Around one in six people in London and one in 20 elsewhere in England have already had coronavirus
Health secretary Matt Hancock dropped the statistic as he announced plans to roll out "antibody certificates"
Trials of a new coronavirus test returning results in just 20 minutes have begun in Hampshire, he says
Millions of Britons have taken to their doorsteps to "clap for carers" battling the coronavirus
The number of confirmed cases worldwide since the outbreak began passes five million
More than 328,000 people have died with Covid-19, and 1.9 million have recovered, according to data from Johns Hopkins University
Scotland will reopen all schools from 11 August, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says
The coronavirus spreads easily and the majority of the world's population is still vulnerable to it. A vaccine would provide some protection by training people's immune systems to fight the virus.
But when can we expect one to be ready?
BBC health correspondent Laura Foster looks at the situation.
A top US scientist has said that governments should not count on a successful vaccine being developed anytime soon, according to a Reuters report. , external
However, William Haseltine said the virus could still be controlled without an effective vaccine by identifying infections, finding contacts who had been exposed and isolating them.
He also urged people to wear masks, wash their hands, clean surfaces and keep a safe distance from one another.
While it is possible that a vaccine could be developed, he said: "I wouldn't count on it".
Dan Roan
BBC Sports editor
Image source, Getty ImagesInternational Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says he understands why the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games would have to be cancelled if they cannot take place next summer.
The event has been postponed by a year because of the coronavirus crisis and local organisers say they have no back-up plan if it can't go ahead in July-August 2021.
"You cannot forever employ 3,000 to 5,000 people in an organising committee," Bach told BBC Sport. "You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty."
In a wide-ranging interview, Bach also:
Image source, Getty ImagesBrittany has reclosed beaches after "unacceptable behaviour" over the weekend
Ascension Day – a public holiday in many European countries, including France and Germany – sparks virus fears while Cyprus lifts its lockdown. Here’s the latest from Europe:
Image source, TF-ImagesEasyJet will resume some flights on 15 June, with all passengers and cabin crew told to wear face masks.
The low-cost airline announced that it would restart a "small number" of routes where there is enough customer demand.
The initial schedule will include domestic routes across the UK and France.
As part of new safety and hygiene measures, there will be no food sold during flights, and enhanced cleaning of planes. Disinfection wipes and hand sanitiser will be made available to passengers.
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said that "these are small and carefully planned steps".
The airline admitted on Tuesday that nine million of its passengers had their email addresses and travel details exposed in a "highly sophisticated" attack.
But it says there is "no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused".
Image source, AFPMexico has nearly 57,000 confirmed cases
Mexico on Wednesday registered 424 deaths from Covid-19 - the highest number of fatalities the country has recorded so far in a single day. It also reported 2,248 new infections.
Last week, officials said Mexico had reached "the peak moment" of its outbreak after it recorded its largest one-day rise in cases.
It now has 56,594 confirmed cases, and 6,090 deaths.
The record daily death toll comes as the country eases lockdown measures and reopens the economy, particularly factories near the border with the US.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, has told the BBC his members have "not had clear information and instructions about their role" in the test, track and trace system to be introduced in England in June.
"We need clarity on how this is going to work," Hopson said.
He warned the NHS was at risk of being "overwhelmed" in a second peak if the system doesn't work.
NHS Providers is a membership organisation for NHS hospital, community health, mental health and ambulance trusts.
Security Minister James Brokenshire said this morning that training was underway for the 24,000 staff required for the scheme.
He said concerns over a lack of clarity “will not be lost on anyone in the Department of Health and Social Care” and “will be followed up at pace”.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been speaking to the BBC's Simon Jack about how his social network is responding to the challenge posed by the coronavirus crisis.
There has been some serious concern about misinformation spreading on the platform during thie pandemic. Early on in the global outbreak, the World Health Organization was already warning of an "infodemic" of fake news spreading online.
Read here about how both extremist political and fringe medical communities have tried to exploit the pandemic online.
We reported earlier on the drive-in concert taking place in Sydney, Australia, an event that could provide a glimpse into what live entertainment might look like in the coming months.
With traditional venues likely to remain closed for some time, performers believe allowing audiences to watch events from their cars could help to keep the creative industries alive.
Image source, EPASinger Casey Donovan performed live in heavy rain to an audience sitting in their vehicles in a sports centre car park. The audience could listen by tuning in on their radios, or rolling down their windows.
Image source, EPACars were required to park two metres apart because of social-distancing regulations.
At the end of songs, or to show their appreciation for the music, they could use their horns or windscreen wipers. Old-fashioned clapping was of course also allowed.
Drive-in shows featuring comedy, ballet and opera are planned for other Australian towns and cities.
Image source, EPA
From nurses to shopkeepers, doctors to bus drivers, coronavirus has taken tens of thousands of lives across the UK.
