good afternoon welcome to Dowling Street
before today's coronavirus press
conference I'm joined by chief medical
officer Chris witty Chris it's given
back and also by deputy chief scientific
adviser Angela McHale and before Angela
gives us an update on the data I'd like
to update you on the steps that the
government is taking to defeat the
corona virus our step-by-step action
plan is aimed at slowing the spread of
the virus so fewer people need hospital
treatment at any one time and that will
protect the NHS is ability to cope at
each point we've been following
scientific and medical advice and we've
been very deliberate in our actions
taking the right measures at the right
moment we're taking unprecedented action
to increase the NHS s capacity by
dramatically expanding the numbers of
beds key staff and equipment on the
front line to give people the care they
need when they need it most
that's also why we're instructing people
to stay at home so that we protect IHS
and save lives I can report that through
the government's ongoing monitoring and
testing program as of today two hundred
nine thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven people have now been tested
for the virus 51 thousand six hundred
and eight have tested positive the
number of people admitted to hospital
with coronavirus symptoms now stands at
17 thousand nine hundred and eleven and
those who have contracted the virus five
thousand three hundred and seventy three
sadly have died our thoughts our deepest
condolences but with their loved ones at
this very difficult time
these figures are a powerful reminder of
why we need everyone to follow the
government's guidance we must stay home
to protect our NHS and to save lives as
you know last night the prime minister
was admitted to hospital the tests
following advice from his doctor this
was a precautionary
because he continues to have persistent
coronavirus symptoms
ten days after first having tested
positive for the virus I can tell you
the PM had a comfortable night in
hospital and he's in good spirits he's
still in hospital under observation he's
been given regular updates on
developments and he continues to leave
the government I can reassure the
British people that the government
remains united in a single overriding
priority which is to defeat the corona
virus and see this nation through the
challenge ahead in the last week under
the Prime Minister's leadership the
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Michael Gove has explained what we're
doing to boost manufacturing capability
here at home to meet the rising demand
for ventilators and other equipment in
the NHS business secretary aunt
Charlotte has been setting out what the
government is doing to support small
businesses and yesterday Hill secretary
Matt Hancock gave an update on what
we're doing to bolster capacity in the
NHS including increasing the number of
critical care beds the FCO is supporting
all of these operational priorities so
we're deploying the diplomatic network
right around the world to a source of by
ventilators and protective equipment so
that we can reinforce the NHS frontline
here at home at the same time we're
working with other governments and the
airlines to bring home as many stranded
British nationals as we possibly can
prioritizing our most honorable citizens
and commercial flights we've helped over
200,000 UK nationals come home from
Spain 13,000 from Egypt 8,000 from
Indonesia
we've also charter flights from seven
different countries bringing home more
than two thousand British nationals
we've repatriated a further 1,550 from
cruise ships including most recently the
Crown Princess and the Zanden and for
those travelers who are still stuck
abroad we're doing everything we can to
keep international air
open to keep commercial flights running
and to charter flights when there no
other options under the new arrangements
that I announced last week and which has
now been agreed with 14 airlines we've
allocated 75 million pounds to support
those arrangements we've already had
flights back from countries including
Peru Ghana and Tunisia and we're fixing
further flights from India South Africa
Nepal and the Philippines which will fly
later on this week so I want to assure
people that every arm of government is
doing everything it possibly can to
defeat the corona virus and rise to the
challenges that it presents us at home
and abroad
last night our Majesty the Queen
reflected on the national spirit of
unity and resolve that we're seeing in
our country as well as the collective
effort we need to tackle the disease
from our heroic doctors nurses and care
workers through to those remaining the
tills at supermarkets and pharmacies
those driving the lorries and the buses
they are all worthy of our applause
they're all worthy of our admiration and
all that no both the Prime Minister and
I would like to thank all the NHS staff
for their truly heroic work and we owe
to the public to continue to follow the
government's advice to stay at home
protect the NHS and save lives that are
going to pass over to Angela for an
update already stated thank you if I
could start with a third slide this is
about the work that we have all been
doing in order to stay at home so what
you see there is how much change there's
been in how we use transport and the
orange line I think is the one that
shows us across the whole country
how national rail usage has fallen right
down to below 20 percent of what it was
during February and you can see with
other ways of moving around they are
