COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 27th April 2020.

The UK added 4,310 cases today and now has reported a total of 157,149 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 569,768 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 360 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 21,092 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are assumed to be:
England 133,974 / 18,749
Northern Ireland 3,374 / 309
Scotland 10,521 / 1,262
Wales 9,280 / 796
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 19,648 cases and 1,102 losses of life.

There have now been over 3 million reported cases worldwide - 3,029,761. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 209,244. Already 900,334 people have recovered.


Boris did a big speech outside Downing Street this morning. He promised all decisions will be made with complete transparency and scientific backing,  the opposition will be involved and we will be informed throughout the process. He asked for patience:
"I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life, and the overwhelming of the NHS."
He pointed out we have defied predictions (we really have, 5 weeks ago no-one believed we wouldn't overwhelm the NHS).
He reminded us of the 5 points we need before we can move on to the second phase and make decisions on reducing restrictions:
1. Loss of life falling
2. NHS protected
3. Rate of infection solidly below R1
4. We have enough tests and PPE
5. Avoiding a second peak
To be honest the press are an absolute liability here. A reporter immediately shouted "when will the lockdown end?" to Dominic Raab when he arrived. Boris literally just said it. NOT YET. It makes the public twitchy and gives us a false sense that it could be any time now. It can't. Everyone going out today and adding to the count is being egged on by the UK press. There, I said it.

Today's UK press briefing was with Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, and he started by saying each day a member of the public will have a question (see image below).
Today the Government is setting up a life assurance scheme. Families who lose someone on the NHS and social care frontline to COVID-19, in the course of essential work, will receive £60,000.
We have 15,051 people in hospital, down from yesterday again, and today we have 3,190 spare critical care beds. Everyone has had the hospital care they needed so far.
Our 8th Nightingale hospital opened today.
We are reminded yet again to GO TO HOSPITAL if you are really ill. Our A&E visits are down by over 50%. Some is because our behaviour is different (less booze and driving), but some is because people are scared of COVID-19. If you need it, it's there for you.
Starting tomorrow, some ongoing medical care services will be resumed, starting with urgent Cancer treatments. It will be decided locally.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 26th April 2020.

The UK added 4,463 cases today and now has reported a total of 152,840 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 543,413 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 413 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 20,732 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are presumed to be:
England 130,130 / 18,396
Northern Ireland 3,308 / 299
Scotland 10,324 / 1,249
Wales 9,078 / 788
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 18,561 cases and 1,063 losses of life (not yet reported today).

There have now been 2,965,711 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 205,656. Already 871,265 people have recovered.


There are claims we should expect Boris back at work tomorrow, possibly in a staged return.

The UK briefing today was led by George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Food availability levels are back to normal, supermarket staff have introduced measures and customers must respect this. Absence is now reducing, staff are back at work.
500,000 food parcels have been delivered to the shielded group, and supermarket delivery slots will be prioritised.
Other people are also in need of help with food shopping. Local Authorities, Age UK and other charities can make direct referrals for those in need through the Good Samaritan app.

Most trade is going well, there are a few problems, notably with goods coming from India, but it's mostly travelling freely.
England's fresh food season is ahead, only around 1/3 of the workers who would usually be coming from abroad are here, we are actively recruiting food pickers from June onward (Google 'Feed The Nation' if you fancy some cash for hard honest work). 

Prof Stephen Powis of NHS England with the slides.
IOS users are walking and driving more according to Apple maps data. 
We have 15,953 people in hospital with COVID-19, down again, especially in the Midlands. This is really positive and has been reducing every day consistently for most of this week.
We are beginning to see a slight overall drop in the number of patients lost.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 25th April 2020.

The UK added 4,913 cases today and now has reported a total of 148,377 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 517,836 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 813 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 20,319 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 108,051 / 18,083
Northern Ireland 3,226 / 278
Scotland 10,051 / 1,184
Wales 8,900 / 774
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 18,561 cases and 1,063 losses of life.

There have now been 2,873,629 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 200,719. Already 823,306 people have recovered.

"As I've said before, this is not a sprint, this will be a marathon."
Stephen Powis, NHS England


Today's UK briefing was with Priti Patel, the Home Secretary. None of them fit their clothes any more, they've all lost weight.
16,411 people are in hospital, that's almost 1,000 less than yesterday and really positive news. Sadly we have now officially gone above the 20,000 losses which the Government had aimed for - it was always hopeful.
She talked about domestic violence and reminded us it's not being tolerated.
Police data shows a drop in overall crime. We are cracking down on coronavirus related crime, including cyber crime against children, fake PPE, phishing scams, people driving at 150mph on empty roads etc. Police are still there for any crime, as well as supporting vulnerable people.

Lynne Owens of the National Crime Agency talked about changes to policing in order to adapt to changes in crime, but existing investigations haven't stopped - drugs and firearms are still being seized for example. People with online fake shops, sales of PPE and bogus home made testing kits have all been arrested.
Check out the cyberaware website to update yourself on your own protection, and the scams being run right now. If you believe you are a victim of any crime online, report it to the police immediately.

