Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Five 20200504

App which will be trialled on the isle of wight, people will be asked to download it, and then when they develop symptoms, they put that into the app which then alerts anyone they have had close contact with thatis they have had close contact with that is deemed at risk. I think we will hear about privacy assurances, because clearly it would contain a lot of personal information, but from what i understand, it works by people having a randomised anonymous id, so the government would never know who we are or where we are, and i think there will be a lot of assurance about that, because they are keen to get as many people as possible using the app, if it does work in the isle of wight and is launched nationally, they want lots of people using it. And we know that a few weeks ago, everybody was worried that the nhs would be overwhelmed by coronavirus, and thats when those nightingale Field Hospitals were set up in just a few days. But now we are hearing that the one in Londons Excel Centre is being put on standby, it is unused at the moment. It is, it is in hibernation. It currently has i believe less than 20 patients, so there is patients will be treated and discharged, and when that happens, it will be placed on standby and it wont accept any more patients. This was a Field Hospital that could take 4000 patients, but i understand they never got over 100. There are another six around the country, and only manchester is currently being used for patients. Glasgow, cardiff and belfast each have their own Field Hospitals, not known as nightingale hospitals, but i understand they also have very few patients. It is a positive sign, because we were worried, the government was worried the hospitals would become overwhelmed, so they built these big hospitals to take some of that strain, but theyve not been needed. Its a sign that the uk has been successful in suppressing the peak. I think may be in the future we will see them used as the nhs does more routine work, as they start doing elective operations. Lets go to downing street. The briefing is about to start. Matt hancock, the health secretary. Good afternoon and welcome to the downing street daily briefing. Im joined by the deputy chief medical officer, and byjohn newton, our coordinator for testing. Today i wa nt to coordinator for testing. Today i want to update you with the latest plans for our programme of test, track and trace. How we are going to use this massive testing capability that we have built in order to get r down, and keep r down. Before we do that, i want to remind you of what were trying to achieve. Our plan is to slow the spread and protect the nhs. So that the nhs is always there for you and your family whenever you need it. Whether for coronavirus for you and your family whenever you need it. Whetherfor coronavirus or anything else. That goal is working. The number of spare Critical Care beds in the nhs is 3413. On the latest figures, there have been 1,291,000 test for coronavirus, including 85,186 tests yesterday. 190,584 people have now tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 3985. 13,258 people are in hospital with coronavirus. And 28,734 people have died, that is across all settings. That is an increase of 288. That figure is lower than at any point since the end of march. But as with testing, these reported figures tend to be lower over the weekend, so we do expect that number to rise. And remember, this is notjust a number. But it is a constant, insistent reminder that we must go further and faster in our National Effort in dealing with this virus. Over the last month, weve built a National Testing infrastructure capable of over 100,000 tests a day. Today the capacity stands at 108,000. This means we are now in a position to start implementing the next part of oui start implementing the next part of our plan, track and trace. The aim of test, track and trace is to hunt down and isolate the virus so it is unable to reproduce. And crucially, test, track and trace allows us to ta ke test, track and trace allows us to take a more targeted approach to lockdown while still safely containing the disease. Creating this system is a Huge National undertaking of unprecedented scale and complexity. Weve already taken britains small but brilliant diagnostics industry, taken it a global scale. Were building an army of human contact tracers who can man the phones and find the contact and support people. And of course we are developing the Contact Tracing app, which can help us deliver test, track and trace on the mass scale that we need across the country. The app, which takes full consideration of privacy and security, has already been tested in closed conditions at an raf base, and today i can announce the next steps. From tomorrow, we will begin to pilot test, track and trace on the isle of wight, starting with Health Professionals and rolling out this week to all citizens. Im grateful to the huge enthusiasm showed by islanders who know that by participating in this pilot, they are at the forefront of getting britain back on herfeet. Where the isle of wight goes, britton follows. The island has a single nhs trust, one local authority with the response ability for Public Health, a relatively low number of covid cases, and because it is an island, we can run the trial in controlled conditions, comparing the effect with the effect of what is going on on the mainland before we roll it out to the rest of the country. So here is how it will work. Last week we put in place the testing capability on the island. From tonight, the Contact Tracing capability will go live, and then tomorrow nhs staff on the island will be able to download the app. And from thursday, each one of the 80,000 households on the island will get a letter from the chief nurse with comprehensive information about the trial. Islanders will then be asked to install the app. Once youve installed the app, it will start logging the distance between your phone and other phones with an app nearby. It has been designed with a form of bluetooth that c0 nse rves power with a form of bluetooth that conserves power so the app wont drain your battery, and this log of proximity information will then be securely