NHS England Director Stephen Powis has clarified that the number of deaths reported only includes those in hospitals and health facilities.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) records deaths in the community, he says, adding that he "expects deaths will be higher" and fuller numbers will only emerge in the coming days and weeks.

NHS Director Stephen Powis says the virus is unlikely to be eradicated completely and it is too soon to talk of an exit strategy from current measures being taken to halt its spread.

"It is very likely this virus will become established in populations around the world so we need strategy to manage this over time," he says.

Mr Gove says the UK is developing tools to tackle the virus including treatments, vaccines and making sure the NHS has the resilience to handle future cases.

"We are dealing with a new virus whose spread and capacity to cause death are unlike those we have seen before," he says.

NHS England medical director Stephen Powis says it is "absolutely critical" to follow the government's guidelines and remain at home wherever possible.

He told the UK news briefing: "We need to reduce social contact, stop transmission and reduce the spread."

Earlier, Mr Gove said: "Please don’t go outside to visit the lakes, the beaches, the countryside.

"The more we restrict contact, the more we slow the spread of the infection, the more time we have to build capacity in the NHS to treat those in need."

Governor Andrew Cuomo says there have been a record 630 deaths in a single day in New York state.

The total number has risen to 3,565. The state has now recorded 113,704 positive cases, with 63,306 in New York City.

Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, says the death rate continues to be high and "unfortunately this is likely to continue for a week or two".

He says that while we are continuing to see people adhering to guidance to stay at home, now is "not the time to be complacent".

Prof Powis reminds the public that a reduction in infections by following these measures will ultimately translate into a reduction in hospitalisations and reduce pressure on the NHS.

Britons so far appear to be adhering to social distancing rules despite the temptation to go out in sunny weather, Michael Gove says.

He says he knows the government is asking a lot of the British people.

NHS England Director Stephen Powis says there is some evidence social distancing measures are reducing transmission of the virus.

If we take our foot off the pedal the charts will go in the wrong direction again, he says.

The cabinet office minister said earlier that 183,190 coronavirus tests had now been carried out, with 41,903 returned as positive. A total of 15,073 people have been taken to hospital.

Three hundred ventilators from China arrived on Saturday and the first new British-made ventilators will be ready this weekend, Mr Gove says.

"We've been buying invasive ventilators from partners abroad, including Germany and Switzerland, and today 300 new ventilators arrived from China. I'd like to thank the Chinese government," he said.

The British-made ventilators are being made by a consortium of aerospace, engineering and Formula One teams.

Ventilators take over the body's breathing process when disease has caused the lungs to fail.

Read more here: What are ventilators

More on what the UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said about the varying admission rates to hospitals across England.

While admissions had fallen in London, they remained steady in Wales, and had gone up particularly in the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East.

“I know life under lockdown can be challenging and some will be tempted on a sunny weekend to venture out,” he said.

“But if we relax our adherence to the rules we increase the risk for others – that’s why it is so important to stay at home.”

In the light of increasing hospital admissions in the Midlands, the military and NHS are accelerating work to transform the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) into a 2,000 bed hospital, Mr Gove says.

He revealed that hospital admission rates had gone up 47% in the Midlands and 35% in Yorkshire and the North East. However admission rates fell slightly from 1-2 April in London, he said.

Michael Gove says seven healthcare workers have now died after getting the virus.

"We offer our heartfelt condolences," he said.

He says their deaths and those of the five-year-old and 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab - whose mother and siblings are now showing symptoms - demonstrate the need to stay at home and maintain social distancing.

"You must stay at home," he said. "Take pride in keeping your own families safe."

Read more here on the UK briefing.

The UK government briefing has begun, with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove speaking.

He has expressed his condolences to the parents of a five-year-old child with underlying medical conditions who has died after becoming infected with the virus.

We should all know by now that to maintain social distancing, we need to stay at least 2m (six feet) away from other people.

But how far is that exactly, and what does that look like in the real world?

A UK nurse is asking people to send pairs of small handcrafted hearts to give to patients who are unable to see their loved ones.

Laura Kirby-Deacon, who works as a sister at the Great Western Hospital's intensive care unit in Swindon, says the knitted hearts could bring comfort to the patients and their families.

She said it was important to use clean yarn and seal them in a taped bag, such as a freezer bag or bin liner, and also asked for the bags to be dated because 72 hours must have elapsed before they are safe to use.

Read more here.

UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove will give Saturday's media briefing from Downing Street in around 20 minutes.

A further 708 people have died of Covid-19 in the UK - among them a five-year-old.

The total of deaths in the UK is now at 4,313.

While the number of deaths is at a record high, the daily count of new, confirmed cases dropped from 4,450 on Friday to 3,735.

However, there are concerns that police could be put under strain this weekend amid the warm weather.

More now on the "critical incident" at Watford General Hospital north of London. The hospital has told people not to come to its accident and emergency department until further notice because it is running out of oxygen.

A spokesman said anyone with non-urgent issues could go to the 111 NHS website, external.

The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said that as of 17:00 BST (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, 29 people had died at from Covid-19 at its hospitals.

The trust is responsible for Watford General as well as Hemel Hampstead and St Albans City hospitals.

Current NHS advice tells people with coronavirus or suspected symptoms to avoid hospitals and other medical settings like pharmacies.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

A five-year-old is among the latest reported victims of the coronavirus in the UK, NHS England says.

The latest figures show 4,313 people with the virus have now died in the UK - up by 708 on Friday's figure.

There are now 41,903 confirmed cases, the Department of Health says.

The first child in the UK known to have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus was buried on Friday. The burial of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab took place in south-east London without his immediate family as two of his siblings had shown symptoms of the virus.

A reported 809 people have died of the coronavirus in Spain in the past 24 hours.

This is the first time in three days that the daily death toll has been under 900, and is the lowest number of deaths in a single day since 27 March.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the country is "close to passing the peak of infections" but he has extended lockdown measures until 26 April.

Here's a chart showing how the daily death toll in Spain has increased since the beginning of March.

Image source, EPA

Ecuador's coronavirus outbreak is worse than the figures suggest, President Lenín Moreno has warned.

Corpses have been abandoned on the streets of the country's most populous city, Guayaquil, with overcrowded morgues and funeral homes refusing to handle the bodies of people who have died of coronavirus.

In a national address, Mr Moreno urged Ecuadorians "not to minimise the severity of the crisis", and to follow the country's containment measures.

"We know that both in the number of infections and deaths, official records fall short," he said.

Guayas province alone had registered 60 deaths and 1,937 confirmed cases by 1 April. So far the number of confirmed deaths in Ecuador is 145.

The number of deaths from coronavirus worldwide has passed the 60,000 mark - the grim toll now stands at 60, 874, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University, external. The number has been corroborated by the AFP news agency.

The total confirmed cases has risen to more than 1,139,000, Johns Hopkins says,

A critical incident has been declared at Watford General Hospital to the north of London.

West Herts NHS Trust is urging people to go to other hospitals "even in an emergency". Those with non-urgent issues are being told to call 111.

A statement will be issued by the hospital shortly.