Professor Stephen Powis of NHS England was very clear - GO TO HOSPITAL if you are really poorly. Don't be so afraid of coronavirus that you don't call 999 if you need it. The NHS is still open for everyone, and we want to save lives.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 24th April 2020.

The UK added 5,386  cases today and now has reported a total of 143,464  positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 444,222 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 684 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 19,506 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 105,225 / 17,372
Northern Ireland 3,122 / 263
Scotland 9,697 / 1,120
Wales 8,601 / 751
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 17,607 cases and 794 losses of life (not yet reported today).

There have now been 2,799,642 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 195,114. Already 775,504 people have recovered.


Today's UK briefing was with another terrified looking bloke, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary.
We have 17,049 people in hospital with COVID-19, down from 17,615  yesterday, down 10% from this time last week.
The government has secured a trilateral agreement with France and Ireland that goods, medicines etc. will be able to travel freely. Ferry routes are being protected, and money is being allocated to ensure this continues (including to the Isle Of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands).
Money is also being allocated to Department of Transport, military, National Rail and trams. They will all work together to ensure supplies, energy, food parcels to vulnerable people and patients are all transported, as well as ensuring essential workers can get to work.
They are also trialling drones to deliver medical supplies. Money had already been allocated, so that testing programme is now part of our logistics and supply network.
A reminder that we don't know yet when the day will come that we meet the 5 points to reduce restrictions, but it will be quicker if we all stay home.

Luxury Cruise News: All British holidaymakers are now off cruise ships (we already knew this - see Sunday) but no mention of all of the crews.

Dr Jenny Harries went through the slides. Transport use is creeping up, it's 3% higher this week. Cases have gone up a little and it shows clearly that essential workers are around 1/3 of our new positive cases today. Increased tests are now available, so this rise is expected.
London shows a nice drop in cases in hospital. The number of new patients yesterday has fallen below 1,000 for the first time since before our peak.

This Summer we're working with Sudocrem on their Back To The Garden campaign - to encourage families to get growing, whether you have a garden, a yard, a balcony or a window.

Most of us are temporary teachers to our children, supporting their learning whether your school is sending work online, you are following the BBC Bitesize lessons, printing off worksheets or something else. We all take in much more information when it's fun, and growing your own plants is incredibly rewarding, as well as being a perfect opportunity to learn.
Long term projects are important right now. They give us a focus and something to look forward to. They can also offer some control in a world of uncertainty. Gardening is a brilliant way to get away from screens and focus on life.
Sudocrem gave away 100 growing kits to families, and they also gave away 3 to my readers. The kits are worth around £40 each, and have everything you need to get started, including seeds, gloves and gardening tools - and of course some Sudocrem to soothe a gardener's skin that's been scratched, prickled or stung, or just become dry from handwashing.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 23rd April 2020.

The UK added 4,583 cases today and now has reported a total of 138,078 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 425,821 people as of 9am this morning (testing total excludes N.I.)

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 616 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 18,738 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 102,221 / 16,785
Northern Ireland 3,016 / 250
Scotland 9,409 / 1,062
Wales 8,358 / 641
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 16,671 cases and 769 losses of life (not yet reported today).

There have now been 2,692,579 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 188,063. Already 738,428 people have recovered.

"No-one wants to hear this, but it's the truth. We are not in the end phase of the pandemic. It is still very much in it's inception. We will be living with this virus for a long time to come, and the question of how we prevent this virus at any point overwhelming our healthcare system, taking countless lives with it, is a question that will be the key question for politicians and policymakers... for a long time to come."
Angela Merkel, German Chancellor and Quantum Chemist.


Today's UK press conference was with Matt Hancock, Health Secretary (do you remember in the olden days, when we used to have a Prime Minister?). He started by reiterating that we need to protect life and protect the NHS.
We have 17,615 people in hospital.
"Test, track and trace" update - capacity is now ahead of plans and is at 51,000 per day (we actually only did 23,560 tests in the last 24 hours). We are expanding who can get a test.
Any ESSENTIAL WORKER with symptoms in their household can request a test for themselves and their household members. Employers can request a test for employees, and employees can also book a test on the gov dot uk website themselves.

A lot of online vendors have had to close shop for a while, and obviously we don't have instore shopping right now, but The Essential One are still open for business online. They sell all kinds of products for babies and children, and have sent us two of the toys for bigger kids from the Discovery Mindblown STEM range.

I've already covered the Toy Anatomy 4D Shark. Age 6+ and here is the Discovery Mindblown Toy DIY Robotic Arm with Hydraulics. Age 10+.


We've never created anything using hydraulics before, so this was an entirely new concept for my 11 and 10 year old boys. We also have our 22 year old engineering student here, so he helped. This is a 176 piece kit, and it's a challenge to a young engineer.


The parts are mainly on sprue, and you'll do a better job if you use scissors or snips. You'll need your own basic tools, but they are things you'd tend to have at home - scissors, tape, ruler, screwdriver etc.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 22nd April 2020.

The UK added 4,451 cases today and now has reported a total of 133,495 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 411,192 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 759 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 18,100 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 99,137 / 16,271
Northern Ireland 2,874 / 220
Scotland 9,038 / 985
Wales 8,124 / 624
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 16,671 cases and 769 losses of life.

