Zoe Kleinman
BBC News

Researchers in France are planning to research whether nicotine could stop people from catching Covid-19.

They intend to use nicotine patches in a clinical trial, subject to approval from the health authorities.

In their paper, external they stress that smoking itself has “severe pathological consequences and remains a serious danger for health”.

A previous study of Covid-19 patients at a large French hospital noted that only 4.4% of its 343 in-patients were daily smokers.

About 25% of the population smokes, according to the country’s 2018 census.

However there are also indications that smokers may suffer more severe symptoms. A small study of 78 patients in China, external found that 27% of the group whose condition deteriorated after 14 days had a history of smoking, compared with 3% of those who got better or stabilised at the same point in their illness.

The World Health Organization said that in its view cigarette smoking could contribute to more severe symptoms of the disease because it could result in poorer lung functionality.

“The reports of a trial in France to see whether nicotine patches can help prevent or help lessen symptoms of Covid-19 should not put smokers off trying to quit, but encourage them to use nicotine to help them quit and stay quit,” said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the campaign group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health).

The White House says the media has "irresponsibly" taken President Donald Trump's comments on injecting disinfectant into the human body to treat coronavirus "out of context".

At a briefing on Thursday, Trump hypothesised about using disinfectants or ultraviolet light inside the body as a treatment. His comments which have been widely criticised by doctors.

Disinfectants are hazardous substances and can be poisonous if ingested.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: "President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment, a point that he emphasised again during yesterday's briefing.

"Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines."

A further 684 patients have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals, the Department of Health has confirmed.

The deaths are those recorded in the 24 hours prior to 17:00 BST on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a further 18,401 people have been tested for coronavirus as of 09:00 on Friday - with 5,386 testing positive for Covid-19.

Image source, AFP

If you're just joining us, here are the latest headlines from around the world:

• Muslims are marking Ramadan, but with mosques closed and social distancing in place in many countries the holy month is set to be very different
• US President Donald Trump has been criticised by experts for suggesting injecting disinfectant as a treatment. Disinfectants are hazardous substances and can be poisonous if ingested
• Poland is extending its closure of schools for another month. Exams will take place in June
• Spain has reported its lowest number of daily deaths for a month. Some 367 people have died in the past 24 hours
• South Korea has reported no deaths in the past 24 hours. But health officials say now is the time to remain vigilant
• Tom Hanks has written to a bullied boy named Corona in Australia. The child wrote to Hanks to wish him well as the actor recovered from the virus
• In the UK, the new website for key workers to book coronavirus tests has temporarily closed - hours after being opened. The government said 5,000 testing kits were ordered in just two minutes

Image source, Gov.uk

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth says "questions will need answering" about the issues with the UK government's new coronavirus testing website.

The website for key workers to book tests has temporarily closed - hours after it launched on Friday.

“The fact the website crashed in minutes reveals the extent of the demand that ministers should have prepared for," Ashworth said.

"Questions will need answering as to why this happened, what mechanisms are in place to ensure everyone who needs a test gets one quickly and whether a workable tracing strategy is being prepared.”

A government spokesman said 5,000 home testing kits were ordered in the first two minutes of the website going live.

It will be back up and running when the next batch of slots becomes available, the spokesman added.

World leaders have launched a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to speed up the research, development and distribution of vaccines, drugs and tests against the coronavirus.

"Our shared commitment is to ensure all people have access to all the tools to defeat Covid-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Speaking via video link at the launch, French President Emmanuel Macron said a vaccine should be “available to everyone around the world” when it is ready.

Other world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, echoed that sentiment, describing a vaccine against Covid-19 as a universal public good.

The US, whose President Donald Trump recently said he would withdraw American funding from the WHO, says it will not take part in the initiative.

We’ll bring you more details on what the WHO plan entails when we get it.

Image source, Getty Images

Women say the uncertainty surrounding maternity services in the UK during the outbreak is "making a stressful situation harder".

Some NHS trusts are not allowing home births or partners to be on the ward following a birth. One trust only provides face-to-face postnatal support when it is "absolutely essential".

Nadia Hussein, a 33-year-old from Leeds, is more than a week overdue with her second child and has been left feeling anxious by a "loss of control".

But some accounts might put minds at ease. Kim Moralee, a 27-year-old from Northumberland, was deemed to have a high-risk pregnancy. Despite some last minute changes, she says she had a "positive birth" at the end of March.

Read more about the challenges facing expectant mothers here.

Image source, Nadia Hussein

A further 110 coronavirus-linked deaths have been recorded in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths there to 751, health officials said.

The sharp increase - the largest daily rise since the outbreak began - is due to a delay in the reporting process, Public Health Wales said. There were 26 new deaths reported on Friday, the agency added.

It confirmed a further 243 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 8,601.

We'll bring you the UK-wide figures later, as usual.

Image source, HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images

People will probably be doing a lot of virtual Iftar meals with friends and family instead of meeting in person. Food is a big part of Ramadan and Muslims will be excited to eat delicacies prepared specially at this time of the year.

Looking for some ideas on what to cook for your online Suhoor or Iftar with friends?

BBC Good Food has some ideas here, external.

Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor

It's hard to think of a time less well-suited to a pandemic than Ramadan around the world. Specifically in the Middle East, where all countries bar Israel are overwhelmingly Muslim.

In normal years worshippers line up shoulder to shoulder in crowded mosques for the daily prayers. Markets bustle with shoppers preparing for Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast.

Usually Iftar dinners are packed with extended families and friends. As the end of the month approaches, the evenings typically turn into huge shopping events much like the run-up to Christmas in Christian countries.

