Coronavirus: Evening update as testing extended to over-65s with symptoms

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52460317

Version 0 of 1.

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update on Wednesday morning.

1. Coronavirus testing extended to over-65s

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, giving the daily briefing, said coronavirus testing is being expanded to include all over-65s with symptoms, as well as asymptomatic residents and staff in care homes in England. Mr Hancock also said that, from Wednesday, the government will publish daily figures of deaths in care homes and other non-hospital settings, something which he said was not possible before now. It comes as the number of hospital deaths from coronavirus in the UK rose by 586 to 21,678.

2. Care home coronavirus deaths rising rapidly

A third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales are now happening in care homes, figures from the Office for National Statistics show. There have been a total of 3,096 deaths linked to the virus in care homes since the pandemic began, with projections for the week up to last Friday suggesting the numbers have continued to rise. It comes as the "amazing" staff at Fairhaven Lodge in St Annes, Lancashire were praised for isolating with residents for over a month to protect them from coronavirus.

3. Scotland recommends face covering in shops

The Scottish government has recommended people cover their faces while in some enclosed public spaces, such as shops and public transport. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there could be "some benefit" in wearing a cloth face covering in places where social distancing was difficult. Downing Street said UK ministers were considering the scientific evidence for introducing similar advice.

4. Doctor's son asks Hancock for public apology

The son of an NHS doctor who died with coronavirus has called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to make a public apology for mistakes in the UK government's response. Intisar Chowdhury's father Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, had warned about a lack of protection before he died. It came as Downing Street said Boris Johnson focused on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at his first cabinet coronavirus meeting since returning to work.

5. RAF flypast for Captain Tom's 100th birthday

Captain Tom Moore, who has raised more than £29m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden, will be honoured with an RAF flypast on Thursday to mark his 100th birthday. After it was reported that the government had rejected a Spitfire flypast for the 99-year-old war veteran because it was deemed "non-essential", Transport Secretary Grant Shapps responded on Twitter to declare another had been planned although it was "meant to be a surprise for Tom".

Get a longer coronavirus briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here.

And don't forget...

You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

Here's some advice on the issues around testing.

What questions do you have about coronavirus?

In some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.

Use this form to ask your question: