Around the world has now passed one million. In spain, one of the hardest hit countries, intensive care units are on the brink. Almost 1,000 people have died there in the past 2a hours. Emotionally, it is also hard because you are worried for yourself, for your own safety. You are worried for your patients. You are worried for your families. Should more of us be Wearing Masks, as new Research Suggests coughs and sneezes could project particles much further into into the air than thought. Cheering and applause. And applause rings out from homes across the nation, to show the immense gratitude to nhs workers, britains carers and all those helping to keep the country going. And coming up on sportsday on bbc news, senior figures at brighton will take a significant pay cut as Health Secretary matt hancock says premier League Footballers need to play their part. Good evening. The Health Secretary has announced plans to significantly increase coronavirus testing in the uk. Matt hancock, who hasjust returned from self isolation after contracting the virus, said he hoped that 100,000 tests could be carried out every day in england by the end of the month. Universities and private firms will be called in to help. After days of intense criticism, he admitted there had been big challenges with testing from the outset, with delays meaning previous targets had not been hit. Today, it was announced that 569 more people have died from coronavirus in the past 2a hours, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in the uk to 2,921. Heres our Political Editor laura kuenssberg. Will there be enough . Not a pleasant process, but a vital one. This is horrible, and i can only apologise for it. Because Health Workers are desperate to know if they have the virus, so they can be, if they can, where they belong, treating patients on the front line. Ijust cant see that this is right. We are both keen to work. Both desperate to work, and as with most gps, we would work through a minor illness. We dont take time off lightly. After days of accusations of missing targets and mishandling, the Health Secretary, just back at work after the virus himself, is trying to show the government is getting a grip. I understand why nhs staff want tests, so they can get back to the front line, of course i do. But i took the decision that the First Priority has to be the patients for whom the result of a test could be the difference in treatment that is the difference between life and death. Privately, the government admits they have been too slow, so now, with help from business and a huge new push, they are setting a vast new target. I am now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. That is the goal, and im determined that we will get there. Can you give us a firm date by when any nhs staff that need a test will get a test . Because in a fast moving crisis like this, the end of the month is still a long time away. I will, over the coming weeks, seek to ensure that every nhs front line staff member who needs a test gets one. Would you put a date on that . Would you give it a deadline . Because people are very worried about this right now. Well, they are, and im glad that we are able to speed it up. It will absolutely be before the end of the month. But we are, and im saying, over the coming weeks. Remember, there are two kinds of test, one to show if youve had the virus after recovering, but the one these nhs staff are queueing up for at a superstore car park turned testing drive through, records if you have the virus right now. If the drivers of these cars are negative, they could get back onto the desperately stretched wards as doctors and nurses. That is why it is so urgent now. It is very frustrating. We should be the first so that we can look after our patients. Im very sad. It is quite efficient and it allows us to go back to work as soon as we could, really, so that is the best thing we could possibly do for nhs staff, to be honest. Testing has become the most acute political problem in this crisis, with the senior labour mp dawn butler, who lost her uncle to the disease, in grief and anger, insisting the government needs to test everyone who works in hospitals without delay. We are going to need a strategy for Community Based testing for really the majority of the population over time, because that is the route out of lockdown. But a former cabinet secretary, no stranger to managing crises, suggests there might be deeper roots to the problem. Does it seem to you, though, that the government was too slow . I think when we look back on it, and i think all of us should take a share of the blame here, pandemics, even in my time, was top of the risk register. Did we do enough to build Spare Capacity . Think that through and actually get materials in hand . Have enough ventilators, have enough protective equipment, probably not. So. But lets not worry too much about the mistakes of the past. Even if testing centres become a familiar sight, with no cure, no government can make coronavirus go away. But the actions they take can make a difference to how it affects us all. