Summary

  • Birmingham hospital trust records 600 deaths - the highest in UK

  • NHS trust 'inundated' after PPE sewing appeal

  • Sikh temple donates £50k to help patients at new Nightingale Hospital

  • Nine 5G masts attacked amid coronavirus claims

  • West Bromwich Albion hosts maternity clinics

  • BBC Bitesize launches online lessons for all children

  • Updates from Monday 20 April

  1. Our coverage across the daypublished at 19:04 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    That's all for our coverage today.

    We'll be back from 08:00 tomorrow with more updates through the day.

  2. Panorama documents coronavirus front-line NHS staffpublished at 19:03 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    The BBC's Panorama programme has spent a day on the front line at University Hospital in Coventry - to see how coronavirus patients are being treated.

    The hospital now has eight wards dedicated to treating people with the virus.

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    You can watch Jane Corbin's full report in Panorama: On the NHS Frontline - tonight on BBC One at 19:30 and afterwards on the BBC iPlayer.

  3. Make a Difference: Nurse found for 'desperate' care homepublished at 18:50 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    BBC CWR

    A "desperate" care home trustee said he was "over the moon" to have a volunteer nurse come forward to offer help after his team had been left "decimated" after suspected coronavirus cases.

    St Andrew'sImage source, Google

    Ken Holmes, chair of trustees at St Andrew's care home in Coventry approached BBC CWR's Make a Difference team after staff shortages left the home “in danger of not being able to meet the needs of residents”.

    "Having had one or two bereavements in the home, possibly due to Covid-19, many of the staff who are unwell are isolated," he added, "and as such we are understaffed."

    Qualified nurse Susan Eldon, who lives nearby in Earlsdon, responded to the plea saying she had registered as a volunteer worker with the Nursing Midwifery Council, but had been told they had an "excess of volunteers".

    She said on hearing the plea she was "quite keen to see what I could do to help".

    "That's just brilliant, and music to my ears," Ken told BBC CWR.

  4. JCB food aid programme expandedpublished at 18:43 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A food aid programme in North Staffordshire run by construction machinery firm JCB is to be expanded, the company has said.

    JCB has been providing thousands of meals for disadvantaged people across the area.

    Now it is to make and help distribute sandwiches for homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent.

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  5. 'Rainbow of hope' created by fire crewspublished at 18:34 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A "rainbow of hope" has been built by fire crews on duty at Hereford fire station.

    RainbowImage source, Hererford and Worcestershire Fire Service
  6. Holidaymaker on ventilator in Miami separated from wifepublished at 18:13 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A woman has described the "living nightmare" of her father stranded alone in ICU in Miami with suspected Covid-19.

    Linda and John LangfordImage source, Georgina Forsythe

    Georgina Forsythe from Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire said her dad, John Langford, started presenting coronavirus symptoms following a cruise holiday around South America.

    He is expected to remain on a ventilator for the next two weeks, she said.

    He's still waiting for his results after being tested for Covid-19 for a second time.

    He was on holiday with his wife Linda who has now flown back to the UK.

    Quote Message

    Because she'd been on an infected cruise ship she had no choice - she couldn't go to the hospital to be by his side - she wasn't allowed to stay in a local hotel, she had to get off the cruise ship. So the only place she could get to after the cruise ship was on a plane to fly home and it was so, so difficult for her.

    Georgina Forsythe

  7. NHS trust 'inundated' after PPE sewing appealpublished at 18:02 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    The trust says it hoped to receive 50 gowns but has so far received more than 1,200 offers of help.

    Read More
  8. More than 140,000 firms claim wage bill helppublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the furlough money will help pay the wages of more than a million people.

    Read More
  9. NHS trust records highest number of Covid-19 deathspublished at 17:41 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A hospital trust has become the first in England to have recorded 600 deaths of patients with Covid-19.

    Hospital

    Eleven deaths were announced today by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust bringing the total number of deaths to 600.

    A further 449 people have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals over a 24-hour period, latest government figures show.

    That takes the total number of hospital deaths to 16,509 as of 17:00 on Sunday.

  10. 'Little pick me up' delivered to nurse's doorsteppublished at 17:09 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    More than 15,000 beers have been bought for NHS workers to say thank you for the work they're doing fighting coronavirus including a nurse from Birmingham.

    The One on Us scheme allows members of the public to send a can to health workers with a personalised message.

    Ally Middleton is a nurse for Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, and says receiving her "little pick me up" was lovely.

    Media caption,

    Coronavirus: ‘Buying a round’ to thank NHS workers

  11. Coronavirus: 'Banks and government blaming each other'published at 16:40 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A Birmingham business owner has described how he can no longer afford to pay staff after having a loan application turned down.