also much much lower than you would
normally expect at this time of year you
can see that on the 23rd of March so two
weeks ago today they really really fell
very dramatically
all of us are making to stay at home and
save lives by working there are okay the
next slide the growth in the number of
cases in our hospitals is not as bad as
it would have been if we had not made
these efforts so it is working but the
big question is is it is the virus
spread slowing down enough to make
hospital admissions stabilize and then
even fall if I could have the next slide
please
so these are people being admitted to
hospital we've covered 19 across
different different regions of Great
Britain and what you can see is that
having risen very steadily up until
around about the 1st of April they're
now starting to serve a more complicated
behavior and starting we hope to slow
down but it really is too soon to see
the effects of the big changes we all
made to our lives from the 23rd March
onwards because remember that's only two
weeks ago and it takes several weeks
after you become infected for you to be
but realize that you're ill enough that
you really need to be in hospital so
we're all watching these numbers very
very carefully and we're very much
hoping that what's going to happen next
as they will at least stop rising next
slide please
the final set of numbers to look at
today is the global comparisons of these
very sad deaths from covered and this is
the most large data so the piece of data
that's shown the date of reporting of
deaths and there that can take a very
long time
after someone's died and be rather
variable how long that takes in
different countries and we will expect
even if the number of people being
admitted to hospitals and ITU units does
start to stabilize sadly we do expect
this number to keep on rising because of
course it takes time after people have
been admitted to hospital for them
either to get better or very sadly to
die
and then of course it further takes time
for those deaths to be reported so I'll
stop there thank you very much very
happy to take questions
Lawrenceburg from the BBC and press e on
the prime minister if the Prime Minister
is ill enough to need to be in hospital
how can he be well enough to run the
country a Chinese national emergency
wouldn't it be better if you step back
even briefly in order to recover
properly and if I could ask the medics
and you say that the restrictions
hard-working but too early to tell the
long-term effects but what would your
view on what are likely exit strategy
from the restrictions being thanks well
first of all on the PM he was admitted
to hospital for tests as a precaution
only and that was because some of the
symptoms that he had when he first
tested positive had persisted he's had a
comfortable night in sentences he's in
good spirits and he's been readily
updated and he still remains in charge
of the government and we're getting on
with all of the various strands of work
to make sure at home abroad
we can defeat the virus and pull the
country through career advice and the
challenges that undoubtedly we're facing
at the moment actually very
straightforward that we need a good long
time series of data on all of these
stages of infection in order to be able
to tell what the impact of the measures
that came in on the 23rd of March are
going to be we it's too early to tell
yet then we need we need people to carry
on following those instructions so that
we can work out three weeks later what
actually happens in hospitals who is
that give you the officers you need is
it do you want to come back I just
wondered there is increasing discussion
about what the exit strategy from users
should be owned would be interested to
hear Angelou or professor which is view
on what they might anticipate given all
the uncertainties around again
completely clear we need to know how
well the current in the current
restrictions are working before we can
say anything sensible about what the
next stage might be one party door right
now is to stop the spread and make sure
that we can get past the peak and I
think that's the overriding focus of the
government right now and the other
decisions can be considered in light of
the evidence that we're taking from
Angela and Chris in due course
Beth Rigby from Sky thank you our
foreign secretary one of your team
African Minister James Doddridge today
urged the prime minister to rest up and
that others do the heavy lifting until
he gets back up do you not agree that
the prime minister at this moment needs
to rest not work and question two
professor with us that welcome back it's
nice to see you back
we're entering the third week of
lockdown the government said it would
review the lockdown at the end of this
week given we're now approaching the
peak of the academic will you be advised
the ministers to keep these measures in
place and can you give the British
people a sense of whether this will
continue for weeks or months thank you
alone your question about the PM look
he's in charge
but you're right he'll continue to take
doctor's advice on and we have a team
which in the way I described is
full-throttle
making sure that his directions and his
instructions are being implemented and
followed through whether it's the
purchase of ventilators through to the
diplomatic effort to return a UK
nationals to Australia too broad and but
as ever
we were the promised it will take the
medical
that he gets through his daughter Chris
and just to add and I'm basically and
say exactly the same thing that Angela
said earlier which is the key thing is
