The UK added 2,546 cases today and now has reported a total of 17,089 positive cases of COVID-19. We had in total tested 120,776 people as of 9am this morning.
As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK, we have lost 260 more people to COVID-19. We now sadly have a total of 1,019 losses of life.
Total cases are: England 14,427, Scotland 1,245, Wales 1,093 and Northern Ireland 324. Already 135 of the UK's positive testing cases have recovered.
Rep. Of Ireland have 2,415 cases and 36 losses of life.
There have now been 659,546 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is now 30,628. Already 141,420 people have recovered.
Today's scared chap on a podium was Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who led a mainly financial press conference:
Some competition rules have been suspended for supermarkets and IOW Ferries. (Previously they couldn't share lorries or stock.)
Annual leave will be able to be carried over for the next 2 years.
Reminder of extensions to company tax.
Insolvency system changes to keep more companies trading.
Reducing red tape for hand sanitiser producers.
Medical questions from press were put to Stephen Powis, Medical Director of NHS England:
Intensive care capacity hasn't yet been reached.
Antibody testing for NHS staff members has already begun.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will go to the front of any queue for testing.
"If we can keep the number of deaths down to 20,000 we will be doing very well".
Ireland have entered a 2 week lockdown until April 12th - Easter Sunday. Taoiseach: “Everybody must stay at home in all circumstances” apart from:
-Shopping for groceries/food
-Travel to work for an essential service which can’t be done from home.
People staying at home suffering with suspected coronavirus symptoms will get regular check-ins from a new NHS messaging service launched today. Daily texts will be sent by the NHS to new patients who register their Covid-19 symptoms and contact details with the 111 online service. The messages will check how people are, and ensure that those who need help to get them through the isolation period receive it. The text messages will be sent as a reassurance to those who contact NHS 111 online, complete the assessment, and leave basic information such as their age, mobile number and when their symptoms started.
Boots have already starting trialling drive-through testing of invited NHS workers in Nottingham and aim to expand this across the UK.
Germany have extended their lockdown until April 20th at least.
Royal Mail will be partnering with the government to deliver and collect COVID-19 tests for NHS and social care staff.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has warned that "anyone using coronavirus to threaten emergency and essential workers faces serious criminal charges".
Such behaviour is illegal and assaults specifically against emergency workers are punishable by up to 12 months in prison.
Germany are rumoured to be considering mass antibody testing to see if people have had COVID-19 and can return to regular life.
Nearly 1.5billion children are missing school. 87% of the world student population.
There will be a 4th Nightingale temporary hospital in Cardiff (as well as Manchester, Birmingham and London) and potentially a 5th in Glasgow (unconfirmed).
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa says China is sending 30,000 medical masks, 10,000 sets of protective clothing, 10,000 goggles and 50,000 pairs of gloves to Canada.
Taiwan's 15 minute rapid test kit should be ready in around 3 months. They are also working on an anti-viral medication which they hope to have available in around 6 months. The US and EU have already shown interest.
After 60 new cases in 1 day Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked Japanese people to refrain from non-essential activity.
Over 80 poor and middle-income countries have asked for financial help from the International Monetary Fund to cope with Covid-19.
Famous People With COVID-19:
Imperial College Epidemiologist and UK Govt. Advisor Neil Ferguson
Chief Brexit Negotiator David Frost
Scottish Secretary Alistar Jack (suspected)
8 Unnamed West Ham players (suspected)
The New York Times has published photos and diaries from the Bergamo region in Italy, and suggests that the true number of losses of life to COVID-19 may be as much as 4 times the official numbers, due to the number of people lost before receiving a test, and the huge sections of obituaries in daily newspapers.
Russia is closing it's borders from March 31st.
The USA has the fastest rate of growth of COVID-19. Cases are doubling every 2.5 days. UK cases are doubling around every 3.1 days.
Astoundingly after all this time, yet more Luxury Cruise News:
The Zaandam, with 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board, has been turned away from local ports and refused passage through the Panama Canal.
Four passengers have died and two people aboard the ship have tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 130 people aboard have reported flu-like symptoms.
The Zaandam left Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and was denied permission to dock at its original destination, San Antonio, Chile, last week. They were hoping instead to get to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
I'm genuinely sorry for everyone on board, but why would you go for a cruise during a Pandemic when you had already seen what happened with the Diamond Princess, and why would you ever be allowed to?
