain what the president was trying to say.”
The episode was the second recorded from the comedians' homes rather than live from New York City's Rockefeller Center.
Earlier this month the 79-year-old director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN that he would want Pitt to portray him if he was ever lampooned by SNL.
At the end of the routine, Pitt removes his silver wig and personally thanks Fauci for his "calm and clarity in this unnerving time".

What we learned from the UK briefing

• More staff are back at UK supermarkets as absence from illness and self-isolation has more than halved. But there are only a third of the usual number of migrant workers available to pick fresh fruit and vegetables - prompting the government to encourage furloughed workers to help with harvests
  
• UK test capacity has reached 50,000 a day - but much of that capacity is still going unused, with only 29,058 tests conducted in the last 24-hour period
  
• The environment secretary said "no decisions" had been taken about increasing restrictions on international travellers arriving in the UK, adding that at this stage of the pandemic they are "only a tiny proportion" of the infections
  

How sport might look under eased restrictions

With most of the world's sport currently on hold, many fans are wondering what their favourite competitions will look like when they are allowed to safely resume.
Perhaps these pictures from Nicaragua provide a clue.
Authorities in the Central American country have allowed sporting events to continue during the coronavirus pandemic - but a boxing event held on Saturday looked very different.
The boxers wore masks during the ring walk and at a pre-bout face off, although they were allowed to remove them in the ring. Referees, judges, the media, fans and ring girls also wore masks.
Fans had to sit two seats apart and had their temperature checked before entering the arena in the capital Managua.

Woman gang-raped while in unofficial quarantine

Police in India have arrested three men who are accused of gang-raping a woman who had been unofficially quarantined.
The woman, a low wage worker, was trying to walk more than 100km (62 miles) to her home in Jaipur, Rajasthan, when she got lost.
Police spotted her and told her to spend the night in a deserted school building, away from other people just in case she had the virus.
But she was gang-raped there after dark.
India’s lockdown was imposed last month leaving tens of thousands of people without jobs. Some have walked for days in desperation to reach their homes.
Read more about the situation in India.

Analysis: UK lockdown talks going on behind the scenes

Iain Watson - Political correspondent
Prime Minister Boris Johnson could possibly lead the daily news conference on Monday but, if not then, it will be pretty soon afterwards.
As far as I understand, he will be getting briefed by his Downing St team early tomorrow morning and then he will be chairing the Covid-19 meeting, which is a smaller group of cabinet ministers. That is what he used to do before he was off sick.
Chairing Monday's meeting is a measure of him saying, "I’m back in charge".
From what I've been told, and the conversations I’ve had with people in Whitehall and Downing St, the prime minister will proceed with caution when it comes to dealing with the lockdown.
We would expect an announcement on 7 May, when all this is being reviewed again, and I do think at that stage he will take his foot off the brake ever so slightly.
But he will move cautiously because he will not want to fuel a second wave of infections.
Although they haven't yet set a clear route map out of lockdown, not in the same way as the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, those discussions are most certainly going on behind the scenes. Talks involving the prime minister have taken place from his country residence Chequers with senior Cabinet ministers.

What exactly is the UK 100,000 testing target?

Reality Check
As the UK government struggles to reach its target to carry out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April, it has started to emphasise the capacity to do tests.
At today's news conference, Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “We have been ramping up our capacity to do those tests - it currently stands at over 50,000 a day.”
But the latest daily number of tests actually done is just 29,058 - a minuscule increase on the figure given yesterday.
In a previous briefing, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he was confident that the government’s coronavirus testing target of 100,000 by the end of the April “will be met in terms of capacity”.
But when the target was first announced by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on 2 April it was clearly intended to mean 100,000 tests actually being done a day.

Paris police seize 140,000 face masks destined for black market

Police in France say they have seized 140,000 face masks that were destined for sale on the black market.
Officers say they discovered the haul when they spotted a businessman unloading the masks from a lorry into a house in St Denis, north of Paris.
France requisitioned all stocks and production of face masks to equip health workers.
There have been several seizures of masks in the Paris region since the pandemic began.
Read more here.

Divers fined after major rescue

Lifeboats from Exmouth and Lyme were joined by a Navy ship and two Coastguard helicopters

Two divers have been fined for breaking coronavirus lockdown restrictions after sparking a major search and rescue mission off the Dorset and Devon coast.
A Royal Navy ship, lifeboats, helicopters, fishing vessels and coastguards joined the search for one of the divers off Lyme Bay on Saturday.
The diver, who was reported overdue shortly before 15:30 BST, was found safe just after 17:00.
Coastguards said he had surfaced but lost sight of the dive vessel.
The man had been diving without a buddy and had become detached from his line, HM Coastguard said.
They said both men on board the vessel had been diving as a leisure activity and were fined by police after being brought back to shore.
Read more

Tear gas fired at mosques in Comoros

Will Ross - Africa editor, BBC World Service
Security forces in Comoros have used tear gas to disperse people who had congregated in mosques in violation of the country's coronavirus lockdown regulations.
This happened on the island of Anjouan late on Saturday, and has been condemned by opposition politicians.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset and usually gather at dusk to break their fast and pray.
President Azali Assoumani has imposed a nightly curfew even though the Indian Ocean archipelago is one of only two nations in Africa that is yet to record a single case of the virus.
The other country is Lesotho.