stored on your phone. If you become unwell with covert symptoms, you inform the nhs via the app. Other app users who you have had significant contact within the last few days will then be sent an alert by the nhs along with advice about what to do. A test ordering function will then be built in. If you are watching this and you live on the isle of wight, i have a simple message. Please, download the app to protect the nhs and save lives. By downloading the app, you are protecting your own health, youre protecting the health of your loved ones and the health of your community. I know the people of the isle of wight will embrace this with enthusiasm, because by embarking on this project and by embracing test, track and trace, you will be saving lives. The pilot is important so we can help make sure the app works as well as it possibly can, alongside the Contact Tracing system. And with your help, we will learn a lot. We will use it to make things better, and we want to hear from you. Will use it to make things better, and we want to hearfrom you. I want to stress, and this is really important, that this trial does not mean the end of social distancing on the isle of wight or anywhere else for that matter. We will only change the social distancing rules once our five tests are met. So i will end with the instruction that we all know. Please. Stay at home, protect the nhs, save lives. Or, if you live on the isle of wight, stay at home, install the app, protect the nhs, and save lives. I will now turn to professor va n and save lives. I will now turn to professor van tam to take us through the days charts. Thank you, secretary of state. Lets begin again with the five tests that we have in place for deciding if we are going to adjust the lockdown. The first is around the nhs capacity, and we are in a good position on that one. The second one is about a sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from coronavirus, and it is now very clear in the data that we are past the peak. The next one is solid information that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels right across the board. This is an indicator that we need to keep a close eye on over the next few days and weeks. The fourth one is around operational challenges, around testing and ppe, and being able to meet future demand. There are continuing challenges on ppe. It is an absolute priority to continue pushing on this, to get it right in the long run. But of course on testing, as youve heard from the secretary of state, we are in a very good position. And finally, we have to be confident that the adjustments we contemplate are not going to risk a second peak of infections. And this is really a matter of deep scientific discussion. Very close following and absorbing of the evidence, one that we are keeping a detailed scientific review as the days and weeks go by. Next slide, please. This slide shows search data of people looking at apple maps for directions for driving, walking routes or using public transport, and it tells the same story as it slides you have seen before about how, since we announced the social distancing measures, the public continue to observe the instructions to work with us, to work to protect the nhs and get case numbers down. And you can see very, very consistent trends over reduced searches for driving instructions, walking instructions and use of public transport. So we need to keep going. Lets keep going and continue to drop the curve further. Next slide, please. This is a graph showing from the 6th of april through to the 4th of may, daily tests completed for coronavirus. You can see on the right hand side the latest data showing 85,000 tests completed on the 4th of may. The capacity is 100,000 tests, and there is another lab opening next week, so this is all very encouraging. Tests are going up, people are using Testing Services more, and we are well within our capacity capability. Next slide, please. No, this slide shows new cases of coronavirus in the uk from the 21st of march. You can see that obvious peak up to a high level in early april, and then you can see a pattern that has occurred in terms of new cases right up until the 4th of new cases right up until the 4th of may. On this one, i have to say that new cases need to come down further. We have to continue to track this index, and we have to get cases lower. If you look to the next slide, please, here we have the number of people in hospital with covid 19 from the 17th of march through to the 3rd of may. And after peaksin through to the 3rd of may. And after peaks in the middle of april, you can see that in almost all areas now, there are steady but absolutely consistent declines occurring. Possibly in a small number of areas, the trend is somewhat flat, but overall there are no steady declines in the number of people in hospital. This is good news. Critical care beds, i see you beds, here again, across all four nations you can see largely continuing declines and possibly and more importantly, if you look at the access importantly, if you look at the a ccess o n importantly, if you look at the access on the left of the slide, you can see where we are in terms of capacity and there is plenty of ice eu capacity, which is extremely good. Next slide, please. Iturn now to deaths in all settings. Here you can see that there is a slow but consistent decline. You will see the weekend effect very clearly. Especially if you look at the three steps on the right hand side of the chart. Fewer deaths are actually recorded, reported at the weekends, thats an artefact of the way people report deaths, but overall, if you look at the orange line, the seven day smoothed out rolling average, there is this a slow but consistent decline, which is absolutely going on the right direction now. And then the final slide is one we have shown for some time, showing a comparison across countries dating back to the day when 50 cumulative deaths were recorded on each of the countries and we are now quite a way across the slide to 60 days and some other countries. The messages are the same, asi countries. The messages are the same, as i said to you before, there are three broad trends on this curve. But i do want to emphasise to you these are numbers, they are not rates, they do