    There have been calls to increase the level of government backing for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

    BirminghamImage source, Getty Images

    Restaurant owner George Kafetzis said he continued to pay his staff even after he was forced to close his sites.

    His loan application has been turned down by Barclays, and he has had no response from Lloyds, he said.

    In an email sent to bosses at Barclays on Friday, Mr Kafetzis said: "Today is the last day I can pay my staff. I worry about about them; some suffer [from] anxiety and mental health issues."

    "They [the banks] just can't process the applications quick enough," he said.

    "I feel the banks are blaming the government, but the government are blaming the banks for not giving the money out quick enough."

  12. Is it hay fever or coronavirus?published at 16:10 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    The Royal College of GPs is warning people not to confuse the symptoms of coronavirus with those of hay fever.

    It says many of the symptoms of hay fever - such as a runny nose and itchy eyes - aren't experienced by people with Covid 19, but a cough could be a sign of either.

    Bromsgrove GP Dr Jonathan Leach, from the Royal College, said it was important to remember what your hay fever symptoms have been like in previous years.

    Media caption,

    Hay fever or coronavirus: The symptoms compared

  13. Football stadium used for maternity clinicspublished at 15:50 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    West Bromwich Albion will provide free space in suites for antenatal and postnatal care.

    Read More
  14. An illustrated exercise plan for older peoplepublished at 15:32 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    Jennifer Meierhans
    BBC News

    A creative volunteer has drawn up a guide to help older people work on their strength and balance during lockdown.

    Katie Burton, from Shrewsbury, wanted to help when face-to-face Elevate At Home , externalsessions were cancelled.

    "After a lot of hard work by a small team of specialist exercise instructors, a 12-week home exercise plan has been created aimed at the older population who are isolating," she said.

    Katie BurtonImage source, Katie Burton

    Ms Burton, who has also volunteered for Age UK, said: "Whilst it was definitely a challenge for me, I had lots of fun creating a set of stickmen showing a variety of exercises.

    "On numerous occasions anyone looking through the window of my flat would have found me in various exercise positions trying to figure out which angle your thumb would be or how something would actually look in order for me to recreate them."

  15. Make a Difference: Money raised to buy hospital tabletspublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    BBC WM

    The Charity behind Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham has tweeted its gratitude to Property for Kids, which has raised over £5,000 for it.

    The money will be used to buy tablets to allow terminally ill patients to communicate with their families, the organisation said.

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  16. School produces giant rainbow for NHSpublished at 14:48 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    Staff and children at a Nuneaton school have produced a display of thanks to the NHS and key workers.

    The picture was shared by the ambulance service which thanked Glendale Infant School in the town.

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  17. Temporary mortuary set up at mosquepublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    A Birmingham mosque has set up a temporary mortuary in its car park amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Small Heath said the facility, with space to store up to 150 bodies, would help provide dignity for people.

    Temporary MortuaryImage source, Getty Images

    Members of the community are being buried with a shroud, thanks to trained volunteers with PPE, the mosque said.

    But it does not allow families themselves to shroud the bodies and do a full body wash, for safety reasons.

    MortuaryImage source, Getty Images
    MortuaryImage source, Getty Images

    The facility at the mosque on Golden Hillock Road involves five refrigerated units.

    "Anybody can use it, NHS, Christians, if needed… It’s about humanity," trustee Mohammed Zahid said.

  18. Fish and chip shop cooking up help for the NHSpublished at 13:56 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    BBC Shropshire

    Every day, local radio stations across the BBC are telling you about ways people are Making a Difference in their communities.

    In Shropshire, Sanjit Kang who owns the Shifnal Fryer fish and chip shop said staff had been cooking for local NHS workers, despite being closed.

    Fish and chipsImage source, Getty Images

    The takeaway closed over three weeks ago, but decided to keep providing food for front-line workers, along with staff from the Pondicherry Indian restaurant in Ironbridge.

    "It has been quite hard, financially, it is a big thing for everyone," she said.

    "We just decided to put something back into the community."

    It is also planning to reopen for customers, while following social distancing guidelines and allowing only two customers in the shop at a time.

  19. Coronavirus blood treatment to be triedpublished at 13:26 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    The hope is blood from coronavirus survivors could treat hospital patients ill with Covid-19.

    Read More
  20. Make a Difference: Drinks company donates to food bankpublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 20 April 2020

    BBC CWR

    Drinks company Britvic has made a donation to the food bank in Rugby.

    The firm has been thanked by the town council, which also said more donations were needed for residents in financial difficulty.

    Britvic donationImage source, Rugby Town Council