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UK coronavirus live: Hancock gives daily briefing as hospital death toll rises by 586 to 21,678 UK coronavirus live: government to publish daily care home deaths as hospital toll rises to 21,678
(32 minutes later)
Health secretary says daily death toll in care homes and community will be published from tomorrow, as more than 4,300 die in care homes in two weeks Health secretary says daily figures from care homes and community will be published from tomorrow, as 4,300 die in care homes in two weeks
Q: When will you recruit the 18,000 contact tracers you need? And how many people do you expect to download your contact-tracing app?
As soon as possible, and as many as possible, says Hancock.
He says he is sorry he cannot give a more detailed answer.
He says the contact tracing network, and the app, need to work together.
He wants them in place by the middle of May, he says.
Q: If the app is coming in three weeks, does that mean you hope to hire the 18,000 contact tracers by then?
Hancock says he wants them available before, or at the same time.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
Q: What is the time lag for the epidemic? If some regions went into lockdown when the epidemic was at an earlier stage, does that mean they are more vulnerable to a second peak? And could the lockdown measures be lifted at a different point?
Hancock starts by paying tribute to the people of the north-east for staying at home. (The question came from the Northern Echo.) He says he knows how “gregarious” they are.
McLean says London passed its peak before other areas. But if there is an effect, it is quite small, she says.
She says the question of whether or not there should be regional approaches to relaxing the lockdown is interesting. There is always a trade-off between tailoring policy to different regions, and keeping it simple and ensuring people are all in it together. She says she does not have an answer on that.
Hancock says the government is looking at the case for taking different approaches in different regions. But he says there is a case for ensuring all regions move together. And if the reproduction number went above 1 in any area, that would spread.
These arguments make the case for acting together, he says.
Q: There is confusion about what the social distancing measures are. Can you clarify them?
Hancock says it is clear; people have to follow the social distancing rules.
Q: Is British ventilators production being scaled back?
Hancock says people were worried about the NHS being overwhelmed. But it has not been overwhelmed.
The UK is still producing ventilators, he says. There are other countries around the world that need them.
He pays tribute to those who contributed to the ventilator challenge.
Hancock says deciding whether or not to ban visitors from care homes was difficult, because having visitors can have a beneficial effect on residents’ health.
Q: When are ministers going to update the advice on face masks? And why is it taking so long?
Hancock says the government is guided by the science. The UK government position has not changed, he says.
He says the most important thing is to maintain social distancing.
Q: Are you advising people to disinfect items coming into their home?
McLean says the recommendation from Sage is clear; there is “weak evidence” of face masks having a “small” protective effect.
She says they have passed that advice on to government for ministers to make a decision.
Ministers have been told there is “weak” evidence for face masks having “small” protective effect, McLean says.
British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced up to 12,000 planned job cuts as it revealed that revenues plunged 13% in the first quarter of 2020.
In a statement, IAG said:
Q: You said care home deaths were a sixth of the total. But in the most recent week for which figures were available they were 23%. (See 5.11pm.)
Hancock says he was talking about the total for all deaths. But he accepts that that proportion is changing.
Q: Testing in care homes was inadequate. PPE was inadequate. This seems to have taken you by surprise. Will you apologise for leaving people unprotected?
Hancock says he does not think that is reasonable as a question.
He says his department was aware of the problems in care homes right from the start.
He recalls a conversation in January about care homes. They knew the virus was particularly dangerous for care homes.
Hancock suggests that the BBC Panorama investigation looking at the government’s record on stockpiling PPE was not fair and objective.Hancock suggests that the BBC Panorama investigation looking at the government’s record on stockpiling PPE was not fair and objective.
The second question from a member of the public, recorded on video, comes from a mother with a child with cystic fibrosis and autism who asks if children like hers will be able to get back to a normal education.The second question from a member of the public, recorded on video, comes from a mother with a child with cystic fibrosis and autism who asks if children like hers will be able to get back to a normal education.
Yes, says Hancock. He says the education plan makes allowance for children with special health needs. But he also says that shielding them must take priority, because their health comes first.Yes, says Hancock. He says the education plan makes allowance for children with special health needs. But he also says that shielding them must take priority, because their health comes first.
Hancock says the first two questions will be ones submitted by members of the public.Hancock says the first two questions will be ones submitted by members of the public.
He reads out the first, from Amanda in Hull. She says, given that grandparents cannot look after grandchildren, what can full-time working parents with young children do when they need to go back to work?He reads out the first, from Amanda in Hull. She says, given that grandparents cannot look after grandchildren, what can full-time working parents with young children do when they need to go back to work?
Amanda does not get much of an answer. Hancock says he cannot say. He says the government is not in a position to lift lockdown measures yet.Amanda does not get much of an answer. Hancock says he cannot say. He says the government is not in a position to lift lockdown measures yet.
McLean is now presenting the daily slides.McLean is now presenting the daily slides.
Here are the latest figures for hospital deaths.Here are the latest figures for hospital deaths.
And this figure compares weekly figures for all coronavirus deaths with figures for hospital deaths.And this figure compares weekly figures for all coronavirus deaths with figures for hospital deaths.
