Daily death toll shows situation is comparable with other badly hit countries, says Jeremy Farrar

PM had spent time in intensive care at St Thomas’ and will continue recovery at Chequers

In times like this it’s essential we become aware of the ways in which we are biased – so it doesn’t become prejudiceWhen behavioural scientist Dr Pragya Agarwal moved from Delhi to York more than 20 years ago, her first priority was to blend in. As a single parent, a woman of colour and an academic, she worked hard to “water down” the things that made her different from those around her. Yet the more she tried to fit in, the more Agarwal began to ask herself why humans appear programmed to create “in groups” and distrust those on the outside.“Unconscious bias has become a buzzword in recent years,” explains Agarwal. “We are all biased and, though some biases can be harmless, many aren’t.” These are the issues she unravels in her book Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias, and she confronts some uncomfortable truths along the way. Continue reading...

Many people are reporting unusually vivid dreams – and scientists think they could be a key way we process emotion

As the capital’s Victoria Park reopens its gates after two weeks, the rules on exercise and social distancing remain blurred

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

A fever, tiredness and a dry cough are the most common symptoms of the Covid-19 virus. But many others have been reported

Recently back from a year of seeking unmapped wonders from Greenland to Oman, the explorer is relishing life under lockdownFor most people, being stuck in lockdown with 11-week-old twins and a 21-month-old toddler would be torture. But the explorer Steve Backshall is used to living in tough and challenging environments around the world. “I’ve spent so much of my life away in a field, sleeping in a tent, that to have this amount of time with the family at home is actually a real privilege. It’s something I don’t get very much.”Perhaps unsurprisingly, it takes more than a few dirty nappies to disconcert a man who is used to defecating in strange places. “Every single day, scooting off into the jungle to find a place to have a poo could be either the highlight of the day – or the worst possible moment.” Continue reading...

Women tell of ‘bereavement’ because they will be too old for fertility treatment when the coronavirus shutdown ends

While the official 12- to 18-month timeframe still stands, experimental Covid-19 inoculations for high-risk groups could be rolled out much earlier

The pontiff’s traditional St Peter’s Square address will be replaced by online message as global infections near 1,800,000

Medical researchers have been studying everything we know about Covid-19. What have they learned – and is it enough to halt the pandemic?

The way your performance review is delivered can have a huge effect on how big your bonus isExams are off, thanks to coronavirus. It’s a big deal, with rows about the best way to allocate grades amid this lockdown.Those grades determine education opportunities and jobs. Equal opportunity and meritocracy are seen by many as crucial features of our society. This approach extends into the world of work, with formal appraisals informing who gets what bonus or job. Continue reading...

Torn between saving lives and rebuilding the economy, the government is sending out dangerously mixed messages

Children’s commissioner says schools will play an important role, but teachers and parents may oppose loss of six-week break

Payment was guaranteed for antibody kits designed to show who was immune but they later proved wildly inaccurate

The people of the city where the first virus was first detected are taking their first cautious steps outside after being confined for three months

The outbreak has generated a tsunami of information. Here’s how to sift the fact from the fiction

Our DC bureau chief on covering a escalating public health crisis, an economic crisis – and a crisis of leadershipI’m heading to the White House in the middle of a global pandemic – not a phrase I ever imagined writing when I was a schoolboy in Britain thinking about a career in journalism. Downtown Washington resembles a deserted film set these days, most of its famed monuments and museums closed. At the White House gates a white tent has been set up; a medical worker zaps me with a device that takes my temperature and gives me the all clear.After passing through security, I arrive at the West Wing briefing room, usually bustling like a railway station, but now sparsely populated by journalists, some wearing face masks. Continue reading...

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

Italy extends lockdown; death rate in Spain begins falling again; cases worldwide top 1.6m

As global deaths pass 100,000, White House adviser also cautions against lifting restrictions

Deputy chief medical officer says ‘premature’ to claim UK is at peak; Boris Johnson ‘in good spirits’ after ICU discharge; public urged to stay home over Easter. This live blog is now closed, please head to the global coronavirus live blog for updates6.52pm BSTA huge thank you to everybody who got in touch today with a story and to all of you for reading along.Related: Coronavirus live news: confirmed worldwide Covid-19 death toll passes 100,0006.27pm BSTThe latest episode of Anywhere but Westminster went up today and it’s an especially eye-opening one.John and John speak to families who are on the brink, grappling with the everyday experience of living in confinement, dealing with everything from autism to living in small houses and properties without outdoor space. Continue reading...

