Explore the data on how the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in the UK.

The government has announced the end of all Covid restrictions in England.

Covid vaccination campaigns are under way in the UK and across the world.

Who needs it - and does the UK health service have the right kit?

Immunity is the crucial question and understanding it will tell us how the pandemic will end.

BBC London

That's all from our live page this week but we'll be back on Monday morning with all the latest news and advice on the coronavirus pandemic at is affects Londoners.

Have a safe weekend.

Sam Francis
BBC News, London

Londoners are dying from coronavirus at more than twice the rate as the rest of the country, according to a new study.

The Office of National Statistics found , externalLondon has the highest mortality rate with 85.7 deaths linked to Covid-19 per 100,000 people - almost double the next highest rate.

The 11 local authorities with the highest mortality rate are all London Boroughs including ;

• Newham had the highest age-standardised rate with 144.3 deaths per 100,000 population followed by
• Brent with a rate of 141.5 deaths per 100,000 population, and
• Hackney with a rate of 127.4 deaths per 100,000 population.

The same study found people in deprived areas were more than twice as likely to die from coronavirus, when accounting for age and the average number of deaths this time of year.

Nick Stripe, Head of Health Analysis at the ONS, said: "General mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas, but so far COVID-19 appears to be taking them higher still.”

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, The Kids Network

A children's charity in London is urgently looking for volunteers to become digital mentors.

Hackney-based The Kids Network has launched its new Digital Mentoring Project amid the current Covid-19 lockdown which it says makes its work more important than ever.

"Due to the increased social isolation and loneliness caused by Covid-19 measures, now, more than ever, meaningful connections and support are needed for vulnerable children who are cut off from their world, and normality," the charity says on its website, external.

"That is why we need you to become an online mentor today."

Volunteers would be trained and speak to their mentees via the phone and a messaging service over the course of four months.

Image source, The Kids Network

Project manager James Bailey said: "Whether they’re playing games or discussing goals, they will be making a difference to a child’s life by building their confidence, resilience and developing the tools to manage feelings for a positive future."

Image source, The Kids Network

Renata Funari, 24, mentors an 11-year-old girl by trying to build up her confidence and comfort in talking to other people.

But she said the relationship has helps her too: "I think it helps me have a bit of consistency because we speak at the same time every week.

"I have always really liked working with kids. They’re funny and they help you put things into perspective.

"It’s cathartic for sure, and it helps me feel a bit less lonely. It’s like having another friend who’s just younger."

Image source, RSPCA

Two London RSPCA branches are working with a local food bank to help provide regular supplies of pet food to vulnerable owners during the lockdown.

The Wimbledon Foodbank has teamed up with RSPCA branches covering Wimbledon, Wandsworth and Sutton, and Balham and Tooting in order to deliver pet food to those who require it.

RSPCA Trustee Ali Hellewell said "some pet owners are extremely worried about continuing to care for their pets through the Covid-19 crisis.

"We hope to ease some of that pressure by teaming up with the Wimbledon Foodbank to provide pet food for the pet owners who are most in need."

Jon Featherstone, chair of the Wimbledon Foodbank, said they were "currently providing three days of food packages for up to 150 people a day and we estimate that around 20% of those are pet owners".

The group, called the RSPCA Pet Foodbank team, are appealing for help from supporters to help fund the initiative.

Newsnight

Earlier we told you about the relatively high number of Covid-19 deaths among NHS staff from the Philippines.

Some 25 workers have died and the Filipino Nurses UK Association has said that its members are not being adequately protected and often feel unable to complain.

Roger Kline, who drew up the NHS's current equalities guidance said there was "no doubt" deaths could have been avoided if guidance had been followed.

"The way in which the discrimination in the NHS happens, including I think, some of the ways its currently happening, sometimes it's intentional, much of the time it's not.

"It's the accumulative effect of a whole range of small decisions, which really constitute institutional discrimination," he said.

The boss of NHS England has now written to all trusts urging them to risk-asses all BAME staff in light of the emerging evidence.

Two inquiries have been launched into why people from BAME backgrounds appear to be disproportionately affected by coronavirus both as patients and on the frontline.

The boss of NHS England has now written to all trusts urging them to risk-asses all BAME staff in light of the emerging evidence.

Two inquiries have been launched into why people from BAME backgrounds appear to be disproportionately affected by coronavirus both as patients and on the frontline.

Sam Francis
BBC News, London

Image source, bbc

The number of people who have died in London hospitals after testing positive for coronaviurs has now exceeded 5,000.

There were 71 new deaths reported linked to Covid-19 according to NHS data, external, taking total recorded deaths across London to 5,047.

There is some good news though.

The seven day average for reported deaths is now below 100 for the first time since the NHS starting publishing data on 2 April.

If you added up all of the deaths in the last week, and divided it by seven you would get an average of 89 deaths. If you did the seven days before this it would have been 130.

This may seem like an odd statistical trick, but it smooths out some of the spikes in deaths caused by delays in reporting numbers.

The North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London's worst affected hospital trust, has now recorded 507 deaths - the second highest total in the UK.

Two other hospitals have now reported more than 300 deaths . They are:

• Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (444)
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (422)
• Barts Health NHS Trust (389)
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (366)
• Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (351)
• Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (345)

Newsnight

Emerging evidence is showing that one in five NHS healthcare staff dying from Covid-19 are from the Philippines.