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news. One of britains most eminent scientists says the Coronavirus Crisis has exposed that the country wasnt as well prepared as it should have been. Sir paul nurse was speaking as his leading Research Centre began helping to carry out coronavirus tests. In an interview with the bbc, sir paul added that it wasnt the time to go into detail and it was important right now to Work Together to get through it. Heres our Health Editor hugh pym. The first day of coronavirus testing at one of britains leading science Research Centres, the Francis Crick institute. Labs here used for work in other areas, including cancer, have been switched to analysing swab samples. Today, the government called on academic and industry teams to help in a new National Drive to boost virus testing. Had this come a little late in the day, i asked the director, sir paul nurse. Well, i think that this whole covid 19 has exposed that the country wasnt as as it should have been, and we see that that the country wasnt as weell prepared as it should have been, and we see that in a number of areas. I dont think now is the time to go into that in great detail because we all have to Work Together, all put our shoulders to the wheel and get through it. At this Research Centre, they have started serious testing today. They hope to get to 500 per day by monday, and then a couple of weeks later, 2,000 per day. That is equivalent to what all the Public Health laboratories in england were doing in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. A priority now for all labs is testing nhs staff who have self isolated, so if they are given the all clear, they can return to work more quickly. At ninewells hospital in dundee, they have already started doing that. These doctors and nurses in full protective equipment are caring for patients with covid 19 in a high dependency unit. It is essential to minimise the numbers who are not able to work. It is really important that we test staff. Three weeks ago, we started a comprehensive programme of testing members of staff, so that we could get them to return to the workforce. As of today, over 700 members of staff from nhs tayside have been able to return to work, back to the workforce. And testing is all the more important at a time when hospitals are seeing increasing demands on front line care. Hospital admissions in england for covid 19 patients are rising fastest in london. The midlands has also seen a pick up in the speed of the increase. The south west is the area with the slowest rise in patient numbers. So how does the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk, measured from the tenth one recorded, compared with other countries . Spain has seen a faster rate of increase. South korea, one of the lowest of all the affected nations. So how will the uk get through it all . A question i put to sir paul nurse. We will get through it, and when we get through it, we will have the potential vaccines. We will have potential treatments. And we will learn how to manage it if it doesnt go away in the future. But make no mistake, two things, it has damaged us, and the second thing is, the only way through this is through scientists and experts finding their way through it. Drive through testing centres for nhs staff in the london area have been set up, but this one appeared strangely quiet today, even though many Health Workers are very keen to get tested. A government source said it was a trial, and a little time was needed to get it fully operational. Hugh pym, bbc news. There are two types of tests for this virus. One is the swab test, which tells you if you currently have the virus or not. The other is an Antibody Test, which will be able to tell you, weeks later when youve got no symptoms, whether or not you actually had coronavirus. Many people may get it without ever knowing. A number of Different Companies and Research Institutes are working on this Antibody Test, as our medical correspondent fergus walsh explains. This is what a home Antibody Test looks like. This one is for hiv and can be bought online. Its this kind of highly accurate fingerprick blood test which is needed for coronavirus. An Antibody Test would tell you if youve previously been infected with coronavirus and have built up some immunity which might protect you in future. The British Company behind the hiv test says it hopes to have a similar one for coronavirus ready within weeks. I think it would make an incredible difference. The question everyones asking themselves is, have i had it . I had a cold injanuary and i didnt feel well, so for us, antibody detection is the key, really, to accelerating how we handle this. The government agrees. Its already bought 3. 5 million Antibody Tests, but these are still being evaluated to check theyre accurate. We are currently working with Nine Companies who have offered these tests and evaluating their effectiveness. These Antibody Tests, blood tests, offer the hope that people who think they have had the disease will know they are immune and can get back to life as much as possible as normal. But theyve got to work. This is one of several covid 19 Antibody Tests already on the market. This one is designed for Health Professionals to use, rather than in the home. You draw two drops of blood, put them in a sample tray, add a chemical and wait ten minutes. This is really rather surprising. Ive not had any symptoms of coronavirus, yet these two lines here suggest that i have previously had covid 19 and it suggests that i may now have some immunity from the disease, if this test