This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/22/uk-coronavirus-live-government-ppe-procurement-latest-updates
The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 9 | Version 10 |
|---|---|
| UK coronavirus live: 'we are at the peak' of outbreak says health secretary Matt Hancock | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Fifteen social care staff have died with coronavirus, says Hancock; Death toll in Scotland rises by 77; part of a PPE consignment arrives; Keir Starmer quizzes Dominic Raab in Labour leader’s first PMQs | |
| Hancock says home testing through the post will become available. He says this will be particularly useful for people living in rural areas. | |
| Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, says the director general of the World Health Organisation said “test, test, test” was the way to address this problem. But that did not happen. Will it happen now? | |
| Hancock says testing has been developed “at pace”. The UK was one of the first countries in the world to develop a test, he says. He says the government has had “its foot on the gas” the whole time. | |
| Coronavirus-related deaths in care homes could be double the number already reported, the government has said. | |
| The Department of Health and Social Care also feared a “significant rise” in deaths not involving Covid-19 among residents, it said on Wednesday. | |
| There were 1,043 coronavirus deaths in care homes in England and Wales by April 10, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). | |
| In a statement with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the government said: | |
| One scientist believes care home deaths as a proportion of the national total may keep increasing, even as the NHS sees a decline. Prof Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford previously said: | |
| Greg Clark, the Conservative former business secretary who now chairs the Commons science committee, asks if Sage, the scientific advisory group for emergencies, backed the target of having 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. | |
| Hancock says there was scientific input into that decision, although he says he cannot remember whether it directly came from Sage. | |
| Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative former health secretary, says that to life the lockdown, the government has to be able to track and trace every new case. Will this be in place in two weeks. And will the government appoint a “big hitter” to take charge of this? | |
| Hancock says the government is ramping up its capacity for contact tracing “in a matter of weeks”. | |
| Hancock is now responding to some questions from Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary. Hancock is in the chamber, but Ashworth asked his questions by Zoom. | |
| Hancock says 15 social care staff have died from coronavirus. | |
| (Dominic Raab could not answer this question earlier. See 12.13pm.) | |
| As for why the death rate in Germany is lower, Hancock says one factor is the category of people affected in the early stages of the outbreak in Germany. (He does not explain what this means.) | |
| Hancock says the government is investigating why a disproportionate number of BAME people have died from coronavirus. | |
| He says the government’s contact tracing app is at the beta stage and in trials. | |
| Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is now making a Commons statement on coronavirus. | |
| Here are some lines from his opening statement. | |
| That was Sir Keir Starmer’s first outing as Labour leader at PMQs, but just as importantly this marked the debut for a whole new way of running this question session: a “hybrid” system, with most MPs participating by Zoom. Both probably amount to a distinct improvement on what came before. | |
| First, the process. On a technical level it mostly worked well. One MP did not manage to dial in in time, and another got cut off early. But overall it went smoothly. | |
| More importantly, PMQs without 400-odd MPs in the chamber makes everything quieter, calmer, more intelligible and more grown-up. For once the proceedings sounded like the question time sessions that take place in the Scottish parliament and the Welsh assembly. Without the jeering and the aggro, it lacked gladiatorial edge, and frankly it was probably a bit more boring than the old PMQs. But boring is a much underrated virtue in governance. It will be be very interesting to see whether the Commons ever reverts to how it operated before when (or more probably if) this is all over. | |
| In the old PMQs, MPs worked on the assumption that there was always a “winner”. (Journalists like me wrote it up in those terms too, because that was how the participants viewed the proceedings.) Under Zoom PMQs it is much harder to imagine anyone “winning” old-style, but if Labour had to choose someone well-suited to parliament in serious/boring mode, it is hard to imagine anyone better than Starmer, and he will chalk today’s outing up, not as a triumph, but certainly as a success. His questions were clear, forensic and focused, he avoided bland or trite sloganising and he adopted a measured tone consistent with responsible, constructive opposition. Quite what the public will make of this when the alternative is Boris Johnson remains to be seen, but high-grade seriousness is what Starmer offered in the Labour leadership contest and it is what he delivered today. | |