not adjust for the size of the underlying population. This is a difficulty in interpreting this data. We will, in the course of time, be able to get all excess mortality changed for this slide and that will give us a much clearer understanding of what is going on. And hopefully, that data will continue for a long period of time so that we can understand the fullness of the picture as we tried to beat this virus. I will stop there with the data and hand back to there with the data and hand back to the secretary of state. Thank you very much, jonathan. We are now going to take questions for the first question from a member of the public, we have a video from london. What is being done to ensure that the ame key workers are not disproportionately affected by covid 19 and what steps are being taken to provide support to the families of those victims who have sadly passed away . Thank you very much. An incredibly important question, two very important questions, both of which we are working hard to address. And im going to askjonathan to set out the details but what i would say absolutely from the start is that we recognise that there has been a disproportionately high number of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds who have passed away, especially amongst care workers and those in the nhs. I pay tribute to them before and i will do so again because of the nhs is an amazing organisation that has been built on the dedication of people from all backgrounds and including many, from all backgrounds and including any from all backgrounds and including many, many have come to this country to give their lives working in the nhs, and disproportionately employs people from ethnic minority backgrounds. And yet we have seen this impact in the data and i think it has affected a lot of us working on it to see that and so weve got a lot of work going into fully understanding scientifically and making sure in every single case we learn what we can to protect people better. In terms of support for the families of those who have passed away, for those working in the nhs, we now have a programme of support that we have been able to put in place that is there for everybody who was from a family where somebody has died whilst in service, including across pharmacy, across social care, so i think thats a really important thing for us to do, to recognise the sacrifice of those who put themselves at risk by going to work in what can be dangerous conditions. Where they might be working with those who have covid 19. Jonathan. Working with those who have covid19. Jonathan. Yes, im extremely sorry whenever i hear of a Health Care Worker due to coronavirus, whether its someone from a black and Minority Ethnic Group or otherwise, it doesnt change the fact that it takes courage to work in the nhs at a time like this and its most difficult. The subject of the signal that we have so far on black and Minority Ethnic Groups, i want to say to you that we are taking it incredibly seriously, there is a very big piece of scientific work now ongoing that will report to the chief medical officer and we will get to the bottom of this, however long it ta kes bottom of this, however long it takes us. But i will also say that this is a complicated picture because when you start to study patterns of disease across different ethnic groups, you also have to take into account potential differences in the age structure between groups, also differences in the patterns of underlying medical conditions, which we know do vary by ethnic group and therefore it is a complicated picture. Also deprivation has to be taken into account, where people live, and all of this is complex, it ta kes live, and all of this is complex, it takes time and im not going to rush that answer. I think we owe it to Minority Ethnic Groups to get this right and to get a clear signal for you. You will have worked out i am from an Ethnic Minority Group and we will get to the bottom of this. It could be that professor newton has some further epidemiological granularity would like to mention at this point. We are looking at the data very carefully, not just on ethnicity but age and sex and other factors like obesity which we now have an impact on the effect of coronavirus, but its already clear from the published data that the impact in bame groups is greater, there are more people with the infection and those who have the infection and those who have the infection have worse outcomes in many cases, so infection have worse outcomes in many cases, so there is already cause for concern but as jonathan says, we are not entirely clear how much of that is due to Different Levels of underlying conditions, or other risk factors, so there is work to be done and we will publish this as soon as it is ready. Thank you very much. The next question is from conrad from ashford. Conrad asks, Going Forward, with the primary aim of test track and trace bead to squash covid 19 infection to very low levels or simply to flatten the curve so the nhs is not overwhelmed . That is a really important question, conrad. The answer is that test track and trace will help us to get the r down and the number of new cases down and to keep it down but not on its own. It is primarily the social distancing measures that we have taken so far that flatten the curve, and now we can see that the curve, and now we can see that the curve is going down from the presentation that the professorjust gave. The goal is to keep the number of new infections going down test, track and trace at a point where we will do tomorrow, from tomorrow in the isle of wight, and then doling out to the rest of the country, we will get those numbers down. The test, track and trace becomes more effective the lower the number and then we want to keep the number going down by keeping the r below one, the rate of infection. So our goal is not simply to flatten the curve, it is to get the occurrence of covid 19 infections to very low levels, to be absolutely clear within your question. That is the answer. Thank you very much. We will now take questions from the media. Hugh pym from the bbc. Thank you, very much. When will you have recruited your 18,000 contact tracers and when will the full test, track and Trace Network up and running . The