news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: How one New York hospital is coping at the epicentre of US crisis

From the moment we approach Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn , there are people everywhere .
Doctors and nurses spilling out on to the streets , intensely huddled for snatched conversations , rushing between a triage tent on the pavement and an extremely busy ER room dealing with the coronavirus pandemic .
The ambulances keep coming - the sound of sirens a constant theme .
Inside Brooklyn 's largest hospital , Dr Eitan Dickman , vice chair of emergency medicine , tells me they have had to rapidly adapt to an overwhelming number of COVID-19 patients .
`` We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensive care units .
`` We 've opened up new medical units in order to accommodate for this increased demand of patients who are coming in so ill. '' They have already expanded their capacity by 50 % and they are prepared to do it by 250 % .
There are normally 17 beds in the room we are in .
Today , there are 32 patients , and the doors constantly swing open with new arrivals .
The sound of heart monitors punctuate the air , and there is the coarse clunk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cope with the deluge .
And then there is the patients , many elderly - but some appear to be in their thirties too - all clearly struggling to breathe .
Most have masks on to help get oxygen in .
`` Really the main effect that we 're seeing , '' says Dr Dickman , `` is a significant effect on impairing the lungs ability to provide the oxygen that the body needs .
`` And then it spreads .
It affects the heart .
It affects the kidney .
`` Ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' New York State has become the epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic in the US .
At the time of writing , 92,381 have tested positive for the virus , and 13,383 people have been admitted to hospital .
Every day , the death toll reaches a new grim milestone - it currently stands at 2,373 .
As a team operating at the epicentre of this crisis , we have sadly become used to seeing bodies brought out on gurneys in the street and loaded into refrigerator trucks .
It is a painful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ premier medical capitals of the world , and a searing symbol of just how intensely COVID-19 has engulfed this city .
The virus does not discriminate and in this city of extremes , it is a brutal equaliser .
`` It affects people from all demographics and even people who are who are still intubated for potentially weeks on end if they end up very , very ill. Chronically ill , '' Dr Dickman says .
Elsewhere in the city , there 's a dire lack of personal protective equipment - some terrified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask to re-use what they are given .
They say it 's a risk to them and to the people they 're trying to treat .
But not at Maimonides .
They appear to have acted quickly , prepared and organised well and currently say they have enough supplies .
But they are keeping a close eye on the situation - they know it 's still at week or more away from the peak of the pandemic and it will certainly put pressure on their system .
It 's striking to see up-close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I look , I can see groups of doctors and nurses surrounding each patient .
It is a daunting climate even for the most experienced .
`` I 've seen the sickest people I 've ever seen in my life , '' his colleague tells me .
`` Everyone is really pushing themselves to the limit to try and take care of these patients , '' Dr. Dickman adds .
They 're learning on the job about COVID-19 and it 's a sharp and unforgiving learning curve .
He says : `` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are no classic symptoms .
`` Often times people will have respiratory complaints , but sometimes people had abdominal pain , which did n't make you think that they would have something related in their lungs , but they ended up ultimately being diagnosed . ''
Those that do make it he says , are in for a `` very rock road to recovery '' .
Everyone in this room is taking a risk .
Frontline medical staff are being exposed to COVID-19 on a daily basis .
As a team , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ metre ( 6ft ) distance rule throughout - we know the air is full of the virus .
As we leave the room , we start the process of removing our protective equipment - doffing as they call it .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker It is an anxiety-inducing protocol we have to follow .
One misstep - we are told - and we can easily expose ourselves to the virus .
There are goggles , gloves , N95 masks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have been told to establish a clean area to dispose of it all , disinfect the camera equipment and avoid any cross-contaminating by touching each others items .
As a team , my producer , Emily Purser Brown , and cameraman Guy Siggers , have to keep a close eye on each other .
We have been spending our days watching each others behaviour - making sure we are not getting too close to anyone , that we do not touch our faces , that we are constantly washing our hands .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all look visibly shaken .
We have just witnessed a packed room of people struggling to survive , and I can still hear the whir of the machines .
After four weeks spent reporting on the virus , the reality of what it can do to the body has really hit us .
The emergency room was packed with people our parents ' age .
I recently spent a month in London on an ICU ward after my mother-in-law had severe complications following heart surgery .
It was traumatic and deeply upsetting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she miraculously pulled through .
But here , they can not have relatives standing by their bedside to encourage them .
Everyone is alone - it is too risky to have visitors at the hospitals .
It is a horrifying thought .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker I feel in awe of the medical professionals we have met at Maimonides Hospital .
I have never seen a more kinetic , demanding and surreal situation .
As we walk to the car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truck parked , ready to carry the bodies of the dead .
But we know , the doctor and nurses inside are doing everything they can , adjusting rapidly to a dynamic and unpredictable situation with bravery and dexterity , to stop anyone getting there - to save as many lives as possible .

From the moment we approach Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, there are people everywhere.
Doctors and nurses spilling out on to the streets, intensely huddled for snatched conversations, rushing between a triage tent on the pavement and an extremely busy ER room dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Image: New York State has become the epicentre of COVID-19 in the US
The ambulances keep coming - the sound of sirens a constant theme.
Patient after patient arrives with breathing problems.
Inside Brooklyn's largest hospital, Dr Eitan Dickman, vice chair of emergency medicine, tells me they have had to rapidly adapt to an overwhelming number of COVID-19 patients.
Image: Dr Eitan Dickman is vice chair of emergency medicine at the Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn
"We have opened up a new ICU, new intensive care units.
"We've opened up new medical units in order to accommodate for this increased demand of patients who are coming in so ill."
Image: Patient after patient arrives with breathing problems at the hospital
They have already expanded their capacity by 50% and they are prepared to do it by 250%.
There are normally 17 beds in the room we are in.
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Today, there are 32 patients, and the doors constantly swing open with new arrivals.
The sound of heart monitors punctuate the air, and there is the coarse clunk of oxygen ventilators being carried through to cope with the deluge.
And then there is the patients, many elderly - but some appear to be in their thirties too - all clearly struggling to breathe.
Most have masks on to help get oxygen in.
Image: Workers fighting the virus at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn
"Really the main effect that we're seeing," says Dr Dickman, "is a significant effect on impairing the lungs ability to provide the oxygen that the body needs.
"And then it spreads. It affects the heart. It affects the kidney.
"Ultimately unfortunately often taking the ultimate toll."
New York State has become the epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.
At the time of writing, 92,381 have tested positive for the virus, and 13,383 people have been admitted to hospital.
Every day, the death toll reaches a new grim milestone - it currently stands at 2,373.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:10 Trump warns of 'very painful two weeks'
As a team operating at the epicentre of this crisis, we have sadly become used to seeing bodies brought out on gurneys in the street and loaded into refrigerator trucks.
It is a painful, incongruous sight in one of the premier medical capitals of the world, and a searing symbol of just how intensely COVID-19 has engulfed this city.
The virus does not discriminate and in this city of extremes, it is a brutal equaliser.
"It affects people from all demographics and even people who are who are still intubated for potentially weeks on end if they end up very, very ill. Chronically ill," Dr Dickman says.
Elsewhere in the city, there's a dire lack of personal protective equipment - some terrified nurses forced to make their own or ask to re-use what they are given.
Image: The US has almost 260,000 cases of the virus
They say it's a risk to them and to the people they're trying to treat.
But not at Maimonides.
They appear to have acted quickly, prepared and organised well and currently say they have enough supplies.
But they are keeping a close eye on the situation - they know it's still at week or more away from the peak of the pandemic and it will certainly put pressure on their system.
It's striking to see up-close how this virus sucks resources.
Everywhere I look, I can see groups of doctors and nurses surrounding each patient.
It is a daunting climate even for the most experienced.
"I've seen the sickest people I've ever seen in my life," his colleague tells me.
"Everyone is really pushing themselves to the limit to try and take care of these patients," Dr. Dickman adds.
They're learning on the job about COVID-19 and it's a sharp and unforgiving learning curve.
He says: "We're finding out more and more that there are no classic symptoms.
"Often times people will have respiratory complaints, but sometimes people had abdominal pain, which didn't make you think that they would have something related in their lungs, but they ended up ultimately being diagnosed."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:16 New York families unable to say goodbye
Those that do make it he says, are in for a "very rock road to recovery".
Everyone in this room is taking a risk.
Frontline medical staff are being exposed to COVID-19 on a daily basis.
As a team, we make sure we observe the two metre (6ft) distance rule throughout - we know the air is full of the virus.
As we leave the room, we start the process of removing our protective equipment - doffing as they call it.
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
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
It is an anxiety-inducing protocol we have to follow.
One misstep - we are told - and we can easily expose ourselves to the virus.
There are goggles, gloves, N95 masks and other protective clothing to take off.
We have been told to establish a clean area to dispose of it all, disinfect the camera equipment and avoid any cross-contaminating by touching each others items.
As a team, my producer, Emily Purser Brown, and cameraman Guy Siggers, have to keep a close eye on each other.
We have been spending our days watching each others behaviour - making sure we are not getting too close to anyone, that we do not touch our faces, that we are constantly washing our hands.
As we get in car, we all look visibly shaken.
We have just witnessed a packed room of people struggling to survive, and I can still hear the whir of the machines.
After four weeks spent reporting on the virus, the reality of what it can do to the body has really hit us.
The emergency room was packed with people our parents' age.
I recently spent a month in London on an ICU ward after my mother-in-law had severe complications following heart surgery.
It was traumatic and deeply upsetting, but eventually, surrounded by family, she miraculously pulled through.
But here, they cannot have relatives standing by their bedside to encourage them.
Everyone is alone - it is too risky to have visitors at the hospitals. It is a horrifying thought.
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
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
I feel in awe of the medical professionals we have met at Maimonides Hospital.
I have never seen a more kinetic, demanding and surreal situation.
As we walk to the car park, we suddenly see the refrigerator truck parked, ready to carry the bodies of the dead.
But we know, the doctor and nurses inside are doing everything they can, adjusting rapidly to a dynamic and unpredictable situation with bravery and dexterity, to stop anyone getting there - to save as many lives as possible.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: My 11 days in a Milan hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19