is accurate. The company that makes the test is based in northern ireland. It says its highly accurate, but its not been endorsed by medical regulators. We have not been approached directly by the government or Public Health england or any of the other Public Health agencies of the four nations. If we were approached, wed be happy to submit our tests for validation. We think thats a good thing. An accurate Antibody Test would help us get back to this britain at work. Medical staff and other key workers could be checked to see if they have had coronavirus and may now have some immunity. It cannot come soon enough. Fergus walsh, bbc news. 0ur Health Editor hugh pym joins us now. The government has already missed its current targets, yet it is setting a much bigger one for the end of the month. How can they be so sure they can deliver that . Sophie, people are trying to work that out tonight. There was a target of 10,000 tests per day set several weeks ago and its onlyjust been hit, and a target of 25,000 hairs per day which was pushed back to the end of april, and now theres a target of 100,000 that the end of this month. Matt hancock has made this month. Matt hancock has made this appeal to academic and business laboratories and Research Centres to get involved in what he calls a National Effort so he hopes that they will come forward with a lot more tests. He is including in this total of 100,000 of the Antibody Test that we had about their in ferguss piece but it does not seem really very clear whether they are going to be ready by the end of this month. So a lot of uncertainties, there. And of course, the end of this month is all very well but the peak of this epidemic is expected within a week or so, when many nhs workers will be badly needed on the front line. And in the meantime, more and more people are dying, and we can see from expenses abroad that doctors are going to have to make heartbreaking decisions if they are not doing so already, about who they treat and ventilate. It is really difficult for them. Yes, new guidelines today from the british medical association, in its capacity as the professional body for doctors, saying there will be agonising choices because of the coronavirus pressure on hospitals. It says the nhs could be overwhelmed and doctors will have to make some very difficult decisions. It is saying it is ethical and legally 0k for doctors to prioritise patients and there will be thresholds set, which some patients wont meet, to get intensive care. It goes on to say that guidelines are needed on how to proceed in these circumstances. Nevertheless, there will be some brutal decisions to be made by doctor. Thank you for joining us. And all the latest official information on coronavirus is on the uk governments dedicated web page. You can find it on gov. Uk and click on the coronavirus banner at the top of the page. Nhs england says the number of deaths will continue to increase for a few weeks yet. The latest figures show that 569 people died in the past 2a hours, the biggest day on day increase so far. Most of those who lost their lives had Underlying Health problems. But 44 people who died didnt, including a 25 year old man. 0ur Health Correspondent Sophie Hutchinson has been talking to the family of one of the victims of this virus. Rabbi neil kraft, one of a growing number of people in the uk who have lost their lives to covid 19. Described by those who loved him as really warm, with a wicked sense of humour, his was a traditionaljewish burial, given a helping hand using the latest technology. Quite extraordinarily, there are over 600 people joining us together now, and thats 600 computers and laptops and phones, which may mean that there are more than 1,000 people with us. A fellow rabbi was the only mourner at the ceremony. Social distancing rules meant friends and even his closest family were not able to be at the graveside, or even at his bedside in hospital as he lay dying. His wife of 28 years is still taking it all in. Honestly, one of the many surreal moments was the realisation that we couldnt go and see him. We couldnt leave the house. We are in self isolation until next week. We are not the only ones. Its tough for many, many people. You know, this is our story. The best estimates suggest that the risk of dying of covid 19 is below 1 for those aged under 60. That rises steeply for the over 805. But a 13 year old boy is thought to be the youngest person to have died with the virus. These are some of the faces of almost 3,000 people known to have died with covid 19 in the uk. Thank you, folks, and welcome to the last show of the season. Today came news of the death of the comedian eddie large. His family said he had had Heart Failure and became infected with the virus in hospital. Syd little, his comedy partner of 60 years, has said he is devastated. Sophie hutchinson, bbc news. For the second week in a row, applause rang out at8 oclock tonight from homes, along streets, up and down the nation, to show gratitude to nhs workers, britains carers and key workers, the people who are saving lives and keeping the country going. David sillito reports. Applause. Felixstowe. Cheering and applause. East london. Bagpipes. Glasgow. Pontypridd. Applause. Leeds. Applause for the carers, and also supermarket workers. Applause. This is for delivery drivers, shelf stackers, care