news--2020-04-24--Coronavirus: The good news (and not so good news) about the chances of a COVID-19 vaccine

There 's good news and not so good news about the chances of a vaccine to beat COVID-19 .
The good news is that there has probably never been a better time for mankind to need a new vaccine as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic .
Firstly , exciting advances in biotech and other vaccine technologies mean scientists are optimistic about the prospects , and recent outbreaks like Ebola and SARS in China , have seen those advances put into action .
The bad news is , the same as ever with vaccines - you can never know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spring up and how much they will delay the process .
`` Just imagine the situation if a vaccine is now being used , and there are reports of several adverse reactions '' , veteran Israeli vaccine regulator Manfred Green told Sky News .
`` And even if they are not clearly related to the vaccine , the public response will be immediate , and there 'll be very great reluctance on the part of the public to receive that vaccine , '' he added .
A vaccine must be both effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point can take years - and sometimes it never happens at all .
That said , there are good grounds to be optimistic .
There are as many as 100 different companies , labs , or groups of scientists in the race to find a vaccine .
And there is a spirit of cooperation rarely seen in this world .
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi for instance - normally arch rivals - are teaming up to merge their efforts .
There is also a considerable variety of methods and technologies being applied .
There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on paper and are based on the latest genetic and biotech advances , hoping to insinuate some of the genetic code of the virus into human cells to precipitate an immune response .
But they are so new that they are unproven in mass application .
Professor Trevor Drew heads the team at the Australian centre for disease preparedness , where the first two vaccines off the starter block are already undergoing animal trials .
One is from the US company Moderna , while the other is from the Oxford University team already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` These vaccines are very novel , '' he said .
`` There has never actually been one that has made it all the way to licensing , but they certainly have been demonstrated to induce parts of the immune system . ''
He added : `` So the question is , will they produce a sufficient level of stimulation , and is it to the right arm of the immune system so that it can protect the development of the disease . ''
One vaccine that may not need animal trials is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists had already been studying coronavirus in chickens for years .
They hope they can convert that research into making a vaccine that can be applied orally to humans .
They , like others , are frustrated at the red tape and regulation that may delay the vaccine being approved for mass use .
Mr Drew continued : `` I think that under these circumstances , we should consider again what is bureaucracy and what is essential to bring a safe and effective vaccine to the people and we hope that everybody will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world and we 'll find a way . ''
Africa 's Ebola outbreak showed that with an epidemic moving at wildfire speed , you can fast-track vaccine production and approval .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The hope is the same can happen now .
Instead of waiting for animal trials to finish , teams are running them at the same time as human trials , and authorities are promising to do what they can to shorten the time before vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But there are just too many unknowns to say how much time can be saved , even before the long process of producing enough shots to vaccinate the world .

There's good news and not so good news about the chances of a vaccine to beat COVID-19.
The good news is that there has probably never been a better time for mankind to need a new vaccine as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic.
Firstly, exciting advances in biotech and other vaccine technologies mean scientists are optimistic about the prospects, and recent outbreaks like Ebola and SARS in China, have seen those advances put into action.
Image: Around 100 companies, labs and groups of scientists are in the race to find a vaccine
The bad news is, the same as ever with vaccines - you can never know the unknowns ahead, what setbacks are likely to spring up and how much they will delay the process.
"Just imagine the situation if a vaccine is now being used, and there are reports of several adverse reactions", veteran Israeli vaccine regulator Manfred Green told Sky News.
"And even if they are not clearly related to the vaccine, the public response will be immediate, and there'll be very great reluctance on the part of the public to receive that vaccine," he added.
A vaccine must be both effective and safe, and getting to that point can take years - and sometimes it never happens at all.
That said, there are good grounds to be optimistic.
There are as many as 100 different companies, labs, or groups of scientists in the race to find a vaccine.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:43 The search for a COVID-19 vaccine
And there is a spirit of cooperation rarely seen in this world.
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi for instance - normally arch rivals - are teaming up to merge their efforts.
There is also a considerable variety of methods and technologies being applied.
There are the moonshot methods.
They sound great on paper and are based on the latest genetic and biotech advances, hoping to insinuate some of the genetic code of the virus into human cells to precipitate an immune response.
But they are so new that they are unproven in mass application.
Professor Trevor Drew heads the team at the Australian centre for disease preparedness, where the first two vaccines off the starter block are already undergoing animal trials.
One is from the US company Moderna, while the other is from the Oxford University team already carrying out human trials as well.
"These vaccines are very novel," he said.
"There has never actually been one that has made it all the way to licensing, but they certainly have been demonstrated to induce parts of the immune system."
He added: "So the question is, will they produce a sufficient level of stimulation, and is it to the right arm of the immune system so that it can protect the development of the disease."
One vaccine that may not need animal trials is being developed in Israel.
There, scientists had already been studying coronavirus in chickens for years.
They hope they can convert that research into making a vaccine that can be applied orally to humans.
They, like others, are frustrated at the red tape and regulation that may delay the vaccine being approved for mass use.
Mr Drew continued: "I think that under these circumstances, we should consider again what is bureaucracy and what is essential to bring a safe and effective vaccine to the people and we hope that everybody will be reasonable as a community as a world and we'll find a way."
Africa's Ebola outbreak showed that with an epidemic moving at wildfire speed, you can fast-track vaccine production and approval.
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The hope is the same can happen now.
Instead of waiting for animal trials to finish, teams are running them at the same time as human trials, and authorities are promising to do what they can to shorten the time before vaccines can be approved and used en masse.
But there are just too many unknowns to say how much time can be saved, even before the long process of producing enough shots to vaccinate the world.


news--2020-04-23--Coronavirus: Husband and wife doctors suing government over PPE guidance

Two doctors are launching legal action against the government 's advice over personal protective equipment ( PPE ) .
Meenal Viz and Nishant Joshi , who are married and expecting a baby , have been exposed to patients with COVID-19 , the disease caused by coronavirus .
According to their solicitors , Bindmans , the couple are concerned that current PPE guidance and availability is inadequate to protect them from infection .
In a statement , Dr Viz and Dr Joshi said : `` We are incredibly concerned at the ever-growing numbers of healthcare workers who are becoming seriously unwell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is the government 's duty to protect its healthcare workers , and there is great anxiety amongst staff with regards to safety protocols that seem to change without rhyme or reason . ''
Public Health England , which responded to the legal action on behalf of the government , said UK government guidance was `` consistent '' with advice given by World Health Organisation .
A spokesman for PHE said : `` The safety of those working on the frontline in health and social care is our number one priority .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and agreed by all 4 CMOs , in consultation with royal and medical colleges , recommends the safest level of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) .
`` The WHO has confirmed that UK guidance is consistent with what it recommends for the highest risk procedures . ''
It comes after a flight carrying PPE - urgently needed by front line health workers as they treat COVID-19 patients in the UK - arrived from Turkey on Wednesday following days of delays .
The total consignment of 84 tonnes includes 400,000 clinical gowns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it was on the flight .
On Tuesday , Sky News revealed Britain only made a formal request to Turkey over the consignment on Sunday after Robert Jenrick , the housing minister , said the equipment was en route .
The delay has caused embarrassment for the government , which is already under significant pressure because of a shortage of gowns and other protective gear worn by frontline staff .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Ministers previously faced criticism over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers - with one hospice boss revealing she has been forced to `` beg , borrow and steal '' protective gear .
Another doctor told Sky News he appealed to his own patients for PPE earlier this month after facing a shortage .

