Pandemic is now more than 150,000, according to the latest figures collated byjohns Hopkins University in the united states. 37,000 have died in the us itself. Italy, spain, france and the uk make up half of the worldwide toll. The World Health Organization has cast doubt on the usefulness of antibody tests for covid 19 which many countries had hoped to use to determine if people have developed immunity to the virus. Who officials in geneva said there was no evidence that having had the virus would guarantee immunity. 847 people have died in british hospitals in the past 2a hours. It brings the total number of deaths tojust over 1a,500. The uk government is setting up a new task force to back the development of a vaccine, but itll be many months before one is available. Now on bbc news,
its time for click. This week, using tech to stay in touch, to volunteer your time, and touch, to volunteer your time, and to ta ke touch, to volunteer your time, and to take in some art. Welcome back.
Brenda emmanus, bbc news. And just to remind you, jane hill will be live from the Royal Albert Hall on the red carpet with some very special guests at 5 15. And then we have our results show at 9 30 all here on the bbc news channel. And finally, every year a Small Community in the United States gathers together with music and festivities to watch a small animal emerge from its home which locals believe predicts gathers together with music and festivities to watch a small animal emerge from its home which locals believe predicts the coming weather. Its known as Groundhog Day. During the ceremony punxsy phil
emerges from his temporary home on gobblers knob in the town in pennsylvania. According to tradition, if phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter. If phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an early spring. Groundhog day has been celebrated since 1887 but received worldwide recognition it was featured in the 1993 film Groundhog Da
The british Prime Minister borisjohnson has admitted his government didnt understand the nature of the coronavirus pandemic in its first few weeks and months. Speaking to the bbc in an exclusive interview he said there were open questions about whether lockdown had been imposed too late. Us federal officials have repossessed the chinese consulate in houston days after President Trump ordered its closure, as diplomatic relations between the worlds two largest economies continue to deteriorate, china has retaliated by ordering the United States to close its consulate in chongdu. And authorities in iraq have created a city in the desert to bury the Record Number of people who have died from coronavirus. Doctors have issued a stark warning that returning to normal life would be premature, as coronavirus cases continue to soar. Rebecca vardy, the wife of the Leicester City strikerjamie vardy has filed legal papers and a possible lawsuit against Coleen Rooney. She claims to have suffered mon
Our top stories President Donald Trump has announced the us will ban flights from mainland europe for 30 days from friday to contain the spread of coronavirus, now officially a pandemic. From the oval office, mr trump said the flight ban would apply to the uk. He announced plans to apply billions of dollars in loa ns to to apply billions of dollars in loans to Small Businesses and encourage Health Insurers to help those affected. In italy, new restrictions will close all shops for two weeks except food stores and pharmacies. Its estimated 12,500 are infected. The death toll has jumped by nearly 200 in the past day alone to 837. Disgraced Film Producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 yea rs weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years for rape and sexual assault. He was found guilty in new york last month. He still faces further charges in los angeles. Youre up to date on the headlines in stoppage time now for click. Youre up to date on the headlines. Time now for click. This week
As cancers grow in the body, changes happen in the dna of the body. What happens is those tumours start shedding fragments of that dna into the bloodstream and what the grail this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk testis the bloodstream and what the grail test is able to do is detect those and around the world. Fragments of dna and they have very a call for a rethink over specific patterns associated with them which mean that we can tell Englands Covid tier system but the government defends placing most of the country under tougher whether or not it is likely to be a restrictions after lockdown ends. Cancer and moreover, if it is, where in the body that signal is coming if people do follow the rules, from so we can actually help the if we do make the tiered system doctors to figure out where to look work, then as i say, there is every reason to believe so they can determine very quickly that they could de escalate and go down a tier in time for christmas. Nort