to get to the point where we are
confident we've reached the peak and
this is now beyond the peak and at that
point I think it is possible to have a
serious discussion about all the things
we need to do that step by step to move
to the next phase of managing this but I
think to start having that discussion
and to look confident so that's what
we've got to would I think be a mistake
oh sorry Beth - do want to come back
just to be clear given that we are
approaching the peak it's the end of the
week whereby the government will review
whether to relaxed restrictions it seems
to me you are saying the lockdown
measures will continue beyond this end
of this week well I think to be clear we
do not think we know for certain that
the peak will be at the end of this week
this was the point that Angela was
making earlier and I think that would be
too early to start calling the point
where we can make move to the next phase
of this epidemic
the government's number one party's
overriding property is to get past the
peak and we do that by stopping the
spread which is why those decisions in
those considerations Beth you rightly or
thirty will have to wait until we have
beyond that point
Robert less than 90 day coming questions
to scientific experts and first
professor with you know this could
really know quite how much it is even in
the peak of health to the prime minister
normal advise on somebody feena's ill as
becoming Prime Minister is to rest in
order to better
I mean he's not superhuman some would
argue that he is taking too much of a
risk in the extent
she's still working so as a doctor
professor would you like an could
comment a bit on that secondly I
completely understand why you are saying
we cannot outline a plan for lifting the
restrictions until we know whether the
current measures aren't working but
equally the damage from a prolonged
economic lockdown will be tremendous
able to generate the revenues taxi
services and the rest so I do think the
British people would want to feel that
the government is working on a workable
strategy and in particular is it
possible to exit the lockdown unless and
until we have a program of mass testing
for the virus and unless and until we
have technological solutions for tracing
people who may have come into contact
with those well I'll let Chris comment
on the technical aspects but first of
all just be clear the Prime Minister
both in terms of going into some thomas'
yesterday he was taking the advice of
doctors so he's followed the doctor's
advice there and in terms of he's
recovering in the days ahead
we'll continue to do so and just to get
on the exit strategy let's be clear
about this I mean I'll let Chris talk
about talk to the technical points but
the risk right now is if we take our
focus off the strategy which is
beginning to work is that we won't get
through the peak as fast as we need to
which is why a big legitimate to ask the
question but the government's overriding
priorities got to be to keep up the work
that and the commitment that so many
people have made to make sure that we
maintain the social distancing we stop
the spread we protect the NHS as we come
through the peak Chris so my advice to
the prime minister was to take the
medical advice of the excellent NHS dr.
Seward lysing him and I'm sure he'll
continue to do that the only bit of
advice I gave him to that was as is
widely reported I did advise him to get
tested in the first place because I
thought that was prudent but after that
I didn't wish to muddle my role with him
I'm not his medical practitioner I'm his
adviser upon wider issues in terms of
the points you make about
you know there must be planning for next
phase of course there is and it's it's
quite complicated there are a very large
number of technical elements which need
to be brought together testing is one of
them but it also involves for example
considering the likelihood of a variety
of different other technologies
including vaccines including drugs and
when they're likely to be available I
think the one thing I would say at this
point is we've got to remember just from
the health point of view and clearly
there are wider social and economic
issues as well that there are at least
four different kinds of mortality and
ill health we need to take into account
over the period of this epidemic there's
the direct effects of people dying from
coronavirus there's the indirect effects
of the NHS if it were to become
overwhelmed and therefore unable to
provide emergency care for either
coronavirus or other areas and all the
activities were doing at the moment ah
to make sure that both of those are
minimized but it is really important
also to remember that there will be
effects from the fact that some
healthcare has had to be postponed to
make room for this within the NHS and of
course anything that has an impact on
the socio-economic status particularly
of people who are more deprived will
have a long-term health impact as well
and we have to in our exit strategy
balance all of these different elements
which to some extent can be intentioned
so I think it's just important to
understand these are gonna be quite a
complicated set of trying to work out to
have different things fit together as we
move to the next phase of this epidemic
question I don't really understand why
talking about you know even if it's in
the long term the way we're gonna Rexy
it
it's somehow distracts from the
imperative of social business
I think everybody except social
distancing is absolutely vital but why
people hope that there isn't plan to