And here is the global deaths comparison.And here is the global deaths comparison.
Hancock says the government now has the capacity to carry out 73,400 coronavirus tests per day.Hancock says the government now has the capacity to carry out 73,400 coronavirus tests per day.
As a result, he can expand the list of people eligible, he says.As a result, he can expand the list of people eligible, he says.
He says NHS patients and staff who do not have symptoms, and care home residents and staff who do not have symptoms, will be able to get tests.He says NHS patients and staff who do not have symptoms, and care home residents and staff who do not have symptoms, will be able to get tests.
(Those who do have symptoms qualify for tests already.)(Those who do have symptoms qualify for tests already.)
He also says anyone over 65, and anyone who needs to leave home to go to work, will be able to get a test, as well as members of their family.He also says anyone over 65, and anyone who needs to leave home to go to work, will be able to get a test, as well as members of their family.
Hancock says the government plan is working.
He says the government has 3,260 spare critical care beds.
He says the government has carried out 700,387 tests, including 43,453 yesterday.
He says 21,678 people have now died in hospital with coronavirus - an increase of 586 since yesterday.
The proportion of coronavirus deaths in care homes is around a sixth of the total, he says.
(That is not true if you just look at the most recent figures. See 12.18pm.)
Hancock says from tomorrow the government will publish daily figures for the number of coronavirus deaths in care homes and in the community.
Hancock is starting now.
He says the minute’s silence this morning was a “solemn moment of reflection”. People were remembering “the nation’s heroes”.
Matt Hancock, the health and social care secretary, is due to hold the daily government press conference any minute now. He will be with Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, and Prof John Newton from Public Health England, coordinator of the national testing effort.
At first minister’s questions this afternoon, Nicola Sturgeon underlined the importance of public understanding of the test, trace, isolate strategy that will be at the heart of any easing of lockdown restrictions.
She said that the Scottish government would be publishing a document next week setting out more detail about test, trace, isolate, “so the public can start to develop an understanding of what their role will be” and also to help them prepare for what might be multiple periods of isolation that the plan could require.
On the earlier guidance on face covering, Sturgeon emphasised that this was advice and a recommendation, rather than mandatory, and that the circumstances where it might be necessary should be very limited.
She said she had taken advice from the UK government’s scientific advisory group (Sage), and the Scottish government’s chief medical officer, saying the evidence was that there could be some benefit in a situation where somebody is asymptomatic but doesn’t know they have the virus, and a mask could give additional protection.
She restated that the rationale for setting out the guidance now is to set out what limited benefit there may be to face covering but also to say it is not a substitute for the other things people should be doing, such as maintaining physical distancing and staying at home and within household groups.
In the Commons, MPs have been debating the second reading of the domestic abuse bill. The bill, which has cross-party support, creates a new definition of domestic abuse, creates new civil protection orders and creates a domestic abuse commissioner post. There are full details in this Commons library briefing note (pdf).
Theresa May, who pushed for tougher laws on domestic violence as home secretary and then as prime minister, spoke in the debate and said ministers should consider the impact of the lockdown on this issue, and wellbeing generally. Addressing the Commons via Zoom from her home she said:
May’s warning about the “cure” for coronavirus being potentially more damaging than the illness itself is almost word for word what President Donald Trump said last month. “We can’t have the cure be worse than the problem,” he said.
According to a HuffPost story, three government departments have asked the Treasury for a total of £70m to help them support domestic abuse victims during the crisis.
New data has shown that an increasing number of vulnerable children are turning up at schools to take up places set aside for them by the government, but it’s still far fewer than ministers had hoped.
Since the lockdown began last month, there has been growing concern about the impact on vulnerable children who have largely disappeared from view.
According to figures published by the Department for Education (DfE) on Tuesday, the number attending school last week was double the previous week, but it still only represents around 10% of all vulnerable children entitled to a school place.
While schools in England remain closed to most children, a skeleton service is running for children of key workers as well as children classed as “vulnerable” by the government, which includes those who have assigned social workers or education, health and care plans.
Last Friday, 49,000 vulnerable children were in schools, up from 24,000 on 17 April, which was the end of the Easter holidays, though schools remained open. The DfE said:
The number of key workers’ children in school has also gone up, from 62,000 to 112,000 over the same period, which represents around 4% of children of essential workers entitled to be in school.
Overall, the attendance rate in school and early years settings doubled, going up from 1% of pupils to 2% – far lower than the government originally anticipated – suggesting that parents remain cautious about sending their children to school.
These are from Sky’s economics editor Ed Conway.
Conway has based his figures on data from EuroMOMO, the European monitoring of excess mortality for public health action project. It works with public health bodies around Europe.
Mark Kleinman, professor of public policy at Kings College London (not the Sky News City editor), has written an interesting article on what cities like London might look like after the coronavirus pandemic is over. Here’s an extract.
In Scotland pavement widening is already on the agenda. See 3.54pm.
Another 20 people have died in Northern Ireland after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total there to 329.
And a further 34 people tested positive, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 3,408.