Two doctors are launching legal action against the government's advice over personal protective equipment (PPE).
Meenal Viz and Nishant Joshi, who are married and expecting a baby, have been exposed to patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
According to their solicitors, Bindmans, the couple are concerned that current PPE guidance and availability is inadequate to protect them from infection.
Image: Paramedics and staff at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital wearing various items of PPE
In a statement, Dr Viz and Dr Joshi said: "We are incredibly concerned at the ever-growing numbers of healthcare workers who are becoming seriously unwell and dying due to COVID-19.
"It is the government's duty to protect its healthcare workers, and there is great anxiety amongst staff with regards to safety protocols that seem to change without rhyme or reason."
Image: There has been a shortage of clinical gowns in some areas
Public Health England, which responded to the legal action on behalf of the government, said UK government guidance was "consistent" with advice given by World Health Organisation.
A spokesman for PHE said: "The safety of those working on the frontline in health and social care is our number one priority. The UK guidance, written with NHS leaders and agreed by all 4 CMOs, in consultation with royal and medical colleges, recommends the safest level of personal protective equipment (PPE).
"The WHO has confirmed that UK guidance is consistent with what it recommends for the highest risk procedures."
It comes after a flight carrying PPE - urgently needed by front line health workers as they treat COVID-19 patients in the UK - arrived from Turkey on Wednesday following days of delays.
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The total consignment of 84 tonnes includes 400,000 clinical gowns, but it is not clear how much of it was on the flight.
On Tuesday, Sky News revealed Britain only made a formal request to Turkey over the consignment on Sunday after Robert Jenrick, the housing minister, said the equipment was en route.
The delay has caused embarrassment for the government, which is already under significant pressure because of a shortage of gowns and other protective gear worn by frontline staff.
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Ministers previously faced criticism over a lack of PPE given to medical workers - with one hospice boss revealing she has been forced to "beg, borrow and steal" protective gear.
Another doctor told Sky News he appealed to his own patients for PPE earlier this month after facing a shortage.


news--2020-04-25--Coronavirus: Robots in Milton Keynes deliver shopping to NHS workers

Robots in Milton Keynes are delivering shopping to NHS staff for free as working long hours during the COVID-19 crisis means they sometimes do not have time to visit stores .
There has been a large rise in the use of the machines by healthcare workers since the nationwide lockdown was introduced a month ago .
The restrictions were brought in just after US-based Starship Technologies expanded its delivery service to include more neighbourhoods in Milton Keynes .
The company , which owns the fleet of 70 machines , has been operating robots in the town since 2018 .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the white , box-like robots are about knee height , and big enough to hold several bags of food shopping as well as several bottles .
The robots have what looks like an antenna , topped with a small red flag to make them easier to spot as they deliver around the neighbourhood , and travel on pavements at a top speed of 4mph .
: : Listen to Coronavirus : In This Together on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or Spreaker Despite the rise in demand , the robots have been delivering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Right now we are offering free delivery to all NHS workers within the community .
We want to make life a little bit easier for these people in these very , very stressful times , '' said Henry Harris-Burland of Starship .
`` Lots of them are doing ... 80-hour weeks and they do n't have time to go to the local grocery store , so they use our robots for their shopping , '' he said .
`` We 're honoured that we can be part of that solution . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had completed 100,000 autonomous deliveries in the town .
`` Lots of the residents have been reaching out to us online asking us to deliver into their neighbourhood , '' he said .
`` We 're doing everything we can as quickly as possible to expand to offer this service to more people , especially at this really important time . ''

Robots in Milton Keynes are delivering shopping to NHS staff for free as working long hours during the COVID-19 crisis means they sometimes do not have time to visit stores.
There has been a large rise in the use of the machines by healthcare workers since the nationwide lockdown was introduced a month ago.
The restrictions were brought in just after US-based Starship Technologies expanded its delivery service to include more neighbourhoods in Milton Keynes.
Image: The robots can deliver several bags of shopping and a crate of bottles
The company, which owns the fleet of 70 machines, has been operating robots in the town since 2018.
Now a familiar sight on the streets, the white, box-like robots are about knee height, and big enough to hold several bags of food shopping as well as several bottles.
The robots have what looks like an antenna, topped with a small red flag to make them easier to spot as they deliver around the neighbourhood, and travel on pavements at a top speed of 4mph.
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Despite the rise in demand, the robots have been delivering to health workers free of charge.
"Right now we are offering free delivery to all NHS workers within the community. We want to make life a little bit easier for these people in these very, very stressful times," said Henry Harris-Burland of Starship.
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Image: Starship Technologies, the company which own the machines, does not charge NHS workers for delivery
"Lots of them are doing...80-hour weeks and they don't have time to go to the local grocery store, so they use our robots for their shopping," he said. "We're honoured that we can be part of that solution."
Mr Harris-Burland said his company's machines had completed 100,000 autonomous deliveries in the town.
Image: The robots have become a regular sight on the streets of Milton Keynes
"Lots of the residents have been reaching out to us online asking us to deliver into their neighbourhood," he said.
"We're doing everything we can as quickly as possible to expand to offer this service to more people, especially at this really important time."


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Meet Washington DC's COVID-19 'patient zero'

Reverend Timothy Cole had been at a church conference in Louisville , Kentucky , with clergy from all over the country at the end of February .
He returned home to Washington DC and started to feel like he had the flu .
`` I went to bed for three days , the fever broke , I waited another 24 hours and got up , felt fine .
I went back to work , '' he said .
What he did n't realise at the time was that he was about to become the US capital 's coronavirus `` patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reverend Cole moved to Washington three years ago to become the rector at Christ Church , Georgetown .
Following the Kentucky conference he continued to deliver sermons to his flock before he realised how sick he really was .
He eventually collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19 .
`` You 're just going along the highway of normality and then suddenly you get whacked and you find yourself on this really small dark path and you 've got no choice but to go down it , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days in hospital , where he was given oxygen and placed in the intensive care unit .
`` The thing about this disease is the doctors really ca n't do very much .
You 're sitting round waiting for your body to get better or worse . ''
On the 7 March , Washington 's mayor announced that coronavirus had arrived in the city .
Reverend Cole was the first patient in DC .
Cases in New York , California and Texas have been linked to the same church conference he attended .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ organist and four other parishioners were infected .
`` I was thinking about the people who got the virus after me and the inconvenience people had to go through .
`` The whole congregation was quarantined for two weeks because of me . ''
Washington DC now has over 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the mayor has issued a stay-at-home order .
`` I was the first case in Washington so obviously it was n't something that I expected .
It was a bit of a shock , '' Reverend Cole said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are grateful for the congregation 's reaction to his diagnosis .
`` They stood beside us and prayed for us .
They have been a tremendous support and lavished us with affection and kindness . ''
: : Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker The former British army chaplain will be delivering a virtual reading at Christ Church this Easter .
`` It 's so sad this church , which is 200 years old , will be shut for Easter Sunday for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'll stand in the pulpit again . ''

Reverend Timothy Cole had been at a church conference in Louisville, Kentucky, with clergy from all over the country at the end of February.
He returned home to Washington DC and started to feel like he had the flu.
"I went to bed for three days, the fever broke, I waited another 24 hours and got up, felt fine. I went back to work," he said.
What he didn't realise at the time was that he was about to become the US capital's coronavirus "patient zero".
Originally from Edinburgh, Reverend Cole moved to Washington three years ago to become the rector at Christ Church, Georgetown.
Following the Kentucky conference he continued to deliver sermons to his flock before he realised how sick he really was. He eventually collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19.
"You're just going along the highway of normality and then suddenly you get whacked and you find yourself on this really small dark path and you've got no choice but to go down it," Reverend Cole said.
Image: Reverend Cole spent 21 days in hospital Pic: Lorraine Cole
He spent 21 days in hospital, where he was given oxygen and placed in the intensive care unit.
"The thing about this disease is the doctors really can't do very much. You're sitting round waiting for your body to get better or worse."
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On the 7 March, Washington's mayor announced that coronavirus had arrived in the city. Reverend Cole was the first patient in DC. Cases in New York, California and Texas have been linked to the same church conference he attended.
Image: Reverend Cole and his wife Lorraine Pic: Lorraine Cole
The reverend also discovered that his church organist and four other parishioners were infected.
"I was thinking about the people who got the virus after me and the inconvenience people had to go through.
"The whole congregation was quarantined for two weeks because of me."
Washington DC now has over 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the mayor has issued a stay-at-home order.
"I was the first case in Washington so obviously it wasn't something that I expected. It was a bit of a shock," Reverend Cole said.
He and his wife, Lorraine, are grateful for the congregation's reaction to his diagnosis.
"They stood beside us and prayed for us. They have been a tremendous support and lavished us with affection and kindness."
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The former British army chaplain will be delivering a virtual reading at Christ Church this Easter.
"It's so sad this church, which is 200 years old, will be shut for Easter Sunday for the first time.
"Who knows when I'll stand in the pulpit again."