exit does that penises reduce the
urgency for people well I think the one
reason to to reassurances I could give
you that that works so that we can
properly assess the measure that we
introduced is in place but also that we
do not want to confuse the message right
now because we are not passed the pig to
get past the peak we must have people
respecting those guidelines otherwise we
undo all the good work that so many
people have achieved in contributed to
do their forbearance particularly as the
weather gets make calculations about if
we have some reasonable data on how
large the impact of what we've done is
so far start to collect that from now
because we're now about two weeks after
people would have got inflicted but on
the 23rd of March or later
Victoria McDonald compared with with
what you'd be planning at the stage
there's there any suggestion that maybe
you won't need as many beds as the the
Excel center at the Nightingale as you
had expected I mean there's a very long
answer in a very short answer the very
short answer is our principal aim in
both the eight the fantastic response
from the general public in terms of
social distancing and all the things
people have done and not done on that
and also of the NHS staff we've built
things up is to ensure that the gap
between the number of beds available for
intensive care and those that are needed
it's always in a situation we have some
rule to spare and if we end up in a
situation where we have more ICU beds at
all times during this epidemic than we
absolutely need to deal with coded and
other areas that will be a success that
is something which is critical for
overall a so that's in a sense is what
we would like to see is some Headroom
between what we need and what we got
available at any given time Facebook
Ovid and other conditions and of course
that's got to take into account V that's
got to take him to account the regional
distribution of the need which is why as
well as NHS Nightingale in London we've
got the other plans to build and
Birmingham Manchester Bristol and
Harrogate did you want to come back well
I just wondered where we are at the
moment if you look at the modelling and
you fir back to some of the slides
you've just shown we're not gonna be
complacent and but we're doing
everything we can to make sure we've not
only what the capacity but a bit of room
for the new various Chris's is because
as Chris has mentioned come down from
the century have you spoken to power
sources they've either by text or
telephone and have you taken over any of
his security responsibilities or is he
also a small pendant to the CMO if I may
can you explain why you recommended he
going to hospital for testing and King
because we have a code answering the
question so she didn't answer
explaining the contradiction why the
Prime Minister is sick enough to take up
a valuable hospital net but well enough
just sort of running the country well
Tom I'm not going to comment on security
matters but aspect of the PM over the
weekend I chaired the morning meeting
that he would normally chair he's been
kept abreast of all the relevant
developments and of course in terms of
the balance that you described in our
course that Chris coined that's some
things that he will decide based on the
medical advice he's received from his
doctor Chris do you want to yeah we'd be
clear it was not me who recommended he
went into hospital that's entirely
between him and his excellent nhst the
only thing I recommended was that he got
tested in the first point place
I completely agree that this is a
question for
discussion between him and his medical
advisors who are outstanding Tom dear oh
yeah please country is mr. Whittaker
possibly explain ECM risk of catching
minute is he happy ammonia or is a
neutral zone so that I'm absolutely not
going to discuss any individual patient
nor to be clear do I actually have all
the details nor should i because this is
an issue between him and Andy's medical
advisers I can give a general answer
which is the majority that clear
majority people do end up on going to
hospital or they end up going into the
general bed they may or may not need
oxygen other things and they don't need
to go further than that but that is
absolutely not a comment on his personal
situation which would be completely
inappropriate for me to comment on it's
just a general comment on how things
tend to progress in hospital is ok on
the antibody test so the the antibody
tests are at their most useful at a
later stage of the epidemic in basically
at this point in time we would expect
quite a small proportion of the
population it has probably go up
antibodies but over time and there's two
reasons for that is the proportion
actually in effect
and then there's a period of time
between someone getting an infection and
antibodies being routinely available
routinely detectable and it depends
which kind of antibody are talking about
how soon that is but most of the tests
for that most of the labs you look to
this would say 21 28 days would be the
kind of timescale you'd be talking about
so they are they do tend to be more
effective later in the system in the
epidemic in terms of the current test we
got at the moment you got to remember
this is a new disease to which we have
you know had absolutely no knowledge of
the beginning of January and inevitably
with we're feeling our way to some
extent I am very confident we will
develop antibody tests whether they be
lab based or dipstick based over the
next period are very confident to that