Today's headlines from Scotland

As we bring our live coverage of today's coronavirus developments in Scotland to a close, here is a reminder of Sunday's main headlines.

• Five military-staffed mobile testing units will be operational in Scotland next week, with a further eight soon after that.
  
• Nicola Sturgeon says she is prepared to take a different path to the rest of UK over easing lockdown measures if necessary but will not be doing anything different "for the sake of it".
  
• There have been another 18 deaths from Covid-19 in Scottish hospitals, bringing the tally - by that measure - to 1,249.
  
• Health secretary Jeane Freeman says a labelling issue on PPE stuck at Prestwick Airport after being flown in from China will be resolved this week.
  
• More than 22,000 former staff and students have volunteered to join or rejoin the health or social care services in Scotland.
  
• Recorded crime in Scotland has fallen by about 25% during the coronavirus lockdown, according to Police Scotland.
  

17 police officers die of Covid-19 in Peru
Seventeen police officers in Peru have died after contracting Covid-19, while enforcing a nationwide lockdown.
On Friday, Interior Minister Carlos Morán, who had been criticised for failing to provide officers with masks and medical care, resigned.
More than 1,000 police have been infected by the virus.
The country has recorded more than 25,000 infections and 700 deaths so far, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University in the US.
Peru has a population of 32 million.
The new interior minister said his department had allocated $15m (£12m) to purchase protective equipment for police.
Gastón Rodríguez added that some 220,000 Covid-19 tests for the force were due to arrive by the first week of May.
Peru's lockdown is now in its sixth week.
Earlier this month, the country began enforcing strict new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, restricting public movement by gender.

Rohingya crisis: Hundreds of refugees stranded in boats at sea
A boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees was turned away from Malaysia, with the government citing fears over coronavirus.
It comes as the United Nations issued a plea for the international community to take urgent action, after dozens died on the perilous journey.
It is believed that hundreds more people are still stuck at sea.

Cuban doctors go to South Africa

The Cuban doctors are to be deployed to different provinces in South Africa

More than 200 doctors from Cuba are due to arrive in South Africa to help fight coronavirus.
The medics left on a plane that first carried a donation of South African medical supplies to the Caribbean island, its embassy in Pretoria said.
They are among 1,200 healthcare workers sent to battle Covid-19 in 22 countries that have requested help from the communist state.
South Africa is to begin easing strict lockdown restrictions next month.
More than 1.5 million people will be allowed to return to work, some schools will reopen, deliveries of hot food will be permitted and cigarettes will be back on sale.
But the sale of alcohol and public gatherings will still be banned.
Read more

Nicaraguan boxing event goes ahead with masks and temperature checks
Boxing action may have ground to a halt in the United Kingdom and across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic - but in Nicaragua, it is business as usual.
Well, almost.
On Saturday night, a fight card with a difference took place in capital city Managua, with fighters sporting face masks - as did referees, judges, the media, fans and ring girls.

It was estimated only around 10% of the arena would be filled in Managua

Boxers were allowed to remove their protective mask to fight, while those in attendance were instructed to disinfect their hands and shoes upon entry before being forced to sit a safe distance apart.
Nicaragua has not adopted social distancing measures and as a result, fighters were allowed to stand nose to nose for a traditional face-off at Friday's weigh in, albeit while wearing masks.
Read more

The 'good outcome' that never was
The UK's official tally of coronavirus-related deaths has passed 20,000 - a figure the chief scientist once said would represent a "good outcome". It's a huge number and hard to visualise. How can we grasp the scale of this loss?
On the afternoon of 17 March 2020, in a Westminster committee room, Sir Patrick Vallance leaned forward in his chair.
Back then, the number of people confirmed to have died in the UK after contracting Covid-19 stood at 71. Stricter measures had just been introduced to tackle the virus. Sir Patrick, the government's chief scientific adviser, was asked if the final tally of British deaths could be limited to 20,000 or below. That would, he told MPs, be "a good outcome".
Eleven days later, with the official death tally now at 1,091, Stephen Powis, NHS England's medical director, repeated Sir Patrick's benchmark. "If we can keep deaths below 20,000," he told the daily Downing Street media briefing, "we will have done very well."
Already - less than six weeks after Sir Patrick's statement, and a month on from Stephen Powis's - the 20,000 figure has been surpassed. No-one can predict what the final number of deaths will be when the pandemic is over, or what will ultimately be considered the benchmark for a "good" outcome.
Read more...