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Small labs get £1m to ramp up key worker testing

A British entrepreneur has given £1 million to help small laboratories across the UK provide COVID-19 tests for frontline workers .
Mike Fischer CBE promised the funds to the COVID-19 Volunteer Testing Network , which launched on Wednesday .
The project aims to encourage laboratories to use their specialist equipment - most notably their polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) machines , which are commonly used for genetic testing - for coronavirus testing .
One expert told Sky News that if enough laboratories used their PCR machines for COVID-19 , they could test everyone in the country .
`` These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial lab in Britain so I 'm sure you 've got 14,000 of them , '' said Professor Julian Peto , a cancer epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine .
`` If the people who are already operating those machines turned over to testing to the virus , you 'd be able to test everyone in Britain once a week , and you 'd be able to test every other day people who come into contact with patients - nurses , doctors , the NHS in particular . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ photography company Alamy , owns a non-profit medical research lab in Oxford , called SBL .
The small facility , which has three full-time staff , two containment hoods and two real-time machines , is currently conducting 100 tests a day for 10 local GPs , using the Centre for Disease Control protocols for testing .
Once the lab gets used to the system , Mr Fischer told Sky News it could manage 500 a day - something which could be achieved in similar labs around the country .
`` If other labs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scale to providing tens of thousands of tests a week , '' he said .
On Wednesday Downing Street admitted that only around 2,000 NHS frontline staff in England and Wales have been tested for the virus since the outbreak began .
At Number 10 's daily briefing , Dr Yvonne Doyle , medical director of Public Health England , said the government 's `` intention '' was to increase testing for frontline staff from `` thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks '' .
: : Listen to the Daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Spotify , Spreaker Saffron Cordery , deputy chief executive of NHS Providers , said the Volunteer Testing Network could be a useful complement to the government 's central programme .
`` Anything is going to help if it can help up the numbers , even by a few 100 or few 1000 a day , '' she told Sky News .
`` But this is a national problem that needs a national solution . ''
The news comes after the government faced mounting criticism for its inability to increase the rate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lagging behind other countries in tests per capita .
Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a shortage of chemicals for the delay .
To ramp up testing for frontline staff , the government has requisitioned PCR machines for its new testing facility in Milton Keynes .
A source familiar with the facility said it was close to operational , saying , `` It 'll hum much faster than anything else we 've seen before . ''

A British entrepreneur has given £1 million to help small laboratories across the UK provide COVID-19 tests for frontline workers.
Mike Fischer CBE promised the funds to the COVID-19 Volunteer Testing Network, which launched on Wednesday.
The project aims to encourage laboratories to use their specialist equipment - most notably their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines, which are commonly used for genetic testing - for coronavirus testing.
One expert told Sky News that if enough laboratories used their PCR machines for COVID-19, they could test everyone in the country.
"These PCR machines are in every university and commercial lab in Britain so I'm sure you've got 14,000 of them," said Professor Julian Peto, a cancer epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
"If the people who are already operating those machines turned over to testing to the virus, you'd be able to test everyone in Britain once a week, and you'd be able to test every other day people who come into contact with patients - nurses, doctors, the NHS in particular."
Mr Fischer, who founded the stock photography company Alamy, owns a non-profit medical research lab in Oxford, called SBL.
The small facility, which has three full-time staff, two containment hoods and two real-time machines, is currently conducting 100 tests a day for 10 local GPs, using the Centre for Disease Control protocols for testing.
Once the lab gets used to the system, Mr Fischer told Sky News it could manage 500 a day - something which could be achieved in similar labs around the country.
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"If other labs could join the effort we could quickly scale to providing tens of thousands of tests a week," he said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:29 'It's time to ramp up the tests'
On Wednesday Downing Street admitted that only around 2,000 NHS frontline staff in England and Wales have been tested for the virus since the outbreak began.
At Number 10's daily briefing, Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, said the government's "intention" was to increase testing for frontline staff from "thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks".
Podcast Podcast , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Podcast cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Podcast cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Podcast cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
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Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the Volunteer Testing Network could be a useful complement to the government's central programme.
"Anything is going to help if it can help up the numbers, even by a few 100 or few 1000 a day," she told Sky News. "But this is a national problem that needs a national solution."
The news comes after the government faced mounting criticism for its inability to increase the rate of testing in the UK, which is lagging behind other countries in tests per capita.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a shortage of chemicals for the delay.
To ramp up testing for frontline staff, the government has requisitioned PCR machines for its new testing facility in Milton Keynes.
A source familiar with the facility said it was close to operational, saying, "It'll hum much faster than anything else we've seen before."


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Newborn baby becomes 'world's youngest COVID-19 victim'

A six-week-old baby with coronavirus has died in Connecticut - reportedly the youngest person to die after catching the disease .
Connecticut governer Ned Lamont tweeted his `` heartbreaking sadness '' in confirming the first paediatric death in the state linked to COVID-19 .
It is unclear if the baby had underlying health conditions .
`` A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived , '' Mr Lamond tweeted on Wednesday .
`` Testing confirmed last night that the newborn was COVID-19 positive .
This is absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the youngest lives lost anywhere due to complications relating to COVID-19 .
`` This is a virus that attacks our most fragile without mercy .
This also stresses the importance of staying home and limiting exposure to other people .
Your life and the lives of others could literally depend on it .
Our prayers are with the family at this difficult time . ''
The confirmed coronavirus-linked death toll in the US has almost doubled in three days to 5,137 , with 216,722 confirmed cases .
Four new American states imposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic , putting over 80 % of Americans under lockdown .
President Donald Trump said he saw no need to issue a nationwide decree , with 39 states and the District of Columbia now forcing residents to stay home except for essential outings .
He also told a White House briefing on Wednesday he was considering halting flights to coronavirus hot spots , such as New York , New Orleans and Detroit .
`` We 're certainly looking at it , but once you do that you really are clamping down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Mr Trump told a White House news briefing .
New York state remains the epicentre of the outbreak in America , accounting for more than a third of US deaths .
White House medical experts forecast that even if Americans hunker down in their homes to slow the spread , some 100,000 to 240,000 people could die with the respiratory disease .
A 12-year-old girl in Belgium is the youngest known person to have died in Europe after catching coronavirus .
Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victim in the UK is understood to be a 13-year-old from London , Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab .
Doctors have said the death toll of healthy children who have coronavirus is significantly lower than that of adults , but it is nonetheless climbing .

A six-week-old baby with coronavirus has died in Connecticut - reportedly the youngest person to die after catching the disease.
Connecticut governer Ned Lamont tweeted his "heartbreaking sadness" in confirming the first paediatric death in the state linked to COVID-19.
It is unclear if the baby had underlying health conditions.
Image: Connecticut governor Ned Lamont tweeted that a six-week-old baby with coronanirus died
"A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived," Mr Lamond tweeted on Wednesday.
"Testing confirmed last night that the newborn was COVID-19 positive. This is absolutely heartbreaking. We believe this is one of the youngest lives lost anywhere due to complications relating to COVID-19.
"This is a virus that attacks our most fragile without mercy. This also stresses the importance of staying home and limiting exposure to other people. Your life and the lives of others could literally depend on it. Our prayers are with the family at this difficult time."
The confirmed coronavirus-linked death toll in the US has almost doubled in three days to 5,137, with 216,722 confirmed cases.
Four new American states imposed sweeping stay-at-home rules on Wednesday in response to the pandemic, putting over 80% of Americans under lockdown.
President Donald Trump said he saw no need to issue a nationwide decree, with 39 states and the District of Columbia now forcing residents to stay home except for essential outings.
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He also told a White House briefing on Wednesday he was considering halting flights to coronavirus hot spots, such as New York, New Orleans and Detroit.
"We're certainly looking at it, but once you do that you really are clamping down on an industry that is desperately needed," Mr Trump told a White House news briefing.
New York state remains the epicentre of the outbreak in America, accounting for more than a third of US deaths.
White House medical experts forecast that even if Americans hunker down in their homes to slow the spread, some 100,000 to 240,000 people could die with the respiratory disease.
A 12-year-old girl in Belgium is the youngest known person to have died in Europe after catching coronavirus.
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The youngest victim in the UK is understood to be a 13-year-old from London, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab.
Both children were apparently healthy.
Doctors have said the death toll of healthy children who have coronavirus is significantly lower than that of adults, but it is nonetheless climbing.


