As it happened: Trump extends US social distancing

President Trump has wrapped up his daily press briefing on his administration’s coronavirus response.

Here are some of the key points he outlined:

• Social-distancing guidelines will be extended throughout the US to 30 April
• Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug Trump has claimed can treat coronavirus, is being administered to 1,100 patients in New York. “Let’s see how it works, we may have some incredible results,” he said
• Project Airbridge, a White House initiative to speed up health supplies getting to hospitals, has begun with 130,000 specialist face masks arriving in the US from China
• The peak of coronavirus deaths in the US is expected to happen "within two weeks"

• The US “will be well on our way to recovery” by 1 June

What is the latest in the US?

• 122,653 infections and 2,112 deaths from the coronavirus in the US, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Speaking to CNN, President Trump’s leading disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, predicted 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from coronavirus
• Governors from states across the country, from New York to Washington, warned of dwindling medical supplies and pressure on hospitals

• A baby boy in Chicago became the first infant to die from the coronavirus in the US

The White HouseCopyright: The White House

Trump said the state-by-state application of social distancing, depending on how serious their outbreaks levels were, would not happen as his expert advisers "don't like that".

Mr Trump had floated the idea earlier this week as a way of getting the US economy up and running again.

Taking questions from reporters, Trump says that he "doesn't want high approval ratings" for his response to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I see numbers, they don’t matter to me," he says, adding that "victory" over the outbreak is what matters.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump issued a series of tweets, quoting an article from the New York Times which called the president's daily briefings a "ratings hit" and compared its viewership to that of reality series The Bachelor.

Mr Trump alleges that some states and medical groups are "hoarding" ventilators and other critical medical supplies.

"Many of the states are stocked up... some of them don't admit it," he said.

He added that hospitals "can't hold them if they think there might be a problem weeks down the road".

President Trump says that a new test has been approved to get Covid-19 results within five minutes.

"The deployment of rapid testing... will ultimately defeat the virus," he said from his daily White House briefing. "We will defeat the virus."

He said an anti-viral drug was being administered to 1,100 patients in New York. “Let’s see how it works, we may have some incredible results," he said.

Mr Trump then praised a new technology that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says can sterilise used masks, before he discussed potential treatments.

"The vaccines are moving along very rapidly. The vaccines are an answer," he said.

Here are some of the key developments in the UK today:

• A further 209 people have died with coronavirus, taking the total to 1,228
• England's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, has said it could be six months before life in the UK returns to "normal"
• She also said that social distancing measures should then only be reduced "gradually"
• About 20,000 retired doctors and nurses are set to return to the NHS, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said

• And more than 750,000 people have now signed up to help the NHS during the crisis - three times the number the government asked for
• Meanwhile, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that the first 50,000 food parcels are to be delivered to the most vulnerable this week

As we wait for President Trump's press conference, it's worth thinking about the wider impact of this news story.

The coronavirus pandemic has plunged much of our everyday life into uncertainty, and it’s a stressful time for people all around the world for different reasons.

If worrying about the virus is taking a toll on your mental health you can read some useful tips to support your wellbeing here.

President Donald Trump was due to speak from the White House at 17:00 local time (22:00 BST) to give an update on the current Covid-19 situation in the US.

That has reportedly been delayed by approximately 30 minutes.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The face of the US response to the coronavirus outbreak Dr Anthony Fauci said the White House virus task force would be examining its 15-day guidelines for social distancing, announced two weeks ago.

The deadline will likely be extended, Dr Fauci told CNN on Sunday, depending on the availability of instant testing kits.

"It’s going to be a matter of weeks. It’s not going to be tomorrow and it’s certainly not going to be next week," he said.

Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, predicted that the US would see "millions of cases" and "between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths".

US President Donald Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force are about to hold a press briefing to discuss their response to the pandemic.

Mr Trump and the team will appear at the White House at 17:00 local time (22:00 BST).

We’ll keep you up to date with the latest developments.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The food delivery service Deliveroo says it will make half a million meals available to NHS staff for free during the coronavirus crisis.

The London-based company has already received pledges of 350,000 free meals from partner restaurants to provide to frontline workers.

Pizza Hut is offering 300,000 meals, while Itsu and Lewis Hamilton’s plant-based Neat Burger restaurant have also made donations.

Meanwhile, a campaign to provide hospital staff with hot meals backed by actors Matt Lucas, Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory has received over £400,000 ($497,000).

A similar campaign called Meals for the NHS has raised more than £250,000.

A Spanish Air Force plane carrying medical supplies donated by the Czech Republic has landed in Madrid.

The aircraft, which touched down at Torrejón air base on Sunday, was stocked up with 10,000 protective medical suits and 90 respirators.

The delivery was organised by Nato at the request of Spain, which has the second highest death toll from the virus in the world.

Another delivery of a similar number of Czech medical suits will be made to Italy on Monday.

Nato, a transatlantic military alliance, thanked the Czech Republic for its "generous bilateral aid", describing its contribution as "solidarity in action".

Spain and Italy are the two worst-affected countries in Europe.

NatoCopyright: Nato

Covid-19 has been characterised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), so you've probably heard that word used a lot.

But how is that different from an epidemic?

Dr Rosalind Eggo from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine looks at the difference.

In the UK there are more than 19,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and at least 1,228 people who have tested positive have died.

The virus was first confirmed in the UK at the end of January. Numbers are now increasing rapidly, and Sunday saw daily confirmed cases jump by more than 2,400 compared with the previous day.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Most of the deaths in the UK have been in England, primarily in London. The capital has seen more than 400 fatalities so far.

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has laughed off the suggestion that his country should try to stem the spread of the coronavirus, because he can't see the virus "flying around".

Speaking to a TV reporter at an indoor ice hockey match, he also claimed that crowds at the match were fine because the coldness of the stadium would prevent the virus from spreading.

There is no evidence that this could be the case and the coronavirus cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Unlike most of Europe, Belarus has not placed any restrictions on sports events.

"There are no viruses here," Mr Lukashenko said. "You haven't seen them flying around, have you? I don't see them either! This is a fridge. Sport, particularly the ice, this fridge here, that's the best antiviral cure!"

About 20,000 retired doctors and nurses are set to return to the NHS, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Johnson thanked them for responding to the government's appeal for them to return.

Letters were sent to more than 65,000 retired NHS workers in England and Wales last week, asking them to come back.

Mr Johnson is currently self-isolating at his home in Downing Street after testing positive for coronavirus.

Food writer Jack Monroe has some tips on how to make the most of your store cupboard during the pandemic.

She has some advice on expiry dates and what to do if you don't have all the right ingredients to hand.

The author is well-known for making the most out of basic items. She says swapping around pulses and vegetables will still lead to delicious meals.

For more tips, watch the video above.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a lockdown of the capital Abuja and the country’s largest city Lagos.

In a televised address to the nation, he ordered the “cessation of all movements” in the cities for two weeks from 10:00 GMT on 30 March.

He said the measures would also apply to Ogun State.

"All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes," he said. "All businesses and offices in the area should be fully closed."

He also said a special fund of $40 million had been set aside to help deal with the pandemic.

Nigeria has 97 confirmed cases of the virus and one death.