The Philipine Nurses UK Association , externalis writing to the chief nursing officer, asking for urgent action following the deaths of at least 25 workers.

Staff from the Philipines make up just 2% of the NHS workforce.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Francis Fernando said many members have been complaining to the association about a lack of PPE.

"I think Filipino healthcare workers are being taken advantage of by their managers and by their employers," he said.

"They are afraid that if they say something, even if the wanted to with our support, they'll be reprimanded and their visas won't be renewed," he added.

On Wednesday the government announced black, Asian and minority ethnic nurses would now be risk-assessed before working with Covid-19 cases as they appeared to be disproportionately affected by contagion and deaths.

Coronavirus patients from black African backgrounds in England and Wales are dying at more than triple the rate of white Britons, a study , externalsuggests.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said a higher proportion of people from ethnic minority backgrounds live in areas hit harder by Covid-19.

However, they tend to be younger on average, so should be less vulnerable.

Read more here.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

France is encouraging people to cycle to keep pollution levels low once lockdown restrictions end.

Image source, Getty Images

Everyone will be eligible for bike repairs of up to €50 at registered mechanics.

The funding will also help pay for cycle training and temporary parking spaces.

Nations worldwide are grappling with ways to change urban transport in light of the coronavirus.

Emergency planners in London fear the Tube will not be able to cope once lockdown is lifted.

A report seen by the BBC says that social distancing rules would reduce capacity to 15% of normal levels, and 12% on buses.

Should London start thinking about similar measures? Or consider more rental bikes for the capital?

The number of passengers travelling through Heathrow last month was down by around 97% compared with April 2019, the airport has revealed.

It said it expects passenger demand will "remain weak" until governments "deem it safe to lift travel restrictions".

The airport insisted its financial position is "robust", with £3.2bn in liquidity, which is "sufficient to maintain the business at least over the next 12 months, even with no passengers".

It is also calling for the UK to lead the way in developing a common international standard for safe air travel.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "When we have beaten this virus, we will need to get Britain flying again so that the economy can recover as fast as possible.

"That is why we are calling on the UK government to take a lead in setting a common international standard for safe air travel."

Londoners were stunned by a rainbow that appeared in the sky shortly before the country applauded NHS workers last night.

Mark Easton
Home editor

Image source, Getty Images

When the lockdown first started in the UK in the final week of March there was widespread support for the measures aimed at controlling the coronavirus. But have attitudes changed or do people still support the ongoing restrictions?

The country will soon enter its sixth week of the greatest curbs on daily life since World War Two.

But many, according to the most recent polling data, say they would be uncomfortable leaving home even if the government ordered the lifting of the restrictions in a month's time.

Analysis of surveys conducted by King's College in London suggests there are three broad groups when it comes to lockdown: accepting, suffering and resisting.

Just under half of people - 48% - are characterised as accepting, following the rules and coping reasonably well. At 44%, slightly fewer say they are struggling, often losing sleep, feeling anxious or depressed, but still overwhelmingly trying to obey all the rules.

The remaining 9% are resistant to the lockdown, with many of those believing too much fuss is being made about the virus and admitting they are less likely to follow the restrictions.

Image source, Met Police

A fraud which saw one man conned out of £110,000 may be linked to other crimes in London, the Metropolitan Police have warned.

Over an 11-month period, a 58-year-old man in Islington was targeted by a group of men who persuaded him to give them money for a series of repairs on his house which were not required.

The fraudsters first approached the victim in October 2018, posing as builders working for a company called Supreme Roofing Limited, as well as trading standards officers.

In total, he was tricked into handing them £110,000 of his savings, police said.

Police have released e-fits of two men they would like to identify in connection with the investigation.

Det Cnst Alejandra Gomez, said: "It would appear the suspects repeatedly damaged the interior of his property in order to create more work for themselves.

"Once the victim had threatened to call police, the suspects then impersonated police and trading standards officers.

"I believe these suspects may be linked to similar frauds carried out in other parts of London. I would appeal to anyone who recognises the faces in these images to contact police."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Hackney’s faith groups are set to come together this Sunday on the borough’s inaugural Day of Prayer.

The online event has been organised through Hackney’s five-year-old open Faith Forum, an independent group brought together to tackle social issues such as domestic abuse, support for those in poverty and for those finding work, mental health and serious youth violence.

Representatives from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, as well as from the New Unity non-religious church, will all lead prayers to provide support to residents of all faiths and none on 3 May.

Faith forum Chair Sade Etti said: “We want to reassure residents that faith groups do care about what is happening and are helping to support the community and council efforts to help feed and care for the vulnerable and needy in Hackney.

“Over the last month we have found new ways to keep our faith, connect to our congregations and maintain our worship. We invite people to join in on the Day of Prayer in their own way.”

Ms Etti will open the event to be held between 15:00 and 16:00 BST on YouTube this Sunday, with prayers then held by a range of speakers.

Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble, who is set to conclude the service, said: “There’s going to be people of non-faith there as well, but it’s an opportunity to come together, pray, reflect and comfort one another, especially for those that have experienced a loss.

“It’s also an opportunity to thank all of those who are doing all that they are doing, and encouraging one another at this time, because that is so important, that desire for hope and change. That’s what the forum brings for people of faith or non-faith.”