Renato Coen , the foreign news editor at Sky News ' Italian sister station Sky TG24 , has been diagnosed with coronavirus .
Here , he explains what it was like to learn about his diagnosis , be treated at the Sacco hospital in Milan , one of the main hospitals in Italy dealing with the pandemic , and coping with the illness .
He has since recovered .
On the evening of 10 March , Sacco hospital seemed to me an endless maze .
I 'm 46 years old with a fever , walking around the empty streets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search of a building that I ca n't find .
The fever and cough certainly do n't help my lucidity .
Entering the emergency room , I am made to sit down immediately .
A sample of my blood is taken and someone puts a swab in my nose .
Then I am taken to have an X-ray of my lungs .
The symptoms are alarming .
`` Tonight you 'll be staying here , '' they tell me .
`` What ?
I was told that I would wait for the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , you have a high fever .
If all goes well you can go home tomorrow morning , '' they insisted .
Anxiety sets in .
Positive would mean quarantine .
My wife and daughter left for Rome a few days ago .
Sky TG24 , where I work , is ready to close down at a moment 's notice , triggering an emergency plan into action which would allow it to be on the air in all events .
After an hour a nurse arrives : `` I have the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your lungs are fine ! ''
`` On the other hand the blood tests ... '' '' Well , on the other hand ... ? ''
`` We 'll bring you upstairs among those who are doing well , and wait for the result of the swab tests that will arrive tomorrow morning . ''
Having been moved upstairs I begin to understand what isolation means .
They put me in a room on my own , point to gloves and a mask , telling me to put them on when a health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me food in a plastic bag , but not into the room - they leave it outside and tell me from beyond the door to open it and take it in as soon as they have left 6.30 am .
I do n't know why but I 'm already awake .
Today something will happen .
It has to .
I ca n't just lie around , half-dressed on a bed in an unnamed first aid room forever .
I still feel feverish and slightly short of breath .
I turn on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , starts vibrating with the arrival of a message .
It 's the doctor who took my test .
I am determined to share the news as soon as possible .
I call the bosses and my friends at Sky .
`` Good luck guys ! ''
I think .
They try to calm me down and help and comfort me .
I feel confused and need to speak to my wife .
Morning comes early in the hospital .
More of my blood is taken .
Then they bring me tea .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with it if it were n't just a drop of liquid in the bottom of paper plate… Who cares anyway .
In fact , I have so much more I should be worrying about .
For example , I should worry that my fever shows no sign of going down , or that the instrument to measure my blood saturation indicates too low an oxygen level .
Ten minutes later I have oxygen cannulas in my nose .
At about 2pm , after a short ambulance ride , I was greeted with courtesy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pavilion 56 .
They put me in a bed in a double room and run all the necessary tests .
There is a doctor who is very reassuring .
She says that I do n't have pneumonia for now , but I do have a high fever .
She takes away the oxygen and then adds : `` From this evening on we will start an antiviral treatment ; it will be a little heavy going but we have seen that it is quite effective '' .
I turn to my roommate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man , those pills are bombs , they destroyed me .
But now I 'm fine and I 'm being dismissed . ''
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker In fact , in half an hour he goes away and I am left alone , trying to understand where I have ended up .
Where am I going ?
My breathing is not very good .
But I 'm still not too worried .
In the evening the door opens and my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wheelchair , attached to oxygen .
They lay him on the bed next to me , while he coughs and coughs , with a dry and relentless cough .
I greet him .
I understand immediately that he is not well .
Around him , two health workers protected by shirts , masks , caps , and gloves place him on the bed .
A nurse kindly gives him basic instructions and offers him the appropriate medicines .
He thanks them .
He does not have the strength to be kind , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pneumonia .
My fever is starting to go up and down like a head-spinning ride on a rollercoaster .
I am given three tablets of a so-called antiviral medicine that do n't take long in making their side effects felt , and paracetamol , without end , as soon as my fever exceeds 38 degrees .
I wake up in the morning in a pool of sweat because of the antipyretic [ to reduce fever ] .
I change clothes and refresh my bed sheets as my fever rises again .
The mix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
My stomach wrenches closed .
Then I am enveloped by a sense of nausea .
I feel exhausted .
I lose strength despite the fact that I believe the right antibodies seem to have been found to fight the virus .
I do have a little cough and I do n't breathe very well , but I also understand that pneumonia is a long way off .
For now , it is not my problem .
I remember the day before , I was made to sign an informed consent before being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaletra .
In the morning when the doctor comes to visit on his daily rounds he asks me how I am .
I try to show myself quite in good form but , of course , I ca n't hide my fever .
He explains how important it is that the fever decreases .
`` We hope that the situation will not get worse , '' he repeats , and even through his mask I can see the hint of a doubt .
Here I see that each patient is at the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He is at once a patient and a scientific case to study .
I listen to the dialogue between Mauro and the doctors and nurses .
Treatment is being tried , but it does not bear fruit .
For him , they increase the oxygen level .
The silence in this room is interrupted only by his coughs and my phone calls with my mother , wife and daughter .
She is three years old .
I have n't seen her for too many days .
The video calls with her dad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least I hope so .
They definitely meet mine .
`` Dad , get out of bed !
Enough of being lazy ! ''
she yells upon seeing me on the phone .
`` Of course , immediately my love , I was just feeling a little tired .
What did you do today ? ''
`` I am very sad because my magic wand broke .
When you come to Rome , will you buy me one , a great big one ? ''
`` Why do you speak so funny ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ca n't understand ! ''
`` But there is a man near me who is not very well so I can not shout , '' I try to explain .
`` Go ahead speak , do n't worry , it does n't bother me , '' Mauro interjects .
Then I get a little less inhibited .
`` I promise you an enormous magic wand as a reward for being such a big girl ! ''
My stomach wrenches in knots more and more and the fever continues to rise and fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming my main enemy .
The messages I receive have begun to accentuate that sense of nausea that envelopes me .
Although I am enormously grateful to anyone who writes to me , I 'm sick and tired of writing on WhatsApp about myself and my health .
The eyes of the others As the days and hours go by , the female nurses become increasingly familiar even though I ca n't see any part of their lower faces , protected as they are by masks .
I can only guess their build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the colour of their hair , which is tied back and protected .
But I can see their eyes well .
I recognise each by their eyes .
I make them out that way .
The one with the sad black eyes .
The one with bright , smiling eyes .
The one who always seems happy but squints .
The one with the reassuring look .
Then there are the men , fewer in number , but perhaps more different physically and more easily recognisable .
For sure , they too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their eyes .
Everyone , and I mean everyone who enters smiles .
They all seem to have come to the understanding that when they enter these rooms they try bring the sun in with them .
The sun is missing .
In fact , the window of the room does n't face out onto the open sky , but onto an internal corridor , from where any eventual visitors would be able to come and greet the patients , protected by windows that do n't open .
The little sunlight that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the glass of that corridor , which is shadowed by a very near , taller building .
In short , seeing the sky is impossible as is trying to figure out what time of day it is outside .
The `` outside '' for us , shut inside these rooms , are the nurses and health workers who enter .
They put themselves to doing the most unpleasant of jobs while laughing and joking .
They prod Mauro into moving so they can wash what he has soiled , and always give him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least they try .
They talk about the beneficial effects their waterproof suits have on their skin .
`` Imagine this summer what smooth and velvety skin we 'll have !
Miraculous these suits , better than any Spa ! ''
`` What smooth skin ?
Are you kidding ?
I feel like Chewbacca , that hairy character in Star Wars !
We women will all be like him in a month . ''
Their laughing brings a world of light to us who seem to have lost it .
: : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker One day I am talking to Stefania , one of the nurses .
I ask her how she does it ; whether she is afraid in a normal working day to have such close contact with the `` untouchables '' , those people who you are always at risk of catching infection from .
`` Anyone who starts working in an infectious disease department never wants to do anything else , but this work again , '' she confides .
`` It gives you too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The current situation though ca n't be considered normal .
The huge number of people taken to hospital for this virus puts heavy pressure on all to shoulder .
Normal life has become impossible , especially for those who work in hospital .
`` Now it is different though -she continues - It is an emergency without end , something we have never seen before .
For us it is tough , physically , of course , but also psychologically .
`` When we go home we have your eyes inside us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have that inside us .
We take that home with us every day .
Do n't think it 's easy to go back to our private lives .
In a sense , we never do ; we always stay here with you . ''
Stefania is in a hurry to leave , she should n't stay in conversation in a patient 's room .
She reaches out with her double rubber gloved hand to touch my arm .
If I never felt truly alone during my time in isolation , it was thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , looking for comfort , or maybe frightening confirmation , stops a nurse , Angela , who had just assisted him in therapy .
`` Tell me : Are many people dying ? ''
`` I 'm sorry but I ca n't answer this question '' '' Courage ! ''
she adds , taking off her gloves as she leaves the room .
As time passes , Mauro is unable to improve .
The cure partially works , but breathing remains difficult for him .
One day a doctor comes in and announces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room , where he will use an oxygen helmet .
I say goodbye to him one afternoon as he is being wheeled away .
Confinement in hospital is beginning to take its toll .
I have been in hospital for almost a week .
My clinical situation is definitely improving .
It seems to me my breathing is better and the fever is coming down .
Actually , it has dropped significantly .
It no longer peaks beyond 39 degrees .
It usually remains between between 37 and 38 .
I am treating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very weak probably , because I am not eating .
The Kaletra-based treatment has run its course .
Together , the virus and its treatment have done a number on my sense of taste .
My stomach is just one tight jumbled knot so I ca n't eat a thing .
Definitively , this is what gives me the sense of exhaustion and nausea that is knocking me out .
The doctors decided to give me a five-day cycle , 10 doses in all .
I have been counting them down one by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harder to get them down , as if they were heavy bricks .
Around the time that Gianni enters , my clinical condition is certainly comforting .
I feel weak and nauseous , but the fever is not high .
Gianni is 87 years old and looks worn out .
He is brought in on a stretcher .
He is not very present .
I try to greet him but he does n't answer .
They lay him on the bed .
From that moment on I begin to hear a constant wheezing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin to understand that as the days go by , I am more and more psychologically stifled , that I 'm running on reserve .
A reserve of good mood , a reserve of fuel to burn to refresh my spirit .
I 'm starting to develop a clear sense of claustrophobia .
The doctors clarify the issue one morning : `` We do n't discharge anyone as long as they have a fever .
This is very important .
When the fever passes , you will go home . ''
Now I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : that damn thermometer !
The fever eventually drops further , to below 37 degrees when I take paracetamol .
But that 's not good enough .
`` To you I have something to say ... '' One night I fall asleep with very low fever .
I do n't take any paracetamol .
I wake up with 36.5 ° .
Every hour I look more hopefully at the thermometer .
At 10.30am the doctor repeats : `` Up until yesterday evening you had a fever , I ca n't let you go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below 37° all day '' .
A kind health worker comes in to arrange some things around Gianni .
She looks at me and says : `` You work on TV on the news , do n't you ? ''
`` Well do you know who 's in the room next door ? ''
`` My daughter .
She is a nurse in orthopaedics .
She was made to work without protection .
She accompanied the patients to do the X-rays , to do the therapy , to get in bed .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the afternoon , another nurse comes in and tries to cheer me up .
She too is very kind .
Then at a certain point she says to me : `` You work on Sky News .
I must tell you the situation here is very difficult .
There are buildings full of patients , and ambulances continue to arrive .
I do n't know how we are going to end up . ''
I feel somehow responsible for conveying to the outside those requests for help , those simple complaints made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for others .
Maybe it is my roommate 's wheezing , or maybe my ever present obsession with getting out of here , but the hours seem to drag on longer and longer .
My fever has almost completely gone .
: :Listen to Divided States on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker Suddenly , Gianni stops wheezing , I worry - there is a disturbing silence .
His position in the bed has not changed .
I hope he is still breathing .
I check and , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Evening comes slowly .
It is now the hour when , for physiological reasons , the fever rises .
I anxiously take up the thermometer with terror .
But it does n't rise past 36.9 degrees and I have n't even cheated !
The fever does not return and I fall asleep determined : tomorrow I will leave , I will convince them , after all I have no fever .
The next morning , I wake up with 36.4 degree temperature to my daughter shouting on the phone : `` Happy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your day !
I 'm going to make you a great big chocolate cake and then when I come to Milan we 'll eat it together ! ''
I guess it 's Father 's Day and waking up could n't have been better .
The two young doctors who have graciously made the rounds come in .
`` Very well , '' they answer .
`` If today it does n't come back , we 'll be sending you home tomorrow .
Tomorrow afternoon or evening , that is , not earlier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ period without fever before we can even consider discharging a patient . ''
So what do I do now ?
It is 10am , another 24 hours must pass before I see the doctors who decide whether to send me home or not .
How can I keep the fever from returning in these 24 hours ?
I decide to request some drops of Lexotan , which send me off to a cool , calm sleep .
In the afternoon I recover a little .
When the nurses pass in the evening , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed and I now realise the fever has truly abandoned me .
I eat almost nothing though , but I do smile when I hear Gianni , in one of his rare statements , say to the nurse : `` What a delight a glass of wine would be ! ''
In the morning of March 20 , I wake up a little afraid - but still confident in my physical condition .
I have no fever and my blood saturation is fine .
A nurse arrives and gives me a swab test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is at after 10 days in hospital .
At 10.30am the doctors enter .
They look at me and say : `` We are sending you home , not now , but later this afternoon . ''
`` Thanks , '' I smile .
How great that feels to hear .
At 5pm they call me .
The ambulance is ready .
I dress in the heavy sweater and winter jacket I was wearing when I entered .
They make me put on a hospital gown , gloves , mask .
I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the back of the ambulance .
They point me to a seat and tell me to sit down and not touch anything .
The weather outside is mild .
After a few minutes of travel , I feel like I 'm melting underneath my heavy clothing .
I open a window and look out on an increasingly empty , almost ghostly Milan .
I glimpse an orderly line of customers outside a supermarket , and an avenue on the canal completely empty .
The air that filters in helps little .
When we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worker opens the door of the ambulance and notices I 've opened the window .
`` It was me , '' I say .
`` Should n't I have ? ''
`` Absolutely not !
I told you not to touch a thing !
Do you have any idea what you have done ?
Where do you think you are coming from , the vegetable market ? ''
`` I am sorry , I was dying from the heat . ''
`` Well , sorry is n't good enough !
`` At that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I walk away .
I want to relish my return home .
it is empty , but still , it 's home .

