Matt Hancock calls 10,000 UK coronavirus deaths a 'sombre' landmark 

• Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday was a "sombre day" as the UK hit a record death toll of 10,621
• During the Government's daily press briefing Mr Hancock said: "Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease as we join the list of countries who have seen more than 10,000 deaths related to coronavirus.
• The UK could see "one of the worst, if not the worst" death rates on the continent
• A leading psychiatrist said the frightening experience of Covid-19 may still leave a lasting impression on Boris Johnson
• Unperturbed by all the ways in which coronavirus has rocked the cruise industry, bookings for next year are on the up
• Matt Hancock has announced a new app for NHS workers to list their symptoms of Covid-19 and help trace anyone they may have come into contact with
• The United States may be ready to start gradually reopening next month, the government's top infectious diseases expert said, as signs grew that the coronavirus pandemic was peaking

Follow the latest news in Monday's live blog

In a world turned upside down by Covid-19, officers are taking the brunt of the public’s irritation at the Government's stay at home advice.

Charlotte Graham spent a day with one force to see how its officers are enforcing the Goverment's lockdown rules.

Read the full story here.

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter today that he was resigning from his post over the implementation of a two-day curfew in major Turkish cities to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Turkey announced the weekend lockdown late on Friday, but in the brief time before it went into effect many people rushed out to buy food and drink in the country's commercial hub Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, and other cities.

The lockdown decision was taken with good intention and aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, he said. The lockdown will end at 2100 GMT on Sunday.

But Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since refused the resignation. Suleyman Soylu's resignation had not been accepted, said a statement from Erdogan. "He is going to continue to carry out his functions," he added.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, who sits on the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said that the UK could see "one of the worst, if not the worst" death rates on the continent.

His comments follow modelling from The Institute for Health Metrics (IHME) and Evaluation, based at the University of Washington in Seattle, which said Britain’s death toll could hit 66,000 - the highest in Europe - and far higher than the Imperial College prediction of around 20,000.

Sarah Knapton, Telegraph's Science Editor, has the full story here.

A leading psychiatrist said the frightening experience of Covid-19 may still leave a lasting impression on Boris Johnson.

Professor Neil Greenberg, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Health Protection Research Unit at King's College London, said some people who survive a brush with death may find they have a renewed zest for life - while others may find the trauma more difficult to recover from.

"Many people experience post traumatic growth - anything that doesn't kill us makes us stronger," Prof Greenberg said.

Prof Greenberg said people often suffer distress, poor sleep, poor concentration and nightmares in the days after a life-threatening event. During the next few weeks these symptoms usually begin to get better by themselves although for a small minority they become more persistent.

"A key point is how a person is supported after they come out," he said. "Good support, good colleagues, it makes it much more likely you will recover and have it as a positive resilience building intervention.

"Whether your decisions involve running the country or running a household, if you are unwell, your mental health will clearly make a difference...

"If you look back to World War Two and Churchill, he suffered from depression, he called it his black dog but he led our country to success. It would be wrong to say you can't lead the country to success."

US President Donald Trump has welcomed a deal by top oil-producing countries to cut output to boost plummeting oil prices due to the coronavirus crisis and a Russia-Saudi price war.

"The big Oil Deal with OPEC Plus is done. This will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States," Trump tweeted. "I would like to thank and congratulate President Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia. I just spoke to them from the Oval Office. Great deal for all!"

But the agreement to cut production by at least 10 million barrels a day may not support oil prices in the long term, an expert has warned. 

Read more by our reporter, Ed Clowes, here.

Social care staff in Scotland will receive a pay rise to equal the country's real living wage, it was announced today at the daily coronavirus briefing, chaired by Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman.

It is equal to an immediate 3.3 per cent pay increase, backdated from April 1, to at least £9.30 an hour.

Ms Freeman said in a statement: "Scotland's dedicated social care workers are on the front line of our national pandemic response. Their work is always hugely valued, and never more so than now.

"The measures we are announcing in partnership with Cosla today will ensure all people providing adult social care receive the real living wage for every hour worked with immediate effect, rather than having to wait until later in the year."

Unperturbed by all the ways in which coronavirus has rocked the cruise industry - with passengers stranded for weeks in the early days of the spread and worldwide sailings now cancelled for the foreseeable future - bookings for next year are on the up, Annabel Fenwick Elliott writes.

Read the full story here.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it would be offering advice to the NHS on ensuring its new coronavirus app protects user privacy.

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, said the app will alert other users if they have been in significant contact with someone recently who now has Covid-19 symptoms.

He said developers of the app, which is currently being tested, were working with the world's leading tech companies and experts in clinical safety and digital ethics "so that we can get this right".

EHRC chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said:

"We support the use of technology to save lives during the pandemic. At the same time it must have the appropriate safeguards in place to protect people's privacy and data.

"The right to privacy is one of our most precious rights and it is good to hear the Health Secretary give assurances of handling this information with the highest ethical standards and for the shortest period necessary.

"We will be contacting the NHS to offer our advice and assistance in what they will need to consider."

The raid took place at the offices of the Care Homes Medical Practice in Windsor Street, Salford, which cares for patients living in nursing and residential homes.

Police were called to the premises shortly before 7.50am on Sunday and discovered that a number of laptops and a quantity of petty cash had also been taken.Inquiries are ongoing.

A spokeswoman for Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are shocked and saddened that one of our community bases has been burgled and belongings stolen, including some items of PPE equipment.

"Our priority has been supporting staff based at this unit and ensuring they have access to the equipment that they need to carry out their roles.

"It's a testament to staff that service delivery has not been significantly impacted today following this incident.

"We will support Greater Manchester Police in their ongoing inquiries."

Andrea Bocelli, the Italian opera singer, performed inside the empty Milan Duomo this Easter Sunday to an audience of millions via livestream. 

Of the performance Bocelli said: “I will cherish the emotion of this unprecedented and profound experience, of this Holy Easter which this emergency has made painful, but at the same time even more fruitful, one that will stay among my dearest memories of all time."

