Trump accused WHO of a "horrible, tragic mistake" in handling of pandemic, "or perhaps they knew"
The US president renewed attack a day after stopping funding to the global health body
Confirmed cases of the virus passed two million, according to Johns Hopkins university
The true number of cases will be much higher, with levels of testing varying
Germany announced plans to ease restrictions, with some schools to reopen in May
New Yorkers were ordered to wear masks in public spaces
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says families will be allowed to say goodbye to dying relatives in UK
Tour de France will go ahead but moved to late August
Matt Hancock also says he has been upset by stories of people dying without their loved ones when they die.
He says "new procedures" will allow people "wherever possible" the chance to say goodbye to a relative.
He also says the government will prevent so-called "do not resuscitate" orders being applied in a "blanket fashion".
Matt Hancock announces new details of the UK's plan to cope with coronavirus in care homes.
He says "priority drops" of protective equipment for the social care will continue over the next three weeks whilst a new online system is developed.
He says the UK will be introducing a "single brand" for social care, to replicate the "famous" blue and white logo for the NHS.
Supermarkets will be asked to give care staff the same priority as NHS workers, and the UK will undertake a recruitment drive, with the government paying for "induction training".
"I know that many will answer our call," he adds.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock begins by thanking people for staying at home, adding the UK is "slowing the spread" of the virus.
He adds that spare capacity in the NHS has reached 2,657 beds, adding "so far" the UK has been able to ensure everyone who needs hospital care gets it.
But he adds the UK cannot "let go of the hard work done so far", and the lockdown will not be lifted "until safe to do so".
Image source, PA MediaHealth Secretary Matt Hancock has taken his place inside Downing Street and gets today’s UK government press conference under way.
We’ll bring you all the latest updates as we get them.
In the past few minutes the World Health Organization's chief, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been speaking about US President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding for the organisation.
He said the WHO regretted the move, but added: "Our commitment to public health, science, and to serving all the people of the world without fear or favour remains absolute."
Dr Tedros said the agency was "reviewing" the impact of the withdrawal of US funds to "ensure our work continues uninterpreted".
Northern Ireland's lockdown is to be extended by three weeks, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.
New powers to enforce guidelines on people staying at home and businesses remaining closed came into force on 28 March.
The powers outlined by the first and deputy first ministers banned gatherings of more than two people and stipulated there should be reasonable excuses for leaving the home, such as obtaining necessities, seeking medical help and exercise.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "Lives are being saved by these measures."
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we await Health Secretary Matt Hancock here is a reminder of the latest updates from the UK today:
Retail sales in the US plummeted last month thanks to mandatory business closures and rising unemployment due to Covid-19.
On Wednesday, the commerce department said March saw an 8.7% decline in sales, which is the biggest drop since the government began tracking this data in the 90s.
Retail sales include purchases online and in stores, as well as at restaurants and bars.
The vast majority of the country is currently under stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of coronavirus, with only essential services, like groceries and pharmacies, allowed to remain open.
Over 7 million Americans declared they were unemployed in March, according to the labour department.
Image source, Getty ImagesClosed storefronts in Los Angeles, California
Image source, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust106-year-old Connie Titchen was clapped by hospital staff as she headed home after recovering from coronavirus.
The great-grandmother, believed to be Britain's oldest patient to recover from Covid-19, left City Hospital in Birmingham after receiving treatment there for three weeks.
She was admitted to the hospital with suspected pneumonia and doctors later confirmed she had coronavirus.
“I feel very lucky that I’ve fought off this virus. I can’t wait to see my family,” she said.
Connie was born in September 1913 and lived through two World Wars.
Her granddaughter Alex Jones said the care her grandmother received “has been excellent”.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
As we mentioned earlier today, the number of global cases of coronavirus is now more than two million, with more than 128,000 deaths.
More than 600,000 cases have been recorded in the US alone, although the true number of infections is likely to be much higher, as levels of testing varies by country.
It is less than two weeks since the world reached a million confirmed cases.