aim is to have the whole thing up and running by the middle of this month. If we are starting already, we have already started the recruitment. We have of the 18,000 we have thousands already recruited, and we making rapid progress, not only in the recruitment but also in the training necessary , recruitment but also in the training necessary, a short piece of training, and we have enough to get going on the isle of wight also in fa ct, going on the isle of wight also in fact, they came on stream as of 5p pm this evening, so that up and running now. And then to roll out across the country, but there is no magic around the 18,000 figure. That is the initial scale that we think is the initial scale that we think is necessary. If it needs to be bigger when we find out from the ons survey in the field of the moment, what the prevalence of the disease is, the number of new cases per day actually out there rather than refined through positive tests, then we will adjust that figure. That is the initial goal, but it will be up and running by the middle of the month. Can i ask one more . Of course. Some businesses will be required to have ppe for their staff. Where will they procure it and will they be in competition with the nhs . Well, this is a very important question, when we consider changes to the social distancing measures. The wider impact of changes to social distancing measures including for instance on ppe, the first call on ppe must go to the nhs and social care and those other essential services who needed to keep people delivering those services safely. So that is something we take into account. It is in ourfive something we take into account. It is in our five tests, but it is something we are working very hard on now. Of course, its ourjob running the health and social care system to ensure that those areas and the other Public Services have ppe, and there is a worldwide shortage, as you say, so we do need to ta ke shortage, as you say, so we do need to take that into consideration before making changes. Thats why its one of the five tests. Thank you very much. Tom clarke from itv. Thank you. The most successful Contact Tracing efforts around the world in south korea, singapore, where only partly reliant on mobile phone technology in order to work. They were more reliant on large numbers of volunteers and Community Levels out to track down and trace cases at huge scale. As the government ensured this capacity is in place in the uk mac orange ill be putting too much faith in call centres and in untested initial technology . It is a really important point and technology . It is a really important pointandi technology . It is a really important point and i agree with the point in the question which is its notjust about the technology. The people in call centres. Its also about citizens acting in the right way. Acting on the right way to download the app because that protects you and yourfamily and the app because that protects you and your family and protects the nhs, but also acting in the right way to do Contact Tracing yourself. Its a really good point well made. The app is very exciting and it adds something extra, it adds an automated response that can almost be immediate, but as you say, the programme we are putting in place as we integrated, with the app, but also with Contact Tracing, driven by testing, so access to testing partly through the app but also other routes to the test, and then the test result backed up by Contact Tracing is driven by public Health Professionals. Public Health England but also a lot of experience on the ground with the wreck of the Public Health and local authorities, Environmental Health officers who are very expert in this, exactly as you say, choux leather epidemiology out on the streets finding contacts, but what people actually go Contact Tracing isnt very traditional any more and is quite highly technical so we have developed a web based support, and Advisory Service to support, and Advisory Service to support this and also another line of defence, a telephone call centre, so its a multilayered approach and one of the points of the isle of wight test pilot is to try and see how those different elements integrate together to support each other, so its a very good point. We are learning from the best practice around the world but we also have something to offer in the uk as well because weve been doing this for a longtime. Because weve been doing this for a long time. Thank you, tom. I hope that answers your question. Could i have a quick follow up question . Are we caught in a catch 22 with Contact Tracing in that, as i understand, the numberof tracing in that, as i understand, the number of cases have to fall a bit more before we can reliably roll it out the country . But if we keep lockdown measures in place which we have to until your tests are met, its hard to pilot it because most of us are trying to isolate as much as possible . So. No, its the short answer. And the slightly longer answer is that even with social distancing measures, there are some new cases, and that means that the technology can still be effective. And even with the scale of new cases across the country, Contact Tracing can still have an impact, and the app will still be highly effective. Its just more effective than number of new cases. And so these are all matters of degree rather than absolutes. We are not caught in a catch 22, but it is absolutely true that the social distancing measures other thing that is having the big impact, hence the message remains, stay at home to protect the nhs and save lives unless you are in the isle of wight. But even in the isle of wight, you should still stay at home to protect the nhs and save lives, its that you should also install the app, because that will help is to be yet more effective. One final point on this, which is that the isle of wight has a slightly lower rate of new covert infections than some other places in the country, and therefore actually that makes it a good place to test this. Not only is it good because it will help the isle of wight, but it is also good because it has that slightly lower number of new infections. The lockdown measures until Contact Tracing is setup up and down the country . The two arent necessarily linked