The Andrea Bocelli Foundation has started a fundraiser to help hospitals purchase all the instruments and equipment necessary to protect their medical staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has so far raised more than 200,000 euros.

You can watch his performance below.

Paris police have caught a church holding a traditional Easter mass with dozens of worshippers, in defiance of the strict lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus.

The Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet Catholic church in the centre of Paris held an Easter mass late Saturday, police sources said, confirming a report first published by Le Point magazine.

The priest was warned and booked for not respecting the confinement rules, the source said, making him liable for a 200 euro fine.

Police had been tipped off by local residents who had heard music coming from the church. When they arrived Police found the doors of the church - known for its conservative rite and Latin mass - firmly closed. At midnight, a person came out and acknowledged to the police that there were some 40 people inside.

The worshippers themselves were not cautioned by the police, Le Point said.

Sudan has banned all passenger road transport between cities and is deploying emergency laws to ensure compliance with measures aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of confirmed cases in Sudan is low - just 19 people have tested positive including two who died - but officials struggling with an economic crisis and a severely weakened health system are eager to forestall widespread transmission of the illness.

Those violating the restrictions, breaking quarantine rules, hiding information or impeding medical treatment could now face criminal prosecution under emergency laws, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The ban on private and commercial passenger vehicles travelling between cities and states takes effect immediately, according to a statement from the ruling sovereign council.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an increase of 33,288 coronavirus cases in the US, reaching a total of 525,704. 

The number of deaths rose by 1,927 to 20,486, it added.

The numbers updated by the CDC on Sunday are not confirmed by the US state and territorial health departments, and will be modified when the tally is updated on Monday.

Aiming for herd immunity could overwhelm the NHS leading to a rise in deaths, according to an NHS Consultant Clinical Oncologist.

Clive Peedall has taken to twitter to explain why herd immunity could create more uncertainty than helping the UK get out of lockdown quicker.

"The bottom line is that we need to shut this down as quickly as possible and for as long as possible, until we get a successful vaccine. This means harsh measures at first, which are economically damaging, but future measures to deal with wave 2 and 3 could be less harsh," he said.

Mountain rescuers have urged people to stay at home after a three-hour late-night operation to assist an injured woman on moorland.

Oldham Mountain Rescue Team (OMRT) said it was called out by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) on Saturday to help them recover the casualty who had hurt her leg "whilst out enjoying the Easter sun".

A team of 18 personnel were involved in responding to the incident on Blackstone Edge near Littleborough, Rochdale.

The full statement on its Facebook page, OMRT, can be read below.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that today marked "a sombre day" as the UK lost 10,000 people to coronavirus.

The death toll in France from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 14,393 from 13,832 a day earlier, the French public health authority have said.

How France compares to other European countries:

Spain is "far from victory" in its fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has warned, as the country's death toll from the pandemic rose again after falling for three days in a row.

The nation registered 619 new deaths in the last 24 hours from Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 16,972, the health ministry said, the highest in the world after the United States and Italy. The toll was 510 on Saturday, the lowest since March 23.

But the number of new infections continued its slow, rising by 4,167 to 166,019, a smaller increase than was recorded on Saturday.

French business leaders are lobbying the government to allow the economy to restart while the country tackles the coronavirus, expressing fears of irreparable damage to the economy from a prolonged shutdown, David Chazan reports from Paris.

The Medef employers’ federation, the equivalent of the CBI, says France may have to suspend labour laws after the lockdown is lifted to allow businesses to get up and running. Longer working hours and shorter holidays will be essential, it argues.

Emmanuel Macron, the centrist French president, has signalled that his pro-business economic reforms are on hold. However, Mr Macron is expected to announce on Monday an extension of France’s lockdown until at least May 15.

Xavier Bertrand, the influential conservative president of the northern French region encompassing Calais, said: “We can’t give equal weight to the disease and the economy. Saving lives is more important.”

Some parts of the US economy could have a "rolling reentry" as early as next month, the Government's top health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said.

He said it could be possible to restart the economy provided health authorities can quickly identify and isolate coronavirus cases.

He added a gradual process will be required based on the status of the pandemic in various parts of the US and the availability of rapid, widespread testing. Once the number of people who are seriously ill sharply declines, officials can begin to "think about a gradual reentry of some sort of normality, some rolling reentry," Dr Fauci said.

In some places, he said, that might occur as soon as May. "We are hoping that, at the end of the month, we could look around and say, OK, is there any element here that we can safely and cautiously start pulling back on? If so, do it. If not, then just continue to hunker down," DR Fauci said.

Dr Fauci also said he "can't guarantee" that it will be safe for Americans to vote in person on Election Day, on November 3.

Covid-19 deaths in Italy have risen by 431 today, down from 619 the previous day, while the number of new cases slowed to 4,092 from a previous 4,694.

The tally of deaths was the lowest daily rise since March 19.

The total death toll now stands at 19,899, the Civil Protection Agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.

Matt Hancock has announced a new app for NHS workers to list their symptoms of Covid-19 and help trace anyone they may have come into contact with.

The app uses Bluetooth to track contacts, according to Professor Keith Neal, Emeritus Professor in the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Nottingham, and could be a "route out of lockdown".

Prof Neal said:

“From what I know from other countries the app uses Bluetooth to identify other phones with the app when the two phones have been close to each other in the last 14 days. Each app user has a unique identifier. If someone tests positive then they use their app to inform the system of having tested positive. 

"The system then alerts all the phone users who have been in close contact with the unique identifier of the case to self-isolate and get tested...

“Even with only testing clinical cases in hospital it will still identify some of  those at risk. With widespread testing it will work much better. The more users of the app the better. An option is having the app as an early route out of lockdown allowing app users less restrictions..."

On the topic of overseas doctors and immigration policy Mr Hancock says the special NHS visa had been introduced "precisely as a reflection" of the respect shown to those that had come from overseas to work for the health service.