Image source, PA MediaToday’s UK government press conference is expected to begin in around an hour, led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
He’ll be joined by Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, and Prof Angela McLean, the UK’s deputy chief scientific adviser.
As has become the norm in recent times, this will be another virtual press conference, with journalists asking questions via videolink.
Like many freelancers Fran Monks has found her projects curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.
But to document the extraordinary times we live in she decided to use her photography skills to take a series of portraits of the UK in lockdown over the internet.
Image source, Fran Monks
Image source, Fran Monks
Image source, Fran Monks"My professional aim is to use portraiture to celebrate the undercelebrated," Monks says.
"During this lockdown, everyone who is social distancing is playing an important role. And I wanted to highlight that."
As mentioned earlier, the UK death toll has sadly risen by 761, bringing the total to 12,868.
Our data team have put together some of the statistics into graphs to help explain the current figures better.
London has the highest number of deaths of all NHS regions while Northern Ireland has the fewest with 140.
According to the latest figures, there have been fewer than 5,000 new daily cases in the UK. The figure is a decrease on Tuesday's numbers.
Image source, ReutersThe UK government has promised tests for care home residents displaying coronavirus symptoms, but how big is the problem?
There's a delay in finding out the number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes, as the most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics only run until 3 April. By then, 217 deaths - or around 5.3% of all coronavirus fatalities - were in care homes in England and Wales.
Meanwhile, recent figures from the National Records of Scotland suggest that a quarter of deaths linked to coronavirus occurred in care homes. Statistics from Northern Ireland don't offer breakdowns of deaths outside of hospitals.
Although there's no official data about the number of care home residents, it's thought that more than 400,000 elderly or disabled people live in residential or nursing homes in England and Wales. Around another half a million people receive home care visits every day.
This has led to concerns about whether there is enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep both care workers and the vulnerable people they look after safe.
Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics
We passed two million infections in the world some time ago.
The number of confirmed cases is only a fraction of the number of infections.
In order to be a case, you need to be diagnosed and for that, you need at least to seek treatment.
Many coronavirus infections never make the statistics because people have no symptoms or mild symptoms.
Those with mild symptoms may rest, self-isolate and not come to the attention of the health system.
In the UK, until recently it was almost exclusively hospitalised cases – those with the most severe symptoms – that got tested and so made it into the counts of confirmed cases.
Trends in the number of confirmed cases can tell us about the stage of the epidemic – is it growing rapidly, flattening or falling – in a country.
But the numbers don’t tell us about the true scale of epidemic in any given country or globally.
A nation-by-nation breakdown of the latest Covid-19 statistics in the UK.
Another day and another grim statistic, as the number of confirmed cases across the world reaches two million.
That's according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, external, which has been tracking infections and deaths around the world.
More than 600,000 cases have been recorded in the US alone, while 128,000 people have died globally.
The true number of infections is likely to be much higher, as levels of testing varies by country.
It's less than two weeks since the world reach a million confirmed cases.
A further 761 people have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals over a 24-hour period, according to the latest government figures.
In total 12,868 deaths have been reported in hospitals across the country.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
It’s big news in China today that one of the temporary hospitals built in central Wuhan, where the coronavirus started, has now finally closed its doors.
The last patients of the Leishenshan Hospital, which was built in around 10 days in late January, were transferred to regular hospitals on Tuesday.
Fewer than 300 patients are now being treated in central Hubei province, a stark contrast to the 10,000 plus who were being treated there in early February.
Back in January, millions of people watched livestreams from their homes as the hospital was built, along with the Huoshenshan Hospital (if you missed it, you can watch it below).
China has now turned the focus on how it is helping the rest of the world.
The main broadcaster, CCTV, is carrying reports that chartered flights – military and passenger-turned-cargo planes – are entering the country from all over the world to collect supplies, which China is able to manufacture, as the country slowly adjusts to life after Covid-19.
Coronavirus:10 days of hospital building in 60 seconds
Image source, Getty Images