Test and Trace figures show positive tests in England are down by 34% in a week
Surge testing for the South African Covid variant is taking place in six London boroughs in a bid to halt its spread
Surge testing is also being carried out in parts of Smethwick in the West Midlands
Around 4.7 million people were waiting for routine operations and procedures in England in February - the highest since 2007, NHS England figures show
Nearly 388,000 were waiting more than a year for non-urgent surgery compared with just 1,600 before the pandemic
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to give the NHS "all the funding that it needs" to tackle the backlog
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "glad" she received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
More than 200,000 new daily cases have been confirmed in India as the virus spreads
We're wrapping up for today. Join us tomorrow for more live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Today's updates have been brought to you by Emma Harrison, Vanessa Barford, Jen Meierhans, Mary O'Connor and Hazel Shearing.
Here's a reminder of some of today's coronavirus news from around the world:
Here's a recap of today's coronavirus developments in the UK:
There have been almost 4.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and more than 127,000 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, the latest government figures show.
More than 32 million people in the UK have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Find out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average with our postcode look-up tool.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe vaccination rate for staff at older adult care homes is below the level recommended by scientists advising the government in more than half of England's local authorities, figures show.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says 80% of care home staff and 90% of residents need to be vaccinated to provide a minimum level of protection against Covid-19 outbreaks.
Figures just published by NHS England show that 86 out of 149 local authorities have not reached this threshold for employees.
In 22 areas less than 70% of staff have had a first jab.
Lambeth in south London had the lowest uptake at 50.1%.
The figures suggest more than 96,000 eligible staff have not received a vaccine.
A former floor-layer who started streaming himself playing computer games during lockdown has doubled his income and says it is "surreal" people pay to watch him.
Harry Mullinder, from Southport in Merseyside who has 1,300 subscribers, now goes to work in his garden shed.
Covid: Lockdown gamer 'doubles income' from shed
University bosses in England have been reacting to the news that students will be allowed to return to face-to-face teaching - but no earlier than 17 May.
Since the start of the year, only students on hands-on courses have been allowed in-person teaching.
Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said it was a "cautious approach" to the easing of restrictions.
The University of the West of England's vice chancellor, Steve West, said it was a "crushing decision for our students".
"I still have a difficulty in understanding the evidence base upon which it's OK to have half but not all students," he says.
Read more reaction here.
Hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland will be allowed to open earlier than initially proposed, BBC News understands.
Stormont ministers have been meeting to agree dates for the reopening of a number of sectors - and that meeting has now finished.
Health Minister Robin Swann said yesterday the time was right for the NI Executive to further ease restrictions, after some outdoor retail reopened on Monday.
Image source, PA WireScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "glad" she had the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, amid concerns about rare cases of blood clots.
"There have been concerns raised and I said that I'm confident it's safe, but now I'm not just saying that, I've also had the AstraZeneca vaccine," she said.
Ms Sturgeon praised the "well-oiled machine" at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and urged others to get vaccinated when they are invited.
"I guess like many people I felt quite emotional because it's so important this vaccination programme in helping us all get back to normal," she said.
Covid travel restrictions around Scotland are due to be eased on Friday, earlier than expected, but there will be a much more significant relaxation in the rules from 26 April.
Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service
Image source, ReutersSome African nations will need to increase health spending by 50% to vaccinate 60% of their populations, the IMF says
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that more than 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are being pushed into poverty by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It has called on wealthier nations to help African countries get better access to vaccines.
The IMF estimates that some African countries - aiming to vaccinate 60% of their populations - will need to increase their health spending by 50%.
Last year, economies in sub-Saharan Africa contracted by almost 2% - the worst year on record.
The lockdowns have hurt businesses from market-stall holders to tourist resorts and multinationals.
Having a young population seems to have helped protect the continent from the coronavirus.
But with Africa's population growing so fast, vast numbers of young people need work.
So the lockdowns need to end as soon as possible and the vaccines need to be rolled out quickly to reduce the economic impact across the continent.
The IMF estimates that they will recover this year with a growth spurt of 3.4%, although all other regions in the world are expected to experience greater economic growth.
Image source, Getty ImagesBenefit Cosmetics has backtracked on a policy that reportedly saw NHS workers turned away for beauty treatments.
A nurse wrote on Facebook that NHS staff were being refused "on the basis that [they] work with Covid patients."
Responding to the healthcare worker's post, Benefit Cosmetics wrote earlier in the week that it was a "blanket policy" to refuse service to anyone who has been in contact "with anyone suspected of Covid or having its symptoms".
It said this was needed to "protect staff and other customers".
But social media users lashed out on the brand's pages, with some calling for a boycott.
The beauty brand is now allowing NHS workers to receive eyebrow and eyelash treatments if they were wearing medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE) when in contact with coronavirus patients and no-one else in their household has recently had Covid or shown symptoms.
All customers will be asked a series of "screening questions", which have now been updated, on arrival for their appointments.
A spokeswoman for the firm said it had updated its policy, and regrets "any hurt or upset caused".
She added: "We would like to stress that this is in no way to discriminate against our hard working NHS, who we love dearly. Like all processes in action, ours were being tweaked and have now been updated."
