BIGDREAM

Image copyright EPA Image caption What can Italy's epidemic tells us about how the outbreak will unfold elsewhere? Deaths and confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK have been doubling every three days, and on Friday the country experienced its biggest increase in deaths so far. Models of the epidemic give very different estimates of its potential final death toll, from tens of thousands to one published on Friday that projected a figure of below 7,000. So how to make sense of the projections, and what do the patterns of coronavirus deaths in other countries tell us about what could come next in the UK? How do things look in the UK? Confirmed cases in the UK are doubling every three or four days. Deaths are growing faster, doubling every two or three days. This data doesn't show all cases, just the confirmed ones. That's because testing is mainly only carried out on those ill enough to be hospitalised, not those with mild symptoms, and so the true number of cas...

Image copyright EPA Image caption Deaths in Lombardy have risen sharply Italy has recorded 919 new coronavirus deaths, its highest daily figure in the outbreak so far. It means 9,134 people have now died from the virus in the country. Earlier World Health Organization chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a "chronic global shortage" of protective equipment was one of the "most urgent threats" to the ability to save lives. Italy is the worst-affected in Europe. Almost everything has been closed and people told to stay at home. Earlier on Friday, authorities warned that restrictions were likely to be extended beyond 3 April. Live updates from around the world What is the latest from Italy? The northern region of Lombardy, the hardest hit in the country, saw a sharp increase in deaths from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. This followed a decline on Thursday that had raised hopes the outbreak there could have peaked. There were 5,959 new ...

Image copyright REUTERS US President Donald Trump has ordered General Motors to make ventilators for coronavirus patients after attacking the car giant's chief executive. He invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, which allows a president to force companies to make products for national defence. Mr Trump said that "GM was wasting time" and action was needed to save American lives. The US now has 104,000 cases of the virus, the most in the world. With nearly 1,700 fatalities, America's Covid-19 death toll still lags far behind Italy and China. Congress passes huge financial stimulus package A snapshot of American life under lockdown Mr Trump had previously said the defence order was not necessary, because companies were voluntarily converting their operations to help fight the spread of coronavirus. Media caption Trump says governors should be more "appreciative" But on Friday he said in a statement: "The virus is too u...