like that. We havent said that we cant make changes before it is up and running. It is just that the test, track and trace it is just that the test, track and tra ce syste m it is just that the test, track and trace system will help us to get r down and hold it down, and the lower the number of new cases, the more effective it will be, but we havent made a concrete link that your question drew between having this system in place nationally and making changes to the social distancing measures. There isnt a necessary link between the two. They do work in tandem. The next question is from oliver dyer from isle of wight radio. Evening, all. In a poll that isle of wight radio rant today, 80 of listeners said they would install this new app. But the island has a higher than average Elderly Population who fall into the vulnerable category. How you expect in those who dont have a smartphone or cant use that technology, on the island or across the country, to get behind this, and with that in mind, considering the island has an older population, one of the question our listeners want to know is why the island has been chosen over other uk islands or locations . That is a great set of questions, oliver, and im really pleased to hear that 80 of people said that they would download the app. Because the more people who download the app, the more effective it is going to be, because you need to people having downloaded the app for it to be effective, for one to be able to tell the other that they have been in close contact with somebody who has got symptoms of covid 19. So im really pleased that the people of the isle of wight have responded today in this way. I had a feeling that they would, and im really glad that they would, and im really glad that they would, and im really glad that they have. But partly because of the challenges that you set out, that not everybody has a smartphone, that not everybody has a smartphone, thatis that not everybody has a smartphone, that is another reason actually to test it in the isle of wight, because if we tested it somewhere where it would be easy, we wouldnt find as many of the challenges rather than testing it somewhere where youve got to have the technology, but youve got to have the human Contact Tracing as well. They go hand in hand, they help each other. And so that is one of the things we thought about before choosing the isle of wight as the place to go first. Jon, do you. . The isle of wight is an ideal place to do this. It is a Large Population and there is a benefit in the fact that travel on and off the island is relatively restricted. The ferries are there but they run relatively infrequently, so it is an ideal place to look at the epidemiology and see the impact, and i used to be that regional director for Public Health in the South Central sector, including the isle of wight, and the island is very well equipped to respond, it is a very coherent group. We have had tremendous support from the local authority, the nhs, the local mp, id like every body else i think it will be a Great Success as a pilot. Your point about elderly people, firstly you shouldnt make assumptions. Quite a lot of elderly people are extremely tech savvy and quite happy to use smartphones, but we have also recognise that there are other ways of doing Contact Tracing, so as i mentioned, we have built in a number of routes so that people dont have the have the app in order to benefit, but we will all benefit if the app and the content tracing drive down the infection rate, drive down the infection rate for everybody, and i think the third point to say is that the people who are most mobile and most likely to be out bumping into each other are also the people who are probably most likely to be using smartphones, soi most likely to be using smartphones, so i think all in all we think it is a strong programme, and we are looking forward to seeing how it works on the isle of wight. That survey is extremely encouraging, so thank you. Does that answer your questions, oliver . It does. Am i allowed one more follow up quite white go ahead. Fantastic. A lot of our listeners have been positive about the app but there are some some concerns over lockdown measures being lifted here early to form part of that trial. Could lockdown on the isle of wight to be lifted earlier than the rest of the uk, and if so, is it safe to do so quite white i wa nt to is it safe to do so quite white i want to thank isle of wight radio listeners for how much they they have engaged with this idea today. |j can reassure you that there arent any changes to social distancing measures that are proposed as part of this pilot. The pilot is to find out how the app works, how the interaction of people then becomes recognised by the technology, and the link from that to the human Contact Tracing and to the testing regime, because there is a new Testing Centre on the isle of wight as well. And so there arent changes. Our proposals are that changes. Our proposals are that changes to the social distancing will only take place when the five tests are met, and that is nationally rather than the isle of wight having any differences in that pa rt wight having any differences in that part to the rest of the country. Thanks very much indeed, oliver. Joe murphy from the evening standard. Good afternoon. Can i ask the scientist, how has your understanding of immunity developed over the last month or so . Do you know yet whether people will catch it again . And how other tests developing, how are the testing of the test going . Do you see antibodies and immunity playing a significant role in easing out of lockdown or not . And secretary of state, if i could ask a follow to conrads question, who asked how low the numbers would go. You said very low. Can you put a figure on that . Thee answered a second question is no, and the answer to the first question is, i will say little and then ask both scientists to come in, john on the testing and jvt on the science of immunity. Antibody testing is incredibly important. We have Antibody Test in the field at the moment, they are being used for surveys. They are lab based rather than the automatic response tests that we looked into in great detail a month or so ago, but then none of them were effective enough