| A total of 1,062 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, up by 77 from 985 on Tuesday, the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said. | |
| The figures are lower than the 1,616 deaths given earlier by the National Records of Scotland (see 12.22pm) as they do not include suspected and probable coronavirus infections. | The figures are lower than the 1,616 deaths given earlier by the National Records of Scotland (see 12.22pm) as they do not include suspected and probable coronavirus infections. |
| Sturgeon said 9,038 people had now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 366 from 8,672 the day before. | |
| There were 155 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, a decrease of 11 from Tuesday, she added. | |
| There were 1,776 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, down from 1,866 yesterday. | |
| And since 5 March, 1,813 patients who tested positive have been discharged from hospital. | And since 5 March, 1,813 patients who tested positive have been discharged from hospital. |
| James Sunderland, a Conservative, asks Raab what are the ingredients that will take the country through this. | James Sunderland, a Conservative, asks Raab what are the ingredients that will take the country through this. |
| Raab says the critical ingredient is for the country to come together. He says people understand how important key workers are. We can and will rise to the challenge as one United Kingdom, he says. | Raab says the critical ingredient is for the country to come together. He says people understand how important key workers are. We can and will rise to the challenge as one United Kingdom, he says. |
| Labour’s Stephen Kinnock asks about Port Talbot steel works. He says the government help to Tata steel is only one-tenth of what it needs. | |
| Raab says he understands the point Kinnock makes. The chancellor is looking carefully at the needs of the steel sector, he says. | Raab says he understands the point Kinnock makes. The chancellor is looking carefully at the needs of the steel sector, he says. |
| Matt Vickers, a Conservative, asks if the government will consider the case for putting more money into the NHS. | Matt Vickers, a Conservative, asks if the government will consider the case for putting more money into the NHS. |
| Raab says the government is already putting record sums into the NHS. | Raab says the government is already putting record sums into the NHS. |
| Labour’s Naz Shah, who is in the chamber, asks if the government will compensate councils for the costs they are incurring as a result of coronavirus. | Labour’s Naz Shah, who is in the chamber, asks if the government will compensate councils for the costs they are incurring as a result of coronavirus. |
| Raab pays tribute to councils. An extra £1.6bn has already been announced, he says. | |
| The Conservative MP Nick Fletcher asks what is being done to ensure NHS staff get enough PPE. | The Conservative MP Nick Fletcher asks what is being done to ensure NHS staff get enough PPE. |
| Raab says 1bn items have been delivered already. The government will ramp up its capacity to deliver it, he says. | |
| Labour’s Barry Gardiner says Sage, the scientific advisory group on emergencies, recommended a lockdown at the end of February. The government claims it has followed scientific advice. But it hasn’t, has it? | Labour’s Barry Gardiner says Sage, the scientific advisory group on emergencies, recommended a lockdown at the end of February. The government claims it has followed scientific advice. But it hasn’t, has it? |
| Raab says the government has followed scientific advice at all times. It will continue to do that, he says. | Raab says the government has followed scientific advice at all times. It will continue to do that, he says. |
| The Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart asks what can be done to help tourism. | The Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart asks what can be done to help tourism. |
| Raab says the government knows tourism is being affected. Unprecedented support for businesses and workers is on offer, he says. | Raab says the government knows tourism is being affected. Unprecedented support for businesses and workers is on offer, he says. |
| Labour’s Lucy Powell asks what the government will do to help the hospitality sector. | Labour’s Lucy Powell asks what the government will do to help the hospitality sector. |
| Raab says a whole range of measures have been introduced. He offers to look at what more can be done to help particular businesses. | Raab says a whole range of measures have been introduced. He offers to look at what more can be done to help particular businesses. |
| The Tory MP Peter Bone says the banks are offering savers a pathetic interest rate. When will they act in the national interest? | The Tory MP Peter Bone says the banks are offering savers a pathetic interest rate. When will they act in the national interest? |
| Bone gets disconnected before he can finish. | Bone gets disconnected before he can finish. |
| Like most of the MPs down to ask a question for the rest of the session, Bone is asking his question by Zoom. | |
| Raab says the government expects banks to do their bit. | Raab says the government expects banks to do their bit. |