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UK coronavirus live: Gove gives daily briefing as death toll reaches 28,446, up 315
UK coronavirus live: Gove gives daily briefing as death toll reaches 28,446, up 315
(32 minutes later)
Cabinet Office minister says Boris Johnson will say more this week about how people will be allowed to go back to work
Cabinet Office minister says Boris Johnson will say more this week about how people will be allowed to go back to work
Gove says the government has pledged an additional £1.6 billion to councils across England to support their “essential frontline services” including adult social care.
Prof Powis has insisted the new NHS Nightingale hospitals were “absolutely 100% not” built in error after reported emerged of a low capacity of patients. He said it would have been “foolish” not to plan for extra capacity in the NHS, and it is “good news” that the Nightingales’ capacity has not been reached. Prof Powis says there is still a possibility they could yet be needed. He suggests the peak of the virus in the UK was around mid-April.
Gove said “before we can ease the existing restrictions we must ensure the government’s five tests are met - that the number of cases are falling, that death rates are declining, that the NHS has what it needs, and that measures are in place to stop a second peak overwhelming the NHS.”
Gove says the government plans a “staged” return with ministers working with employers and unions to help workers understand safety guidance and public servants will be offered protective equipment varying “from setting to setting”. He also says it is possible restrictions could be reimposed in a “localised way” but does not go into the specifics.
He said he is “particularly conscious” that those in the frontline of our public services will need “clear guidance on safe working”.
Gove praised health secretary Matt Hancock’s “amazing success in increasing testing”, which he said means the public will have “greater confidence” in the government as they move into the next phase of lockdown.
The minister added: “They’ll need the right personal protective equipment and appropriate access to testing if we are to make all the progress that we want in the weeks ahead.
“The British public have shown amazing stoicism and understanding of the need for the lockdown measures,” he said.
“We’re consulting with employers and unions, professionals and public health experts, to establish how we can ensure that we have the safest possible working environments, and the Prime Minister will be saying more later this week.”
“Quite rightly they want to make sure that if and when they are eased, they’re eased in way that makes sure the British people’s sacrifice has been worthwhile, and that we continue to operate in a way that means public health comes first.
Gove said more than 200,000 key workers and their families had been tested for coronavirus.
“And that’s why it’s so important that we consult with employers and trade unions, to make sure that people understand the guidance about working safely.”
He said criteria for testing had been extended beyond key workers to anyone over 65 displaying symptoms and anyone who has to travel to get to work.
He said the government will pursue a “phased approach” to removing lockdown restrictions rather than a sudden return to “the old normal”.
Gove also confirmed that this week the government will be piloting new “test, track and trace procedures” on the Isle of Wight with a view to having them in place more widely later this month.
The phrase a “new normal” has again been used.
Reaction to Gove’s admission on the testing numbers.
Gove says there will be a time when the virus is under control when “deep and probing questions” about the government’s handling of the crisis can be posed.
Gove paid tribute to Muslims celebrating Ramadan during lockdown who are mourning the loss of a loved one.
“Undoubtedly this government, like all governments, will have made mistakes,” he admitted.
He said: “For those experiencing the first Ramadan without a loved one, this will be a particularly painful time.
Further bemused reaction to those daily testing numbers falling below the 100,000 target.
“As with Christians who could not celebrate Easter together in church, and the Jewish community whose Passover rituals were affected by social distancing, our thoughts are with Muslim neighbours who cannot break their fast together and must adapt their religious and cultural practices because of the crisis.”
Professor Stephen Powis has praised the resilience and professionalism of NHS staff.
The Cabinet Minister said: “The prime minister’s comprehensive plan will explain how we can get our economy moving, how we can get our children back to school, how we can travel to work more safely and how we can make life in the workplace safer.”
He said: “What I learned is that the NHS and the great staff of the NHS, when given that challenge, can very, very rapidly put in place the extra capacity that is required.
He added that over the Easter holidays, 60% of schools remained open for the children of key workers.
“And they have done that magnificently, and at no point during the surge of cases in April was the NHS in a position where it was not able to give the treatment to patients with Covid-19 that they needed.
Gove reveals 76,496 coronavirus tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am this morning, which is below the 100,000 target it had previously set.
“That is a great testament to how well the NHS has been able to cope.
Gove says the prime minister will say more this week about how people will be allowed to go back to work when the UK’s lockdown is eased.
“And I think then the lesson going forward is one, that we can do that, but two, we need to keep that capacity in place.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove begins the briefing by confirming that 76,496 coronavirus tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am this morning.
“But we need to keep it in place at the same time as standing up all the other services that the NHS is providing.
And he announces 28,446 people have now died with coronavirus in the UK, up by 315 from 28,131 the day before.
“They’re the ones we’ve always provided, the emergency services, but some of the services that we’ve had to stand down during April, so elective surgery for instance.