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: 569 more COVID-19 deaths in UK - bringing total to 2,921

Another 569 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus - bringing the total number of deaths to 2,921 .
The number of deaths , tallied in the 24 hours up to 5pm on Wednesday , is again the UK 's largest daily increase so far .
A total of 563 people were reported as dying with COVID-19 the previous day .
The Department of Health said as of 9am on Thursday 33,718 people had tested positive for the virus across the UK .
Number of deaths in each country , as reported by each individual home nation : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - a total of 36 The Department of Health compiles its death figures from data supplied by the health agencies of the four nations .
The data has to be validated , and each nation works to a slightly different timescale , so the UK figure released by the health department does not always match the sum of the published national figures .
The latest coronavirus patients in England to die were aged between 22 and 100 , with 44 of them - aged between 25 and 100 - having no known underlying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boris Johnson has come under mounting pressure to increase testing , especially for frontline NHS staff .
On Wednesday , 10,657 tests were carried out in England , the Department of Health said , while testing capacity for inpatient care in the country currently stands at 12,799 tests a day .
As the number of deaths reached nearly 3,000 , a Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson is still showing coronavirus symptoms as he neared the end of his seven days of self-isolation following his positive test last Friday .
It is unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street flat where he has been staying and working remotely .
The spokesman said : `` We 're following the guidelines from Public Health England ( PHE ) and from the chief medical officer which state that you need to self-isolate for a period of seven days , so no change in that . ''
Number 10 said work with nine potential suppliers on developing an antibody test to show whether people have had the virus already is ongoing .
`` We are working as quickly as we can on that and as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will announce it publicly , '' the spokesman said .
He added that the government had previously been offered tests that had not met the required levels of accuracy `` and therefore would not have been safe to use '' .
There were suggestions immunity certificates to identify people who have had coronavirus are being considered by the government .
`` This is something which has been discussed in other countries , '' the spokesman said .
`` We have always said that we are watching closely what other countries are doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from ideas which could be helpful . ''
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Another 569 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus - bringing the total number of deaths to 2,921.
The number of deaths, tallied in the 24 hours up to 5pm on Wednesday, is again the UK's largest daily increase so far.
A total of 563 people were reported as dying with COVID-19 the previous day.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:53 PM admits more coronavirus tests needed
The Department of Health said as of 9am on Thursday 33,718 people had tested positive for the virus across the UK.
Number of deaths in each country, as reported by each individual home nation:
Scotland: 50 more deaths - a total of 126
Wales: 19 more deaths - a total of 117
England: 561 more deaths - a total of 2,698
Northern Ireland: six more deaths - a total of 36
The Department of Health compiles its death figures from data supplied by the health agencies of the four nations.
The data has to be validated, and each nation works to a slightly different timescale, so the UK figure released by the health department does not always match the sum of the published national figures.
The latest coronavirus patients in England to die were aged between 22 and 100, with 44 of them - aged between 25 and 100 - having no known underlying health conditions, NHS England said.
Boris Johnson has come under mounting pressure to increase testing, especially for frontline NHS staff.
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On Wednesday, 10,657 tests were carried out in England, the Department of Health said, while testing capacity for inpatient care in the country currently stands at 12,799 tests a day.
Image: A second NHS Nightingale Hospital is being established at the Manchester Central exhibition centre
As the number of deaths reached nearly 3,000, a Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson is still showing coronavirus symptoms as he neared the end of his seven days of self-isolation following his positive test last Friday.
It is unclear whether he plans to leave the Downing Street flat where he has been staying and working remotely.
The spokesman said: "We're following the guidelines from Public Health England (PHE) and from the chief medical officer which state that you need to self-isolate for a period of seven days, so no change in that."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:48 Farmer mows #NHS into farm
Number 10 said work with nine potential suppliers on developing an antibody test to show whether people have had the virus already is ongoing.
"We are working as quickly as we can on that and as soon as a test is approved then we will announce it publicly," the spokesman said.
He added that the government had previously been offered tests that had not met the required levels of accuracy "and therefore would not have been safe to use".
Image: An NHS drive-through testing facility has been set up in Ikea's Wembley car park
There were suggestions immunity certificates to identify people who have had coronavirus are being considered by the government.
"This is something which has been discussed in other countries," the spokesman said.
"We have always said that we are watching closely what other countries are doing and we will always look to learn from ideas which could be helpful."
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news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: US warship captain 'relieved of duty' over COVID-19 memo

A US aircraft carrier captain has been sacked after sending a scathing letter that was leaked to the public asking Navy leadership for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak onboard .
Captain Brett Crozier , commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt , said in a memo that the vessel did not have enough quarantine and isolation facilities .
US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the commander exercised poor judgement by not safeguarding the memo from being released outside the chain of command .
More than 100 personnel on the ship have tested positive for coronavirus so far .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ described a bleak situation aboard the nuclear-powered carrier as more sailors tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory virus .
He called for `` decisive action '' , removing over 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them .
Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker He said that unless the Navy acted immediately , it would be failing to properly safeguard `` our most trusted asset - our sailors '' .
The letter put the Pentagon on the defensive about whether it was doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members safe , and alarmed the families of those aboard the vessel , whose home port is in San Diego .
The carrier was in the Pacific when the Navy reported its first coronavirus case a week ago .
It has since docked at US Naval Base Guam on the southern end of the American island territory in the western Pacific .

A US aircraft carrier captain has been sacked after sending a scathing letter that was leaked to the public asking Navy leadership for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
Captain Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, said in a memo that the vessel did not have enough quarantine and isolation facilities.
US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the commander exercised poor judgement by not safeguarding the memo from being released outside the chain of command.
"It raised alarm bells unnecessarily," Mr Modly said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:44 Hospital ship prepares for NYC patients
More than 100 personnel on the ship have tested positive for coronavirus so far.
In the four-page letter, Cmdr Crozier described a bleak situation aboard the nuclear-powered carrier as more sailors tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory virus.
He called for "decisive action", removing over 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them.
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He said that unless the Navy acted immediately, it would be failing to properly safeguard "our most trusted asset - our sailors".
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:57 US's dependence on China 'cruel irony'
The letter put the Pentagon on the defensive about whether it was doing enough to keep the warship's crew members safe, and alarmed the families of those aboard the vessel, whose home port is in San Diego.
The carrier was in the Pacific when the Navy reported its first coronavirus case a week ago.
It has since docked at US Naval Base Guam on the southern end of the American island territory in the western Pacific.


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus immunity: How will I know? How is it tested? Does immunity last forever?

Matt Hancock has said the government will consider issuing immunity certificates to those who have recovered from coronavirus .
The health secretary made the comment on Thursday , and added that such certificates could eventually help people `` get back , as much as possible , to normal life '' , but warned that further research was still necessary .
Speaking at the daily press conference from Downing Street , he said : `` We are looking at an immunity certificate - how people who have had the disease , have got the antibodies and therefore have the immunity can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as much as possible , to normal life .
`` That is an important thing we will be doing and are looking at . ''
It comes after a similar idea came under consideration in Germany this week in order to find a way to get people back to work as soon as possible .
But how do you know if you 're immune , and are there any pitfalls ?
How will I know if I am immune ?
The government is currently working with nine companies to create the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could determine whether a person has developed antibodies to COVID-19 .
The presence of COVID-19 antibodies would signal the person has developed a level of immunity to the disease .
What will the test look like ?
According to Mr Hancock , the antibody tests could eventually be carried out by taking a blood sample from a finger prick , which could deliver results in around 20 minutes .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker When can I find out if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if found to be effective , would likely need to be carried out once the body has reached its peak level of immunity - which is 28 days after an infection .
Professor John Newton , the director of health improvement at Public Health England , said this would be the time to carry out the test `` if you want to tell somebody that they have n't been infected and that they 're not immune '' .
If I have the antibodies , am I immune forever ?
This is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Due to the virus being so new , no one knows the level of the immunity held , or how long it could last .
`` We know from other viruses that immunity is long lasting , '' said Stephen Powis , the national medical director for NHS England , adding : `` But some might last a year or so . ''
This means it is also `` too early in the science '' to `` put clarity '' to the idea of issuing immunity certificates , Mr Hancock also said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ days after infection , would this delay the lifting of lockdown measures ?
Mr Hancock discouraged making a link between the mention of 28 days and the UK 's current lockdown , and turned instead to reinforcing the importance of social distancing .
He said : `` The number one thing that stops the spread of this virus is social distancing .
That is the most important thing . ''

Matt Hancock has said the government will consider issuing immunity certificates to those who have recovered from coronavirus.
The health secretary made the comment on Thursday, and added that such certificates could eventually help people "get back, as much as possible, to normal life", but warned that further research was still necessary.
Speaking at the daily press conference from Downing Street, he said: "We are looking at an immunity certificate - how people who have had the disease, have got the antibodies and therefore have the immunity can show that - and so get back, as much as possible, to normal life.
"That is an important thing we will be doing and are looking at."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:13 All front line NHS staff to be tested by end of month
It comes after a similar idea came under consideration in Germany this week in order to find a way to get people back to work as soon as possible.
But how do you know if you're immune, and are there any pitfalls?
How will I know if I am immune?
The government is currently working with nine companies to create the most effective - and simple - blood tests that could determine whether a person has developed antibodies to COVID-19.
The presence of COVID-19 antibodies would signal the person has developed a level of immunity to the disease.
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What will the test look like?
According to Mr Hancock, the antibody tests could eventually be carried out by taking a blood sample from a finger prick, which could deliver results in around 20 minutes.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
When can I find out if I have immunity?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:03 Explainer: How to self-isolate
The tests, if found to be effective, would likely need to be carried out once the body has reached its peak level of immunity - which is 28 days after an infection.
Professor John Newton, the director of health improvement at Public Health England, said this would be the time to carry out the test "if you want to tell somebody that they haven't been infected and that they're not immune".
If I have the antibodies, am I immune forever?
This is one of the big concerns from the government. Due to the virus being so new, no one knows the level of the immunity held, or how long it could last.
"We know from other viruses that immunity is long lasting," said Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, adding: "But some might last a year or so."
This means it is also "too early in the science" to "put clarity" to the idea of issuing immunity certificates, Mr Hancock also said.
If an ideal testing time is 28 days after infection, would this delay the lifting of lockdown measures?
Mr Hancock discouraged making a link between the mention of 28 days and the UK's current lockdown, and turned instead to reinforcing the importance of social distancing.
He said: "The number one thing that stops the spread of this virus is social distancing. That is the most important thing."


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus daily update: The COVID-19 numbers and what they really mean

You can tell the government is anxious when the prime minister gets out of his self-isolation bunker , looking pretty rough , to record a video message reassuring the nation .
Some people might know that the number of coronavirus deaths will rise exponentially until the lockdown measures have time to work but that does n't mean they are n't shocked and worried when it happens .
Sky News has taken a deep dive into the COVID-19 figures , to see what 's really happening .
563 people were added to the total of those who have died in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was just a 31 % increase on the previous day 's rise but a full 383 people more than on Monday .
86 % of deaths reported on Wednesday ( 486 ) took place in England where the NHS says 2,137 people have now died but Wales recorded by far its biggest increase in deaths since the outbreak began - 29 , more than twice its previous record daily total of 14 which it reported on Monday .
98 people in Wales have now died with COVID-19 and we can expect it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scotland also reported a record increase - 16 deaths - to take its total to 76 , and Northern Ireland added two deaths to take its tally to 30 .
The Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) compiles the death figures from data supplied by the health agencies of the four nations ( NHS England , Health Protection Scotland , Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency NI ) .
The data has to be validated , and each nation works to a slightly different timescale , so the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always match the sum of the published national figures .
This was again the case on Wednesday with the government reporting 11 more deaths in its figures than the nations themselves .
The Public Health England ( PHE ) dashboard is reporting 29 more deaths in England ( 2,166 ) than in the NHS figures on Wednesday and it still has Scotland on 60 deaths and Northern Ireland on 28 , instead of 76 and 30 respectively .
We can expect those 29 extra deaths in England and the missing deaths in Northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's figures .
London still accounts for a third of deaths in England with 706 in total with the West Midlands ( 299 ) and the south East ( 280 ) both expected to pass 300 deaths on Thursday .
Only the North East is still in double figures ( 64 deaths ) .
London with 6.4 deaths per 100,000 people and the West Midlands with 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people are the only regions above the UK average of 2.7 on this measure .
Within Wednesday 's death figures for London was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at King 's College Hospital Trust .
That trust reported 19 new deaths on Wednesday but two others in London ( Hillingdon and London North West Healthcare ) reported 20 deaths each .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Two of those 40 deaths happened before 21 March but 38 of them happened between Friday and Tuesday .
In total 138 deaths in London were included in NHS England 's figures on Wednesday , another new record .
The last two days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter the list for the first time , including County Durham & Darlington NHS Trust ( 4 deaths ) and Dartford & Gravesham which reported 3 deaths - all from 22nd March .
All the patients who died in England were aged between 13 and 99 - 20 of them had no known underlying health conditions , including the 13-year-old .
On 1 March , the UK reported 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , one month later it reported 4,324 confirmed cases and a total of 29,474 .
It is likely to pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's increase in cases ended a run of four days with flatter growth which the NHS 's Medical Director had said he hoped were a sign things were going in the right direction .
Wales stands out for the amount of cases it has per 100,000 people - 59 , second only to London which has 94 confirmed cases per 100,000 people - the UK average is 44 per 100,000 .
More than one third of cases in Wales are in the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Area but this area began testing earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of the board contracted the virus near the beginning of the outbreak .
At her lunchtime press conference on Wednesday , Nicola Sturgeon revealed that 1,153 patients are currently in Scottish hospitals being treated for COVID-19 .
147 people are in intensive care - an increase of almost 100 since the same time last week .
The number of intensive care beds has been doubled and the number of tests being done each day in Scotland is around 1,900 - a rise from 750 a few weeks ago .
In the English @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 150 cases ahead of any other local authority ( 850 ) and looks likely to be the first to break 1,000 confirmed cases .
In fact , Birmingham local authority area has more cases than the entire North East region - which is the only one yet to reach four figures - again this could be down to the amount of testing taking place .
Sheffield , which is second only to London in terms of cases per population , is third in the England rankings but , Sheffield is home to one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so is likely to be receiving patients from throughout the county .
Sheffield 's Northern General Hospital also has a larger than average testing facility .
Finally , watch the global total today .
Johns Hopkins has confirmed cases worldwide at 932,605 so there 's a chance it could pass one million .

You can tell the government is anxious when the prime minister gets out of his self-isolation bunker, looking pretty rough, to record a video message reassuring the nation.
Some people might know that the number of coronavirus deaths will rise exponentially until the lockdown measures have time to work but that doesn't mean they aren't shocked and worried when it happens.
Sky News has taken a deep dive into the COVID-19 figures, to see what's really happening.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:42 'We need to massively ramp up the tests'
UK deaths
563 people were added to the total of those who have died in the UK with COVID-19 - now 2,352.
It was just a 31% increase on the previous day's rise but a full 383 people more than on Monday.
86% of deaths reported on Wednesday (486) took place in England where the NHS says 2,137 people have now died but Wales recorded by far its biggest increase in deaths since the outbreak began - 29, more than twice its previous record daily total of 14 which it reported on Monday.
98 people in Wales have now died with COVID-19 and we can expect it to pass the 100 mark today. Scotland also reported a record increase - 16 deaths - to take its total to 76, and Northern Ireland added two deaths to take its tally to 30.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) compiles the death figures from data supplied by the health agencies of the four nations (NHS England, Health Protection Scotland, Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency NI).
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The data has to be validated, and each nation works to a slightly different timescale, so the UK figure released by the DHSC does not always match the sum of the published national figures.
This was again the case on Wednesday with the government reporting 11 more deaths in its figures than the nations themselves. The Public Health England (PHE) dashboard is reporting 29 more deaths in England (2,166) than in the NHS figures on Wednesday and it still has Scotland on 60 deaths and Northern Ireland on 28, instead of 76 and 30 respectively.
We can expect those 29 extra deaths in England and the missing deaths in Northern Ireland and Scotland to appear in today's figures.
London still accounts for a third of deaths in England with 706 in total with the West Midlands (299) and the south East (280) both expected to pass 300 deaths on Thursday.
Only the North East is still in double figures (64 deaths). London with 6.4 deaths per 100,000 people and the West Midlands with 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people are the only regions above the UK average of 2.7 on this measure.
Within Wednesday's death figures for London was the 13-year-old boy who died on Monday at King's College Hospital Trust. That trust reported 19 new deaths on Wednesday but two others in London (Hillingdon and London North West Healthcare) reported 20 deaths each.
Two of those 40 deaths happened before 21 March but 38 of them happened between Friday and Tuesday. In total 138 deaths in London were included in NHS England's figures on Wednesday, another new record.
The last two days have also seen a number of Trusts enter the list for the first time, including County Durham & Darlington NHS Trust (4 deaths) and Dartford & Gravesham which reported 3 deaths - all from 22nd March.
All the patients who died in England were aged between 13 and 99 - 20 of them had no known underlying health conditions, including the 13-year-old.
UK cases
On 1 March, the UK reported 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19, one month later it reported 4,324 confirmed cases and a total of 29,474.
It is likely to pass 30,000 confirmed cases on Thursday.
Wednesday's increase in cases ended a run of four days with flatter growth which the NHS's Medical Director had said he hoped were a sign things were going in the right direction.
Wales stands out for the amount of cases it has per 100,000 people - 59, second only to London which has 94 confirmed cases per 100,000 people - the UK average is 44 per 100,000.
More than one third of cases in Wales are in the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Area but this area began testing earlier and more widely than most because a member of the board contracted the virus near the beginning of the outbreak.
At her lunchtime press conference on Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon revealed that 1,153 patients are currently in Scottish hospitals being treated for COVID-19.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:46 Coronavirus: 'Hero' NHS doctor dies
147 people are in intensive care - an increase of almost 100 since the same time last week.
The number of intensive care beds has been doubled and the number of tests being done each day in Scotland is around 1,900 - a rise from 750 a few weeks ago.
In the English regions, Birmingham is now more than 150 cases ahead of any other local authority (850) and looks likely to be the first to break 1,000 confirmed cases.
In fact, Birmingham local authority area has more cases than the entire North East region - which is the only one yet to reach four figures - again this could be down to the amount of testing taking place.
Sheffield, which is second only to London in terms of cases per population, is third in the England rankings but, Sheffield is home to one of England's few NHS Infection Centres so is likely to be receiving patients from throughout the county.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:07 UK's COVID-19 death rate on the rise
Sheffield's Northern General Hospital also has a larger than average testing facility.
Finally, watch the global total today. Johns Hopkins has confirmed cases worldwide at 932,605 so there's a chance it could pass one million.