He adds:

"Yesterday I highlighted the fact that tragically a disproportionate number of those in the NHS that have died are people who came to make their lives here and work in the NHS and have given their lives working in the NHS and I pay tribute to them.

"I think it's fair to say that my admiration for those who work in the NHS, whether they come from overseas or were born here, it doesn't matter, my admiration is unparalleled.

"At this moment the fact that it's so obvious to them that the nation really values their work, from the Prime Minister down.

"I think that is the most important message we can give them as they take the brave steps as they do each day of going into work to tackle the virus."

Mr Hancock is asked if 20,000 or fewer deaths is achievable for the UK.

He says: "The future path of this pandemic in this country is determined by how people act and that is why it is so important that people follow the social distancing guidelines."

He adds: "Predictions are not possible precisely because they depend on the behaviour of the British people."

Prof Doyle says she would "absolutely agree" with the Health Secretary. 

"At the moment, at this stage of the epidemic, by far the most important thing we can do is social distancing, breaking the chain of transmission and shielding the most vulnerable," she says.

Mr Hancock says they are looking into "each circumstance" where a NHS worker has died after testing positive for the coronavirus. 

He adds he does not have an updated figured of 19 NHS workers who have now died. 

"We (will) get to the bottom of each individual case and learn everything we can so we can better protect people in the future," Mr Hancock says. 

Matt Hancock says the care sector will get regular testing - "that is coming," he says.

"This is an area of incredibly high important because... some of the most vulnerable people live in care homes especially nursing homes... getting this right is so important," he says.

He adds they will be expanding testing capacity to both staff and residents at care homes and nursing homes.

Taking questions from the media, the Health Secretary has stressed there is "good news" as the curve in new cases is flattening.

Mr Hancock says: "The good news is, we have managed to start to see a flattening of the curve because people are following the social distancing measures."

Yvonne Doyle, Director of Health Protection for Public Health England, has said the pattern of hospital admissions for Covid-19 in London is now "stabilising".

In the North West, Yorkshire and the North East, they are starting to rise, she adds.

Urging people to stick to social distancing rules she says: "We are certainly not past this virus damage yet."

Mr Hancock says 40,812 NHS and social care staff and their families have now been tested for the coronavirus.

He adds they are today launching an app for NHS workers who have shown symptoms, to help trace those they have been in contact with.

Outlining the app he says: "If you become unwell with symptoms of the coronavirus you can securely tell this new NHS app and the app will then send an alert, anonymously, to other app users that you've been in significant contact with over the last few days - even before you had symptoms so that they know and can act accordingly."

The Health Secretary addresses the issue of access to PPE for NHS staff. He refers to the PPE Plan, which was published on Friday, and says they are delivering "millions" of items around the country daily.

On gowns, he says in the last two days they've delivered 121,000 gowns with more going out today and in the following week.

"We're working very hard to resolve all of these individual logistical challenges," he says.

He adds the average time for dealing with PPE queries has been cut form 6 days in March, to 2.5 days over the past week. 

He also thanks the "sheer number of businesses" who have volunteered to help produce PPE and have taken part in this "Herculean effort".

Matt Hancock has said despite predictions, the NHS has not become overwhelmed by the corornavirus.

There are currently 2,295 spare critical care beds, he says.

He says: "We have always been able to provide the very best of care to everybody who needs it through the NHS.

"At the start of this crisis people said the NHS would be overwelmed and we've seen that and we've the seen the risk of that elsewhere but not here. That is because of the action of a huge number of people have taken, the incredible work of so many."

He adds the NHS now has:

• 9,775 ventilators
• Over 5,000 former NHS staff back on the frontline
• 36,000 people have come forward to enlist 

Matt Hancock begins today's press conference by updating the nation on the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.

He says: "Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease as we join the list of countries who have seen more than 10,000 deaths related to coronavirus.

"The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious coronavirus is and why the national effort that everyone is engaged in is so important."

UK figures:

• 282,374 people tested
• 84,279 positive cases
• 19,945 admitted to hospital
• 10,612 deaths 

The Government's daily update on the coronavirus is due to begin at 4pm.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, is expected to lead the press briefing. 

You can watch the live broadcast above, and follow along for updates here.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths announced so far by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has passed 400.

As of 5pm on April 11, the trust had announced 404 deaths, according to figures from NHS England.

This is the highest number for any trust in England.

Four other trusts have announced between 200 and 300 deaths:

• London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (272 deaths)
• The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (267)
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (237)
• Barts Health NHS Trust (230)

A further 22 trusts have announced between 100 and 200 deaths.

A total of 10,612 patients who were hospitalised in the UK with coronavirus have now died, the Department of Health have said. 

84,279 people have also tested positive for the virus, after 282,374 people were tested.

 See more on The Telegraph's Live Tracker here.

Stanley Johnson praised the NHS for the care they gave his son at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

He added: "I realise now - I think the whole country realises - how close he came to a crisis situation and it is wonderful he has come out of that crisis.

"It is wonderful that the national health service was able to help him and I think he has also paid tribute to them.

"Our thoughts are with everybody, not only those who are fighting the battle against coronavirus, but those who are suffering from it."

The Prime Minister said he had personally "seen the pressure the NHS is under" while at St Thomas' Hospital in central London for the past week.

"In the last seven days, I have of course seen the pressure that the NHS is under," he said in his video message.

"I have seen the personal courage not just of the doctors and nurses but of everyone - the cleaners, the cooks, the health care workers of every description. Physios, radiographers, pharmacists - who have kept coming to work, kept putting themselves in harm's way, kept risking this deadly virus.

"It is thanks to that courage, that devotion, that duty and that love that our NHS has been unbeatable."

Boris Johnson has thanked the NHS staff who worked to save his life while he was admitted to hospital with the coronavirus.

He said: "If I mention two nurses in particular who stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way.

"Jenny from New Zealand, Invercargill on the South Island to be exact, and Luis from Portgual, near Porto.