to be used for clinical reasons, but they can still be used for surveys, so we have surveys in the field both with the stick test and also with lab based serology which detect antibodies. So we will be getting estimates soon of the proportion of the population who have the antibodies. The tests for whether the antibodies are there, the effect of the antibodies on your risk to catching or transmitting coronavirus in the future, is the next important step in that, and the science on that has been rapidly developing, andi that has been rapidly developing, and i will ask appjvt to update on that. When you have had a covid 19 infection, do you get antibodies, do they protect you against further insta nces they protect you against further instances of the same illness, and how long are they going to protect you for . So that is three questions, really. So lets chop this up into three answers. The first answer is, the first thing we wanted to know was, once youve had it confirmed covid 19 infection, do you get antibodies . And one of the things that weve been interested in and wa nt to that weve been interested in and want to do is call people back who have had covid 19 for sure and recovered to ask them if they will begin to take part in a programme we are starting to get plasma containing antibodies and use it for treatment in the future in trial to understand if it is going to work and save lives. And the good news on thatis and save lives. And the good news on that is that that programme has started, and the overwhelming majority of people so far called back who have had definite covid 19 infection have got antibodies in their bloodstream, which is a good news thing. So those antibodies take different times in different people to develop, but by and large, the signal is that people get antibodies. The next question is, do those antibodies protect you from further infections . And we just havent had this disease around on the planet in humans for long enough to know the answer to that with any surety. And thats a piece of science that we will just surety. And thats a piece of science that we willjust have to follow a bit longer. I hope the a nswer follow a bit longer. I hope the answer is yes, but i think it is one where we have to be much clearer before we can take that responsibility of giving you a very clear a nswer responsibility of giving you a very clear answer on that. And then the final piece is how long will the antibodies last . We do know that for other normal coronaviruses if that is the right word, the ones that are a couple of viruses that together with many others because what we call the common cold, those antibodies dont persist necessarily for yea rs antibodies dont persist necessarily for years and years. It doesnt follow that that is going to be the case with covid 19. We do not know at this point. We will have to simply follow people who have recovered and test them repeatedly until we have another understanding of how long antibodies last and how long they protect for. But there is an absolutely massive piece of work now under way, multiple studies, to look for antibodies in different populations in the uk and indeed to follow some people have recovered for long periods of time into the future, at least a couple of years, and we will have much clearer signals over time. But im afraid its just one of those where we cant make the science go any faster than how quickly our bodies go in terms of maintaining the antibodies, and like everybody else in the world we just have to be patient and cautious until we get those answers. But i do believe in the long run once we have those kind of answers, potentially Antibody Testing will be a very important part of our future strategy. Thanks. In fact, i mean one of those trials, because i was tested positive and now i have fairly regularly somebody comes and ta kes fairly regularly somebody comes and takes blood to test whether i have antibodies, and then also to test whether i get it again, because we have surveys in the field right now to test people with antibodies if they then catch the disease, which is an absolutely critical fact that will then determine policy over what we say people with antibodies tested positive on an Antibody Test can do, which is at the moment we dont yet have the science to make those policy decisions. But it will be absolutely critical. John, did you have anything to add on the testing . That has been very Good Progress on the Antibody Tests. There are at least two large commercial organisations which have produced a good lab based evaluations which we are currently looking at, but also looking at ways of doing Antibody Test close to the patient, and there are a numberof test close to the patient, and there are a number of options including a saliva test, and all of these options are looking quite promising and being evaluated. So i think in general we can say, as we thought, that they would be Antibody Test available when we needed them, and they will support also our Contact Tracing programme and strategy later on. Fantastic. Followup . Ifi may, secretary of state, and thank you all three for very informative answers there. Secretary of state, life is full of risks, and this is all about balance of risks. You are somebody who has probably got antibodies. Would you feel happy going into a crowded room . Not yet. Not yet. I very much hope that the science shows that the people with antibodies who have tested positive for having antibodies have a low risk of transmitting the disease and a low risk of catching it. Both are important, because low risk of catching it protect me, low risk of transmitting it to protect others. I very much hope that that is where the science comes out. That is true of most coronaviruses. But weve got to make sure that we got the science, because until we know thats the case, we cant be sure of it, and we cant base a policy decision on it, and i cant be co mforta ble decision on it, and i cant be comfortable doing what you mentioned and the question because that might simply trigger a rise in the number of infections if the science turns out to be wrong. And there are so many novel things about this coronavirus. There are so many things that are different to previous, the six existing