Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street briefing. Image: Screen grab from Downing Street media conference.

NHS Protective clothing shortage crisis intensifies while UK government furiously defends its performance 

The UK government has been hitting back at a growing storm over poor handling of the coronavirus crisis while a promised delivery of 84 tonnes of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for NHS frontline staff from Turkey has failed to arrive.

The shipment includes 400,000 gowns and the government insists it should arrive today.

It’s being reported that an estimated 80 British NHS frontline workers have now died and the PPE shortage is endangering the lives of many more.

The Turkey shipment is being described as ‘too little and too late.’

The Sunday Times Insight exposé of alleged failings by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government to prepare for the pandemic has led to Downing Street publishing a six-page 2,000 word rebuttal.

The government says:

This article contains a series of falsehoods and errors and actively misrepresents the enormous amount of work which was going on in government at the earliest stages of the coronavirus outbreak.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove attacked the Sunday newspaper article:

The idea that the prime minister skipped meetings that were vital to our response to the coronavirus, I think is grotesque.

The truth is that there are meetings across government, some of which are chaired by the health secretary, some of which are chaired by other ministers, but the prime minister took all the major decisions.

I think that anyone who considered what happened to the prime minister not long ago, nobody can say the prime minister isn’t throwing heart and soul into fighting this virus.

His leadership has been inspirational at times and I think that actually nothing is more off-beam than the suggestion that the prime minister was anything other than energetic, determined, focused and strong in his leadership against this virus.

Questions raised over coronavirus pandemic response with Boris Johnson’s initial actions criticised https://t.co/viNWh0C1af

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) April 20, 2020

Daily death toll reduces substantially as desperate struggle to manufacture more PPE and find a vaccine continues

The number of daily reported hospital deaths has reduced by about a third Sunday 19th April to 596.

However, pressure continues to find a way of including accurate figures of the number of people dying in care homes and in the community.

As doctors and nurses complain about the shortages of protective clothing there were calls to expand the UK manufacturing capacity.

Accelerated research for a vaccine has resulted in clinical trials beginning in the coming week.

UK reports 596 COVID-19 deaths as total tops 16,000 https://t.co/oO9U7DdIZC pic.twitter.com/Ph3q2eejA2

— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) April 19, 2020

“What we need from government is support to help us accelerate the manufacturing”

Professor Sarah Gilbert tells #Marr there aren’t any manufacturing facilities in this country that, at the moment, can make very large amounts of a Covid-19 vaccine
https://t.co/wI0j7vI24l pic.twitter.com/36zIsp6zoJ

The latest figures on #coronavirus deaths in care homes are two weeks old.

Chief Executive of Encore Homes, Rachel Dryden says the numbers should “absolutely” be added to the UK total of hospital deaths reported each day.

COVID19 latest: https://t.co/Rs7Z86RGYF pic.twitter.com/1zINoOzx3P

— SkyNews (@SkyNews) April 19, 2020

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) April 19, 2020

Clinical trials will begin towards the end of next week https://t.co/zJOXpjOaPy

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) April 19, 2020

First coronavirus patients discharged from London’s NHS Nightingale

Staff at the new London NHS Nightingale lined wards to applaud its first discharge of successfully treated coronavirus patients .

The hospital was constructed in East London to substantially expand intensive care and acute treatment facilities.

Staff applaud as first coronavirus patients are discharged from London’s NHS Nightingale. More here https://t.co/b6Hju7yrwE pic.twitter.com/wUz2foCvDH

— ITV London (@itvlondon) April 19, 2020

Thank you for going outside responsibly or staying home this week. Please keep it up this weekend to #Keepyourparksopen for everyone who needs them.https://t.co/WfbG8EiWcs pic.twitter.com/S8FCynTHc3

— theroyalparks (@theroyalparks) April 17, 2020

A leading London surgeon and country singer has penned a touching ballad in memory of NHS and other key workers who have lost their lives fighting the coronavirus pandemic

✍️: @PA_Parnabyhttps://t.co/nJXmt5q9zC
— PA Media (@PA) April 19, 2020

Daily exercise on the Isle of Wight interrupted by rockfall while Prince Harry and Meghan in Hollywood-land pre-occupied with blacklisting UK tabloid papers.

Eight people taking their daily exercise on the Isle of Wight found themselves at the centre of a major rescue exercise when a rockfall had left them stranded.

Those coming to their aid maintained social distancing rules.

Meanwhile Prince Harry and Meghan have decided that their social distancing from at least four major British tabloids is going to be permanent.

Eight rescued from rockfall while out taking daily exercise on Isle of Wight https://t.co/1QPgoCZlJW

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) April 20, 2020

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan blacklist four major British tabloids, accusing them of publishing stories that are “distorted, false and invasive beyond reason”, UK media reports https://t.co/hVoC7dwbAx pic.twitter.com/MW1VaOaLV5

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 20, 2020