Renato Coen, the foreign news editor at Sky News' Italian sister station Sky TG24, has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
Here, he explains what it was like to learn about his diagnosis, be treated at the Sacco hospital in Milan, one of the main hospitals in Italy dealing with the pandemic, and coping with the illness. He has since recovered.
On the evening of 10 March, Sacco hospital seemed to me an endless maze.
I'm 46 years old with a fever, walking around the empty streets in a daze between the hospital pavilions in search of a building that I can't find. The fever and cough certainly don't help my lucidity.
Image: Renato Coen was taken to hospital on 10 March
Entering the emergency room, I am made to sit down immediately. A sample of my blood is taken and someone puts a swab in my nose. Then I am taken to have an X-ray of my lungs. The symptoms are alarming.
"Tonight you'll be staying here," they tell me.
"What? I was told that I would wait for the results at home."
"Forget about it, you have a high fever. If all goes well you can go home tomorrow morning," they insisted.
Anxiety sets in. Positive would mean quarantine. My wife and daughter left for Rome a few days ago.
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Sky TG24, where I work, is ready to close down at a moment's notice, triggering an emergency plan into action which would allow it to be on the air in all events.
After an hour a nurse arrives: "I have the results of the X-rays: good news, your lungs are fine!"
"Great, thanks!"
"On the other hand the blood tests..."
"Well, on the other hand...?"
"We'll bring you upstairs among those who are doing well, and wait for the result of the swab tests that will arrive tomorrow morning."
Having been moved upstairs I begin to understand what isolation means.
They put me in a room on my own, point to gloves and a mask, telling me to put them on when a health worker enters the room. They bring me food in a plastic bag, but not into the room - they leave it outside and tell me from beyond the door to open it and take it in as soon as they have left
"Good morning. You've tested positive"
6.30 am. I don't know why but I'm already awake. Today something will happen. It has to. I can't just lie around, half-dressed on a bed in an unnamed first aid room forever.
I still feel feverish and slightly short of breath. I turn on the phone which, after a few moments, starts vibrating with the arrival of a message. It's the doctor who took my test.
"Good morning, you've tested positive."
I am determined to share the news as soon as possible. I call the bosses and my friends at Sky. "Good luck guys!" I think. They try to calm me down and help and comfort me. I feel confused and need to speak to my wife.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 44:03 Special report: Into the Red Zone
Morning comes early in the hospital. More of my blood is taken.
Then they bring me tea. And there would have been nothing wrong with it if it weren't just a drop of liquid in the bottom of paper plate…
Who cares anyway. In fact, I have so much more I should be worrying about.
For example, I should worry that my fever shows no sign of going down, or that the instrument to measure my blood saturation indicates too low an oxygen level. Ten minutes later I have oxygen cannulas in my nose.
Pavilion 56
At about 2pm, after a short ambulance ride, I was greeted with courtesy and smiles on the second floor of Pavilion 56. They put me in a bed in a double room and run all the necessary tests.
There is a doctor who is very reassuring. She says that I don't have pneumonia for now, but I do have a high fever.
She takes away the oxygen and then adds: "From this evening on we will start an antiviral treatment; it will be a little heavy going but we have seen that it is quite effective".
I turn to my roommate, who says to me: "Hell man, those pills are bombs, they destroyed me. But now I'm fine and I'm being dismissed."
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In fact, in half an hour he goes away and I am left alone, trying to understand where I have ended up. Where am I going?
My breathing is not very good. But I'm still not too worried.
In the evening the door opens and my new roommate enters. He is in a wheelchair, attached to oxygen. They lay him on the bed next to me, while he coughs and coughs, with a dry and relentless cough. I greet him. I understand immediately that he is not well.
Around him, two health workers protected by shirts, masks, caps, and gloves place him on the bed. A nurse kindly gives him basic instructions and offers him the appropriate medicines. He thanks them. He does not have the strength to be kind, he is ill. He has double pneumonia.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:37 Life in Bergamo - Italy's coronavirus epicentre
Kaletra
My fever is starting to go up and down like a head-spinning ride on a rollercoaster. I am given three tablets of a so-called antiviral medicine that don't take long in making their side effects felt, and paracetamol, without end, as soon as my fever exceeds 38 degrees.
I wake up in the morning in a pool of sweat because of the antipyretic [to reduce fever]. I change clothes and refresh my bed sheets as my fever rises again. The mix of antivirals gradually begins to take effect.
My stomach wrenches closed. Then I am enveloped by a sense of nausea. I feel exhausted. I lose strength despite the fact that I believe the right antibodies seem to have been found to fight the virus. I do have a little cough and I don't breathe very well, but I also understand that pneumonia is a long way off. For now, it is not my problem.
I remember the day before, I was made to sign an informed consent before being given this drug. It's called Kaletra.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:40 Inside Italy's model hospital in Naples
In the morning when the doctor comes to visit on his daily rounds he asks me how I am. I try to show myself quite in good form but, of course, I can't hide my fever.
He explains how important it is that the fever decreases. "We hope that the situation will not get worse," he repeats, and even through his mask I can see the hint of a doubt.
Here I see that each patient is at the same time a patient and an observed species. He is at once a patient and a scientific case to study.
I listen to the dialogue between Mauro and the doctors and nurses. Treatment is being tried, but it does not bear fruit. For him, they increase the oxygen level.
Image: Swabs are taken from patients when they are tested for COVID-19
The silence in this room is interrupted only by his coughs and my phone calls with my mother, wife and daughter.
She is three years old. I haven't seen her for too many days. The video calls with her dad are to meet her needs, at least I hope so. They definitely meet mine.
"Dad, get out of bed! Enough of being lazy!" she yells upon seeing me on the phone.
"Of course, immediately my love, I was just feeling a little tired. What did you do today?"
"I am very sad because my magic wand broke. When you come to Rome, will you buy me one, a great big one?"
"Why do you speak so funny? Papa, if you talk like this I can't understand!"
"But there is a man near me who is not very well so I cannot shout," I try to explain.
"Go ahead speak, don't worry, it doesn't bother me," Mauro interjects.
Then I get a little less inhibited. "I promise you an enormous magic wand as a reward for being such a big girl!"
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:21 Italian priest blesses dozens of coffins
My stomach wrenches in knots more and more and the fever continues to rise and fall.
Besides the fever, time is becoming my main enemy. The messages I receive have begun to accentuate that sense of nausea that envelopes me. Although I am enormously grateful to anyone who writes to me, I'm sick and tired of writing on WhatsApp about myself and my health.
The eyes of the others
As the days and hours go by, the female nurses become increasingly familiar even though I can't see any part of their lower faces, protected as they are by masks. I can only guess their build under the uniform green lab coats, or the colour of their hair, which is tied back and protected.
But I can see their eyes well. I recognise each by their eyes. I make them out that way. The one with the sad black eyes. The one with bright, smiling eyes. The one who always seems happy but squints. The one with the reassuring look.
Then there are the men, fewer in number, but perhaps more different physically and more easily recognisable. For sure, they too, more than anything else, speak with their eyes.
Everyone, and I mean everyone who enters smiles. They all seem to have come to the understanding that when they enter these rooms they try bring the sun in with them.
The sun is missing. In fact, the window of the room doesn't face out onto the open sky, but onto an internal corridor, from where any eventual visitors would be able to come and greet the patients, protected by windows that don't open.
The little sunlight that reaches into our room only reflects off the glass of that corridor, which is shadowed by a very near, taller building.
Image: Soldiers like this one pictured are sanitizing retirement homes across Italy
In short, seeing the sky is impossible as is trying to figure out what time of day it is outside.
The "outside" for us, shut inside these rooms, are the nurses and health workers who enter.
They put themselves to doing the most unpleasant of jobs while laughing and joking. They prod Mauro into moving so they can wash what he has soiled, and always give him reason to crack a smile, or at least they try.
They talk about the beneficial effects their waterproof suits have on their skin.
"Imagine this summer what smooth and velvety skin we'll have! Miraculous these suits, better than any Spa!"
"What smooth skin? Are you kidding? I feel like Chewbacca, that hairy character in Star Wars! We women will all be like him in a month."
Their laughing brings a world of light to us who seem to have lost it.
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One day I am talking to Stefania, one of the nurses. I ask her how she does it; whether she is afraid in a normal working day to have such close contact with the "untouchables", those people who you are always at risk of catching infection from.
"Anyone who starts working in an infectious disease department never wants to do anything else, but this work again," she confides.
"It gives you too much and it's too interesting."
The current situation though can't be considered normal. The huge number of people taken to hospital for this virus puts heavy pressure on all to shoulder. Normal life has become impossible, especially for those who work in hospital.
"Now it is different though -she continues - It is an emergency without end, something we have never seen before. For us it is tough, physically, of course, but also psychologically.
"When we go home we have your eyes inside us. The way you look - we have that inside us. We take that home with us every day. Don't think it's easy to go back to our private lives. In a sense, we never do; we always stay here with you."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:12 How does UK's death growth rate compare with Italy's?
Stefania is in a hurry to leave, she shouldn't stay in conversation in a patient's room. She reaches out with her double rubber gloved hand to touch my arm.
If I never felt truly alone during my time in isolation, it was thanks to people like Stefania
One day Mauro, looking for comfort, or maybe frightening confirmation, stops a nurse, Angela, who had just assisted him in therapy.
"Tell me: Are many people dying?"
Angela's eyes change and become teary.
"I'm sorry but I can't answer this question"
"Courage!" she adds, taking off her gloves as she leaves the room.
As time passes, Mauro is unable to improve. The cure partially works, but breathing remains difficult for him.
Image: The Italian army are bringing coffins out of Bergamo in northern Italy
One day a doctor comes in and announces that he will be transferred to another room, where he will use an oxygen helmet.
I say goodbye to him one afternoon as he is being wheeled away.
The ghost inside
Confinement in hospital is beginning to take its toll.
I have been in hospital for almost a week. My clinical situation is definitely improving.
It seems to me my breathing is better and the fever is coming down. Actually, it has dropped significantly. It no longer peaks beyond 39 degrees. It usually remains between between 37 and 38. I am treating myself with paracetamol.
I'm still very weak probably, because I am not eating. The Kaletra-based treatment has run its course. Together, the virus and its treatment have done a number on my sense of taste.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:57 Theft and unrest spreads to southern Italy
My stomach is just one tight jumbled knot so I can't eat a thing. Definitively, this is what gives me the sense of exhaustion and nausea that is knocking me out.
The doctors decided to give me a five-day cycle, 10 doses in all. I have been counting them down one by one.
Psychologically it seems harder and harder to get them down, as if they were heavy bricks.
Around the time that Gianni enters, my clinical condition is certainly comforting. I feel weak and nauseous, but the fever is not high.
Image: Italy has had the highest number of deaths in the world
Gianni is 87 years old and looks worn out. He is brought in on a stretcher. He is not very present. I try to greet him but he doesn't answer. They lay him on the bed. From that moment on I begin to hear a constant wheezing that will never abandon him.
I begin to understand that as the days go by, I am more and more psychologically stifled, that I'm running on reserve. A reserve of good mood, a reserve of fuel to burn to refresh my spirit. I'm starting to develop a clear sense of claustrophobia.
The doctors clarify the issue one morning: "We don't discharge anyone as long as they have a fever. This is very important. When the fever passes, you will go home."
Now I know my friend is also my enemy: that damn thermometer!
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:40 UK lockdown '10 days too late'
The fever eventually drops further, to below 37 degrees when I take paracetamol. But that's not good enough.
"To you I have something to say ..."
One night I fall asleep with very low fever. I don't take any paracetamol. I wake up with 36.5 °. Every hour I look more hopefully at the thermometer.
At 10.30am the doctor repeats: "Up until yesterday evening you had a fever, I can't let you go yet, we hope your temperature stays below 37° all day".
A kind health worker comes in to arrange some things around Gianni. She looks at me and says: "You work on TV on the news, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well do you know who's in the room next door?"
"No, who?"
"My daughter. She is a nurse in orthopaedics. She was made to work without protection. She accompanied the patients to do the X-rays, to do the therapy, to get in bed. And now she is positive too".
Image: Some of the equipment being used by workers in Cotugno Hospital in Naples
In the afternoon, another nurse comes in and tries to cheer me up. She too is very kind.
Then at a certain point she says to me: "You work on Sky News. I must tell you the situation here is very difficult. There are buildings full of patients, and ambulances continue to arrive. I don't know how we are going to end up."
I feel somehow responsible for conveying to the outside those requests for help, those simple complaints made by the people who now are working for others.
Maybe it is my roommate's wheezing, or maybe my ever present obsession with getting out of here, but the hours seem to drag on longer and longer. My fever has almost completely gone.
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Suddenly, Gianni stops wheezing, I worry - there is a disturbing silence. His position in the bed has not changed. I hope he is still breathing. I check and, in fact, he is, sleeping peacefully.
Evening comes slowly. It is now the hour when, for physiological reasons, the fever rises. I anxiously take up the thermometer with terror. But it doesn't rise past 36.9 degrees and I haven't even cheated!
The fever does not return and I fall asleep determined: tomorrow I will leave, I will convince them, after all I have no fever.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:49 Pope prays in empty St Peter's Square
The next morning, I wake up with 36.4 degree temperature to my daughter shouting on the phone: "Happy Father's Day papa; it is your day! I'm going to make you a great big chocolate cake and then when I come to Milan we'll eat it together!"
I guess it's Father's Day and waking up couldn't have been better.
The two young doctors who have graciously made the rounds come in.
"I haven't had a fever since yesterday morning!" I triumphantly announce.
"Very well," they answer. "If today it doesn't come back, we'll be sending you home tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon or evening, that is, not earlier."
My world crumbles. I feel betrayed.
"Our protocols determine a 72-hour period without fever before we can even consider discharging a patient."
So what do I do now? It is 10am, another 24 hours must pass before I see the doctors who decide whether to send me home or not.
How can I keep the fever from returning in these 24 hours? I decide to request some drops of Lexotan, which send me off to a cool, calm sleep.
In the afternoon I recover a little. When the nurses pass in the evening, I feel refreshed: the day has passed and I now realise the fever has truly abandoned me. I eat almost nothing though, but I do smile when I hear Gianni, in one of his rare statements, say to the nurse: "What a delight a glass of wine would be!"
Image: Doctors and nurses have spoken of their struggle as they fight the disease
In the morning of March 20, I wake up a little afraid - but still confident in my physical condition.
I have no fever and my blood saturation is fine. A nurse arrives and gives me a swab test, to see where the coronavirus infection is at after 10 days in hospital.
At 10.30am the doctors enter. They look at me and say: "We are sending you home, not now, but later this afternoon."
"Thanks," I smile. How great that feels to hear.
Home
At 5pm they call me. The ambulance is ready. I dress in the heavy sweater and winter jacket I was wearing when I entered. They make me put on a hospital gown, gloves, mask. I am still a potential danger.
I enter the back of the ambulance. They point me to a seat and tell me to sit down and not touch anything.
The weather outside is mild.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:02 Is Italy about to descend into social unrest?
After a few minutes of travel, I feel like I'm melting underneath my heavy clothing. I open a window and look out on an increasingly empty, almost ghostly Milan.
I glimpse an orderly line of customers outside a supermarket, and an avenue on the canal completely empty. The air that filters in helps little. When we arrive at my house, an emergency worker opens the door of the ambulance and notices I've opened the window.
Image: Renato Coen serves as foreign news editor for Sky Tg24
"Who opened this window?"
"It was me," I say. "Shouldn't I have?"
"Absolutely not! I told you not to touch a thing! Do you have any idea what you have done? Where do you think you are coming from, the vegetable market?"
"I am sorry, I was dying from the heat."
"Well, sorry isn't good enough! "
At that point I decide to stop apologising and I walk away.
I want to relish my return home. it is empty, but still, it's home.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: Teachers told to assess what GCSE and A-Level marks pupils would have got

