Marianna Spring
Disinformation and social media reporter

Image source, Gett

WhatsApp has been key to the spread of misinformation during the pandemic.

People have been forwarding dubious medical advice or wild speculation to friends and relatives, often “just in case” such messages are true.

But it seems like we may have passed the first peak of viral WhatsApp misinformation, with the Facebook-owned network saying it has seen a drop of 70% in "highly forwarded" messages.

Those are exactly the kind that spread viral misinformation.

The decrease is explained in part by changes made by WhatsApp to stop highly forwarded messages being posted to more than one chat group at a time.

But we might have seen a decline regardless.

When messages tell you – to take just one example – that tanks are on the streets of Britain, but no such scenes are visible from your window, you start to think twice about messages forwarded “from a friend of a friend” online.

Have you seen misleading information about coronavirus on WhatsApp? Or elsewhere? Is there a story we should be investigating? Email me - marianna.spring@bbc.co.uk

It's hay fever season in some parts of the world and symptoms can be very similar to those of coronavirus - so similar, in fact, that the UK's Royal College of General Practitioners is warning people not to mix them up.

It says it's concerned people may leave their houses thinking they've just got the seasonal illness, when actually they have contracted a deadly virus and should stay at home.

Our health correspondent Laura Foster explains how you can tell the difference.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that over 70s will now be tested for Covid-19 on admission to hospital. They will also be tested every four days throughout their stay.

The first minister said the tests would help show the extent to which the virus is being transmitted within hospitals.

She said that by the end of the month, overall testing capacity in Scotland will have reached 3,500 a day - a 10-fold increase from the start of the outbreak.

Sturgeon said 20,000 health and social care workers, along with their family members, have already been tested.

The chief legal adviser to the government in England and Wales has said she is "acutely concerned" by the rise in reported cases of domestic abuse during the country's lockdown.

Attorney General Suella Braverman told MPs it is was important to stress that victims who flee their abusers are not breaking the rules.

UK MPs have raised privacy concerns about the UK's coronavirus contact-tracing app that is in development.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the UK's solicitor general Michael Ellis says the voluntary app will be data protection compliant, will not hold private identifying information and data will not be held "longer than necessary".

BBC Click's Chris Fox explains what contact tracing is, and some of the methods that have been proposed in the video below.

Image source, Reuters

Officially the total of new coronavirus infections in Russia has overtaken the totals for China and Iran.

On Tuesday the Russian government reported a record daily rise in new cases – 6,411 – bringing the total to 93,558. Moscow has the most cases, compared with other Russian regions.

The number of deaths rose to 867.

Deaths are still far below those for the worst-hit countries, such as the US and Italy, but Russia’s numbers are rising daily.

Some medics do not believe the official data and are naming fellow medics they say have died from Covid-19. The list – 72 names so far – is posted on Facebook by Dr Vladimir Budiansky.

And an opposition website, Open Media, reports that dozens of nurses have quit a Moscow hospital – Kommunarka – where allegedly they were underpaid and lacking necessary protective kit. The management disputes their claims.

Zubair Ahmed
BBC News, Hindi

Image source, Getty Images

Members of an Indian Islamic organisation are volunteering to donate blood for plasma therapy after their congregation sparked dozens of Covid-19 clusters across the country.

More than 1,000 positive cases were linked to an event organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in the capital Delhi in March.

The incident caused massive outrage and led to reports of Islamophobia from across the country.

One donor, Farooq Basa, told the BBC: "The media had demonised us after some of us had tested positive for the virus. But by the grace of Allah this will help improve our image."

Plasma therapy involves transfusing antibody-rich blood into Covid-19 patients. However, it is still in a trial stage in many countries including India.

Read the full story here

Shaimaa Khalil
BBC News, Sydney

I woke up this morning to a message from one of my friends: “Iftar [breaking of the fast] at our place this Saturday?”

I didn’t quite understand until I read the attached screen grab. It was the government of New South Wales announcing a relative easing of social distancing restrictions.

Starting Friday, each household will be allowed two adult visitors with children. With a significant decline in new cases here, officials have said rules have been eased for mental health and social reasons.

This could not have come at a better time for our household - it’s the first week of Ramadan when people normally gather to break their fast.

Until now, that was not an option for me and my husband. But now, for the first time in more than five weeks, we’re making weekend plans to visit a couple of friends.

It’s all very exciting. I do hope I still remember my table manners!

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled new guidance by the Scottish government, saying people should cover their faces when they're in enclosed public spaces.

Ms Sturgeon said residents should use a cloth covering when on public transport or in other settings where social distancing will be difficult.

She said that - given the relatively weak evidence of about its health benefits - the guidance is not mandatory and will be kept under review.

The first minister stressed that those with asthma might have good reasons for not using face masks, and said face coverings should not be used on children under two years old.

More than 10,700 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, an increase of 200 from yesterday.

A further 70 people with coronavirus have died, taking the total to 1,332 deaths in Scotland.

World Health Organization says only two groups of people should wear protective masks: those who are sick and showing symptoms; and those who are caring for others suspected of having the virus.

The UK government is not currently advising most people to wear masks, but has said it will consider what its scientific advisers say.

