Health Secretary Matt Hancock is leading today’s government coronavirus press briefing
Health Secretary Matt Hancock begins by thanking people for staying at home, adding the UK is “slowing the spread” of the virus.
He adds that spare capacity in the NHS has reached 2,657 beds, adding “so far” the UK has been able to ensure everyone who needs hospital care gets it.
But he adds the UK cannot “let go of the hard work done so far”, and the lockdown will not be lifted “until safe to do so”.
UK to introduce new social care brand
Matt Hancock announces new details of the UK’s plan to cope with coronavirus in care homes.
He says “priority drops” of protective equipment for the social care will continue over the next three weeks whilst a new online system is developed.
He says the UK will be introducing a “single brand” for social care, to replicate the “famous” blue and white logo for the NHS.
Supermarkets will be asked to give care staff the same priority as NHS workers, and the UK will undertake a recruitment drive, with the government paying for “induction training”.
“I know that many will answer our call,” he adds.
Deputy chief scientific officer on lockdown measures
Dr Angela Maclean, the UK’s deputy chief scientific officer, said the use of all modes of transport are now down to less than a third of what they were before the lockdown was introduced.
“This is hard data to show how all of us are staying home,” she said.
Dr Maclean said there was a flattening in the number of cases of Covid-19 and “for me that is evidence that what everybody has done together has worked”.
“It is having the impact we hoped it would have,”
Social care staff ‘referred for tests’
Matt Hancock is asked about the government’s commitment to expand testing of staff in social care.
He replies that NHS workers are now being tested “regularly”, whilst currently 4,100 social care staff have been “referred for tests“.
He says the UK’s testing capacity is being built up “all the time”, and “all those who need it” in the NHS and care sector can get tests.
Chief Medical Officer on the virus’ peak
Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty said: “We have not hit a point we can say confidently and safely this is past the peak and we can think about the next stages.”
He said he expected the number of recorded deaths to jump mid-week after a four-day bank holiday weekend.
Matt Hancock said it was too early to make changes and the advice remained to everybody to “stay home”.
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