The government’s 4pm briefing has been delayed and is expected to start within the next 20 minutes.
“So my lesson is that the NHS is incredibly flexible. It can respond to this challenge, and it will respond to the challenge going forward into the months ahead.”
The Welsh government does “not see the science” in recent extensions to England’s testing policy, according to Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething.
Gove says there are around 80,000 households on the Isle of Wight, where the NHS contact-tracing app is being trialled, and they want more than half of them to download it.
He also raised doubts about the benefits and validity of England’s 100,000 tests-per-day target and defended his own country’s decision not to extend testing to all care homes regardless of whether there is an outbreak.
He added the dip in the number of coronavirus tests over the weekend is due to the fact it is the weekend and fewer people are at work.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Gething said: “England have gone out and created lots of capacity very quickly and they’ve then gone out and used that capacity.
More from Gove on what lessons have been learned for future waves of the virus and how the government will ensure there are enough PPE and ventilators in the future.
“The challenge is though, that from a policy point of view there is clearly a difference, but that’s partly because England decided that having set a big target they needed to go out and use all the tests.
He said: “We’re learning lessons all the time, as indeed the world is.
“Now, other people will tell you about how many of those tests are actual tests, or tests that have been sent out.
“This is a new virus and scientists are working internationally to determine what the best means is of dealing with it.
“But part of the difficulty we’ve had is that the scientific underpinning for how and why you extend that policy isn’t something where there has been a fully informed debate in advance, and we don’t see that the science supports all of the differences in policy and the testing reach in England.”
“And that’s why we are piloting treatments which can prevent the virus, once people have been infected, becoming more dangerous for them.
Asked if Wales could increase its number of tests available, Gething said: “That capacity is being increased each week.
“It’s also why we’re working internationally to seek to secure a vaccine, though of course we expect that may be some time away.
“For the current purpose of keeping people safe, in particular key workers, on understanding people in our healthcare system actually have coronavirus, we do have enough capacity.
“But one of the things that we have learned is how to improve our testing capacity.
“But the continued build-up of capacity here is being driven at what happens for us to be able to get out of lockdown.”
“We also now have increased domestic ventilator production and Lord Deighton is increasing domestic PPE production as well.
He also criticised the UK Government for including a testing centre in Cardiff on its test-booking website, despite it being under the control of the Welsh Government, and as such tells users that testing is “unavailable” in Wales.
“And I think the lessons that we’re learning in the UK are similar to the lessons that other countries are learning as well.”
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is scheduled to lead the government’s press conference in around five minutes.
Gove is asked how the government will persuade people, when the lockdown is eventually eased, that it is safe to leave their homes.
Joining him for the Downing Street briefing will be Professor Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England.
He replies that Britons have displayed “stoicism” in the face of the lockdown.
Airline UK, which represents British Airways, Easyjet, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and other UK-based airlines, has warned that a 14-day quarantine period “would effectively kill air travel”.
He added that the lifting of the lockdown will be “staged” and not a “flick of the switch”, while he highlights how the right supplies of PPE will be necessary.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps today told the BBC a compulsory 14-day quarantine could be imposed on anyone arriving in the country so when infection rates in the country are under control “we’re not importing”.
Gove also notes how the “amazing” increase in the level of testing will give people greater confidence when the lockdown is eased.
Tim Alderslade, Airline UK chief executive, said a quarantine would “completely shut off the UK from the rest of the world when other countries are opening up their economies” and described the possible quarantine measure as a “blunt tool”.
Gove said that 90% of rough sleepers known to councils have been given an offer of accommodation since the end of March.
A paramedic has died in hospital after contracting Covid-19.
Providing an update on work that was being done to help vulnerable people, he said the Government was nearing delivering its one millionth parcel of essential food.
He has been named locally as Robert Black from Campbeltown in Scotland. He died in a Glasgow hospital on Saturday.
In terms of NHS volunteers, he told the briefing that more than 600,000 people have been verified “and are helping with the daily errands that make such a significant difference”.
Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), who did not name Black, said the service had been “greatly saddened” by the loss of a “dear colleague”.
He added that officials were “working with supermarkets to make sure that a greater number of delivery slots are made available to those most in need”.
On behalf of the SAS, she offered her “heart-felt condolences and deepest sympathies” to his family.
On how the government is finding a balance between the other impacts of lockdown compared to the impact of coronavirus infections, Gove said the government’s five tests for lifting the lockdown are an “appropriate” way to measure that balance. Prof Powis said the harm that might be done as a direct effect due to the virus has to be balanced against the harms to health as a result of the lockdown, adding the NHS is “very aware” of this.
Howie added: “I would also like to thank our NHS Scotland colleagues for the compassionate care they have shown our friend during their illness.”