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Jeremy Corbyn slams 'ludicrous' lack of testing for NHS staff

Jeremy Corbyn has described the lack of testing of frontline NHS staff as `` ludicrous '' , as the outgoing Labour leader took aim at the government for being too slow to scale up COVID-19 testing in the UK .
Mr Corbyn , who will stand down as the Labour leader on Saturday , said Mr Johnson told him at a meeting three weeks ago the government was going to rapidly scale up coronavirus testing from 5,000 tests a day but had failed to follow through .
`` It seems to me that the facilities of government to get that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he told Sky News in his final sit down interview as Labour leader .
`` The fact that we are not yet even testing 10,000 people a day is very , very serious indeed .
`` There are almost half a million people working in the NHS care sector , even they have not yet been tested .
`` It is ludicrous .
We have got to get on top of testing .
`` The problem is the government was too slow to do that , they did n't buy the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have a real problem .
I hope it can be resolved , very quickly . ''
Earlier , Downing Street said it had finally reached its target of 10,000 daily COVID-19 tests on Tuesday , with 10,412 carried out on that day in NHS and Public Health England laboratories .
Speaking during a conference call with journalists earlier on Thursday , Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's spokesman added that the government was working on a number of measures that would allow for `` hundreds of thousands '' of tests to be carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also said the huge economic stimulus and investment package put together by the Conservative government in recent days proved `` the free market ca n't fight coronavirus '' .
And Mr Corbyn said the huge expansion of the state in recent weeks proved the validity of his election pitch , his socialist policy platform and Labour 's economic model .
`` I do n't think you can say we lost the argument , '' he said , reflecting on losing two general elections as Labour leader .
`` I think we 've put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is happening now over coronavirus proves the validity of the arguments we put forward . ''
He added : `` I was condemned in November for wanting to invest in the economy , to invest in decent pay and to pay important workers like cleaners properly .
`` Now the government has at last understood that the only way we 'll get through this crisis is by investing in all aspects of our society and our economy .
`` So when we come out of coronavirus , let 's not go back @ @ @ @ @ @

Jeremy Corbyn has described the lack of testing of frontline NHS staff as "ludicrous", as the outgoing Labour leader took aim at the government for being too slow to scale up COVID-19 testing in the UK.
Mr Corbyn, who will stand down as the Labour leader on Saturday, said Mr Johnson told him at a meeting three weeks ago the government was going to rapidly scale up coronavirus testing from 5,000 tests a day but had failed to follow through.
"It seems to me that the facilities of government to get that testing done have simply not been effective," he told Sky News in his final sit down interview as Labour leader.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:25 'I was condemned for wanting to invest money'
"The fact that we are not yet even testing 10,000 people a day is very, very serious indeed.
"There are almost half a million people working in the NHS care sector, even they have not yet been tested.
"It is ludicrous. We have got to get on top of testing.
"The problem is the government was too slow to do that, they didn't buy the test kits in.
"And now we have a real problem. I hope it can be resolved, very quickly."
Earlier, Downing Street said it had finally reached its target of 10,000 daily COVID-19 tests on Tuesday, with 10,412 carried out on that day in NHS and Public Health England laboratories.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:53 PM admits more coronavirus tests needed
Speaking during a conference call with journalists earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman added that the government was working on a number of measures that would allow for "hundreds of thousands" of tests to be carried out each day.
The Labour leader also said the huge economic stimulus and investment package put together by the Conservative government in recent days proved "the free market can't fight coronavirus".
And Mr Corbyn said the huge expansion of the state in recent weeks proved the validity of his election pitch, his socialist policy platform and Labour's economic model.
"I don't think you can say we lost the argument," he said, reflecting on losing two general elections as Labour leader.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:28 The number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in the UK has increased by 569 - and more than 30,000 people have the virus.
"I think we've put forward the arguments and in many ways what is happening now over coronavirus proves the validity of the arguments we put forward."
He added: "I was condemned in November for wanting to invest in the economy, to invest in decent pay and to pay important workers like cleaners properly.
"Now the government has at last understood that the only way we'll get through this crisis is by investing in all aspects of our society and our economy.
"So when we come out of coronavirus, let's not go back to our old ways."


news--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Five-point plan for 100,000 COVID-19 tests a day in England by end of April