"And the reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed."

The Prime Minister has sent a message of thanks after being discharged from hospital after suffering from the coronavirus.

In a video message he said: "It is hard to find the words to express my debt to the NHS for saving my life."

He added, "the efforts of millions of people across this country to stay home are worth it", adding: "Together we will overcome this challenge, as we have overcome so many challenges in the past. "

Plaster technician Kevin Smith, who worked at Doncaster Royal Infirmary for more than 35 years, has died after contracting coronavirus.

Richard Parker, chief executive at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: "I am utterly heartbroken to share the news that Kevin Smith, a well-respected and hugely popular member of our team, has sadly passed away following a brief, but courageous, battle with Covid-19.

"A plaster technician at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and a valued member of the team for over 35 years, Kev, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was renowned for his warm personality, diligence and compassion."

Figures from the world of comedy and TV have paid tribute to Tim Brooke-Taylor following his death aged 79.

David Mitchell, another Footlights president, said the world had been "robbed" of a talented performer.

He tweeted: "This is terribly sad news. He was a wonderful comedian and a really lovely man and I feel honoured to have known and worked with him. The world has been robbed - he had years more joy to give."

Little Britain star David Walliams recalled The Goodies' influence on him as a boy.

He tweeted: "I was obsessed with 'The Goodies' as a child, the first comedy show I really loved. I queued up to get the Goodies' autographs as a grown-up, and got to meet Tim Brooke-Taylor more recently at a party.

"I was in total awe, but he was so kind & generous. It is so sad he is gone."

You can read the full story here.

A group of African ambassadors in China have lodged a complaint to Beijing over racist discrimination against Africans in southern China, treatment the US says has also impacted African-Americans. 

Some Africans in Guangzhou, a commercial hub close to Hong Kong, have been evicted by landlords, had their passports seized, forced to undergo virus testing, and removed from hotels in the middle of the night. 

You can read the full story here from Sophia Yan, our China correspondent.

NHS England said on Sunday a further 657 people have died in hospital in England after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total deaths to 9,594, and over 10,000 for the UK as a whole.

Patients were aged between 26 and 100 years old and 42 of the 657 patients (aged between 30 and 98 years old) had no known underlying health condition.

The full figures for the number of UK deaths will be released by the Department for Health and Social Care later today.

Dr Philippa Whitford, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Vaccinations for All, has written a cross-party letter calling for the UK government to ensure equitable access to any COVID-19 vaccine.

The letter has been signed by MPs and Peers from all political parties in Westminster and calls on the UK government to ensure any publicly funded vaccine is available on an open-access basis so developing countries can afford to purchase, and indeed, produce the vaccine at a reasonable cost. 

Dr Philippa Whitford MP said: “When Scottish pharmacist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, he recognised it was an incredible health breakthrough that should be widely available. He gave up the opportunity to amass personal wealth and, instead, transferred the patent to the UK and US governments.

“In that same spirit, the UK government must work cooperatively with the rest of the world and ensure that any COVID-19 vaccine will not be patented, to create a monopoly, but allow equitable access across the world.

“We have seen the speed with which COVID-19 has spread across the world, so failure to control or eliminate it in developing countries would just see the virus returning to cause further epidemics in the future."

Easter service looked a bit different for Relevant Church in Clover, South Carolina, US as the state's lockdown amid the global pandemic was underway.

The congregation met in a car park and listened to Pastor Matt Mcgarity's sermon on an FM radio station from their cars that were carefully spaced apart.

You can read more here.

Public Health Wales said a further 367 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,297.

Dr Giri Shankar, from Public Health Wales, said: "367 new cases have tested positive for Covid-19 in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,297, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.

"Eighteen further deaths have been reported to us of people who had tested positive for Covid-19, taking the number of deaths in Wales to 369.

"We offer our condolences to families and friends affected, and we ask those reporting on the situation to respect patient confidentiality."

The actor, best known as part of the 1970s comic trio, died on Sunday morning and is survived by his wife Christine.

Mr Brooke-Taylor began his acting career at Cambridge University where he was president of the famed Footlights performing arts club.

It was as one of The Goodies, alongside Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, that he found international fame, earning household name status in Australia and New Zealand and attracting millions of viewers in its heyday.

His Goodies co-star Garden said he was "terribly saddened by the loss of a dear colleague and close friend of over 50 years".

He said in a statement: "Tim and I met at Cambridge University in the early 1960s and have enjoyed working together almost constantly from that time onwards, on radio, stage, and TV.

"He was a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with. Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable.

"His loss at this dreadful time is particularly hard to bear, and my thoughts are with Christine, Ben, Edward and their families."

Ms Symonds, who expecting the couple's first child, said: "I will never, ever be able to repay you and I will never stop thanking you."

Boris Johnson has been discharged from St Thomas' Hospital after being admitted after his condition worsened after contracting coronavirus.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers.

"On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work. 

"He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care. All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.” 

Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, Chair, Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge, said:

"Although reporting delays make it difficult to track the epidemic with confidence, we appear to be following a slightly worse trajectory than Italy and it is plausible that we might end up with the most in-hospital Covid deaths in Europe."

The comedian and actor Tim Brooke-Taylor has died after contracting coronavirus, his agent said. He was 79.

He was perhaps best known as one of the comedy trio The Goodies alongside Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, as well as his contributions to Radio 4. 

Following our post at 08:47, Dr Alison Pittard, dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said that the NHS was not going to run out of medicines to treat patients and that care will not be compromised.

She said that medics have been issued new guidance telling them to use alternatives which were "perfectly safe for patients".

Dr Pittard added: "We are not going to run out of drugs to treat patients, that's the bottom line.

"We may do things differently, but patient care won't be compromised because we have to change the choice of drug.

"I want to reassure the public - we know what we are doing, we are working together, we know what the situation is, and we are making sure they are our first priority."

