ITV's Daniel Hewitt says hospices are being denied access to vital PPE because they are not part of the NHS supply chain.

He says he has spoken to hospices which are having to buy kit "on the market at inflated prices", saying they are having to care for three times as many people as normal.

Mr Raab says his heart goes out to those working in hospices and the government will do everything it can to get equipment to then, both by ramping up domestic production and buying in from abroad.

But while hospices are hugely important, he suggests that the focus has so far been on supplying hospitals and care homes first.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is asked what help care homes will be offered to deliver tests for staff and residents.

Mr Raab replies the government is doing "everything possible" in this area, although he acknowledges "distribution issue".

Asked whether care home testing could have begun sooner, Prof Yvonne Doyle says the "scale and speed" of the epidemic has been seen "really in the last couple of weeks".

She adds that care homes are a "complex sector to get to," including many different providers.

Chris Morris
BBC Reality Check

Comparing the way individual countries have responded to the coronavirus pandemic is difficult.

You have to take account of many different factors surrounding the disease, and the fact that different countries compile their statistics in slightly different ways.

Counting the number of deaths is a good example. The UK is now following several other European countries - France, Germany and Belgium for example - by including deaths in care homes, as well as deaths in hospitals, in the figures it releases every day.

But they compile their figures in different ways.

Germany and the UK are only including diagnosed cases - and because Germany has done more testing in care homes its figures will be more accurate.

Belgium on the other hand includes every case where a doctor has a suspicion that Covid-19 might have been a cause of death.

Elsewhere in Europe, there is no national tally for deaths in care homes in Italy, and in Spain it’s up to each region whether or not they include care homes in their count.

Overall, data from a number of European countries suggests deaths in care homes make up about half of the overall number of Covid-19 fatalities.

Image source, Public Health England

There is now a 20% divergence in deaths in hospitals and deaths in all settings, Prof Doyle says.

She says the new daily information showing the death toll in care homes are valuable but sad as they show how "dangerous" the virus is.

It is good to have a comprehensive picture as it helps the UK to control the trajectory of the virus, she insists.

She goes on to talk about comparisons with other European countries, suggesting that the UK is "tracking" a number of other nations.

But she warns about like-for-like comparisons, pointing out that Spain is not including care home deaths in its mortality rates.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

The range of different bodies reporting death figures can make interpreting the data extremely confusing.

The daily figures from government have been largely hospital deaths so far - but from today the government is plugging in what it knows about deaths in the community.

This does not provide a comprehensive picture of what has happened so far because of the lack of testing in the community in the early days. Therefore, it means the figures are an underestimate of what has been happening.

But as more testing is rolled out, the daily figures from now on will provide a more accurate, immediate picture of exactly what is happening than has been the case so far.

A better guide to the impact so far in care homes comes from figures published by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales and its counterparts in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

That data shows to the middle of April - there is a lag in reporting because it relies on death certificates rather than positive tests - there had been over 3,700 deaths in care homes across the UK.

Given the number is rising, you could expect by now there will have been over 6,000 with half of coronavirus deaths probably now happening in care homes as the number of new hospital deaths are coming down.

There are essentially two separate epidemics - one in care homes that is raging and one in the general population, who end up in hospital when severely ill, which is coming under control.

Image source, HM Government

Yvonne Doyle, from Public Health England, is now beginning to run through the latest statistics.

She says there has been a "slightly worrying" increase in road traffic, with the largest uptick since 23 March. Everyone needs to be vigilant.

New cases have remained broadly stable, while the number of people in hospital has fallen by 16%, which is good news.

While the number of people going to hospital is falling in all regions, she stresses that the UK is passing through the peak but is not past it yet.

Dominic Raab gives some more details of British nationals who have been repatriated - earlier it was confirmed 1.3 million have come home.

He says this includes 19,000 people who were on cruise ships when Foreign Office advice changed to return home.

He says officials have led an "unprecedented effort" to support repatriation, and praises their "outstanding work".

Image source, AFP

Dominic Raab says the lockdown will not be eased until ministers know a "second peak" can be avoided.

He says this is a "real risk", which could result in "many more deaths" and further "economic pain" with a second lockdown.

He says the government are working on plans for a "second phase" but urges patience.

He says ministers will wait for scientific advisers to report back in early May before making a decision.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says 52,429 tests took place yesterday - ministers have a target to hit 100,000 by Thursday.

He says there is evidence the peak of the virus is "flattening" due to the lockdown and measures to increase capacity.

He adds there has been "overwhelming support" for the measures, but the UK is still at a "delicate and dangerous moment".

A total of 26,097 people have died with coronavirus in the UK from 2 March to 28 April.

For the first time, the UK-wide figure includes deaths in care homes and the community as well as hospitals.

The deaths counted are people who died after testing positive for the virus.

