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Boris Johnson is breathing without a ventilator and is in “good spirits” after spending the night in intensive care with coronavirus symptoms.
And according to official figures released on Tuesday:
- 6,159 people have so far died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus – an increase of 786 in 24 hours
- The increase consists of 758 in England, 74 in Scotland, 19 in Wales and three in Northern Ireland
- Coronavirus was a factor in almost 5% of all deaths in England and Wales in the week leading up to March 27
Global cases of the virus have now surpassed 1.3m and almost 75,000 people have died worldwide.
Here’s the latest on Covid-19:
Boris Johnson is ‘a fighter’ who will ‘pull through’
The cabinet will “not flinch” in the fight against coronavirus while “fighter” Boris Johnson is being treated in critical care, de facto deputy PM Dominic Raab has said.
The foreign secretary said he was “confident” the prime minister would pull through, and be back at the helm “in short order”.
Johnson is being treated in an intensive care unit at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital on Sunday night after suffering “persistent symptoms” of Covid-19.
Raab, who is the first secretary of state, said at today’s Downing Street briefing: “He’s not just our boss – he’s also a colleague and he’s also our friend.”
He added: “And I’m confident he will pull through because if there is one thing that I know about this prime minister is he is a fighter and he will be back leading us through this crisis in short order.”
It was announced that the prime minister had been diagnosed with the disease on March 27.
The PM spent a second night in intensive care.
Bishops make ‘painful’ request to stop streaming church services
Vicars have been urged to stop live streaming services from their empty churches over the Easter weekend over fears it might encourage people to break lockdown rules.
The London College of Bishops said it was making the “painful” request to the clergy ahead of the Easter weekend, one of the most significant times in the Christian calendar.
In a statement, the bishops said: “It feels extremely hard to ask this of you, this week of all weeks.
“We would not want to be seen to encourage any laxity in the requirement to stay indoors except for designated reasons, because this will save lives, and protect the NHS.”
It follows appeals by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England to follow social distancing rules to avoid the risk of spreading or being infected with coronavirus, with churches across the country forced to close.
Some services had been able to be livestreamed by vicars where the church was accessible by an internal door from the clergy home.
Man jailed for coughing on police
A South Derbyshire man has been jailed for 16 weeks after claiming to have coronavirus and coughing on police officers.
Christopher McKendrick, 58, was arrested last week after being threatening and abusive on a public canal path.
When being detained he was asked if had or had been suffering from coronavirus, to which he replied: “I’ve already had it, I’ve got over it and now I am a super spreader so…”
He then coughed in the direction of police.
McKendrick is not the first person to be jailed for such an offence. Last week 55-year-old Adam Lewis received a six-month sentence after verbally threatening a police officer in Westminster telling him: “I am Covid and I am going to cough in your face and you will get it.”
Michael Gove self isolates
Michael Gove has become the latest member of the government to go into self-isolation because of the coronavirus.
It is understood the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is in quarantine at home in accordance with official guidance after a member of his family displayed “mild” symptoms.
He is continuing to work as normal.
China records no new deaths from coronavirus
China said it has recorded no deaths from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
The country gave rise to the global pandemic and has suffered 3,331 deaths and 81,740 cases of Covid-19.
Authorities said in their daily update on Tuesday that there were 32 new cases, all of which were from people who had returned to China from overseas.
Another 12 suspected cases – also all imported – were being kept under observation, along with an additional 30 asymptomatic cases.
China now has 1,242 confirmed cases in treatment and 1,033 asymptomatic cases under isolation and monitoring.
Numbers of daily new deaths have been hovering in the single digits for weeks, hitting just one on several occasions.
Police demand spit guards to protect officers from ‘vile behaviour’
MPs have been advised that all police officers should be issued with spit guards to prevent some offenders coughing and spitting at officers after claiming they have Covid-19.
The president of the Police Superintendents’ Association told members of the home affairs select committee that some offenders’ “extreme” behaviour is putting officers at risk of contracting the virus, Sky News reports.
There has been much intense debate over the use of spit hoods; there have been incidents where people have died in police custody after wearing one.
This comes as more than 300 former Metropolitan Police officers have agreed to return to service to help during the coronavirus outbreak.
Pressure on ministers to review NHS oxygen supplies following critical incident
Pressure has been piled on the Health Secretary to ensure hospitals have the oxygen capacity required to help coronavirus patients suffering from the worst symptoms.
The acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, has written to Matt Hancock to warn of “catastrophic consequences” if oxygen is not available for those struggling to breathe as a result of contracting the deadly virus.
The party is calling for a review of the NHS infrastructure available to provide the life-saving supply after Watford General Hospital was forced to tell patients to stay away on Saturday due to a technical issue with its oxygen equipment.
West Hertfordshire NHS trust, which runs the hospital, called a critical incident and transferred patients to other hospitals in the area while tweeting to tell people not to go to A&E until further notice – even in an emergency.
NHS England last week warned hospitals about the risk to oxygen supplies due to increased demand, with oxygen therapy via ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines being used extensively to assist those struggling to breathe because of Covid-19.
Doctors without PPE ‘bullied and shamed’ into treating patients
Doctors are being “bullied and shamed” into not wearing protective equipment during the coronavirus crisis, according an association.
The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) said one junior doctor had reported paediatricians attending deliveries of expectant mothers diagnosed with Covid-19 without wearing a mask.
The association, a doctor-led lobbying and campaigning group, says they had heard from frontline NHS staff who felt they had been bullied or shamed into not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) due to shortages, and some who were told to “hold their breath” instead.
DAUK has developed an app with Messly to collate anonymous testimonials of frontline NHS staff struggling during the pandemic.
A consultant in London, who had repeatedly asked for personal protective equipment (PPE) while seeing patients diagnosed with Covid-19, has now reported becoming unwell themselves, the organisation said.