But this year Ramadan will be unrecognisable.

Some countries in the region have eased lockdowns and curfews - including Saudi Arabia which is home to the holiest sites in the Muslim world.

But mosques remain closed and millions will be stuck at home, meaning the centrepiece of the year will be ruined.

Poor people will struggle without the collective, free meals traditionally offered by mosques and other benefactors at long tables in the streets.

The only consolation for the pious who deplore commercialisation is that more Muslims will circle back to the essence of Ramadan – faith.

Image source, AFP

A further 587 patients with coronavirus have died in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in English hospitals to 17,373, the National Health Service (NHS) said.

The patients were aged between 40 and 102 years old, 34 of whom had no known underlying health conditions.

Figures for the number of UK-wide deaths will be released by the Department of Health later today.

Muslims across the world are today coming together to celebrate Ramadan - though it looks a lot different this year.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Governments around the world are proposing contact tracing as a way of limiting the spread of the virus after lockdown.

Contact tracing can be done from memory, but smartphone apps that can automate the process have also been developed.

Here, we explain what contact tracing is and some of the methods that have been proposed:

M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Islamabad

Pakistan's powerful ISI intelligence agency is being used to "trace and track" people infected with the coronavirus, Prime Minister Imran Khan has revealed.

"We have this great system of surveillance by the ISI, which was meant for the terrorists, but now we are using it for those with corona," he joked.

Cases of local transmission are on the rise, and reports from several areas say people are hiding their infections to avoid social stigma.

Mr Khan's announcement raised eyebrows, with one politician saying it lacks "practical significance". Many argue the police and other officials with wider on-the-ground networks should be tracing those hiding infections, not spies.

In recent years, the activities of the ISI have prompted concern,with accusations that it has sought to control domestic political opinion.

Image source, Getty Images

We've a few more details about the huge demand today for coronavirus testing in the UK, which caused a new government website to close just hours after launching.

The website allows key workers and their households to book a test if they or a family member have virus symptoms.

After people enter their details online they are sent a text or email inviting them to either book an appointment at a drive-through centre or to request a home test kit.

Today, 20,000 applications were made before the website closed, the government said. In total, 15,000 tests were booked at drive-through sites and 5,000 home testing kits were ordered.

After closing due to "significant demand" this morning, the website will reopen for applications when new slots are made available, a government spokesman said.

The total capacity for all types of testing is currently at 51,121 but the average number of tests being carried out each day has recently been about 20,000.

The UK government has said 5,000 home testing kits were ordered in just two minutes after a dedicated website opened for applications on Friday.

The website - which enabled essential workers to request a test for the virus - closed after around two hours.

The government said testing capacity for the website would increase to 18,000 home testing kits each day from next week.

The UK has set a target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.

Image source, AFP

Japan is investigating how a coronavirus outbreak occurred among the crew of a cruise ship that had no reported cases until a spike this week.

The Costa Atlantica has been docked in Nagasaki since January. But 91 crew members out of 623 have now tested positive. One person is in a critical condition.

The ship had no passengers on board and was sent to Nagasaki for repairs instead of China due to the outbreak.

The crew had been told to remain outdoors, however local media in Japan is reporting that some left the vessel.

Read more about the investigation and outbreak here.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says a further 64 patients have died in hospital, taking the total to 1,184 in Scotland.

Sturgeon confirms a total of 9,697 people have tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 288 from yesterday.

Image source, Getty Images

The Czech government has lifted a ban on free movement from today.

Czechs will be able to move outside in groups of up to 10, the health ministry says, as the Covid-19 situation has improved. The Czech Republic’s lockdown began on 16 March.

Travel abroad will also be permitted from Monday, though with strict conditions. Czechs will be tested for coronavirus on re-entering the country. EU citizens - not other foreigners - will be allowed in, but must have proof of having tested negative in recent days.

Italy, with one of Europe’s tightest lockdowns, is preparing for “Phase 2” – an easing affecting much more of daily life than the very limited easing that started on 14 April.

So far, some small shops – besides those selling food and medicines – have reopened. Phase 2 means resuming construction and manufacturing and reopening more public transport. Social distancing and mask-wearing will remain in force. Some easing could start as early as Monday.

In Belgium a panel of experts is to set out plans for easing the lockdown, starting on 4 May, with a wider easing on 18 May. Initially DIY stores, bike shops and some other small businesses will reopen. Then on 18 May schools are expected to reopen, along with hairdressers. But leisure facilities, such as gyms and cinemas, will remain shut. The lockdown began on 12 March.

EU leaders have agreed that emergency EU loans of €540bn (£470bn; $580bn) will be released from 1 June to help businesses and workers. Later a special recovery fund worth at least €1 trillion will be set up, though details are yet to be decided.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, EPA

Poland’s education minister has said the government has decided to extend the closure of schools, pre-schools and universities until 24 May.

The deadline for the existing closure period had been due to expire on 26 April.

Minister Dariusz Pitakowski also announced the dates for end-of-year exams, for both the equivalent of GCSEs and A-levels.

The matura exams, Poland’s A-level equivalent, will now take place between 8-29 June. The equivalent of GCSEs will take place between 16-18 June.

Image source, EPA

Poland, with a population of 38 million, has a relatively low number of Covid-19 cases and related deaths – 10,759 and 463 respectively as of Friday morning.

Szumowski said the government would announce a decision on introducing the second stage of easing restrictions next week.

The government is planning to reopen hotels, libraries, museums and art galleries.