On PPE, Gove said: “From February 25 to May 2 we had delivered over 1.08 billion items of PPE across the health and social care system within England.
Radio station Argyll FM, where Black worked, said on its Facebook page that he was “a much loved member” of the team and would be “sorely missed”.
“And tens of millions more have been distributed by our colleagues in the devolved administrations.
At the Scottish government’s daily briefing, health secretary Jeane Freeman announced that outreach workers supplying emergency Naloxone, the life-saving overdose reversal drug, will not be prosecuted.
“This overall figure includes 149 million masks, 173 million aprons, two million gowns and 614 million gloves.
Whilst it might seem peculiar that anyone attempting to save a life would be at risk of breaking the law, remember that drug laws are reserved to Westminster, there are particular legal restrictions around who can supply this particular drug and this change will allow drug treatment services to offer the life-saving kits without any concerns.
“On May 2 alone we delivered an additional 20 million items of PPE within England.”He said there is “much more to do”.
Freeman said that the Lord Advocate has agreed that “it would not be in the public interest, for the duration of the current crisis, for any individual working for a service registered with the Scottish government to be prosecuted for supplying naloxone in an emergency to save a life”.
Gove said the government has committed 100 million for remote learning for “those who need it most” and 180 video lessons per week were being supplied through the newly launched Oak National Academy.
She also announced extra funding for two specialist organisations helping people with autism, acknowledging that changes to routine and stress are especially difficult for those who are autistic, as well as more support for young people and families – funding to develop digital resources on mental well-being for teens and funding for a helpline that specialises in help for those experiencing relationship difficulties.
“We’re particularly keen to help vulnerable and disadvantaged children to carry on with their education during the pandemic,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, first minister Nicola Sturgeon backed up the Welsh government on Twitter as regards who will make decisions about children returning to school. Both Welsh and Scottish governments have stressed that they would prefer a four nations approach to lifting lockdown, but the differences in tone between devolved administrations and Westminster are becoming ever more apparent.
Gove added the government has ordered laptops for disadvantaged children sitting exams next year and for children with social workers to help them stay in touch with vital services.
Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, has spoken about the prospect of a vaccine in the next year. He told NBC “the prospects are pretty good, I certainly wouldn’t put the possibility at 80 percent”. Sir Bell said: “People who have dedicated their careers to this kind of a problem have a tendency to get excited about the prospects because the prospects are pretty good.
He said free internet routers and free school meal vouchers are being provided for those who need them.
“I certainly wouldn’t put the possibility at 80% -- that’s a pretty big number. But we are gradually reeling it in bit by bit and as every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up.” He added: “We’ve already started clinical trials, so we’ve already given the vaccine to about a thousand people and we’re going to grow that pretty rapidly.
In response to a question about what lessons the government has learned to prepare the NHS for future waves of coronavirus infections, Gove says the UK has learned how to improve testing capacity, PPE production and the production of ventilators. Prof Powis says, if the R rate of reproduction of the virus is kept below 1, the UK should be protected from future waves of infections. He added the NHS has been found to be “incredibly agile” in terms of increasing capacity when it is needed.
“We’ve consolidated the phase one and two programs because we are pretty confident that the vector itself is safe because it’s been used in about 5,000 people already up to now.
Prof Stephen Powis said the peak of hospital admissions has now passed, particularly in London.
“So that’s allowed us to really accelerate the phase one program and we hope that there would be enough disease that we would get evidence that the vaccine has efficacy by the beginning of June.”
Gove now hands over to Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England. Prof Powis says Britons are continuing to respond to social distancing measures and have done so “magnificently”. He admits there has been a “dip” in the number of coronavirus tests conducted over the weekend, but says the testing level is expected to increase over the coming days. It’s “evident” the rate of coronavirus transmission in the community is decreasing despite the increase in testing which would show up more cases. He added: “The trend now is downwards” as he displays a graph of the number of deaths in the UK.
Of the 21,180 reported coronavirus deaths so far in hospitals in England, 11,090 (52%) have been people aged 80 and over while 8,238 (39%) were 60-79.
Prof Powis confirms the UK is through the peak of deaths.
A further 1,691 (8%) were aged 40-59, with 150 (1%) aged 20-39 and 11 (0.05%) aged 0-19, according to NHS England.
The number of deaths announced so far by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has reached 778, the highest number for any trust in England.
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust has announced 520 deaths. Three trusts have announced between 400 and 500 deaths: the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (446), King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (432) and Barts Health NHS Trust (412).
A further seven trusts have announced between 300 and 400 deaths.
A further 14 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of deaths to 983, Public Health Wales said.
Another 174 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 10,329.
As of 2pm today, 12,097 people positive for coronavirus in Scotland while 1,571 patients have sadly died, an increase of 12.
Some 60,295 people in Scotland have been tested for the virus.