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, China Media Analyst
Today, both Hong Kong and Taiwan have expanded their vaccine programmes to make new groups eligible for vaccination.
From tomorrow, people between the ages of 16 and 29 will be eligible for vaccination in Hong Kong.
There are two vaccines available in the city: Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech. Residents over the age of 16 are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, whilst Sinovac recipients must be over the age of 18. , external
Hong Kong’s vaccination drive began on 26 February. So far, about 967,000 vaccine doses have been administered in the city to health and care home workers, the elderly, and people with underlying health issues., external Some 7.5 million people live in Hong Kong.
Taiwan’s Centre for Disease Control has also announced that from today, people “who must travel abroad due to special circumstances”, i.e. diplomats, government personnel and athletes, external, are eligible for vaccination.
From next Wednesday, it will also allow other travellers to apply for vaccination under a self-paid system., external
Taiwan began its vaccination drive on 22 March with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Some 27,000 people who are classed as high-risk, i.e. medical workers, airport and quarantine hotel personnel, have received Covid-19 jabs so far. Taiwan has a population of 23.5 million.
Christopher Sleight
BBC Scotland News
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we wait for more detail on Northern Ireland's dates for easing lockdown, let's take a look at what the timeline looks like for Scotland.
From tomorrow, Covid restrictions will be eased - earlier than expected - which will allow people to travel to meet up, and groups of six adults from six households to meet outdoors.
But there will be a much more significant relaxation in the rules from 26 April, when those parts of Scotland currently under Covid protection level four , externalrules are moved into to level three, external.
This will mean:
But how ready is Scotland to unlock restrictions? The BBC's Christopher Sleight explains five things to know about the state of the pandemic.
Northern Ireland's ministers have agreed that indoor hospitality venues, including pubs and hotels, will reopen on 24 May.
It is understood unlicensed and licensed premises such as restaurants, beer gardens, coffee shops and cafes can open outdoors on 30 April.
With lockdown restrictions easing in England, visits to care homes are now possible for families. Here's the moment Eileen Fuller was reunited with the two youngest members of her family after more than a year.
A total of 40,958,303 coronavirus vaccinations have been given in the UK, according to government figures., external
That's 32,444,439 first doses and 8,513,864 second doses.
In England and Scotland, people aged 45 and over are now being invited to book their jabs.
In Northern Ireland, those aged 40-45 are eligible to get a Covid vaccine, while in some areas in Wales 40-49 year-olds are being invited.
A further 30 people have died after contracting coronavirus in the UK, according to government daily statistics., external
It brings the total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test to 127,191.
There were also 2,672 new infections.
Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo
Image source, Getty ImagesThose wishing to travel are finding it costly to get Covid tests
Four suspected members of a counterfeit ring producing fake Covid-19 negative certificates have been arrested, the authorities say.
The gang’s operations centred around the Ressano Garcia border post where people need negative Covid-19 results to travel to neighbouring South Africa, Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) said.
Two suspects were arrested in mid-March and the others on Monday in the capital, Maputo, Sernic spokesperson Hilario Lole said.
Three of those arrested were government health workers - another was someone who touted their services, he said.
The gang charged between $50 (£36) and $60 for each "test" with a guaranteed negative result.
It is not easy to get a free Covid-19 test at government-run hospitals for the purposes of travel - and private clinics tend to charge around $100 for a test.
Many Mozambicans travel to South Africa for work or to buy goods to resell back home.
Image source, Getty ImagesThousands of people are dying every day in Brazil with Covid-19
Brazil's "failed Covid-19 response" is driving the country to a "humanitarian catastrophe", the international charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said.
The country has seen a sharp rise in cases and deaths in recent weeks, fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus and a lack of co-ordinated national measures. President Jair Bolsonaro has strongly opposed imposing a lockdown, despite growing calls from health experts, and criticised state governors and mayors for announcing local restrictions.
"The federal government has all but refused to adopt evidence-based comprehensive public health guidelines, leaving Brazil's dedicated medical staff to manage the sickest in intensive care units and improvise solutions when beds are unavailable," MSF's international president Dr Christos Christou said in a statement.
"This has put Brazil into a permanent state of mourning and led to the near collapse of Brazil's health system."
The virus continues to circulate across the country and the situation is unlikely to improve in April as some states and cities are already easing restrictions, according to the health institute Fiocruz.
Patients with Covid-19 are occupying more than 90% of intensive care beds in most states, Fiocruz said, while some parts of the country have reported short supplies of oxygen and anaesthetics needed to help patients with serious complications.
The country recorded 73,513 new cases and 3,459 deaths in 24 hours on Wednesday, according to the health ministry. As the pandemic rages, hundreds of babies and young children have died, as our colleagues Nathalia Passarinho and Luis Barrucho from BBC Brasil report.
Image source, ReutersIrish government ministers have insisted that the Republic is on course to continue a cautious reopening of society in May and to meet its end of June vaccination target.
Taoiseach (Irish PM) Mícheál Martin has said he expects 80% of the adult population to be offered or to have had a first dose by the end of June and around 55% to be fully vaccinated.
He has estimated that the Republic's vaccination programme is about a month behind Northern Ireland's.
The Republic has been described as having the longest lockdown in the world.
Read more on this story here.