Dr Pittard said: "There may be shortages of specific drugs but there are always alternatives in the same class that although staff will need to slightly modify their practice, they will be perfectly safe for patients."

Prof Keith Neal, Emeritus Professor in the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Nottingham, said:

“The daily trend in the UK appears to be slowing but we need another week to be sure especially with possible reporting delays over the holiday period.

“The number of deaths by country within Europe where health services have not been totally overloaded except in Italy reflect how long their epidemic has been going on for, (not how long it has been recognised), and other factors such as social mixing and family structures.

“It is likely that the UK will have one of the largest number of total deaths solely because we have the second largest population in Western Europe and EU countries, only Germany has a larger population.

The important figure is the death rate per million and the total number of deaths.  On this count Belgium seems to be heading for a serious problem like Italy and Spain.” 

Justin Welby delivered his first digital Easter Sunday service from his kitchen in London.

"Welcome to the kitchen of our home on Easter Day," he said.

"At this very difficult time in the life of the nation and of the world, our prayers today are especially with those who are suffering, with those who care for them, and for all who mourn."

The service was pre-recorded on the Archbishop's iPad, with him wearing full robes and having set up a makeshift altar on his dining table

The Labour leader said the Government must outline its exit strategy for the next 12 months and insisted Parliament must be recalled "as soon as possible".]

Keir Starmer demanded "urgent talks" with the Government to discuss how MPs can put questions to ministers given the rising death toll and concerns over personal protective equipment supplies to NHS staff, among other issues.

However Parliament remains on course to return on April 21, a date agreed by MPs before the Easter recess.

A spokesman for Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ""Parliament will return on April 21 to fulfil its essential constitutional functions of conducting scrutiny, authorising spending and making laws.

"In these unprecedented times, technological solutions have already been implemented for select committees and options are being prepared for the Speaker, the Government and other parties to consider next week.

"It is important that we have a comprehensive solution that does not inadvertently exclude any members."

Pope Francis offered a Easter Sunday prayer for those killed and suffering from a novel coronavirus that has killed more than 100,000 people worldwide.

"Today my thoughts turn in the first place to the many who have been directly affected by the coronavirus: the sick, those who have died and family members who mourn the loss of their loved ones, to whom, in some cases, they were unable even to bid a final farewell," the pope said in a livestreamed message from an empty Saint Peter's Basilica.

Cardiac patients could be putting their lives at risk during the coronavirus pandemic, doctors are warning as some patients appear to be avoiding hospitals and pharmacies because of Covid-19 fears.

Doctors at Morriston Hospital in Swansea are now urging them to continue their treatment plans, or they could become seriously ill.

Four people who had previously had stents fitted have ended up back in hospital in the last week because they did not take vital medication.

Others are believed to be failing to seek medical advice while suffering chest pains at home, a potential sign of a heart attack which if untreated can worsen.

Morriston has a cardiac centre which carries out around 750 heart operations a year and thousands of other procedures such as angioplasties - which use balloons and stents to open blocked heart arteries.

But there has been a noticeable drop-off in the number of patients attending the centre since the Covid-19 outbreak, the hospital said.

Earlier today Jeremy Farrar said it was possible the UK could end up with the worst coronavirus death rate in Europe.

This just in from Abbie Cheeseman in Beirut:

The streets of Iran began to re-open yesterday as “low-risk” business activities resumed across most of the country.

Shops, factories, workshops and government offices outside of the capital began to re-open on Saturday as President Rouhani urged Iranians to seriously respect social distancing and other health protocols. Similar businesses in Tehran are expected to follow suit next week.

In Qom, the holy city of 1.2 million that was the early epicentre of the virus in the Middle East, some 24,000 businesses are expected to re-open.

The Islamic Republic is the worst affected country in the region and over the past months has been internationally accused of underplaying the extent of the spread of the virus.

Schools, universities and public gatherings are still banned along with “high-risk” businesses such as shopping centres, theatres, restaurants and beauty salons.

A frustrated nurse was compelled to confront a group of people sitting in a park during the coronavirus lockdown in the UK.

Louise Ann, an NHS nurse, called the people "idiots" and stressed that she had two children to protect who live with her nearby.

More on our post from 11:00, Spain's daily death toll from the coronavirus rose to 619, after falling for three straight days.

The daily toll was from 510 on Saturday, compared with a record 950 deaths as recently as April 2.

Although health chiefs say the pandemic has peaked, they have urged the population to strictly follow a national lockdown which was put in place on March 14 in order to slow the spread of the virus.

The restrictions - which prevent people from going outside except to go to work if they can not do so from home, buy food, seek medicine and briefly walk their dog - will remain in place until April 25 although the government has made clear it expects to announce another two-week extension.

More than 75,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Europe, with 80 percent of the fatalities occurring in Italy, Spain, France and Britain, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

With a total of 75,011 deaths from 909,673 infections, Europe is the hardest-hit continent for recorded deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed at least 109,133 people worldwide.

The most affected countries in Europe are as follows:

1. Italy with 19,468 deaths
2. Spain with 16,972
3. France with 13,832
4. Britain with 9,875
5. Belgium with 3,600

Click here to see how the number of cases and deaths of coronavirus has spread across the globe.

Australian scientists are conducting a clinical trial involving hundreds of health workers to test if a tuberculosis vaccine can boost immunity to Covid-19.

The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) has been researching the effects of the vaccine, known as the Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine (BCG), for some time.

While designed to protect people against tuberculosis, the vaccine has also been shown to improve immunity to other infections.

More than 353,000 people have been tested in Australia, and the country has lost 59 people to the virus.

Professor Steven Wesselingh, SAHMRI executive director, said

“Trial participants, who will be randomly allocated to either receive the vaccine or be in a control group, will be monitored for symptoms and receive testing where indicated,” he said.

“The trial will provide key evidence that could prove invaluable in both the current fight against COVID-19 and future novel viral outbreaks.”

According to Spanish health officials, there have been a further 619 reported covid-19 deaths in the country.