There have now been 2,605,771 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 181,476. Already 712,324 people have recovered.

"The Earth will not & cannot go back to the way things were. There must be a “new normal” – a world that is healthier, safer and better prepared"
Dr Tedros, WHO


Today's UK briefing was with Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary. He started by saying we are following scientific and medical advice throughout. We are making progress, but easing restrictions too early raises the risk of a 2nd peak, and longer time in lockdown over all. He thanked carers again, and also thanked the armed forces for help with the mobile labs, NHS Nightingale hospitals and delivery of equipment and PPE. We have 7 temporary hospitals.
Over 1m British nationals have been brought home on flights, including 13,000 on charter flights, with more due this week.

Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, talked about the military and their role. They have supported the NHS and social care first and foremost with delivery and logistics.
He said in 25 days they have gone from 240 to 55,000 delivery addresses. This is the single greatest logistics challenge faced by the armed forces.
They have helped with planning and delivery of the NHS Nightingale hospitals, and organised pop-up testing centres.
They have also provided planes to transport goods, and have helped with repatriation of UK nationals.
They are also watching for disinformation and misinformation.
Press asked why we aren't deploying more military staff. 20k are waiting and we've only used 3k. He said they haven't got skills that been needed yet (they could be doing check ins and shopping for vulnerable people, surely?).

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 21st April 2020.

The UK added 4,301 cases today and now has reported a total of 129,044 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 397,670 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 823 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 17,337 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay (see below).

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 96,117 / 15,606
Northern Ireland 2,758 / 207
Scotland 8,672 / 915
Wales 7,850 / 609
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 15,652 cases and 687 losses of life (not yet reported today).

There have now been 2,529,094 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 174,573. Already 667,609 people have recovered.

"In time we can rebuild the profits. We can't replace the people we lose." George Weston, Chief Executive, Associated British Foods


The UK briefing today was with Matt Hancock, Health Secretary.
He said at the heart of our plan is patient capacity, and we have been able to supply that to anyone who needs it. We have a record 2,963 spare critical care beds available right now across the NHS. But there is still much further to go.
We have 17,681 people in hospital with COVID-19.
We can't throw away the progress we've made so far. We were reminded again of the 5 points we need to meet before we can lift restrictions (covered 2 & 4 days ago).
He talked about PPE and thanked people for offers. 159 UK manufacturers so far are going to be working with us on PPE.
Vaccines are our best bet (we think) in the long run. We have put more money than any other country into global vaccine development, and 2 of the leading labs are in the UK. They will both get extra cash:
22.5m to Imperial College for phase 2 clinical trials.
20m to the Oxford team to fund their clinical trials.
The Oxford vaccine will begin human testing on Thursday.
We are also building manufacturing capacity so that if it works, we can be ready to produce in vast quantities.
We are still on target for 100k tests a day (I'll believe that when I see it)

Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, went through the slides. For hospital admissions almost all regions show almost a straight flat line, a plateau, with similar numbers today as yesterday. We have just had a long weekend, so it is with caution, but still far better than rising.
With the ONS figures added, obviously our 'trajectory' line is a little higher, but still around Italy, France and Spain. We were reminded that other countries also won't have precise figures from reported COVID-19 deaths, and we will see 'excess mortality' figures from them when Prof Van-Tam has them.

Regarding face masks, we are keeping evidence under review, and will change advice accordingly.

Regarding pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission (passing it on with no symptoms), we can still find COVID-19 in these patients with the normal PCR test. He believes they aren't as big an issue as symptomatic people because they aren't coughing or shedding as much virus.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 20th April 2020.

The UK added 4,676 cases today and now has reported a total of 124,743 positive cases of COVID-19. We had all together tested 386,044 people as of 9am this morning.

As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost another 449 people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 16,509 losses of life in hospitals. Losses of life in the community are reported by ONS with a 2 week delay.

Total cases and losses reported are:
England 93,030 / 14,828
Northern Ireland 2,728 / 194
Scotland 8,450 / 903
Wales 7,546 / 584
(The government haven't been reporting how many of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.)

Rep. Of Ireland have 15,652 cases and 687 losses of life.

There have now been 2,449,380 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 168,134. Already 641,804 people have recovered.

"Don't use this virus to fight together or score political points, it's dangerous." Dr Tedros, Head of the World Health Organisation.


Today's UK briefing was with Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer. 
He started with PPE. They have appointed Lord Deighton to organise home-sourced PPE. Today we have unloaded 140,000 gowns from Myanmar.
The HMRC job retention scheme opened today. 140,000 firms had already applied by 4pm, representing over 1m employees. 
The Futures Fund was launched - loans for early stage UK based high growth companies, and small companies focussing on research and development will also be able to access other cash.
12,000 loans have now gone out to UK businesses.
The UK will provide 30,000 extra mortuary places.

To protect our economy we need to protect the health of our people. 17,971 people are in hospital. Less in total than yesterday for the 7th day running - it's all good stuff. We were reminded once again of the 5 points we need to meet before we can lift restrictions, and thanked us for following govt. advice and staying home.