Schools and colleges in England have been told to assess what grade students would have achieved in cancelled GCSE and A-level exams .
Exams regulator Ofqual has said teachers should grade pupils based on `` fair , objective and carefully considered '' judgements of the results they believe each student would likely have got if tests had not been shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic .
These assessments will then be used to decide final grades .
Individual exam boards are due to contact schools and colleges after Easter to ask them to submit their judgements by a deadline that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ofqual said schools must not share these grades with students and parents until final results are issued , which it is hoped will received by pupils before the scheduled dates in August .
Schools across the UK shut to most students a fortnight ago .
Many pupils previously spoke of their frustrations , with some suggesting they believed poor relationships with teachers could affect their final mark .
But Ofqual said on Friday that teachers ' judgements should take into account a full range of evidence - including classwork , non-exam assessment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The regulator added that if grading judgements in some schools and colleges appear to be more severe or generous than others , exam boards will adjust the grades of students accordingly .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Students will also be given the opportunity to sit exams at the earliest opportunity in the new academic year .
If they choose to do this , both grades will stand .
Ofqual has said schools are not required to set further mock exams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to determine grades , Ofqual chief regulator Sally Collier said : `` School or college-based assessment already has an important role in many GCSEs , AS and A-levels , and in extraordinary circumstances such as these schools and colleges are best-placed to judge the likely performance of their students at the end of the course .
`` We have worked closely with the teaching profession to ensure that what we are asking is both appropriate and manageable , so that everyone can have confidence in the approach . ''
The guidance was largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said more details were needed on how vocational qualifications would be awarded and how the appeals process would work .
Mary Bousted , joint general secretary of the National Education Union , said : `` In any qualification system , but particularly one created in these circumstances , it helps with consistency and fairness to have moderation and oversight from the regulator .
`` However , many teachers will be uncomfortable with the concept of rank-ordering students , especially if it amounts to a rationing of grades based on previous performance data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University and College Union , said : `` These are difficult and unprecedented times and we welcome the speed with which these plans have been pulled together .
`` We need to have similar proposals for vocational qualifications and time to properly respond . ''

