Image source, European Photopress Agency

It was a longer than normal press conference today - here is what we learnt:

• Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out a "five-pillar testing strategy" - this included setting a goal to reach 100,000 tests a day by the end of April
• It also includes testing swabs in labs run by Public Health England; using commercial partners to increase swab testing to see who has the virus; introducing antibody tests to detect whether people have had the virus and introducing monitoring to establish how the infection is spreading through the population

• The UK has bought 17.5 million antibody tests "subject to them working"
• He said testing for antibodies could be done "at home with a finger prick and deliver results in as little as 20 minutes"

• More than £13bn of NHS debt will be written off - Mr Hancock said this would put the NHS in a "stronger position"
• He also said NHS staff who needed a test would get a test adding that this would be done "absolutely before the end of the month"
• He defended his decision to prioritise testing for patients over NHS staff saying “I believe anyone in my shoes would have taken the same decision.”

Image source, CBS

A 104-year-old man in Oregon is celebrating his recovery from the coronavirus as well as his birthday.

"What a happy time. I only wish the sun would show up," Bill Lapschies told his family, external outside the care home where he lives. Regulations prevented visitors from entering inside the building and social distancing measures kept them from hugging.

Two patients have died at the home, which is managed by the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and 15 people there have tested positive for the virus.

Mr Lapschies had been isolated in his room since 5 March after developing symptoms. He was officially deemed by doctors to have recovered earlier this week.

His family say he's a tough fighter, and that he's previously survived the Spanish flu, the Great Depression and World War Two.

When asked how it feels to be 104 he answered, “Pretty good. I made it.”

“Good for a few more.”

Image source, CBS

The death in the UK of a 13-year-old boy who tested positive for coronavirus has renewed questions about the risks to younger people.

It has long been known that older people are at higher risk, but the World Health Organization has been consistent in warning young people not to view themselves as "invincible".

Dr Bharat Pankhania, from the University of Exeter Medical School, told the BBC: "No-one on planet Earth has got immunity against this virus. We have found fatalities in the younger age group. Small numbers, much smaller numbers than the older age group, but nonetheless, no-one is immune from severe infection and illness."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now ended today's briefing.

Matt Hancock reveals that the government has already bought 17.5m antibody tests that will allow people to see if they have had the virus.

However he says the order is "subject to them working".

He says some of the tests have "not performed well" in early testing but ministers are hopeful this will improve.

Paul Waugh of The Huffington Post asks if the government will commit to looking at an emergency fund to support refuge places for those facing domestic abuse.

"I will look at all options to keep people safe - especially women and children in homes where somebody is abusive," replies Matt Hancock.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As the US becomes the global epicentre in the coronavirus battle, Americans are beginning to learn their nation's strengths and weaknesses.

Here are a few things the US has done well, and others that it has bungled.

Testing - MISTAKE

The inability of the US government to ramp up testing quickly contributed to many subsequent failures. But most importantly, it failed to provide the "situational awareness" that is needed to combat a pandemic, says Jonathan Levi, a health policy professor at George Washington University.

Messaging - MISTAKE

Less than a week after predicting that the country could re-open by Easter, President Trump was warning Americans to prepare for over 100,000 deaths.

After comparing it to the seasonal flu, and predicting it would disappear on its own "like a miracle", Mr Trump's dire messaging was a real problem.

Research - SUCCESS

If the coronavirus is exposing some of the many flaws in the US healthcare system, it also could end up highlighting the strength of the nation's drug research.

Pharmaceutical companies researching cures are receiving assurances from the government that there will be a market for their products and they will be adequately compensated for their investment, leading to a huge boost in treatment research

Read more here:

Coronavirus: Five things the US got wrong - and right

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the UK is looking into "immunity passports" for those who have developed antibodies to the virus.

These would help people return to normal life "as much as possible" after a test has shown they have already had the virus, he says.

However he cautions that their understanding of people's level of immunity after having had the virus is still at an early stage.

He adds that as someone who has recovered from the virus, he has a "strong interest" in the idea.

Asked when the spread of the virus will slow, Mr Hancock says: "There is evidence that the rate of infection is not exponential - although it is going up, it is going up in a linear fashion .

"But we have got to get the increase in the rate of infection down before we can lift the lockdown."

There's a question about whether Premier League football clubs should be using a taxpayer-funded scheme to pay staff on temporary leave.

There's been criticism of clubs that have used the scheme whilst keeping players on full wages.