Public Health England has now reported an additional 3,811 deaths in England since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Of these, around 70% were outside hospital settings and around 30% were in hospital.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the briefing today's figures showed an additional 765 deaths compared to yesterday.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is stepping up to the podium to lead the government's daily coronavirus briefing.

He's joined by Prof Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, and Prof Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest.

The spread of coronavirus around the world has meant a lot of changes, especially when it comes to our jobs and money. So we want to help answer any worries you might have about your finances.

From 12:00BST on Friday, our BBC News experts will be ready to answer some of those questions online over a few hours.

You can send us your questions by using the form in this page and we'll do our best to answer a selection of them.

British ambassador to Portugal, Chris Sainty, has won plaudits on social media for his lockdown piano recitals to honour health workers.

His renditions of two songs recalling Portugal's Carnation Revolution in 1974 have struck a chord with locals. At the time, they were used as a secret signal to the armed forces to depose the dictatorship and ease the democratic transition, he explained to BBC Radio 4's World at One.

"Astonished does not begin to cover it," he said in reaction to the public response.

"I never imagined in a million years that my piano playing would have been a story in the Portuguese media, let alone the UK."

Image source, Getty Images

The US now has 1,014,568 confirmed cases after passing the one million milestone yesterday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At least 58,471 Americans have died of the coronavirus.

Here's what else is happening across the US today:

• As cases continue to climb, US states like Georgia and Oklahoma are pressing forward with plans to reopen their economies after virus shutdowns
• Even in California - which remains under a stay-at-home order - local authorities have voted to reopen some southern beaches
• The US treasury is looking for refunds on stimulus payments, mistakenly sent out to the recently deceased. Millions of Americans have been promised payments of up to $1,200 (£964) as part of the government's rescue package
• The US economy has suffered its most severe contraction in more than a decade - an annualised 4.8%.

Image source, Getty Images

We will be hearing from the UK government shortly with its daily briefing on coronavirus.

But while we wait, you can read the updated list of who can now apply to be tested for the virus in the UK, after the government yesterday again expanded eligibility in England.

Some differences have started to emerge between the UK nations, as Wales said it would not follow England in testing care home residents and staff who are not displaying symptoms.

Read more.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

The rising death toll from coronavirus is never far from the headlines, but hidden behind the daily figures is what public health experts refer to as the "parallel epidemic".

This is the wider impact on people's health that is the result of dealing with a pandemic.

UK chief medical adviser Prof Chris Witty has been referring to this with increasing frequency during the daily briefings, speaking about the "indirect" costs of coronavirus.

But what is it, and how significant could it be?

Drops in referrals for cancer care, fewer A&E visits and rising rates of mental illness could take a huge toll. Read more here

BBC analysis shows that black people are over-represented in the coronavirus death toll in the UK, partly because they tend to live in the areas where the epidemic is worst.

Across England, people from black backgrounds make up 3.5% of the population but account for 6% of coronavirus deaths. This suggests the number of deaths in the black community is nearly twice as high as might be expected.

But most deaths from coronavirus have been in London. Here, black people make up 12% of the population and account for 16% of deaths. This is still an unusually high number of deaths, around one third higher than expected, but to a lesser extent than indicated by the national statistics.

You can read more about the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities here.

We should be hearing from the UK government in 30 minutes, but let’s take a look at the latest from the country first:

• Around 29% of care homes have reported coronavirus outbreaks between 17 March and Monday this week, according to Public Health England
• Deaths in UK care homes are due to be published as a daily figure for the first time
• The UK now has the capacity to carry out 73,400 tests a day, according to Downing Street
• The government says it is still aiming to perform 100,000 tests daily by Thursday

• It has been confirmed that more than 1.3 million Britons have been repatriated since the outbreak began

Alex Murray
BBC News

Some 126 healthcare workers are now believed to have died after contracting coronavirus, BBC analysis suggests.

Of those, 63 were men and 61 were women.

In England, 112 deaths have been recorded. In Scotland there were four, and in Wales nine. To date, we have not recorded any health worker deaths in Northern Ireland.

Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers accounted for 76 deaths, where we have been able to establish ethnicity.

Additional analysis has found credible reports for the deaths of 18 social care workers across the UK.

We've been unable to verify whether these people tested positive for the virus. Instead, our information comes from public reports where the family or workplace have said their death was related to Covid-19.

Read more: Remembering 100 NHS and healthcare workers who have died

Zoe Kleinman
Reporter, BBC News

Image source, Dr Arghavan Salles

There is growing concern that standard personal protective equipment (PPE), which often has a unisex design, doesn't always fit women properly.

The Department of Health said the kit was designed to protect "both genders".

However, healthcare workers are saying that even the smallest sizes are too big for some women - who make up 77% of the NHS workforce, according to NHS digital figures from 2018. If PPE is too big it can be less effective in providing a complete barrier to the virus.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has said 21 million items of PPE - including gloves, aprons, masks, eye protectors and gowns - were distributed to 196 health trusts and organisations on Tuesday.