Schools and colleges in England have been told to assess what grade students would have achieved in cancelled GCSE and A-level exams.
Exams regulator Ofqual has said teachers should grade pupils based on "fair, objective and carefully considered" judgements of the results they believe each student would likely have got if tests had not been shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic.
These assessments will then be used to decide final grades.
Individual exam boards are due to contact schools and colleges after Easter to ask them to submit their judgements by a deadline that will be no earlier than 29 May.
Ofqual said schools must not share these grades with students and parents until final results are issued, which it is hoped will received by pupils before the scheduled dates in August.
Schools across the UK shut to most students a fortnight ago.
Many pupils previously spoke of their frustrations, with some suggesting they believed poor relationships with teachers could affect their final mark.
But Ofqual said on Friday that teachers' judgements should take into account a full range of evidence - including classwork, non-exam assessment, mock exams or previous results.
The regulator added that if grading judgements in some schools and colleges appear to be more severe or generous than others, exam boards will adjust the grades of students accordingly.
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Students will also be given the opportunity to sit exams at the earliest opportunity in the new academic year. If they choose to do this, both grades will stand.
Ofqual has said schools are not required to set further mock exams or homework tasks for students during closures to determine grades,
Ofqual chief regulator Sally Collier said: "School or college-based assessment already has an important role in many GCSEs, AS and A-levels, and in extraordinary circumstances such as these schools and colleges are best-placed to judge the likely performance of their students at the end of the course.
"We have worked closely with the teaching profession to ensure that what we are asking is both appropriate and manageable, so that everyone can have confidence in the approach."
The guidance was largely welcomed by education organisations, although they said more details were needed on how vocational qualifications would be awarded and how the appeals process would work.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "In any qualification system, but particularly one created in these circumstances, it helps with consistency and fairness to have moderation and oversight from the regulator.
"However, many teachers will be uncomfortable with the concept of rank-ordering students, especially if it amounts to a rationing of grades based on previous performance data."
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "These are difficult and unprecedented times and we welcome the speed with which these plans have been pulled together.
"We need to have similar proposals for vocational qualifications and time to properly respond."


