there's been a big rise and the number
of people in the UK who have died of
coronavirus 181 lost their lives in the
past 24 hours and more than 6,000 are
now being treated in hospital it comes
as the Prime Minister and the health
secretary have both tested positive for
the virus the government's chief medical
adviser professor Chris Witte is also
self isolating after displaying symptoms
in a video on social media or as Johnson
said he currently has mild symptoms and
will be working from home to lead the
national fight back against coronavirus
the UK death toll has now reached 759 in
just three weeks
here's our chief political correspondent
Viki young keeping their distance like
many neighbors the Prime Minister and
Chancellor steps outside to pay tribute
to NHS staff last night but four hours
later for his Johnson tested positive
for coronavirus I've taken a test that
has come out positive so I am working
from home I'm self isolating and that's
entirely the right thing to do but being
no diet that I can continue a thanks to
the wizardry of modern technology to
communicate with all my top team to lead
the national fight back against
coronavirus that top team has been
spending less time in the same room this
week cabinet was held remotely the chief
medical and scientific advisors were
keeping further apart as online press
conferences but today Chris Witt he said
he had symptoms and was self isolating
mr. Johnson had his weekly audience with
the Queen on the phone in the Commons on
Wednesday there were fewer MPs at Prime
Minister's Questions but ministers sat
together on the front bench including
the health secretary he developed
coronavirus symptoms that night and is
also in self-isolation I'll be
continuing to do everything I can to get
our carers the support that they need
and I'll be doing that from here but
with no less gussto with the Prime
Minister unavailable it fell to Michael
Gove to take questions at the daily
press conference the Prime Minister has
coronavirus the health secretary does as
well the chief medical off
is in isolation people will be looking
at this and maybe wondering whether you
haven't been taking your own advice or
you maybe acted too slowly when it came
to stopping the spread of coronavirus
the virus does not discriminate we are
all at risk and that is why it is so
important that we practice social
distancing measures those are in place
in government ministers are working
remotely and from home using video
conferencing in order to make sure that
we can follow the strict advice that all
of us should be following in order to
help to protect the NHS like every other
workplace Downing Street has been
affected by staff absence the Prime
Minister's chief adviser Dominic
Cummings is still up and running mr.
Johnson's girlfriend who's pregnant
posted this photo of her and dog Dillon
saying self isolating wasn't so bad
darling streets emphasizing that like
most people who get the virus Boris
Johnson has mild symptoms and is
continuing to work there has been
speculation about who would take over if
he can't take decisions that would fall
to the Foreign Secretary Dominic Robb
but the message is clear tonight the
Prime Minister may not be out and about
but he's firmly in charge for the next
seven days he'll stay in the office and
flat in number 11 Downing Street meals
will be left outside the door
Vicky young BBC News Westminster the
head of the NHS said tonight that staff
would start being tested for coronavirus
from next week including critical care
nurses intensive care staff ambulance
workers and GPS this concern about the
number of NHS staff currently off work
because they're self isolating with
possible symptoms meanwhile more
preparations are being made to care for
the thousands of patients expected over
the next weeks the Principality Stadium
in Cardiff will be turned into a
temporary hospital providing 2,000 extra
beds as well conference centres in
London Birmingham and Manchester our
medical correspondent Fergus Walsh
reports this is what NHS frontline staff
have been crying out for swab test for
coronavirus several drive-thru centres
are being set up so that those isolating
at home can find out if they or family
men
bizarre infected this will be antigen
testing testing whether people currently
have the disease so that our health and
social care workers can have security in
the knowledge that they are safe to
return to work if their test is negative
these tests will be trial for people on
the front line starting immediately with
hundreds to take place by the end of the
weekend dramatically scaling up next
week another key concern for NHS staff
has been shortages of personal
protective equipment huge stocks are
being sent out from this warehouse near
Glasgow but many say they're still being
left at risk among them GPS people are
really really scared for themselves for
their teens and for patients because
they just don't know when they go in to
see a patient whether or not even though
they're not displaying symptoms they may
still have the virus the rate of
coronavirus infections is now doubling
every three to four days london is
hardest hit
the mayor has warned that temporary more
Therese like this one in Westminster
will need to be set up across the city
any of your viewers but it's important
all of us are ready for this and we're
doing our bit to make sure we're ready
but also I'm really sorry to say this
we're going to see also us having to
prepare for the possibility of huge
numbers of deaths and that's all we're
talking about we're working on the Maury
bank them all non-urgent surgery is
being suspended for three months as
operating theaters are converted to
makeshift intensive care units I've got
what they call locally advanced prostate
cancer Chris Romney's was due to have
his prostate removed on Monday but his
cancer surgery has been cancelled
I think it's morally and ethically wrong
to sacrifice cancer patients in favor of
Kovach 19 patients and it's so important
that cancer patients don't become the
Forgotten victims of this of all this
chaos that's taking place the hospital
in Derby issued a statement saying we
are continuing to prioritize emergency
cancer treatment and full services will
resume as soon as it's safe to do so
cancer specialists should have the
opportunity with their patient
to decide whether it is more risky for
somebody to embark on treatment at this
particular time given that you are more
vulnerable to infection if you want a
sense of the scale of what's coming look
at the huge temporary hospitals being
created for coronavirus patients this
one in London's Docklands will
eventually have 4,000 beds
another at the NEC in Birmingham will
have 5000 a thousand more beds will be
created at the gmx Center in Manchester
the NHS is bracing itself
well Fergus joins me now there there are
huge numbers you are talking about have
we any idea yeah we're getting a picture
of how bad it could get in the UK the
Soviet been saying for months that the
majority of people will get mild or
moderate symptoms it'd be like an
unpleasant bout of flu and that's still
the case but for the minority the sheer
numbers getting infected means that
hospitals are going to be under
increasing pressure with cases doubling
every few days and I have to warn you
that in the coming few weeks the daily
death toll will inevitably rise into the
many hundreds now it's vital when that
happens that the public don't get
downhearted and think that social
distancing isn't working it is working
but there will be a lag of two to four
weeks before we see its effects so as a
nation we have to hold our nerve protect
each other because our individual
actions will save lives
focus washer thank you