Live Reporting
- A German pharmaceutical company working on a vaccine has suggested it might have a product ready by autumn. The company, Curevac, had been at the centre of a row over the weekend when media reports suggested Washington had tried to offer money in exchange for a vaccine exclusive for the US.The company though dismissed suggestions they'd received a concrete offer from Washington.One of the owners of the firm told German paper FAZ that, if things go well, a vaccine might be developed by early summer and could then be approved and ready for rollout by autumn.
- China has proposed the construction of a "Health Silk Road" to help co-ordinate global efforts to tackle the pandemic.During a call with the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on 16 March, President Xi Jinping said China was available "to work with Italy to contribute to international co-operation in the fight against the epidemic and for the construction of a Health Silk Road", state media reports.Similarly, during a call with the Italian foreign minister last month, the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had expressed hope that the "joint fight against the outbreak" would start a "Silk Road" of health care.The Silk Road was the ancient trading routes between China and West and more recently, China has launched the Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious infrastructure project.China, where the virus first appeared, has been highlighting its humanitarian efforts recently, such as sending medical workers and supplies to other countries hardest-hit.
- We may be washing our hands religiously these days, but what about our phones and other devices which we handle all the time? Here's a quick reminder on how to do a thorough wipe-down of your mobile, and what to use when cleaning it.
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- France is beginning its second day of strict confinement at home for all citizens.According to French paper Le Monde, the fine for non-compliance is now 135 euros (£123, $149), up from 38 euros on Tuesday.According to the paper, police had been lenient on the first day and most people didn't have to pay, but if you're on the streets of Paris without a good reason, you do run a risk of having to pay up.
- More and more of us will need to keep in touch online - but what if a parent or other older person in your life doesn't have access to video calling tech?Kate Bevan, computing editor of British consumer magazine Which?, tells the BBC that you "might want to consider getting a specialised device to make video calls to your loved ones"."Once they're set up, they're very simple to use but you do have to dig through settings in their apps to connect them and that's not always as straightforward as it might be."Age UK, the charity for older people, adds that the choice of tech should be as "user-friendly as possible"."Older people may also prefer physical interfaces like a mouse rather than a touchscreen or trackpad," Caroline Abrahams, its charity director, says.
- South Korea has been seeing a downward trend in the overall number of coronavirus infections, which had raised hopes that the epidemic in the country - the largest in Asia, outside China - might have been abating.But as the BBC's Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker reports, health officials are now worried about a small clusters of infections that have broken out.At least 74 people from a hospital in Daegu that specialises in elderly care have been infected, while there have also been confirmed cases at a hospital south of Seoul.This includes the head of that clinic, who has been in meetings with the country's Vice Health Minister - who will now be placed in isolation and tested.South Korea has reported 93 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the country to just over 8,400.
- If you're just waking up in the UK and joining our live coverage, welcome. A particularly warm welcome to those of you already stuck at home.The team here in Singapore will be handing over to our UK colleagues shortly - many of whom are, like many of you, working from home.We'll be running this page all day, bringing you the latest news and information about this extraordinary situation, as well as advice about how you can keep yourself, loved ones and colleagues safe.We now have a dedicated index on our website for the latest Coronavirus information. If you're using the app, you can search for "Coronavirus outbreak" to add it to your My News section.
- Earlier we told you that posts about the coronavirus from the BBC and other news sources were being incorrectly marked as "spam" or "inappropriate" content on Facebook and Instagram.In response Facebook, which owns both social media sites, said that this was due to a "bug in an anti-spam system".The firm previously said contract workers who review content would be sent home due to the outbreak."We've restored all the posts that were incorrectly removed, which included posts on all topics - not just those related to COVID-19," Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president for integrity, said on Twitter.
- The UK government announced measures yesterday to support the economy in the coming weeks and months.While she says "there are still holes in the vast plans," the enormous and expensive emergency measures will have the country "changing before our eyes".
- Japanese public broadcaster NHK is reporting that several foreign countries have cancelled or postponed their national team training camps for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.The table tennis and gymnastics teams from Colombia have cancelled their training in the western city of Kitakyushu.Britain's wheelchair basketball team was scheduled to practice next month in Urayasu City, near Tokyo, but has also cancelled due to players' health concerns.Sabae City in Fukui Prefecture has asked China's gymnastics association to cancel its team's training camp in the city in April, NHK reports.
- It's one of the most instinctual things to do - and also something you absolutely shouldn't be doing right now. Here's a video on why we love to touch our faces, and how we can overcome that urge.
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- It's being described as a "war chest" and a "kiss of life" while others are putting out a rallying cry that "This won't beat Britain".
- There are around 2,000 confirmed infections in the UK. The actual number though is estimated to be much higher, between 35,000 and 50,000.If you want to find out how many cases have been confirmed in your neighbourhood, you can click here to do so with your postcode, English council or Scottish NHS area.
- Health officials in South Korea are asking the public to postpone or cancel all non-essential overseas travel. All those returning from overseas are being asked to stay at home for two weeks.
- British supermarkets are introducing new measures to help the elderly and those with disabilities as the country was hit with a flurry of panic-buying.Supermarket chain Sainsbury's is following the lead set by Iceland, which has set aside a few hours for those in these two groups to shop exclusively.Sainsbury's said that on Thursday, its first hour of opening would be set aside for the elderly and vulnerable. It will also give priority to online orders from those over 70 and those with disabilities.Panic around the coronavirus has seen shoppers stockpiling, leaving shelves stripped of some items including toilet roll and pasta.
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ground-breaking ceremony for a new hospital to be built in Pyongyang, state media have reported, although they did not link it to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic across the world.At the ceremony on 17 March, Mr Kim said he wants the construction to be finished by the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in October, official news agency KCNA reported today.Calling it a "crucial task" to improve the country's public health system, Kim "personally pressed the button of the blasting machine" to start the hospital’s construction. State media featured a photo of Kim – without a face mask - holding a shovel.North Korea has repeatedly stressed there are no cases of Covid-19 in the country, but has taken extensive steps to prevent its outbreak. But it is seen as highly vulnerable to infectious diseases and its public health system ill-equipped to handle them.
- As we noted earlier, Australia has banned non-essential gatherings of over 100 people indoors, and 500 people outdoors.Public squares and streets are still free to roam but many people have heeded the advice to distance themselves from others.Employees are favouring working from home, while even smaller social gatherings like weddings and birthday parties are being cancelled.Here are some of the spots emptying out.
- Yesterday, the UK unveiled an "unprecedented" set of financial measures to support its economy through the pandemic.This included £330bn in loans and £20bn in other aid to protect businesses.But some have questioned falseif the measures are enough to help certain groups of people, including those who are self-isolating or those who have been made redundant. Here's more on those concerns.
- There are plenty of videos on how important it is to wash your hands and how to best go about doing it.But there's always room for one more: this one is from a comedian in Iran, one of the countries worst-hit by the crisis.
- All of Malaysia has now entered a state of lockdown, triggered in part by a religious gathering that was attended by about 16,000 people.The three-day event in late February was held at the sprawling Jamek Mosque, located on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur.According to local reports, authorities have only tested about 9,000 attendees, and are still trying to track down thousands more.Malaysia now has 673 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 400 have been linked to the religious event, local reports say.On Tuesday, a 34-year-old Malaysian man who attended the event died - the first death linked to the mass gathering.The country has now closed its borders to all foreigners in an effort to control the coronavirus outbreak.But it might be a case of too little, too late.Around 1,500 foreigners who attended the event have already gone back to their countries and several of them have now tested positive for Covid-19 including those from Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia and most recently, Vietnam.
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