news--2020-04-03--Clap for our Carers: Police clap for NHS staff outside hospital in 'emotional' tribute

Police officers flashed their sirens and stood outside a London hospital to take part in an `` emotional '' Clap for our Carers tribute .
NHS staff feared a major incident was taking place outside Barnet Hospital in north London when several police cars and vans pulled up outside .
But as 8pm on Thursday night struck , the officers stood and clapped outside the hospital to join in with the rest of the nation in celebrating healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic on the frontline .
A doctor who filmed the moment said it `` really lifted morale '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She told Sky News : `` I arrived at work for the night shift and panicked seeing blue lights flashing everywhere thinking we had a massive influx of cases or something had gone wrong .
`` But then as I got nearer the clapping started at 8pm and my fear turned to joy . ''
She said it was a `` really emotional moment '' to see `` frontline key workers supporting other frontline key workers . ''
`` The clapping and the blue lights made it feel so surreal - like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also taking risks too so it 's really sweet they turned up for us - it just shows how united we all are in the fight . ''
She added : `` We are all absolutely exhausted and every shift we walk in wondering what will happen so this really lifted morale ahead of a 12-hour stint . ''
Up and down the country , Britons stood on their doorsteps and hung out of windows to clap , cheer and bang pots to show their gratitude to key workers .
Prime Minister Boris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after testing positive for COVID-19 last week .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker He told those gathered outside : `` I am not allowed out really , I am just standing here . ''
A host of celebrities including Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Daniel Craig and Elton John also joined the show of support that swept the country for the second Thursday in a row .
Buildings across the country also got in on the action , with the tip of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Castle , the Queen 's second residence , was also lit blue in a sign of support .
The first Clap for our Carers took place on 26 March and is expected to continue on a weekly basis .

Police officers flashed their sirens and stood outside a London hospital to take part in an "emotional" Clap for our Carers tribute.
NHS staff feared a major incident was taking place outside Barnet Hospital in north London when several police cars and vans pulled up outside.
But as 8pm on Thursday night struck, the officers stood and clapped outside the hospital to join in with the rest of the nation in celebrating healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic on the frontline.
Image: A general view of Barnet General Hospital
A doctor who filmed the moment said it "really lifted morale" ahead of a long night shift.
She told Sky News: "I arrived at work for the night shift and panicked seeing blue lights flashing everywhere thinking we had a massive influx of cases or something had gone wrong.
"But then as I got nearer the clapping started at 8pm and my fear turned to joy."
She said it was a "really emotional moment" to see "frontline key workers supporting other frontline key workers."
"The clapping and the blue lights made it feel so surreal - like a weird rave!
"The police are also taking risks too so it's really sweet they turned up for us - it just shows how united we all are in the fight."
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She added: "We are all absolutely exhausted and every shift we walk in wondering what will happen so this really lifted morale ahead of a 12-hour stint."
Up and down the country, Britons stood on their doorsteps and hung out of windows to clap, cheer and bang pots to show their gratitude to key workers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson emerged from self-isolation to join in after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
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He told those gathered outside: "I am not allowed out really, I am just standing here."
A host of celebrities including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Daniel Craig and Elton John also joined the show of support that swept the country for the second Thursday in a row.
Buildings across the country also got in on the action, with the tip of the Shard in London illuminated blue.
Windsor Castle, the Queen's second residence, was also lit blue in a sign of support.
The first Clap for our Carers took place on 26 March and is expected to continue on a weekly basis.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: Linda Lusardi says COVID-19 made her want to die and turned her vomit blue

Linda Lusardi says there were moments her coronavirus symptoms were so bad she prayed she would n't wake up .
The former Page 3 girl spent 10 days in hospital with a fever , chronic chest pains and vomiting after testing positive for COVID-19 .
Describing her symptoms to The Sun , Lusardi said : `` I started to get a fever , [ I was ] feeling rough and carried on , but it got worse and worse .
`` Your head hurts , your brain hurts and you feel like an elephant is sitting on you .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting my face on the tile floor and then almost trying to make myself sick to just get a light relief for five minutes afterwards .
`` I was leaning over the edge of the bed , coughing and spitting into a bucket .
Your vomit is blue . ''
The 61-year-old star and her husband showbiz agent Sam Kane both became ill at home before being diagnosed with the virus .
They believe Kane first caught it while at a business meeting before passing it on to Lusardi .
Lusardi says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into hospital were the worst : `` It got to the stage where both of us were praying we would n't wake up because it was so bad . ''
Kane said his symptoms felt `` like the devil 's hands were strangling me '' .
When the couple became seriously ill , their children Jack , 20 , and Lucy , 24 , called 999 and both were taken to North Middlesex hospital in the same ambulance .
While Kane 's symptoms improved after several days , Lusardi 's condition worsened .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ death 's door '' , Kane says doctors warned him she might not pull through .
Lusardi says it was thinking of her children that helped her fight her illness , gradually becoming stronger and finally leaving hospital .
Lusardi is now recovering at her home in North London , but says she still has moments of breathlessness and tiredness .
Thanking the NHS for `` saving their lives '' , she says she has been `` humbled '' by the outpouring of affection for her on social media and urged people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid tribute to comedian Eddie Large who died aged 78 with coronavirus , calling his death `` devastating '' .
Lusardi found fame as a model in the 1970s and 1980s and in 2005 was voted the UK 's most popular Page 3 girl ever .
She has since appeared on Emmerdale , Loose Women and Dancing On Ice .

Linda Lusardi says there were moments her coronavirus symptoms were so bad she prayed she wouldn't wake up.
The former Page 3 girl spent 10 days in hospital with a fever, chronic chest pains and vomiting after testing positive for COVID-19.
Image: Lusardi was voted the UK's most popular Page 3 girl. Pic: Teamcamera/Shutterstock
Describing her symptoms to The Sun, Lusardi said: "I started to get a fever, [I was] feeling rough and carried on, but it got worse and worse.
"Your head hurts, your brain hurts and you feel like an elephant is sitting on you.
"I remember crawling to the bathroom, putting my face on the tile floor and then almost trying to make myself sick to just get a light relief for five minutes afterwards.
"I was leaning over the edge of the bed, coughing and spitting into a bucket. Your vomit is blue."
The 61-year-old star and her husband showbiz agent Sam Kane both became ill at home before being diagnosed with the virus.
They believe Kane first caught it while at a business meeting before passing it on to Lusardi.
Lusardi says the days they spent at home before going into hospital were the worst: "It got to the stage where both of us were praying we wouldn't wake up because it was so bad."
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Kane said his symptoms felt "like the devil's hands were strangling me".
When the couple became seriously ill, their children Jack, 20, and Lucy, 24, called 999 and both were taken to North Middlesex hospital in the same ambulance.
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While Kane's symptoms improved after several days, Lusardi's condition worsened.
Describing his wife as being "at death's door", Kane says doctors warned him she might not pull through.
Lusardi says it was thinking of her children that helped her fight her illness, gradually becoming stronger and finally leaving hospital.
Lusardi is now recovering at her home in North London, but says she still has moments of breathlessness and tiredness.
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Thanking the NHS for "saving their lives", she says she has been "humbled" by the outpouring of affection for her on social media and urged people to take the virus seriously.
She also paid tribute to comedian Eddie Large who died aged 78 with coronavirus, calling his death "devastating".
Lusardi found fame as a model in the 1970s and 1980s and in 2005 was voted the UK's most popular Page 3 girl ever.
She has since appeared on Emmerdale, Loose Women and Dancing On Ice.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to continue in self-isolation as he still has COVID-19 symptom