The bleakest fortnight lies ahead, with the number of victims expected to keep rising. Ministers must answer for the decisions that led here

Shadow foreign secretary wants to know why thousands remain stranded a fortnight after £75m rescue mission was announced

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

There’s a freedom that comes with realising you have more influence over your life than you thoughtRecently – oh, no particular reason – I’ve found myself returning to the ancient philosophical idea known as “the dichotomy of control”. “Some things are within our power, while others are not,” wrote Epictetus, the Greek Stoic, in a line you’d be justified in dismissing as obvious, if it weren’t for the fact that we ignore its ramifications every day, and suffer as a result. In every situation, there are things we can control and things we can’t, and struggling to control the latter is a recipe for anxiety and stress. “Partial control”, like the kind I have over my three-year-old’s behaviour, can be broken down into the two: I usually have total control over what I say or do; and none, technically, over how he reacts.It’s an idea that’s echoed widely elsewhere, for example in the Serenity Prayer, associated with Alcoholics Anonymous, and in an observation with Buddhist origins: if a problem can be fixed, there’s no need to worry about it; and if it can’t be fixed, well, why bother worrying? Continue reading...

University of Oxford study looking at mental health finds young people worry about food scarcity and family and friends catching the disease

Unprecedented efforts and diverted resources mean we are fast learning about human defences against this new threat

It’s convenient for leaders to say they are following the science, but technical evidence can only take us so far

Antonio Guterres says Covid-19 represents ‘fight of a generation’ as China wades into row between WHO and Taiwan

New Zealand’s drive against Covid-19 is showing promise and it is not too late for other countries to followEpidemiologists love to evoke the memory of John Snow, who famously advocated removing the handle from the Broad Street pump in London, an action that helped to end a severe outbreak of cholera. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic we need to take the same kind of decisive action, yet western countries have appeared remarkably slow to do so, despite the advantages of immense scientific knowledge and modern tools of pandemic control.New Zealand now appears to be the only “western” nation following an articulated elimination strategy with the goal of completely ending transmission of Covid-19 within its borders. The strategy appears to be working, with new case numbers falling. Most cases are now returning travellers, who are safely quarantined at the borders, and the few remaining case clusters in the community are being traced and further spread stamped out. But it is far too soon to claim victory, and the country is remaining under an intense lockdown to support the elimination effort. Continue reading...

This blog is closed

Residential homes have emerged as key breeding ground for infections from Madrid to New York

None of 3.5m home tests ordered have so far been accurate enough to detect coronavirus immunity

They are volunteering with a trust in south-west England and are being invited to apply for jobs in Hampshire

The warnings of doctors and scientists were ignored, with fatal results

Covid-19 hits the old hardest, but young people are dying too. Scientists say it may be down to genes or ‘viral load’

Research on Massospondylus carinatus embryos sheds new light on animals’ developmentThe fossilised skulls of dinosaur embryos that died within their eggs about 200m years ago, have been digitally reconstructed by scientists, shedding new light on the animals’ development, and how close they were to hatching.The rare clutch of seven eggs, some of which contain embryos, was discovered in South Africa in 1976, with the developing young found to be a species of dinosaur called Massospondylus carinatus. Continue reading...

Southern hemisphere neighbours have developed different strategies but both are working – for now

Court application warns ‘many lives will be lost’ without urgent action to provide face masksThe Zimbabwean government has been taken to court over its failure to provide doctors working on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic with masks.The Zimbabwe Association for Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) is seeking to compel the authorities urgently to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical practitioners, warning that medics in the country’s troubled health sector will otherwise die. Continue reading...

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

It’s likely Covid-19 originated in bats, scientists say. But did it then spread to pangolins and humans?

A supermoon happens when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its 27-day orbit and it happens to be full, which usually occurs once a year. We asked you to share your shots of April’s lunar spectacular. Here’s a selection of our favourites Continue reading...

Following the decision to end Wuhan’s lockdown this week, Hannah Devlin speaks to Dr Adam Kurcharski about the various aspects of lifting restrictive measures, including the importance of the timing and the role that testing could play Continue reading...

Speculation rife about an impending baby boom, but experts say uncertain times mean this is unlikely