Coronavirus: Evening update as human vaccine trials to start this week
- Published
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update on Wednesday morning.
1. Human vaccine trials to start this week
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, giving the daily briefing at Downing Street, has revealed that a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University will be trialled in people from Thursday. "The upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it," he said. It comes as the number of hospital deaths from coronavirus in the UK has risen by 823 to 17,337 people.
2. Have virus deaths peaked?
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show deaths in England and Wales have hit a 20-year high, but experts also believe virus deaths could well have peaked. There were about 8,000 more deaths in the week up to 10 April than is normal at this time of year. But separate analysis by NHS England is being highlighted by experts which showed the number of deaths in hospitals has been falling since 8 April.
3. Captain Tom opens Nightingale hospital
Capt Tom Moore, the 99-year-old war veteran who has raised more than £27m for the NHS, has appeared via video link to open a new Nightingale hospital in Harrogate. Social distancing rules meant a virtual ceremony had to be held for the opening of the 500-bed facility at Harrogate Convention Centre, which was converted into a hospital in less than three weeks.
4. Premature baby fights off coronavirus
Born eight weeks early and weighing just 3lbs 5oz (1.5kg), Peyton Maguire was diagnosed with Covid-19 at just three weeks old. "I think the doctor was trying to keep me calm but I was sobbing," her mum Tracy, from Lanarkshire, says. Peyton was given steroids to help strengthen her lungs and received "amazing" care from neonatal nurses in hospital. Fortunately she has now recovered, with mum and baby leaving hospital on Monday.
5. 'Nobody told us about the pandemic'
Imagine you've been sailing around the world, blissfully unaware of the global pandemic changing our lives. That's what happened to Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne, who asked their loved ones to keep in touch - but not to share bad news. So after 25 days at sea, they attempted to dock on a small Caribbean island in mid-March. There, they found all the island's borders were closed and discovered the world had been suffering from a pandemic they'd heard nothing about.
And don't forget...
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
Here's some advice on the rules concerning self-isolation and exercise during the pandemic.
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