Boris Johnson has revealed he will remain in self-isolation as he is still suffering from a symptom of coronavirus .
The prime minister entered self-isolation in 11 Downing Street for seven days last Thursday night after testing positive for COVID-19 .
However , despite those seven days now having passed , Mr Johnson will remain away from others as he still has a high temperature .
In a video posted to his Twitter account on Friday , the prime minister said : `` Although I 'm feeling better and I 've done my seven days of isolation , alas I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a minor symptom .
`` I still have a temperature and so , in accordance with government advice , I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes . ''
Mr Johnson also used the video message to urge the public to stay at home ahead of the weekend , when warmer weather is being forecast .
`` I just want to say one crucial thing , one quick thing to everybody thinking about this weekend and what may be some fine weather , '' the prime minister added .
`` Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time , and they 'd rather be getting out there and , particularly if they 've got kids in the household , everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy .
`` And there may be just a temptation to get out there , hang out and start to break the regulations .
`` And I just urge you not to do that .
Please , please stick with the guidance now .
`` This country has made a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus .
`` Let 's stick with it now . ''
Mr Johnson made a brief appearance at the door of 11 Downing Street on Thursday night to join the national applause for NHS workers .
And he urged Britons to remember that moment in following the government orders to remain at home .
He added : `` Remember that incredible clapping again last night for our fantastic NHS .
`` We 're doing it to protect them and to save lives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker As he self-isolates , the prime minister has come under pressure over the UK 's current level of coronavirus testing , when compared with other countries such as Germany and South Korea , as well as the level of testing of NHS staff .
Mr Johnson used the video message to hail Thursday 's news that the government is targeting 100,000 tests per day in England - as revealed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr Hancock has ended his own self-isolation after also testing positive for coronavirus and was present at Friday 's opening of the new makeshift Nightingale Hospital in east London .
He earlier revealed he lost half a stone due to the `` really very unpleasant '' effects of COVID-19 .

Boris Johnson has revealed he will remain in self-isolation as he is still suffering from a symptom of coronavirus.
The prime minister entered self-isolation in 11 Downing Street for seven days last Thursday night after testing positive for COVID-19.
However, despite those seven days now having passed, Mr Johnson will remain away from others as he still has a high temperature.
In a video posted to his Twitter account on Friday, the prime minister said: "Although I'm feeling better and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom.
"I still have a temperature and so, in accordance with government advice, I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes."
Image: The PM made a brief appearance at the door of 11 Downing St on Thursday night to applaud NHS workers
Mr Johnson also used the video message to urge the public to stay at home ahead of the weekend, when warmer weather is being forecast.
"I just want to say one crucial thing, one quick thing to everybody thinking about this weekend and what may be some fine weather," the prime minister added.
"Because I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time, and they'd rather be getting out there and, particularly if they've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy.
"And there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.
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"And I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.
"This country has made a huge effort, a huge sacrifice, done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus.
"Let's stick with it now."
Mr Johnson made a brief appearance at the door of 11 Downing Street on Thursday night to join the national applause for NHS workers.
And he urged Britons to remember that moment in following the government orders to remain at home.
He added: "Remember that incredible clapping again last night for our fantastic NHS.
"We're doing it to protect them and to save lives. Let's focus on doing everything we can.
"Stay at home folks, protect our NHS, save lives."
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As he self-isolates, the prime minister has come under pressure over the UK's current level of coronavirus testing, when compared with other countries such as Germany and South Korea, as well as the level of testing of NHS staff.
Mr Johnson used the video message to hail Thursday's news that the government is targeting 100,000 tests per day in England - as revealed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock - as a "big announcement".
Mr Hancock has ended his own self-isolation after also testing positive for coronavirus and was present at Friday's opening of the new makeshift Nightingale Hospital in east London.
He earlier revealed he lost half a stone due to the "really very unpleasant" effects of COVID-19.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: Peak of UK's COVID-19 outbreak could come on Easter Sunday, says Matt Hancock

The peak of the UK 's coronavirus outbreak - with as many as 1,000 deaths a day leading up to it - may come on Easter Sunday , Health Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested .
At the launch of the new makeshift NHS Nightingale Hospital in east London , Mr Hancock told Sky News it was `` perfectly possible '' the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in this country could occur around 12 April .
As of 5pm on Thursday , the total number of people to have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus stood at 3,605 - a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 hours .
It has been reported there could be 1,000 deaths every 24 hours until the coronavirus peak is reached in little more than a week 's time .
Asked about those reports , Mr Hancock told Sky News on Friday : `` I defer to the scientists on the predictions that they make .
`` I 'm not going to steer you away from that , I think that is one quite perfectly possible outcome .
`` Of course there 's uncertainty around that .
`` Part of the challenge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it is that there are a lot of things that we do n't yet know and this is one of them .
`` But we 're prepared not only for that eventuality , but also in case it 's worse than that .
`` Because I want to make sure that the NHS is prepared for all reasonable outcomes as well as something that might be closer to the central projection . ''
Meanwhile , Nicola Sturgeon has warned the coronavirus peak in Scotland is still some way off .
The first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be very clear that nothing I have seen gives me any basis whatsoever for predicting the virus will peak as early as a week 's time here in Scotland . ''
And her chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood also stressed : `` I have not been able to find that the peak will be as soon as we 're hearing in the media today .
Now is not the time to think that perhaps it will all be over soon .
`` We have always said that many months will be needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus and be sure that we 're not going to have a worse scenario later . ''
She added : `` At the moment we will not be able to give a clear date of when the peak will be .
What we will look for first is a slowing of the rate of people testing positive and we are not seeing that yet . ''
Mr Hancock attended the launch of the Nightingale Hospital , which has been built at London 's ExCel centre and has space for 4,000 beds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for coronavirus last week .
He also confirmed the government is currently considering a plan for how people who have had COVID-19 and then recovered can later be authorised to return to work , such as through the issuing of certificates .
`` This is something I have strong personal interest in as I 'm sure you can imagine , '' the health secretary said .
`` Again , the science of not only how immune you are after having the disease - but also that you do n't transmit it once you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things are things we think are probably the case . ''
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker However , Mr Hancock admitted there was not yet a functioning antibody test to determine whether someone previously had the infection - and so are unlikely to contract it again .
`` It 's something that 's very frustrating , I 'd love one to be invented to worked effectively enough to be able to have confidence in using , '' he added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a test as a potential `` total game changer '' in the battle against coronavirus .
It would show whether an individual had antibodies for COVID-19 which , if they did , would mean they could return to work if they were not showing symptoms .

The peak of the UK's coronavirus outbreak - with as many as 1,000 deaths a day leading up to it - may come on Easter Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested.
At the launch of the new makeshift NHS Nightingale Hospital in east London, Mr Hancock told Sky News it was "perfectly possible" the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in this country could occur around 12 April.
As of 5pm on Thursday, the total number of people to have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus stood at 3,605 - a rise in the tally of 684 in 24 hours.
It has been reported there could be 1,000 deaths every 24 hours until the coronavirus peak is reached in little more than a week's time.
Asked about those reports, Mr Hancock told Sky News on Friday: "I defer to the scientists on the predictions that they make.
"I'm not going to steer you away from that, I think that is one quite perfectly possible outcome.
"Of course there's uncertainty around that.
"Part of the challenge of communicating about this disease and our response to it is that there are a lot of things that we don't yet know and this is one of them.
"But we're prepared not only for that eventuality, but also in case it's worse than that.
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"Because I want to make sure that the NHS is prepared for all reasonable outcomes as well as something that might be closer to the central projection."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:14 Hancock welcomes hospital opening
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has warned the coronavirus peak in Scotland is still some way off.
The first minister said: "I want to be very clear that nothing I have seen gives me any basis whatsoever for predicting the virus will peak as early as a week's time here in Scotland."
And her chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood also stressed: "I have not been able to find that the peak will be as soon as we're hearing in the media today. Now is not the time to think that perhaps it will all be over soon.
"We have always said that many months will be needed before we can get on top of this virus and be sure that we're not going to have a worse scenario later."
She added: "At the moment we will not be able to give a clear date of when the peak will be. What we will look for first is a slowing of the rate of people testing positive and we are not seeing that yet."
Mr Hancock attended the launch of the Nightingale Hospital, which has been built at London's ExCel centre and has space for 4,000 beds, after exiting self-isolation after testing positive himself for coronavirus last week.
He also confirmed the government is currently considering a plan for how people who have had COVID-19 and then recovered can later be authorised to return to work, such as through the issuing of certificates.
"This is something I have strong personal interest in as I'm sure you can imagine," the health secretary said.
"Again, the science of not only how immune you are after having the disease - but also that you don't transmit it once you've had the disease - both of those things are things we think are probably the case."
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However, Mr Hancock admitted there was not yet a functioning antibody test to determine whether someone previously had the infection - and so are unlikely to contract it again.
"It's something that's very frustrating, I'd love one to be invented to worked effectively enough to be able to have confidence in using," he added.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously described such a test as a potential "total game changer" in the battle against coronavirus.
It would show whether an individual had antibodies for COVID-19 which, if they did, would mean they could return to work if they were not showing symptoms.