In reply Health Secretary Matt Hancock says "everyone needs to play their part" in helping the UK respond to the crisis.

He says the "first thing" Premier League footballers could do to help would be to take a pay cut.

Image source, Getty Images

• The latest data from Italy suggests the outbreak is stabilising. The infection rate has dipped slightly, with positive cases rising by 3.1% compared to 3.8% the previous day. But the daily number of deaths has increased again slightly, rising to 760 from 727 reported on Wednesday. In total, the country has recorded 13,915 deaths, still the highest toll of any country in the world.
• Spain has become the second country after Italy to report more than 10,000 deaths. Official figures on Thursday showed there were 950 new deaths in a 24-hour period – a grim new daily record – and 110,238 confirmed cases. Authorities however believe the virus is now peaking in the country, and hope to see a drop in figures in the coming days.
• President Vladimir Putin has extended the so-called “non-working” regime in Russia until 30 April. All essential workers will continue in their jobs, but everyone else must stay at home. Salaries will still be paid in this period. Latest official data from Russia show the number of infections jumped by 771 in just 24 hours, to a total of 3,548.
• And in France’s capital Paris, a huge covered market will be turned into a temporary morgue to take pressure off the city’s funeral homes and mortuaries. On Friday, the first bodies will arrive at Rungis, the world’s largest fresh produce market. More than 4,000 people are known to have died from the virus in France.

Mr Hancock is asked about personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers.

He says the UK is "prepared" and has stocks but reiterates that the challenge has been the distribution.

The health secretary says it is a "constant effort" and ministers were "working night and day" to overcome the problems.

And he stresses the scale, stating that the PPE needs to get to millions of frontline workers in the NHS, social care and other sectors, including the police.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the health service's capacity is "significantly above demand" and more intensive care beds are also being added.

Intensive care capacity in London will be bolstered further when the new 4,000 bed Nightingale hospital opens, Prof Stephen Powis says.

He adds that one in four beds are currently available for potential patients in the capital.

Jean Mackenzie
Europe correspondent

Another 760 people have died in Italy over the past day, bringing the total number of deaths to almost 14,000 (13,915). The daily death toll is still relentlessly high, but the rate is slowing down, up 6% from yesterday. Compare that to last week, when the number of deaths was rising by around 10% or more each day.

Also encouraging is the rate of new infections. The number of people currently infected rose by just 3.1% today. These increases have been fairly steady all week, a sign that the situation is starting to stabilise. The number of people in intensive care is stabilising too: only 18 more people than yesterday.

Earlier this week, the government announced that Italy had reached the peak of this epidemic, but warned that this was not the summit, but rather the start of a plateau. Today’s figures seem proof of this.

There's a question about plans to make sure hospitals do not run out of vital supplies such as oxygen.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says he is "confident we have the supplies of medicines that are needed".

He says the UK has a "very detailed plan" for supplies, which are kept "constantly under review".

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg asks Mr Hancock if his goal of 100,000 tests per day covers all tests, including those that tell you if you have had the virus as well as those that say if you currently have the virus.

Matt Hancock says the new goal covers all tests, adding "if one of the large scale antibody tests comes good that will be great news.

"But we will not be allowing one of those to proceed unless we are confident it is a good test," he adds.

Pushed on whether he can give a firm date as to when NHS staff can expect to be tested he says "it will absolutely be before the end of the month."

NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis is now asked to set out a few more details on the bid to combat the virus.

He says it may be "a few weeks" before the number of deaths in the UK begin to decrease, when he says the benefits of measures start to "bear fruit".

He adds that while cases are increasing, hospital admissions in England are not increasing sharply. "There is some indication" that we might see this reduce, he adds.

He says the public are continuing to reduce their use of public transport.

But he says the use of private vehicles has not changed much since an uptick announced yesterday. Car use is something he'd like to see reduced, he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Hancock says he is now "setting the goal" of reaching 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.

Mr Hancock says a "brand new swab" is being developed with commercial providers.

He says a network of testing laboratories will be increased "significantly", with NHS workers prioritised.

He reveals that 5,000 NHS workers have now been tested across the various testing sites.

On how tests are being prioritised, Mr Hancock says he took the decision that the first priority has to be the patients "for whom the result of the test is the difference between life and death".

He now addresses tests which he says he is being urged to approve.

"In one case a test I am being urged to buy missed three out of four positive cases of coronavirus - approving tests that don't work is dangerous and I will not do it."

He says the government is committed to reaching 25,000 test per day by the end of April.