workers, childminders, refuse workers, eve ryo ne childminders, refuse workers, everyone who is helping to keep the show on the road while we stay at home. People like the grounded Airline Crews who are now volunteering to offer refreshment and moral support to the nurses and doctors at the whittington hospital. It is lovely how people have come together and working as a team and a community and helping support us, to try to keep us hydrated and well fed so we can try to keep us hydrated and well fed so we can give the best care to our patients. Indeed, the heart of this is of course the Health Workers. This road in bath, now lit in nhs blue, sits in the shadow of a hospital on the coronavirus front line. My mummy works at the. Nhs. Nhs. Is someone who works in the community and the nhs, it means a huge amount that everyone is clapping and showing support. Huge amount that everyone is clapping and showing supportm coming out, we show them we appreciate what we are doing. Downing street. Islington. New. And eve ryo ne downing street. Islington. New. And everyone with the same message. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It is a National Thank you. David sillitoe, bbc news. More than a Million People around the world have now contracted coronavirus. In spain one of the hardest hit countries nine hundred and 50 people have died in a single day thats the highest daily number anywhere in the world. Its the sixth day in the row that the daily death toll has risen above 800. More than 10,000 people have died in spain so far. In francejust over 4,000 500 people have died in hospital, but tonight the government revealed that at least 800 more have died in care homes so far and they said that number was incomplete. Italy still has the highest death toll with nearly 111,000 people dying since the outbreak began. 0ur europe correspondent, mark lowen is in rome. With europe the epicentre of the pandemic, the daily death tolls are indeed shocking, but spain and italy say that with the infection rate, well, that is now peaking and that the curve is stabilising, and yet still the pressure on hospitals is immense as we have seen in every country that has fallen to the virus like dominoes. Italy, spain, britain, france, the uk, the us. And, tonight, we have gained exclusive access to footage from inside a spanish hospital that is deluged but not defeated. Hoping for a sign of life. When the disease hits, it decimates. Fighting it demands precision and speed to cope with these numbers. This is one of spains biggest hospitals, vall dhebron in catalonia. But it could be anywhere else that the virus has struck, for this is its hallmark to plunder a country, overwhelming its hospitals. The doctor shows just one of the patients here needing assisted ventilation. There are 200 in this intensive care unit. Catalonia, spains wealthiest region, is at its limit. Look how vulnerable we are when it hits, a complex living soul stripped bare, lying face down to help clear the lungs a basic technique to battle a stronger killer. Spain, as elsewhere, is short of supplies for its medics, who make up around 15 of all cases. They try to prepare for the front line, but nurses, likejoanna, say its taking its toll. Emotionally its also hard, because youre worried for yourself, your own safety, you worry about your patient, your own families. Lots of people have relatives or friends who are at home unwell, so its quite stressful. After a record daily rise in deaths, spain says its now flattening the curve and the infection rate is reducing, but it wont be quick. Nor will it in france, where deaths there have now jumped to more than 4000. Almost 900 from care homes had been announced that hadnt yet been recorded. A specialist plane was configured to transfer the sickest to germany for treatment. European states using every tool at their disposal. Germany, with far fewer deaths of its own, also took in patients from italy, the critically ill loaded into air ambulances. A virus that knows no borders is taking a worldwide effort to confront it. Mark lowen, bbc news, rome. In the United States theres more evidence of the massive impact the virus is having on the countrys economy. 6. 5 Million People applied for unemployment benefit last week alone thats the highest number the country has ever seen. The latest death toll in america is now more than 5,600. From washington, our north america editorjon sopel reports. Its a perfect spring day in washington and this is one of the citys busiest shopping streets except its not. The stores are closed, the streets are empty, nobody is buying. And this is what that looks like in graph form. Years and years of unemployment going up a couple of hundred thousand here and there, but 10 millionjobs have gone in the last two weeks. These workers in california are among the many who have suddenly found themselves out of a job, victims of coronavirus. We still have to pay rent, we still have to pay bills. Theres a lot of stuff we still have to pay and with nojob, what are we going to do . The us is closed for business, more or less literally. The old saying goes that when america sneezes the rest of the world catches cold maybe not the right phrase to use in the midst of a global pandemic, but this is going to hit the global economy. But the president is confident the rebound will be swift. Nobodys