We have gathered tributes from family, friends and colleagues to some of those who have died.
There are many other stories that also need to be heard, and so we would like to invite you to contribute to this special page by paying tribute to someone you have lost. If you click the link above, you will find a form that you can use to submit your tribute.
Image source, GettyUS President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is to be released from prison to home confinement later on Thursday over Covid-19 concerns.
Cohen, 53, is serving a three-year sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance fraud.
His early release was first reported in April, but it was delayed.
New York is the epicentre of the US pandemic, and the minimum-security prison where Cohen is detained has had a number of confirmed cases.
Sewage water is being tested in Victoria, Australia, to find coronavirus clusters that health authorities don't know about.
It's part of efforts to find hidden or resurgent viral hotspots, as the country eases its lockdown. More than one million people have already been tested for the virus but authorities say wastewater testing is a much cheaper way to tell if cases are starting to rise.
Here, a team from Melbourne Water gather samples to identify suburbs or areas where conventional testing will then be needed. Coronavirus is excreted in faeces for up to six weeks after symptoms first appear.
Sewage tests are helping flush out hidden Coronavirus clusters.
Here's a look at what's the UK papers are leading on this morning.
Many of Thursday's front pages carry photos of people sunbathing on crowded beaches as they report the government's new target to track 10,000 new cases of coronavirus a day by June in England. "Trace against time," the Daily Mirror calls it, saying the busy scenes sparked "fears about mixing and spreading".
Ross Hawkins
Political correspondent
The plan I have seen shows that councils will begin a scheme to tailor the test and trace service for their areas. The idea is that these councils will work out how they deal with outbreaks on their patches through outbreak action plans.
They know what to do if they get a new case in schools or churches.
Under the plan I have seen there will be more local testing and a better collection of data. The idea being that it would start with 10 lead councils before being extended to others - including Tameside, Leicestershire, Surrey, Warwickshire, Leeds, Camden, Devon, Newcastle. Middlesbrough and Norfolk.
As of late last night this was due to be announced today. It is unlikely we will hear about the national contact tracers that have been successfully hired but are sitting idle. But I know of one group who were told that their system would go live today.
The details need to be settled, the work needs to begin under enormous scrutiny and the clock is ticking.
Who knew Sachin Tendulkar, India's most loved cricketer, could also give a decent haircut?
With salons shut during a nationwide lockdown, Tendulkar briefly turned barber for his son - and the result, a buzz cut, didn't look bad at all.
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"As a father you need to do everything..." he wrote in the message that accompanied a video on Instagram, showing off his skills.
The display certainly entertained his 22.3 million followers, who were amused, full of praise or simply thrilled to see a new update from his life.
But, by Tendulkar's own admission, he did have some help: his daughter, Sara.
A trial to see whether two anti-malarial drugs could prevent Covid-19 has begun in Brighton and Oxford.
Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine or a placebo will be given to more than 40,000 healthcare workers from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
All the participants are staff who are in contact with Covid-19 patients.
"We really do not know if chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine are beneficial or harmful against Covid-19," said one of the study's leaders, Prof Nicholas White.
But, he said, a randomised controlled trial such as this one, where neither the participant nor the researchers know who has been given the drug or a placebo, was the best way to find out.
It comes after US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he had been taking the controversial drug, despite warnings that it could be unsafe.
Read more about the trial here.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe number of people infected worldwide has now reached five million, external, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
The number of deaths caused by the virus currently stands at 328,172 deaths.
People in England have been warned against using coronavirus antibody tests sold by some retailers.
Such tests are not yet available through the NHS, but some are being sold commercially.
On Wednesday, high street retailer Superdrug became the latest businesses to sell the test. It costs £69 and buyers need to take a blood sample at home, which is sent off to a lab for testing.
But the NHS has reservations over their use.
"I would caution against using any tests that might be made available without knowing quite how good those tests are... I would caution people against being tempted to have those tests," said NHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis.
Read more about these tests and why they might not be accurate here.
Image source, Getty ImagesIf you are just joining us in the UK this morning, here are some of the latest developments:
Wuhan authorities have expanded a ban on the trade of illegal wildlife to include hunting and eating as well, China's Global Times reports, external.
The ban includes consumption of any wildlife and aquatic wild animals that are on preservation lists, as well as those bred in captivity, according to the Wuhan government's official website.
The virus first emerged in Wuhan late last year and authorities initially pointed to a wet market that also sold wildlife.
In January, China issued a temporary ban in the trade in wild animals, as it did during the Sars outbreak.
A month later, the government "thoroughly banned the illegal trading of wildlife, external" and "eliminated the consumption of wild animals to safeguard people's lives and health".
But since then, a number of reports have said wildlife is still being sold in markets in China and elsewhere.
The exact origin of the new coronavirus is not known for certain, but the evidence suggests it came from an animal.