coronaviruses that we do have to test this and not based our assumptions on how other coronaviruses behave. Because we dont want to take the risk of assuming this coronavirus behaves like other coronaviruses before taking a policy decision that people with antibodies are lower risk. But if the science concludes that they are, then we will take decisions on that basis. This point ofjohn that theres been a big advance in Antibody Testing especially in the la bs Antibody Testing especially in the labs is very important. Today, the swiss Global Diagnostics company made a very positive announcement about progress with their Antibody Test, and we are in discussions with them about a very large scale roll out of Antibody Testing. As one is with some others who may be able to bring this forward but theres been false hope before in Antibody Testing, and so we will make announcements when we are absolutely ready. Thank you very much. Paul from the huffington post. As you are frequently sad, the long Term Solution to this pandemic is a fully scaled vaccine or covid 19. But a vaccine relies on as many people as possible actually taking it up. Now you told us last year and i quote, there is a very strong argument for having compulsory vaccinations for children for when they go to school because otherwise they are putting other children at risk. What that applied to a covid 19 vaccine as opposed to mmr and other vaccines and what other measures are you looking out to ensure as many adults and children take up the new vaccine when its available . Can i ask the professor what he made of the early Academic Research done in harvard, germany and cambridge that suggests high level of air pollution may be one of the most important contributors to the clustering of deaths from covid 19 . Are you looking at that going to look at that . Thank you. Two very good questions. On the vaccine, the first and most important thing is that we support the development of the vaccine and you would have seen the Prime Minister is excellent announcement today and then we also ensure, do the work to ensure people can get access to the vaccine starting with those who are most vulnerable. On the question of whether to make it compulsory, i think the extent of the public reaction to following the lockdown shows that we will be able to achieve very, very high levels of vaccination without taking that step. So our task is to ensure that it is, in first instance, we support the science as much as possible because we cant assume there will because we cant assume there will bea because we cant assume there will be a vaccine, there is no Coronavirus Vaccine yet, and for any of the existing coronaviruses, and this is uncertain science, but whilst i dont rule anything out, we are presuming, proceeding on the basis that just a are presuming, proceeding on the basis thatjust a huge proportion of the population are going to take this up because of the obvious benefits to individuals and their families and their communities and the whole nation. There will be enormous demand for it as and when the science is safe to proceed. Thank you, just to stay on the vaccine question for a little longer, we are following the developments in Vaccine Research across the world, including in the uk, and we remain very helpful that there will be a breakthrough at some point in the future. I think what i can say to you is that it is more likely than not that the first vaccines will be licensed in adults in the first instance. And therefore, one has to take, put some caveats around your question, around children, and the other thing to say is that so far the epidemiology and its evidence is not showing us that there is a massive burden of disease ora there is a massive burden of disease or a burden of mortality in children. It is actually completely at the other end of the scale, it is in the elderly, so from that perspective again, that is another caveat i would add to your question about vaccinating children. On the second question about air pollution, and thank you for that, i think we already have very data that air pollution contributes to a whole range of mortality, particularly from respiratory illnesses and respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular disease. I have heard it said about air pollution and covid 19. I have not personally studied that data and looked at that question in detail. But what you say is entirely plausible in my view. Professor newton may have some further observations on air pollution. Only your general point because its so pervasive and affect so many people, its a huge burden, but i havent looked at those papers, like jonathan, but but i havent looked at those papers, likejonathan, buti but i havent looked at those papers, like jonathan, but i think of something. I think we will get back to you in nepal. One brief follow up comment a message for those anti baxters when follow up comment a message for those anti baxters when and if we get a vaccine for covid 19 . those anti baxters when and if we get a vaccine for covid19 . I think there has been no greater demonstration in modern history that vaccines save lives, than the need for a vaccine to save lives and to get the world going again following the outbreak of covid 19. And we will only licensed a vaccine when it is both effective and safe and when the independent regulators, if and when they license a vaccine in this country, they will do so knowing that it country, they will do so knowing thatitis country, they will do so knowing that it is safe and everybody should follow that advice. Thanks very much. Finally, we are going to go to louise from the isle of wight county press. Thank you. As local democracy report on the isle of wight, i can see a mixed reaction to the app but the main concern which keeps occurring is whether you can ensure residents who are wary of using the app residents who are wary of using the app and this technology that their data will be kept fully protected and private throughout this trial and private throughout this trial and Going Forward and the government will be fully transparent about the way the app works . Yes, absolutely, this is an incredibly important question. I was glad to hearfrom oliver from isle of wight radio on his initial survey, and