As the NHS battles to spread knowledge of how to fight Covid-19, the free messaging service WhatsApp is playing a crucial role.

Henry Bodkin, our health and science corespondent has this:

On Friday March 13, three days before the UK government abandoned its strategy to “contain” coronavirus, an unnamed doctor, probably in the US, took a call from an intensive care specialist on the frontline of the outbreak in Lombardy, Northern Italy.

Within days, a 15-point memo setting out in chilling detail the scale of the challenge they were shortly to face had flashed onto the mobile phone screens of hundreds of NHS staff.

You can read his full piece here.

More on our post at 09:24 that only 1.4% of the 300,000 applications for business support had been processed, here is how the UK is lagging behind other European countries.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said it was "probably inevitable" that there would be future waves of coronavirus across Britain without a vaccine in place. "It is my view that treatment and vaccines are our only true exit strategy from this," he told the BBC.

"We are determined that we don't go through this ever again and I think the chances of second and third waves of this epidemic are probably inevitable.

"And therefore having the right treatments to save lives and also having a vaccine in the future is going to be absolutely critical to prevent those second and third waves."

On the prospect of a vaccine, he added: "The vaccine I think will be available during the autumn of this year but that will not be at the scale required to vaccinate maybe billions of people around the world."

Justin Welby issued a stark warning today

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said it was possible the UK could end up with the worst coronavirus death rate in Europe.

"Numbers in the UK have continued to go up," Sir Jeremy told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"And yes, the UK is likely to be certainly one of the worst, if not the worst affected country in Europe."

He said continuing testing in the community would "buy you time" to deal with the crisis, giving an additional six to eight weeks to ensure health systems were up to capacity.

"Undoubtedly there are lessons to learn from that," Sir Jeremy said.

Told there could be austerity in future to pay off spending connected to the coronavirus crisis, Keir Starmer warned such a policy had caused "great harm" since 2010.

He added: "What we can't have is another decade of austerity on top of this decade of austerity - just look what it's done to the health service, public services, social care, all of these areas that are now so being relied on have been cut for 10 years."

On what Labour's approach would be, Sir Keir went on: "We may well have to raise taxes, of course, but you're asking me a question that nobody can realistically answer because we don't yet know what the damage to the economy is going to be."

Sir Keir said "pretending" he could answer what would be needed in 2024 is "not something I'm going to do", noting: "But it is clear we're going to have to take a different approach."

Labour's newly appointed shadow foreign secretary said that the Government needs to "level" with the public about how we will be getting out of lockdown.

Speaking to BBC's Andrew Marr, Lisa Nandy, said that the people need to know the route out of these measures so that they can "prepare" for returning to normal life.

The London Mayor encouraged Christians to "have hope" over the Easter weekend despite not being able to celebrate with loved ones due to the UK lockdown.

"In these tough times, I believe we can draw strength from the Easter story of Jesus's resurrection and from the selfless examples that he set, he said in a video posted to Twitter.

"Easter is not a time to despair but a time to have hope and I've been inspired by how our Christian community has responded to this crisis, donating to foodbanks, supporting the most vulnerable and checking up on older Londoners."

Addressing concerns that only 1.4% of the 300,000 applications for business support had been processed, Alok Sharma said he had held conversations with lenders to speed up loan payouts.

Speaking to Sky News, the business secretary said: "I have spent the last couple of days talking directly to some of the largest lenders who are part of this scheme.

"I am very clear to say to them, we need to get money out of the door as soon as possible and they understand that and banks know on this occasion why they have to be part of the solution and they want to be part of the solution."

Mr Sharma said £800 million had been paid out as part of 4,200 loans under the coronavirus business support measures.

Asked whether he was worried, the Business Secretary said: "Well, of course.

"It is not just a question of me being worried - I completely understand the concerns that businesses have."

Justin Welby delivered his first digital Easter Sunday service from his kitchen in London.

"Welcome to the kitchen of our home on Easter Day," he said.

"At this very difficult time in the life of the nation and of the world, our prayers today are especially with those who are suffering, with those who care for them, and for all who mourn."

The service was pre-recorded on the Archbishop's iPad, with him wearing full robes and having set up a makeshift altar on his dining table

He was joined "virtually" by bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkins and a 10-year-old parishioner named Theo from the diocese of Canterbury.

Mr Sharma refused to apologise specifically over the supply of PPE, saying that he was "sorry for the loss of any life during this pandemic".

Pressed on Sky News, the Business Secretary said: "It is our job to make sure we get that health care equipment, that PPE, out to them.

"Right now, your viewers will be asking does the Government have a plan to get this PPE out to the front line and the answer is, yes we do have a plan.

"We are putting that in place, with millions of pieces of PPE kit going out to the front line. Of course, we need to be doing even more."

More on our post from 09:04, the business secretary, Alok Sharma, asked about the Royal College of Nursing advising members to refuse to treat patients if they do not have adequate personal protective equipment to use, said health workers should not be put in such a position.

He told Sky News: "It is absolutely right that no medical professional should be placed in a position where they have to make that choice.

"That for me is self-evident. That is why we are making sure we get the equipment to the front line."

He added: "In a normal circumstance, you would have us providing PPE to about 233 hospital trusts across the country.

"We are not talking about supplying 58,000 NHS and social care settings.

"That is a huge increase and on top of that, there is huge global demand for PPE and that does put a squeeze on supply."

Alok Sharma refused to say whether it was right for the Government to allow the Cheltenham horse racing festival to go ahead when the daily coronavirus-related death rate in Italy had reached 200 people.

Speaking to Sky News's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, he said: "We have followed the scientific and medical advice and we continue to do that.

"The Scientific Advisory Group (Sage) which advises the Government is meeting next week and they will look at the evidence that is in place and, of course, we need to wait until we are past the peak and, as the chief medical officer has said, we don't know when that will be."

Pictures of Cheltenham have been repeatedly used on social media to chastise the Government for not imposing tougher measures sooner.