The government has unveiled a five-point coronavirus action plan in a bid to achieve 100,000 COVID-19 tests per day in England by the end of April .
Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out the strategy to achieve a `` significant '' increase in testing for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , at the government 's daily news conference .
It comes as new figures from NHS England showed the first death of someone diagnosed with the virus actually happened in February - one week before previously thought .
The statistics also revealed more insight into the age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those who have died were aged over 80 .
Testing is vital in tracking the virus and giving the UK hope of ending the current lockdown , but opposition parties and some experts expressed scepticism and called for more detail .
• Using commercial partners , including universities and private businesses , to establish more swab testing ; • Introducing antibody blood tests to determine whether people have had COVID-19 ; • Surveillance to determine the rate of infection and how it is spreading across the country ; • Building an `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests by the end of April .
The promise comes after it was confirmed that another 569 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus - bringing the total number of deaths to 2,921 .
Mr Hancock said the 100,000 figure included both the general public and NHS staff .
And it would be a combination of antigen tests ( which shows whether somebody currently has the virus ) and antibody tests ( which shows if someone has had COVID-19 ) .
Mr Hancock also said the government remained committed to eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken of achieving in the past .
The government is working with nine potential providers who are working to produce an antibody test , while it is also looking at whether people could be given immunity certificates to prove they are able to resume their normal activities .
But the health secretary said he would only approve tests that worked , declaring : `` Approving tests that do n't work is dangerous and I will not do it . ''
Mr Hancock also vowed that health service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the coronavirus `` absolutely before the end of the month '' .
He added : `` With 5,000 tested since [ staff testing ] started at the weekend we 've clearly made significant progress . ''
It also announced at the news conference that £13.4bn in historical NHS debt would be written off to help hospital trusts fight the virus .
Mr Hancock , who tested positive for COVID-19 last week and came out of self-isolation on Thursday , said he returned `` redoubled in my determination to fight this virus with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we will strain every sinew to defeat it once and for all , '' he said .
`` And I will stop at nothing to make sure that frontline staff have the right equipment so that they are safe and can have the confidence they need to do their jobs . ''
The ambitious pledge follows criticism of government efforts to ramp up testing and disquiet that the UK is lagging behind other countries .
Mr Hancock addressed this criticism during the news conference .
He said the fact that the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was having to start from a `` lower base '' than the likes of Germany , which is carrying out 70,000 tests a day .
The health secretary said a country-wide shortage of swabs had been `` resolved '' , but there was still a `` global challenge '' around sourcing the reagent chemicals needed for the tests .
Labour 's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the commitment from the government was `` welcome '' , but added : `` NHS staff will recall that only a few weeks ago Boris Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
`` We look forward to seeing the details of how this commitment will be delivered , especially for NHS and care staff for whom this is now a pressing and urgent priority . ''
Sir Ed Davey , acting leader of the Liberal Democrats , said ministers had been `` disgracefully slow '' on increasing testing .
`` Moves now to increase testing are welcome , and we hope they succeed , but NHS workers ' confidence has been shaken after previous promises from the secretary of state that have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keith Plumb , a chemical engineer on the board of trustees at the Institution of Chemical Engineers , said reaching 100,000 daily tests would be a `` herculean task '' .
`` Setting up what appears to be effectively a new industry within the UK in such a short amount of time does n't really seem to be that practical , '' he told Sky News .
`` I 'm not saying we ca n't do it , but it does seem to be quite difficult . ''
Downing Street said earlier that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10,000 daily tests on Tuesday , with 10,412 carried out on that day in NHS and Public Health England laboratories .
Mr Johnson 's official spokesman said 2,800 members of NHS staff have been tested at drive-through facilities , although `` significant numbers '' had also been tested at NHS and PHE labs .
Speaking during a conference call with journalists earlier on Thursday , the spokesman added : `` We acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to testing .
`` We need to be testing more people and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
An increase in testing of NHS staff would potentially enable thousands of them who are self-isolating , because they or their family members have shown symptoms , to return to work once they know they are clear of the disease .
Mr Hancock said the latest figures showed that 5.7 % of doctors were currently absent because of COVID-19 .
In the wake of complaints about a shortage of swabs , the NHS has developed a new specification for the swabs to carry out the tests which has been validated and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing laboratory opened in Milton Keynes last week , with two more opening next week in Cheshire and Glasgow to cover the north of England and Scotland .
Downing Street said on Thursday that Mr Johnson was still showing coronavirus symptoms , having tested positive for COVID-19 last week .
The PM 's seven days of self-isolation end on Friday , but it is unclear whether he plans to leave the Downing Street flat where he has been staying .
He appeared briefly on the steps of Number 10 to join in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , the first time he has been seen in person since announcing his coronavirus diagnosis .

The government has unveiled a five-point coronavirus action plan in a bid to achieve 100,000 COVID-19 tests per day in England by the end of April.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out the strategy to achieve a "significant" increase in testing for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, at the government's daily news conference.
It comes as new figures from NHS England showed the first death of someone diagnosed with the virus actually happened in February - one week before previously thought.
The statistics also revealed more insight into the age profile of the patients with 52% of those who have died were aged over 80.
Testing is vital in tracking the virus and giving the UK hope of ending the current lockdown, but opposition parties and some experts expressed scepticism and called for more detail.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:27 'Footballers should take a pay cut'
The "five-pillar" plan involves:
Swab testing at Public Health England and NHS laboratories;
Using commercial partners, including universities and private businesses, to establish more swab testing;
Introducing antibody blood tests to determine whether people have had COVID-19;
Surveillance to determine the rate of infection and how it is spreading across the country;
Building an "at-scale" diagnostics industry to reach 100,000 tests by the end of April.
The promise comes after it was confirmed that another 569 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus - bringing the total number of deaths to 2,921.
Mr Hancock said the 100,000 figure included both the general public and NHS staff.
And it would be a combination of antigen tests (which shows whether somebody currently has the virus) and antibody tests (which shows if someone has had COVID-19).
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Mr Hancock also said the government remained committed to eventually carrying out 250,000 tests a day, something Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken of achieving in the past.
The government is working with nine potential providers who are working to produce an antibody test, while it is also looking at whether people could be given immunity certificates to prove they are able to resume their normal activities.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:02 Lockdown: The dos and don'ts
But the health secretary said he would only approve tests that worked, declaring: "Approving tests that don't work is dangerous and I will not do it."
Mr Hancock also vowed that health service staff will be able to get tested for the coronavirus "absolutely before the end of the month".
He added: "With 5,000 tested since [staff testing] started at the weekend we've clearly made significant progress."
It also announced at the news conference that £13.4bn in historical NHS debt would be written off to help hospital trusts fight the virus.
Mr Hancock, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week and came out of self-isolation on Thursday, said he returned "redoubled in my determination to fight this virus with everything I've got".
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:16 How to contain a global pandemic
"And we will strain every sinew to defeat it once and for all," he said.
"And I will stop at nothing to make sure that frontline staff have the right equipment so that they are safe and can have the confidence they need to do their jobs."
The ambitious pledge follows criticism of government efforts to ramp up testing and disquiet that the UK is lagging behind other countries.
Mr Hancock addressed this criticism during the news conference.
He said the fact that the UK lacked a large diagnostics industry meant it was having to start from a "lower base" than the likes of Germany, which is carrying out 70,000 tests a day.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:53 PM admits more coronavirus tests needed
The health secretary said a country-wide shortage of swabs had been "resolved", but there was still a "global challenge" around sourcing the reagent chemicals needed for the tests.
Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the commitment from the government was "welcome", but added: "NHS staff will recall that only a few weeks ago Boris Johnson was promising 250,000 [tests] a day.
"We look forward to seeing the details of how this commitment will be delivered, especially for NHS and care staff for whom this is now a pressing and urgent priority."
Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said ministers had been "disgracefully slow" on increasing testing.
"Moves now to increase testing are welcome, and we hope they succeed, but NHS workers' confidence has been shaken after previous promises from the secretary of state that have not been delivered," he added.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:44 Corbyn criticises COVID-19 testing
Keith Plumb, a chemical engineer on the board of trustees at the Institution of Chemical Engineers, said reaching 100,000 daily tests would be a "herculean task".
"Setting up what appears to be effectively a new industry within the UK in such a short amount of time doesn't really seem to be that practical," he told Sky News.
"I'm not saying we can't do it, but it does seem to be quite difficult."
Downing Street said earlier that it had finally reached its target of 10,000 daily tests on Tuesday, with 10,412 carried out on that day in NHS and Public Health England laboratories.
Mr Johnson's official spokesman said 2,800 members of NHS staff have been tested at drive-through facilities, although "significant numbers" had also been tested at NHS and PHE labs.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:28 UK COVID-19 deaths up by 569 to 2,921
Speaking during a conference call with journalists earlier on Thursday, the spokesman added: "We acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to testing.
"We need to be testing more people and we need to be making progress very quickly."
An increase in testing of NHS staff would potentially enable thousands of them who are self-isolating, because they or their family members have shown symptoms, to return to work once they know they are clear of the disease.
Mr Hancock said the latest figures showed that 5.7% of doctors were currently absent because of COVID-19.
In the wake of complaints about a shortage of swabs, the NHS has developed a new specification for the swabs to carry out the tests which has been validated and shared with potential manufacturers.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:30 A grateful nation applauds its health workers
A large-scale testing laboratory opened in Milton Keynes last week, with two more opening next week in Cheshire and Glasgow to cover the north of England and Scotland.
Downing Street said on Thursday that Mr Johnson was still showing coronavirus symptoms, having tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
The PM's seven days of self-isolation end on Friday, but it is unclear whether he plans to leave the Downing Street flat where he has been staying.
He appeared briefly on the steps of Number 10 to join in the second Clap for our Carers event on Thursday, the first time he has been seen in person since announcing his coronavirus diagnosis.


news--2020-04-01--Coronavirus: NSO Group attempting to woo west with COVID-19 tracking software