ever seen anything like this. The entire world is shut down. You go from having the most powerful economy in the world and from other countries that are doing well, to being everything is shut down. Its very sad, but were going to get it going and were going to be stronger than ever. But thats tomorrows battle. The fight against covid 19 is the immediate concern and in new york the governor says theyll run out of ventilators soon. And right now we have a burn rate that would suggest we have about six days in the stockpile, but we have extraordinary measures in place that can make a difference if we run into a real ventilator shortage. America is adjusting to a new reality queueing for food, unemployment soaring. The most powerful country in the world somewhat powerless in the face of this invisible enemy. Jon sopel, bbc news, washington. Manufacturers across the uk, the bma and Health Care Workers unions have joined forces to ask the government to unleash a National Effort to redeploy mothballed factories, to make personal protective equipment for key Health Workers. Unions say there are plants and people standing idle, when they could be put to great use in defence of the publics health. Doctors say there are severe shortages, which ministers deny. 0ur economics editor faisal islam has more. All across the nations of the uk, local businesses, universities, even schools, are getting involved in local efforts to supply protective equipment to local nhs hospitals and workers. A sd Printing Company in telford producing a valve to turn a full face snorkel into a protective face mask, or a factory that normally makes tents in chesterfield making visors for Health Workers, or medical scrubs that cant be obtained from china right now being churned out at a factory in north london. Were looking at at least 20,000 a week. Weve also got other ladies as well that didnt have enough work, so theyre going to come back too, so were really going for it. The country pulling together to help to do something, particularly from factories that are now lying idle. The requests are from local hospital trusts and doctors, but not from central government. Thats because they say theres already enough. Today, manufacturing workers, their unions and their bosses, joined forces to tell the government to make that National Call and make use of idle factories. Weve got people using sd printers in their homes, and yet we cant get the government to make one coordinated determined call to arms across our manufacturing industries, and thats a failure of government. Its a failure of leadership. At the outset, the uk was doubly prepared for a pandemic. Much of what the army is distributing now are stockpiles meant for both no deal brexit and a flu outbreak, but a coronavirus outbreak could last longer than the flu pandemic planned for and there is a global run on billions of items of ppe at a time when the main supplier, china, has been hobbled. Industry and workers say there is no time to waste for a war time style effort to boost protective equipment. The government is yet to agree its needed. Faisal islam, bbc news. The World Health Organisation is considering whether to update its guidance about the routine wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. It comes amid reports that the white house may recommend that americans wear them. New research has suggested that coughs and sneezes may be projected much further than previously thought. And tonight, new yorks mare has been telling the 30s residents to wear face masks to prevent the virus spreading. 0ur science editor David Shukman has more details. The shocking power of a sneeze. But do we know for certain how far it might project coronavirus . Thats the question now being assessed, and it could change how we respond to the pandemic. According to the world health organization, the infection can be spread to anyone up to a metre away. The advice of the British Government and many others is that two metres can be considered a safe distance. But research in the United States shows that coughing can project small droplets up to six metres, and that sneezing can go even further up to eight metres. Now, there is no definitive proof that coronavirus can be spread that far, but there are scientists who believe that that possibility must be considered. Special cameras in the United States captured a sneeze. Some droplets stay close, but tiny ones go further than previously thought, and the scientists involved say Wearing Masks could reduce the risk of infection. It is important to account, however, for the fact that these masks are not sealed, not high grade masks, youre not protected from the inhalation of those invisible small particulates, so its important to not be overconfident when wearing them as a way to protecting oneself against inhalation of those droplets. Its more about protecting others from our own exhalations. Everyone who has to leave their house has to wear a face mask. A promotional video in the czech republic, and more and more countries, including the us, are considering similar rules. In austria, supermarkets are insisting that theyre worn, but for the experts assessing whether masks really help, there are concerns about how they may be used. It might be that wearing a mask is equally as effective or more
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