After 10 weeks under restrictions today some of the people in Hubei, China were finally allowed to leave. The residents of nearby provinces aren't all happy about it though, local government reports fighting on the 1st Yangtze River Bridge that separates Huangmei county in Hubei with the city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi.
Mexico's president has urged everyone to stay indoors.
China has sent a plane loaded with medical personnel and supplies to Pakistan.
The WHO has a release on transmission routes.
"According to current evidence, COVID-19 virus is transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes."
"Transmission of the COVID-19 virus can occur by direct contact with infected people and indirect contact with surfaces in the immediate environment or with objects used on the infected person (e.g. stethoscope or thermometer)."
"There is some evidence that COVID-19 infection may lead to intestinal infection and be present in faeces. However, to date only one study has cultured the COVID-19 virus from a single stool specimen. There have been no reports of faecal−oral transmission of the COVID-19 virus to date."
Basically, people breathing, coughing and sneezing breathe out the virus, but it's heavy enough to fall down onto surfaces and doesn't really linger in the air. Although it's been found alive once in poo, no-one has yet reported catching it from dirty water or erm... poo.
We are all a bit scared, very stressed and with 1/3 of the Earth's entire population under lockdown, domestic violence is a real threat for many. Paris has reported a 36% increase. New South Wales a 40% increase. It is never acceptable and if you are a victim, or fear for your own safety or someone else's, please reach out for support, and check in on your friends.
Phone 999 for any genuine emergency.
24 hour helplines:
England: 0808 2000 247
Northern Ireland: 0808 802 1414
Scotland: 0800 027 1234
Wales: 0808 8010 800
Some numbers. Every one depicts a person much more like you than you might think:
Country / Cases / Loses of life
USA 116,057 (+11,931) 1,937 (+241) More states to report.
Italy 92,472 (+5,974) 10,023 (+889)
China 81,394 (+54) 3,295 (+3)
Spain 72,248 (+6,529) 5,812 (+674)
Germany 56,202 (+5,331) 403 (+52)
Iran 35,408 (+3,076) 2,517 (+139)
France 37,575 (+4,611) 2,314 (+319)
UK 17,089 (+2,546) 1,019 (+260)
Switzerland 13,377 (+449) 242 (+11)
Netherlands 9,762 (+1,159) 639 (+93)
S. Korea 9,478 (+146) 144 (+5)
Belgium 9,134 (+1,850) 353 (+64)
Austria 8,030 (+333) 68 (+10)
Chile 1,909 (+299) 6 (+1)
Ecuador 1,823 (+196) 48 (+7)
Indonesia 1,155 (+109) 102 (+15)
Philippines 1,075 (+272) 68 (+14)
Greece 1,061 (+95) 32 (+4 )
Democratic Rep.Of Congo 58 (+7) 6 (+3)
Sources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/aldi-supermarket-stock-coronvirus-bonus-3992831
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/28/four-passengers-die-panama-cruise-ship-britons-plead-come-home/
ttps://t.co/h9hbmq3ISN
https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/coronavirus-coughs-key-workers-will-be-charged-assault-cps-warns
https://www.boots-uk.com/our-stories/boots-uk-supports-the-government-to-open-covid-19-testing-facilities-for-nhs-workers/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulations-temporarily-suspended-to-fast-track-supplies-of-ppe-to-nhs-staff-and-protect-companies-hit-by-covid-19
https://www.royalmail.com/priority-postboxes
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/27/world/europe/coronavirus-italy-bergamo.html
https://twitter.com/GuillaumeDaudin/status/1243302014941122561?s=19
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-27/coronavirus-domestic-family-violence-covid-19-surge/12096988?pfmredir=sm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/dozens-poorer-nations-seek-imf-help-coronavirus-crisis
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rules-on-carrying-over-annual-leave-to-be-relaxed-to-support-key-industries-during-covid-19
https://m.dw.com/en/germany-mulls-mass-testing-for-coronavirus-immunity-report/a-52940096?maca=en-gk-volltext-newsstand-germany-en-10759-xml-googlenews
https://twitter.com/CanadaMoments/status/1243931816781905921?s=19
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-mortality-risk
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/03/nhs-support-via-text-message-people-with-symptoms-of-covid-19/
A great update and the times seem to be getting scarier, but it still seems we have a long way to go xx
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