The controversial Israeli technology company NSO Group is attempting to woo Western governments with software it says can analyse the spread of COVID-19 using mobile phone data .
NSO Group is currently being sued by Facebook for allegedly hacking WhatsApp , an accusation which the company denies .
It also denies developing spyware tools which critics say it sells to governments who use them to undermine human rights .
Although Sky News does not know if the company is in talks with the British government regarding its new technology , it does appear to have reached out to a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus-tracking software .
Despite normally being highly secretive - often failing to respond to requests for comment when asked about its software being used to target human rights activists - NSO Group has offered several media organisations , including Sky News , demonstrations of its new technology as part of a marketing push aimed at western governments .
Until now there has been no public information about how that technology works and what privacy protections it contains , despite a heated debate in Israel about the software 's effectiveness following proposals by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group to analyse mobile phone data of the population .
According to the demonstration shown to Sky News , the platform will be hosted on government customers ' own systems , meaning the company would not have access to any data being uploaded to it - which is provided by the governments themselves .
Governance of the data and the decision on how granular that data would be would remain in the hands of the customers .
Individuals are featured on the platform using a random identifier .
Their location movements are timestamped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trace where infected people have been following a diagnosis and potentially to check who may have been infected by them .
Reaching such people early is critical .
A study published in March suggested that people who have contracted the coronavirus are at their most contagious in these early days after becoming infected .
Re-identification of individuals who are pseudonymised on the platform would be possible if the government retained a separate correlation table , however this re-identification would need to occur outside of the platform according to the demonstration .
For instance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers would be possible , and potentially desirable if individual-level messaging in response to potential exposure was something the government wanted to do , but turning the random IDs into real people would happen off of the platform .
Tweeting about the project , Israel 's defence minister Naftali Bennett described it as a `` national AI monitoring system '' , including an image which matched the platform demonstration shown to Sky News .
`` Every citizen at any moment will have a score from 1 - 10 measuring the likelihood they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained .
`` A score of 3 says they probably are n't contagious ; a score of 9.5 means they are probably contagious , and then we will ask you to be tested with a PCR throat swab . ''
It is not clear how granular the location data being used in Israel would be were it deployed - this would be a decision for the authorities using the platform .
However the demonstration suggested that if the government used GPS data from smartphone devices then could identify individuals who had met with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For other people whose location could only be estimated through cell-tower triangulation , there was a risk of introducing false positives if individual-level messaging was attempted .
But regardless of the level of granularity , the demonstration focused on showing its capability of showing aggregate analysis of population-volume movements .
This geoanalysis feature showed heat-maps which included two categories - the movements of known COVID-19 patients and those of people who had been potentially exposed to the virus after coming into contact with them .
NSO Group hopes that by using this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ software could reveal regions where there were a lower number of people who had potentially been exposed to the virus .
This could be used to inform predictions and allocate resources .
For instance , the demonstration showed relatively low numbers in the southern Israeli city of Beersheeba , suggesting the large hospital there would be able to free up ventilators for Tel Aviv where a large number of cases were putting medical systems under strain .
Despite the claims by Mr Bennett that `` every citizen '' would be given a score @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of analysing data for those with mobile phones , approximately only 70 % of Israel 's population .
Communities where these devices are n't present , notably including some Ultra Orthodox communities where transmission rates are significantly higher than the rest of the population , would require additional government efforts to monitor and treat patients .
Reports in Israel linking the company to government efforts to tackle the outbreak have provoked concerns from citizens complaining about what are seen as counter-terrorism powers being used for a medical emergency .
Politicians in the Knesset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Bennett 's suggestions that NSO Group be given direct access to citizens ' data - although the company 's demonstration shows this is not how the platform would work .
NSO Group has been criticised domestically for its links to regimes considered to be involved in human rights abuses , with some expressing discomfort that the company 's products were associated with the government 's efforts to address the coronavirus outbreak .
Friends of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi have claimed that his phone was hacked by the Saudi Arabian government using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tool which Toronto-based Citizen Lab has followed being used to target human rights activists , journalists and dissidents around the world .
The company has also faced accusations of developing a hack for messaging app WhatsApp which was used to target dozens of its users , including human rights organisations and a UK-based lawyer , and is currently fighting a legal case brought by Facebook on this topic .
The company has denied responsibility for targeting the UK-based lawyer : `` Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies .
`` NSO would not , or could not , use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation , including this individual . ''

The controversial Israeli technology company NSO Group is attempting to woo Western governments with software it says can analyse the spread of COVID-19 using mobile phone data.
NSO Group is currently being sued by Facebook for allegedly hacking WhatsApp, an accusation which the company denies.
It also denies developing spyware tools which critics say it sells to governments who use them to undermine human rights.
Although Sky News does not know if the company is in talks with the British government regarding its new technology, it does appear to have reached out to a number of western countries to pitch them its coronavirus-tracking software.
Despite normally being highly secretive - often failing to respond to requests for comment when asked about its software being used to target human rights activists - NSO Group has offered several media organisations, including Sky News, demonstrations of its new technology as part of a marketing push aimed at western governments.
Until now there has been no public information about how that technology works and what privacy protections it contains, despite a heated debate in Israel about the software's effectiveness following proposals by the country's defence minister to allow NSO Group to analyse mobile phone data of the population.
According to the demonstration shown to Sky News, the platform will be hosted on government customers' own systems, meaning the company would not have access to any data being uploaded to it - which is provided by the governments themselves.
Governance of the data and the decision on how granular that data would be would remain in the hands of the customers.
Individuals are featured on the platform using a random identifier. Their location movements are timestamped, offering the authorities the ability to trace where infected people have been following a diagnosis and potentially to check who may have been infected by them.
Advertisement
Reaching such people early is critical. A study published in March suggested that people who have contracted the coronavirus are at their most contagious in these early days after becoming infected.
Re-identification of individuals who are pseudonymised on the platform would be possible if the government retained a separate correlation table, however this re-identification would need to occur outside of the platform according to the demonstration.
For instance, matching the random identifiers to phone numbers would be possible, and potentially desirable if individual-level messaging in response to potential exposure was something the government wanted to do, but turning the random IDs into real people would happen off of the platform.
Image: A screenshot of the NSO Group platform tweeted by Israeli's defence minister Naftali Bennett
Tweeting about the project, Israel's defence minister Naftali Bennett described it as a "national AI monitoring system", including an image which matched the platform demonstration shown to Sky News.
"Every citizen at any moment will have a score from 1 - 10 measuring the likelihood they could transmit the coronavirus," Mr Bennett explained.
"A score of 3 says they probably aren't contagious; a score of 9.5 means they are probably contagious, and then we will ask you to be tested with a PCR throat swab."
It is not clear how granular the location data being used in Israel would be were it deployed - this would be a decision for the authorities using the platform.
However the demonstration suggested that if the government used GPS data from smartphone devices then could identify individuals who had met with each other, potentially transmitting the virus.
For other people whose location could only be estimated through cell-tower triangulation, there was a risk of introducing false positives if individual-level messaging was attempted.
But regardless of the level of granularity, the demonstration focused on showing its capability of showing aggregate analysis of population-volume movements.
This geoanalysis feature showed heat-maps which included two categories - the movements of known COVID-19 patients and those of people who had been potentially exposed to the virus after coming into contact with them.
NSO Group hopes that by using this tool on a nation-scale view, its software could reveal regions where there were a lower number of people who had potentially been exposed to the virus.
This could be used to inform predictions and allocate resources.
For instance, the demonstration showed relatively low numbers in the southern Israeli city of Beersheeba, suggesting the large hospital there would be able to free up ventilators for Tel Aviv where a large number of cases were putting medical systems under strain.
Despite the claims by Mr Bennett that "every citizen" would be given a score, the NSO system is only capable of analysing data for those with mobile phones, approximately only 70% of Israel's population.
Communities where these devices aren't present, notably including some Ultra Orthodox communities where transmission rates are significantly higher than the rest of the population, would require additional government efforts to monitor and treat patients.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 9:15 Experts answer your questions on COVID-19
Reports in Israel linking the company to government efforts to tackle the outbreak have provoked concerns from citizens complaining about what are seen as counter-terrorism powers being used for a medical emergency.
Politicians in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, have opposed Mr Bennett's suggestions that NSO Group be given direct access to citizens' data - although the company's demonstration shows this is not how the platform would work.
NSO Group has been criticised domestically for its links to regimes considered to be involved in human rights abuses, with some expressing discomfort that the company's products were associated with the government's efforts to address the coronavirus outbreak.
Image: Jamal Khashoggi was allegedly targeted with NSO Group malware before his murder
Friends of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi have claimed that his phone was hacked by the Saudi Arabian government using an NSO Group product called Pegasus, a tool which Toronto-based Citizen Lab has followed being used to target human rights activists, journalists and dissidents around the world.
The company has also faced accusations of developing a hack for messaging app WhatsApp which was used to target dozens of its users, including human rights organisations and a UK-based lawyer, and is currently fighting a legal case brought by Facebook on this topic.
The company has denied responsibility for targeting the UK-based lawyer: "Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
"NSO would not, or could not, use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation, including this individual."