Nurses have been told that they can refuse treatment for Covid-19 patients as a "last resort" if they are not given correct protective equipment.

The Royal College of Nursing issues guidance to prevent more deaths of NHS staff stating that if PPE cannot be supplied, nurses could refuse to work

A spokesman for the union said: "For nursing staff, this will go against every instinct. But their safety must not be compromised."

"This will be a last resort and the RCN recognises what a difficult step this would be for nursing staff."

The Royal College said it would provide legal aid to those making the "enormously difficult decision" as it warned that some nurses could face prosecution for corporate manslaughter.

It said that the choice of refusing to work, nurses should prepare for attempts to sack them.

Key medicines used to treat patients in intensive care are in "relatively short supply."

This includes anaesthetic medicines which have become "a bit stretched", according to he Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Speaking to the BBC, ones consultant told the BBC that alternatives are being used in the Midlands after supplies started "running low."

Dr Ron Daniels, said: "We are also in short supply of noradrenaline, used to treat life-threateningly low blood pressure, and are now using these drugs only on people who really need them and using older drugs on people who need less intensive support."

Dr Daniels admitted that the quality of care for patients in ICU wards would "likely be lower" in the peak of the crisis, not just for coronavirus patients.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association, said: "Without this medication, doctors have no choice but to try to find substitutes."

"This may affect how long patients remain on ventilators, which are in short supply, as well as ultimately impacting their chances of recovery," he added. "This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency."

The UK is giving £65 million in aid to the World Health Organisation to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

It is part of a broader £200 million package, with the rest of the money going to charities such as the International Red Cross.

It comes days after US President Donald Trump threatened to pull funding from WHO.

The UK’s Department for International Development said today that the funding would help prevent the virus from spreading in developing countries and sparking a second rise of infections in the UK.

“The United Kingdom’s generous contribution is a strong statement that this is a global threat that demands a global response," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 

"WHO is deeply grateful to the government and people of the United Kingdom for their generous contribution.”

The new measures take the amount of UK aid to tackle the virus to £744 million.

“Coronavirus does not respect country borders so our ability to protect the British public will only be effective if we strengthen the healthcare systems of vulnerable developing countries too,” International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said.

Christians celebrated Easter Sunday under coronavirus lockdown in many countries with church pews empty and Pope Francis set to break with centuries of tradition by taking his Easter mass online.

Indonesia has imposed curbs on public transport ahead of the annual exodus to home villages that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the government said on Sunday.

About 75 million Indonesians usually stream home from bigger cities at the end of Ramadan, due this year at the end of May, but health experts have warned against a surge in cases after a slow government response masked the scale of the outbreak.

Public buses, trains, airplanes and ships will be allowed to fill only half their passenger seats, under a new regulation that also limits occupation of a private car to just half the seats, while a motorcycle may be ridden only by one person.

Germany's number of confirmed coronavirus infections rose by 2,821 on Sunday to 120,479, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

That was lower than a 4,133 increase reported on Saturday, and marked the second decline after four days of increases. The reported death toll rose by 129 to 2,673.

Fish and vegetable merchants are reopening stalls at wet markets in China's central city of Wuhan as it lifts a months-long lockdown against the pandemic, but their future looks uncertain with few customers as the virus stigma persists.

The virus, which has infected 1.7 million people and killed more than 108,000, is believed to have originated late last year among wild animals on sale in a seafood market in Wuhan that has been closed and boarded up since January.

That has prompted heavy scrutiny for wet markets, a key facet of China's daily life, even though only a few sell wildlife. Some US officials have called for them, and others across Asia, to be closed.

 India and other South Asian countries are likely to record their worst growth performance in four decades this year due to the outbreak, the World Bank said on Sunday.

The South Asian region, comprising eight countries, is likely to show economic growth of 1.8% to 2.8% this year, the World Bank said in its South Asia Economic Focus report, well down from the 6.3% it projected six months ago.

India's economy, the region's biggest, is expected to grow 1.5% to 2.8% in the fiscal year that started on April 1. The World Bank has estimated it will grow 4.8% to 5% in the fiscal year that ended on March 31.

The World Bank also forecast that Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will also see sharp falls in economic growth.

Three other countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives - are expected to fall into recession, the World Bank said in the report, which was based on country-level data available as of April 7.

As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat patients, some doctors are moving away from using the breathing machines when they can.

The reason: Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients.

The evolving treatments highlight the fact that doctors are still learning the best way to manage a virus that emerged only months ago. They are relying on anecdotal, real-time data amid a crush of patients and shortages of basic supplies.

• South Korea reported 32 additional cases over the past 24 hours, a continued downward trend in new infections in the country
• Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has extended a nationwide quarantine for another 30 days
• The number of cases on the nation's largest Native American reservation jumped by 17% on Saturday as the Navajo Nation prepared to get new rapid-test kits
• China on Sunday reported another 99 virus cases, all but two of them in the province of Heilongjiang bordering on Russia
• New Zealand has reported only 18 new cases  and no more deaths on Sunday as strict rules on social isolation showed further signs of slowing the spread of the disease
• The US city of Louisville cannot halt a drive-in church service planned for Easter, a federal judge ruled
• For the third day in a row, less patients entered France's intensive care units for treatment, according to the nation's medical chief

 Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has apparently followed through on a promise to help people going hungry in the shutdown, with social media images showing boxes of essential items prepped for delivery.

"Please don't go to sleep with an empty stomach," Kyrgios, the world number 40, posted on Instagram Monday.

"Don't be afraid or embarrassed to send me a private message. I will be more than happy to share whatever I have.

"Even just for a box of noodles, a loaf of bread or milk. I will drop it off at your doorstep, no questions asked!" he said in a post that attracted almost 100,000 likes.

His mother, Norlaila Kyrgios, posted on Instagram over the weekend a photo of a table laden with food - including bread, fruit and canned goods - with the caption "dining room or food distribution centre".