very high degree of support for the app and for downloading it, but it has been designed with privacy and security front of mind. Its been signed off by the National Cyber Security Centre who have been involved in its development and i want to thank them and pay tribute to the work that they have done in ensuring that the privacy and Cyber Security is strong. The data is stored on an individuals phone, not by the nhs, until somebody finds that they got symptoms and then they need a test and so they need to connect to the nhs and maybe need to be contacted, those who have been in contact with, so this has the highest level of privacy built in to make sure we can both reassure people in terms of privacy, but also that it can be effective and save lives. I dont know if you are anything to add. Exactly right, just to be absolutely clear, the app itself doesnt hold any personal information, just as information about the phone, where it was, which other phones it was in contact with, but only using anonymized randomly generated numbers, and those are the data which are collated, so no personal information is contained by the app. The only personal information when somebody approaches the nhs to have a test, so its a very safe use of data and people really should feel very reassured by all the precautions taken. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you from the isle of wight. Have you got a follow up . Yes please. As you said earlier, be eased on the island as part of the roll out of the app, which means people are terminating limited trips, as the app is predominantly aimed at the key workers of the island, so will not guarantee enough useful data Going Forward . This is a really important question that we thought about when selecting where to trial it. Because of there is a busy hospital on the island and their are other key workers, including those who work for the council for instance, and including those who work for the councilfor instance, and in the other services right across the board, there are interactions and there are new cases on the island and so we think that it will be effective and it will be an effective and it will be an effective place to pilot. But also, we think that the test track and trace we think that the test track and tra ce syste m we think that the test track and trace system as a whole will be more effective when there are fewer new cases because then when you do find a new case, we can really support that person, find out who they have beenin that person, find out who they have been in contact with and contact all of those people and it is quite. We can put a lot of effort and support into trying to stop that case from spreading any further. So actually, the test track and trace system as a whole will be more effective when there is fewer cases and currently there are fewer cases on the island than in the rest of the country. Studio there we are, that latest downing street briefing coming to an end there. Matt hancock and the scientific advisers. Hugh edwards is coming up with a six oclock news in a couple of moments. Time now for a look at the weather. Good afternoon. Plenty of springlike weather in the forecast for the next few days. Temperatures are set to climb for the second half of this week. There will be dry weather, sunny spells, is a little bit of rain in the forecast, but most places are dry as we head towards the end of the day. Some spells of sunshine out there and patchy cloud as well. One or two showers across eastern and southern scotland. More across northern england. Some could be heavy, possibly thundery. Down towards the far south, across the Channel Islands, parts of cornwall and devon, more cloud works in later in the day. The wind will pick up and into the evening, the wind will really strengthen. We could see gusts of 50 55 mph, very gusty to the west of dartmoor in parts of west cornwall. There is a met Office Yellow warning. The wind could cause some disruption. There is also very heavy rain getting into cornwall, devon and the Channel Islands through the night. The further north you are, it is a quiet night, any daytime show is fading, clear spells, and whether winds remain latest across scotland, some spots will drop to freezing. Some places could get a little bit below. While theyre in the south, where we have our weather front bringing those outbreaks of rain. But the front is running into this area of high pressure, so it will not make much progress northwards. You can see that wet and indeed rather windy weather across the south west of england, and south west wales, but it does not make much more progress northwards, and it will fizzle away as the day wears on. The breeze will ease but only slowly. Further north, largely dry with spells of sunshine. Higher temperatures across wales, north west england and western scotland. 17 18 degrees, rather cool for the south west, however. Cool for some north sea coasts as well. Into wednesday, the chance of an odd shower in the far west of the uk. More cloud here, but generally fine. Long spells of sunshine, signs of temperatures climbing pretty much across the board. That process will continue into thursday and friday. You can see the orange colours pushing northwards across the chart. The warmest weather of all will be found across the south of the uk. Temperatures towards the south east could get to 24 25 on friday. A bit more unsettled further north. A bit cooler as well, and let me show you what happens at the weekend. This cold air is going to plunge its way southwards, unusually cold for this time of year. For some, there could be some wintry showers. Some firms are already implementing strict rules to protect the health of staff at work and it could become the norm for most businesses. Its life and death if we dont get it right, so we are passionate about this. We can see a way through it for our type of operation. And more details today of the tracking technology thats meant to be used across england within a few weeks. Crucially, test, track and trace allows us to take a more targeted approach to lockdown while still safely containing the disease. And well be looking at the difficulties faced by commuters on trains, buses and in cars as the lockdown is lifted in different phases