news--2020-04-03--Coronavirus: Family's warning to those 'not taking virus seriously' as mother of twins dies

A 48-year-old mother of twins with no apparent underlying health conditions has died after contracting coronavirus , her family says .
Caroline Saunby , from New Marske on Teesside , passed away on 29 March , four days after showing symptoms .
She was treated by paramedics and emergency air ambulance doctors but they were unable to save her .
Mrs Saunby leaves behind two six-year-old twin boys and husband Victor , who are now isolating at home and waiting to see if they have the virus .
It is not clear whether she was tested , but her family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The family are unable to have a proper funeral due to social distancing measures .
`` No other family should have to go through what we 're going though , '' her twin sister , Sarah Jarvis , wrote in a Facebook post .
`` Every part of our family in lockdown and ca n't console her boys or our parents or each other . ''
Ms Jarvis issued a warning to those `` not taking [ the virus ] seriously enough '' .
`` Our lives have been ripped apart forever by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` She was 48 fit and healthy with no existing conditions and taken from us in 4 days . ''
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Paying tribute to her twin sister , Ms Jarvis added : `` No one else in the world will ever understand the bond that Caroline and I shared from in the womb until the very last moment .
`` Nothing I can write will even get close to doing her justice . ''
Other family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and described Mrs Saunby as `` the most gorgeous , funny , caring and giving soul '' .
Her brother , Rob Huckins , said he had lost his `` soul sister '' .
`` She leaves behind a husband and 2 little boys and a big family with a huge hole in it , '' he wrote in a Facebook post .
A fundraising page has been set up by Mrs Saunby 's neighbours to support her family and has already raised over £20,000 .
A post on the page said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They are the most selfless amazing family I have ever know ( sic ) , '' it said .
`` The next 3 months + are going to be tough enough for anyone but for this family its ( sic ) a lifetime . ''
The number of people in the UK who have died after contracting coronavirus has reached more than 2,000 .
Most of those who have died have been over the age of 70 , but the victims included a 13-year-old boy , as well as a 19-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A 48-year-old mother of twins with no apparent underlying health conditions has died after contracting coronavirus, her family says.
Caroline Saunby, from New Marske on Teesside, passed away on 29 March, four days after showing symptoms.
She was treated by paramedics and emergency air ambulance doctors but they were unable to save her.
Mrs Saunby leaves behind two six-year-old twin boys and husband Victor, who are now isolating at home and waiting to see if they have the virus.
It is not clear whether she was tested, but her family said she had contracted the virus.
The family are unable to have a proper funeral due to social distancing measures.
"No other family should have to go through what we're going though," her twin sister, Sarah Jarvis, wrote in a Facebook post.
"Every part of our family in lockdown and can't console her boys or our parents or each other."
Ms Jarvis issued a warning to those "not taking [the virus] seriously enough".
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"Our lives have been ripped apart forever by this horrendous virus," she said.
"She was 48 fit and healthy with no existing conditions and taken from us in 4 days."
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Paying tribute to her twin sister, Ms Jarvis added: "No one else in the world will ever understand the bond that Caroline and I shared from in the womb until the very last moment.
"Nothing I can write will even get close to doing her justice."
Other family members said they were "heartbroken" and described Mrs Saunby as "the most gorgeous, funny, caring and giving soul".
Her brother, Rob Huckins, said he had lost his "soul sister".
"She leaves behind a husband and 2 little boys and a big family with a huge hole in it," he wrote in a Facebook post.
A fundraising page has been set up by Mrs Saunby's neighbours to support her family and has already raised over £20,000.
A post on the page said the family is "going through hell".
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:28 Britons salute NHS heroes
"They are the most selfless amazing family I have ever know (sic)," it said.
"The next 3 months + are going to be tough enough for anyone but for this family its (sic) a lifetime."
The number of people in the UK who have died after contracting coronavirus has reached more than 2,000.
Most of those who have died have been over the age of 70, but the victims included a 13-year-old boy, as well as a 19-year-old who had no underlying health conditions.


news--2020-06-04--Coronavirus: Boris Johnson may have to self-isolate after meeting Alok Sharma on Tuesday

Boris Johnson may have to self-isolate if Alok Sharma tests positive for coronavirus after they held a meeting in Number 10 on Tuesday , Downing Street said .
The prime minister 's spokesman said Chancellor Rishi Sunak was also at the 45-minute socially-distanced meeting with the business secretary .
It took place the day before Mr Sharma had to travel home to self-isolate after being visibly unwell in the House of Commons .
Mr Sharma was seen wiping his face with a handkerchief several times and Ed Miliband , his opposite number in Labour 's shadow cabinet , passed him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday .
The Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson would follow medical advice if Mr Sharma 's test for COVID-19 comes back positive .
The spokesman said : `` ( Mr Sharma ) does not yet have his test results .
Should the secretary of state receive a positive test then he will work with the test and trace service to share information about his recent interactions .
`` He did attend a meeting in Number 10 , which took place before Cabinet .
That was a discussion on the economy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was the prime minister , the chancellor and the business secretary . ''
The Downing Street spokesperson added the government was not reconsidering its move to end virtual voting in the Commons .
Jacob Rees-Mogg defended the move in the House of Commons and said : `` It is important that while we are here , we follow the social distancing rules .
`` Looking across this chamber , and across the palace , there are marks across the palace saying the distance people should keep . ''
: : Listen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The spokesman confirmed that even those who have had COVID-19 must isolate and , when pressed on whether the prime minister would self-isolate if told to , he said : `` I would expect us to take medical advice and to follow it . ''
Mr Johnson had to self-isolate and later spent time in intensive care after contracting coronavirus earlier this year .

Boris Johnson may have to self-isolate if Alok Sharma tests positive for coronavirus after they held a meeting in Number 10 on Tuesday, Downing Street said.
The prime minister's spokesman said Chancellor Rishi Sunak was also at the 45-minute socially-distanced meeting with the business secretary.
It took place the day before Mr Sharma had to travel home to self-isolate after being visibly unwell in the House of Commons.
Mr Sharma was seen wiping his face with a handkerchief several times and Ed Miliband, his opposite number in Labour's shadow cabinet, passed him a glass of water at one point on Wednesday.
Image: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak attended the meeting with Alok Sharma on Tuesday
The Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson would follow medical advice if Mr Sharma's test for COVID-19 comes back positive.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:25 Downing Street says the Prime Minister might have to isolate for two weeks if business secretary Alok Sharma tests positive for coronavirus after they held a meeting in Number 10 on Tuesday.
The spokesman said: "(Mr Sharma) does not yet have his test results. Should the secretary of state receive a positive test then he will work with the test and trace service to share information about his recent interactions.
"He did attend a meeting in Number 10, which took place before Cabinet. That was a discussion on the economy and in terms of who was present, it was the prime minister, the chancellor and the business secretary."
The Downing Street spokesperson added the government was not reconsidering its move to end virtual voting in the Commons.
Jacob Rees-Mogg defended the move in the House of Commons and said: "It is important that while we are here, we follow the social distancing rules.
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"Looking across this chamber, and across the palace, there are marks across the palace saying the distance people should keep."
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The spokesman confirmed that even those who have had COVID-19 must isolate and, when pressed on whether the prime minister would self-isolate if told to, he said: "I would expect us to take medical advice and to follow it."
Mr Johnson had to self-isolate and later spent time in intensive care after contracting coronavirus earlier this year.