 Japan's prime minister is sending the "stay home" message by example by posting on Twitter a video clip of him sitting at home.

In a one-minute video posted on Sunday, an expressionless Shinzo Abe cuddles his dog, reads a book, sips from a cup and clicks on a remote.

Popular singer and actor Gen Hoshino is also featured in the video on a split screen, strumming on a guitar while at home. Hoshino performs his song advocating social distancing, which goes: "Let's survive and dance, each one of us, wherever we are, all of us as one, let's sing at home."

 North Korea called for stricter and more thorough countermeasures to ensure the safety of its citizens from the fast-spreading outbreak at a political bureau meeting of the ruling party's central committee, which was presided over by its leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported on Sunday.

The Korean Central News Agency said the widespread virus has created obstacles to the country's effort in its economic construction, though it added the country "has been maintaining (a) very stable anti-epidemic situation" thanks to its "strict top-class emergency anti-epidemic measures ... consistency and compulsoriness in the nationwide protective measures."

A World Health Organization Representative to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea told Reuters on Tuesday that the country continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine but still had no confirmed cases yet.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has issued an urgent call for world leaders to come together to fight Covid-19 and ensure that protective equipment, new treatments and vaccines are equitably distributed.

The move comes amid fears that a vacuum in global leadership will prolong the pandemic and greatly magnify its human and economic toll.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Gates, calls for a “global approach” to fighting the disease and warns if the virus is left to spread through developing nations unhindered it will rebound and hit richer nations in subsequent waves.

Read the full story

The US recorded 1,920 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 pm Saturday (0030 GMT Sunday).

The number of fatalities was lower than the previous day's record toll of 2,108.

The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 20,506 people in the US, the most of any country.

The US also leads the world in the number of confirmed infections, with 527,111 by the Baltimore-based school's count.

More than 100 Australian and New Zealand passengers of the Antarctic cruise ship the Greg Mortimer, most of whom infected by the coronavirus, arrived in Melbourne early Sunday on a flight from Uruguay.

The plane with 112 passengers, including 96 Australians, was boarded immediately after arrival by medical staff in hazmat suits. Thirteen of 16 New Zealanders were transferred to a charter flight home.

The operator of the Greg Mortimer, Aurora Expeditions, confirmed this week that 128 of 217 passengers have tested positive. Uruguay foreign minister Ernesto Talvi said two Australian passengers remain in intensive care in a Montevideo hospital.

The ship was stranded in Uruguay for more than two weeks after leaving Argentina on March 15 for a 16-day return trip to Antarctica.

 Mainland China reported 99 new confirmed cases on April 11, including 97 involving travellers from overseas, up from a total of 46 new cases a day earlier, China's National Health Commission said on Sunday.

The commission said in a statement that 63 new asymptomatic cases were reported on April 11, up from 34 the previous day.

Mainland China's tally of infections now stands at 82,052, while the death toll stands at 3,339. 

 Puerto Rico's governor announced on Saturday that the US territory will remain on lockdown until May 3 to curb coronavirus cases, marking one of the strictest measures taken in a US jurisdiction.

Gov. Wanda Vazquez said non-essential businesses will remain closed and that people have to remain indoors from 9 pm to 5 am, leaving outside those hours only to buy food or medicine or go to the bank. However, she lifted all license plate restrictions and said hardware stores and car repair shops can operate twice a week on limited schedules.

Everyone is still required to wear a face mask to enter any business as Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez warned that the peak of cases is not expected until early May.

"We cannot lower our guard," he said. "We have not seen the worst of it."

Puerto Rico has reported more than 780 confirmed cases and at least 42 deaths

• The US becomes the country worst hit by the coronavirus, both in terms of recorded cases and deaths
• More than 107,000 people have died worldwide in 193 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally 
• Unclaimed bodies of US victims are being buried in unmarked mass graves on Hart Island in New York, officials confirm
• The World Health Organization warns that prematurely lifting lockdown restrictions could spark a dangerous resurgence of the disease
• Iran allows small businesses outside the capital to reopen, and Iranians in several provinces report a significant increase in cars on the roads as people go back to work
• India announces an extension of its nationwide lockdown, keeping citizens confined for two more weeks
• Latin America's biggest airline, the Brazilian-Chilean group LATAM, announces it is suspending all international flights until May
• Austria aims to reopen small shops on Tuesday. Spain, with more than 16,300 dead, plans to allow workers in some nonessential industries to return to factories and construction sites on Monday
• Italy continued to include all nonessential manufacturing in an extension of its national lockdown until May 3
• In Indonesia, inmates set fire to a prison on Sulawesi island during a riot, apparently angry over restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus
• Pope Francis celebrated an Easter vigil Mass in an empty St. Peter's Basilica, where the footsteps of the pontiff and his small entourage on the marble floor could be heard clearly as they walked in slow procession toward the altar

Elderly people may have to be kept isolated until the end of the year to protect them from the coronavirus, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in comments published on Sunday.

"Without a vaccine, we have to limit as much as possible contact with the elderly," she told the Germany daily Bild.

"I know it's difficult and that isolation is a burden, but it is a question of life or death, we have to remain disciplined and patient," she added.

"Children and young people will enjoy more freedom of movement earlier than elderly people and those with pre-existing medical conditions," she said.

She said she hoped that a European laboratory will develop a vaccine towards the end of the year.

• A further 917 people have died from coronavirus in the UK in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals to 9,875
• NHS hospitals are on the brink of running out of gowns to protect medics from coronavirus
• Downing Street has said the Prime Minister "continues to make good progress" in his recovery from Covid-19
• In her first Easter message, the Queen urged Britain to take heart from its Christian message of light overcoming darkness
• NHS hospitals are trialing an anti-malaria drug endorsed by Donald Trump to treat coronavirus
• Lawyers have warned police risk civil action for overzealous enforcement during lockdown
• A  German epidemiologist who predicted the coronavirus crisis in Europe is calling for governments to end the lockdown