but by you know the fact that we have
not in our first pass in the first
things that people produced got ones
which are highly effective is not
particularly surprising to anybody you
understand this our tests developed I
would expect those to continue to
improve both on the potentially on the
dipstick side and definitely on a lab
side which would be available in due
course through the NHS over time and the
more accurate they are the more useful
they're going to be for us and they will
become more accurate as time goes by so
I think the situation we'll find
ourselves in in a few months and
possibly a few weeks will be
considerably different to what we find
ourselves in at the moment but I think
it made a lot of sense to get started
early on this because this is clearly
something which in the long run is going
to be very important for how we manage
this epidemic and look on the question
to me that the Prime Minister is in
charge he's leading the government and
giving directions as and when required
and of course as you mentioned I chaired
the 9:15 were meeting the whole team is
focused on delivering those instructions
so I'm not going to get into any
hypotheticals did you want to come back
home you talked about the LAT basis does
that suggest the you may have to give up
on idea of a home-based instant reading
test and
that system where you have to send off
to allow no it doesn't it just means
that inevitably they've been the reason
that the UK went for quite a lot of
tests of different types the begin with
is to try a variety of different ones
and see which one's work we expect the
technology to improve over time so I
certainly do not think we will be giving
up on this at this point but inevitably
it's going to take a while before we get
to the optimal test performance that
this will be very surprising your first
stop first out of the gate we've got to
the best outcome that we could for these
kinds of tests are you saying that you
have not spoken to the Prime Minister
today and secondly would you consider
that there is an important giving
businesses an idea of when of what kind
of exit strategy the government has and
a rough idea of how many Hollywood take
and whether it would be safe standard by
region or like a person and all these
kind of things under consideration and
just a question for Chris witty in your
medical opinion should individuals who
have been hospitalized of coronavirus
continue to work from their hospital
beds
thanks so I spoke to the p.m. on
Saturday was the last time a Spector in
person and in relation to your other
questions so obviously we're very
mindful of the challenges businesses are
facing small businesses all the
employers and of course the workforce as
well but the risk is if we start taking
our eye off the ball of tackling the
coronavirus stopping the spread and
getting through the peak we risk
delaying the point at which we could in
the future take those decisions on
easing restrictions so it is really
important right now to keep the
overriding focus on maintaining the
discipline that we've had keeping
adherence to the guidelines that the
government
that out and making sure we stop the
spread of Korean glass and making a
general point as a doctor patients of
mine patients of mine there are some who
are in a hospital bed but a perfectly
capable of managing massively
congregated things from the hospital bed
others clearly are not that is
absolutely a conversation between the
individual and the doctors and nurses
who are looking after them I mean on the
exit strategy we know that different
departments are already starting to look
at number 10 on that wouldn't it help
business confidence to give some sort of
idea what's on the table well it the
risk is and it would undermine business
confidence if we took our foot off the
pedal and eased up on restrictions right
now and as a result of that we found
that we weren't stopping the spread of
the disease as quickly as we otherwise
could and I think a lot of business
community understand that of course all
of the review and the measures to make
sure we can review the effectiveness of
the measures in the way that Angela's
described all of that work is is going
on Stefan from City area thank you why
exactly there are small businesses
across can you say today if there will
be by this month payday and business
agreed upon by banks through your
business which game does this show that
thanks I know me too learning out to
businesses and what what can the
government do to ensure that banks
well their Chancellor has already
announced the 330 billion pound package
to support businesses right the way
through to employees he will net set out
the further detail as necessary as soon
as practical of course we do want to
encourage banks to be lending and
providing the liquidity but typically
that small and medium-sized businesses
need so that is important and we do want
that message along with the support
we've given to small businesses and
banks to be conveyed as clearly as
possible and to be active actually to
ensure they do act in this way while the
Treasury ministers are in regular
contact with the banks we're looking at
both what they need but also critically
how we get the finance to the businesses
which are viable that are just
struggling with the challenge of great
advice and we want to make sure
particularly those volatile small
businesses and medium-sized businesses
can see their way through this crisis
and I know the Chancellor the treasurer
of team doing everything they can to
make sure that that can be done thank
you all very much