Singapore admits current coronavirus figures may not tell the whole story, while a Malaysian minister falls foul of his own government's rules. Here is the latest from Asia:

• Malaysia's deputy health minister has been fined for violating the country's movement control order. Noor Azmi Ghazali has to pay $325 (£260) after a picture of him enjoying a meal at an Islamic school was uploaded to social media. Malaysia has introduced tough restrictions - and penalties - to stop the spread of the virus. Thousands have been prosecuted
• More than 2,200 Indonesians who were not recorded as having died with Covid-19 had acute symptoms of the disease, an investigation by Reuters news agency has found. Indonesia has recorded 765 deaths so far, but medical experts believe the figure is much higher
• The number of migrant workers infected with coronavirus in Singapore may be higher than current figures suggest, the director of medical services for the health ministry has said. The island nation currently has 15,000 confirmed cases - many of which are linked to the dormitories where many foreign workers live. However, Kenneth Mak said the numbers would eventually become clear, as each worker was being tested before they were allowed out of isolation

Image source, EPA

The Labour Party has called on the UK government to take further action to prevent coronavirus deaths in care homes, after new figures published on Tuesday showed a steep rise in England and Wales.

The party's social care spokeswoman Liz Kendall wants ministers to appoint a 'Chief Care Officer' specifically for the sector.

In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Kendall said the role would help give it the "national leadership, focus and attention" it deserves.

The party also wants a guarantee of protective kit for carers who assist people in their homes, as well as for care home staff.

King's Castle has stood guard protecting the residents of Ardglass, Northern Ireland, for centuries.

Now a private nursing home, it is free from coronavirus after it was closed down to all visitors before Mother's Day, almost a fortnight before the Department of Health issued guidance to all care homes to ban visitors. We talked to staff on how they managed to protect their residents:

Nearly 25,000 deaths from all causes were recorded in the UK in week of the Easter bank holiday - 108% above the expected number for this time of year.

The figure of 24,686 was a further rise on last week's figure of 20,929 deaths, which itself was 76% above normal.

The figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are for the week 11-17 April, while the figures for Scotland are for the week 13-19 April.

Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News, London

Image source, Mary Jayaseelan

Rajesh Jayaseelan worked for years as an Uber driver in London - a city he loved and would often describe to his wife back in Bangalore, India.

But when Rajesh fell sick with coronavirus, his landlord evicted him and he was forced to sleep in his car. When he found another room to move into, the landlord told him to pay £4,000 ($5,000) up front.

Rajesh spent his final days in alone, terrified of being evicted again. When he found himself struggling to breathe, he went to hospital, where he died on 11 April.

His story highlights the disproportionate impact this pandemic is having on people in insecure work and housing. The BBC spoke to his widow, Mary, and his friend Sunil. Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

One in every seven UK mortgages is currently subject to a payment holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures from trade association UK Finance, external.

As of Friday 24 April, lenders had granted more than 1.6m mortgage payment holidays.

The holiday scheme, introduced for some homeowners, was one of the schemes introduced by the UK government to ease the financial burden of the lockdown.

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How are you coping during lockdown? Throughout the day, BBC Radio 5 Live is focusing on how people can look after their own wellbeing, and how to help other people, as part of #WellbeingLive., external

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Click here for live coverage and tips.

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Pictures show staff outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS and other key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 100 NHS and care staff are known to have died with the virus, as have many transport and other key workers.

Read more here.

Watch as people observe the silence around the UK:

Bethany Bell
BBC News, Vienna

Image source, Getty Images

Austria has announced further steps to relax its lockdown.

As of 1 May, events with groups of up to 10 people will be allowed, although people will be asked to stay a metre apart.

The recommendations to stay at home except for a few key reasons expire on 30 April and will not be renewed.

However working from home is still encouraged. Hotels will be allowed to reopen on 29 May, if all goes well.

Small shops have already reopened, with all shops to follow from 1 May. Restaurants and cafes are set to restart business on 15 May.

Austria, which imposed a lockdown early on its outbreak, has reported around 15,000 cases of coronavirus, with 569 deaths.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson observed a minute’s silence for key workers, from No 10 Downing Street.

Alongside Johnson were Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, also paid his respects.

Analysis by BBC News has identified 114 health worker deaths linked to the coronavirus.

Additional analysis found credible reports for the deaths of 16 social care workers across the UK.

According to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, 82 NHS workers and 16 social care workers have died from Covid-19 in England.

Our analysis of 114 reported health worker deaths records that 59 of those who died were male, 54 female.

In England we have recorded 100 deaths; in Scotland four deaths; in Wales nine deaths. To date, we have not recorded any health worker deaths in Northern Ireland.

BAME - Black, Asian, and minority ethnic - staff account for 70 deaths, where we have been able to establish ethnicity.

Within BAME deaths, 26 are reportedly from Black backgrounds; 21 from South Asian backgrounds; 19 from East Asian backgrounds, of which 14 Filipino; and four from Arabic backgrounds.

Of the doctors who we believe were working in a hospital environment all 17 are BAME and male, with almost all over 50.

Medical staff account for 24 deaths; nursing and midwifery 39 deaths; allied occupations 51 deaths.

It is unclear how many contracted the virus in the course of their work in the health sector.

Separate analysis by Health Service Journal, external suggests that the rate of death is “largely consistent with the number of healthcare workers in the population.”

The BBC News analysis is based on deaths reported in the public domain where we have been able to establish their occupation as being medical or other occupations in a health setting - including pharmacists, hospital porters, paramedics and other roles.