Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, is leading the government’s coronavirus daily press briefing today
Dominic Raab has started today’s briefing by confirming the Prime Minister is still in intensive care but he “continues to make positive steps forward” and is in “good spirits”.
UK death total rises to 7,978
There are now 65,077 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, Raab announces, with 16,784 currently being treated for it in hospital.
Sadly he confirms 7,978 people across the UK have now died.
UK lockdown measures
Raab says “we’re not done yet – we must keep going” on the lockdown, and having chaired a COBRA meeting today to “take stock” of the current situation.
Government is still trying to “get the fullest picture possible” of the effects of the lockdown.
The early signs show the measures are “having the impact that we need to see” but “it’s too early to say that conclusively”.
He adds more won’t be said on the next phase of the lockdown until “the end of next week”.
‘There will be a moment when we look at how we formally recognise all those on the front line’
Dominic Raab says when answering a question about whether NHS front line workers will be given a pay increase when the crisis is over.
Professor Chris Whitty, says the NHS provided figures which only count deaths in hospitals are very comparable internationally and can be gathered quicker. ONS figures, which are coming out later, are “much wider than that” – such as when the doctor decides coronavirus was a factor despite no test being done to confirm that.
When the ONS stats are published “I would expect those numbers to be higher”, he confirms.
More to come soon…
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