Health News

Professor Neil Mortensen, president-elect of the RCS, said until experts work out why almost two-thirds of NHS staff killed by Covid-19 are from BAME groups they should be shielded. It came as new guidance sent by NHS England to hospitals nationwide asked that BAME staff are 'risk-assessed' on a 'precautionary basis' and potentially taken out of high risk areas if they are considered 'vulnerable'. They should also get priority access to PPE. Prof Mortensen has admitted that while he backed the new advice from NHS England - it would inevitably put pressure on other staff. He said: 'They [BAME people] are a particularly at-risk group. Like other at-risk groups, I think they need to not be put in positions where they're not quite so at risk. We don't really quite know why yet, but it's important they are removed from - if you like - from danger.' Figures have shown 63 per cent of the 100-plus health and social care workers who have died from coronavirus were BAME. The first ten doctors in the UK to die from coronavirus were all of BAME background, with many born overseas. And almost 50 per cent of all NHS medic and one in five of the health service's entire 1.3million staff are from ethnic minorities.

Drive-through coronavirus testing sites across the UK were pictured almost empty today as Matt Hancock faced a backlash because he is set to miss his target of conducting 100,000 checks a day by the end of April. The Health Secretary announced on April 2 that the government would achieve six-figure daily testing by close of play today but the latest numbers show 52,429 tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday. Of that number, some 28,539 were done at dozens of drive-through centres across the nation while 23,648 were carried out by the NHS and Public Health England. But there are growing questions about the accessibility of testing sites as facilities in Bradford, Nottingham, Ipswich, Ebbsfleet and elsewhere were photographed with only a trickle of motorists waiting to get checked. Daily available capacity is now just shy of 80,000 but even if ministers can boost that number to 100,000 before tomorrow it seems incredibly unlikely that they will be able to almost double the number of tests being administered. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland conceded this morning the aim was 'probably' going to be missed as he blamed the fact the government started from a 'low base' in terms of testing capacity. But Downing Street this afternoon insisted the Health Secretary and his staff are still trying to hit the target as time runs out.

Remdesivir, an antiviral made by California-based Gilead Sciences, was shown to slash recovery times in a global trial of more than 1,000 patients, including Britons. Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, told yesterday's White House briefing: 'What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.' Echoing those sentiments, Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Oxford, and chair of the Government's Nervtag committee which assesses disease threats, told The Times it was a 'fantastic result and great news for the fight against Covid- 19.'

Up to ten people around the cougher are highlighted as most at-risk in the simulation created by Purdue University, Indiana. But the germs spread to all corners of the cabin. The simulation reflects viruses that are airborne, meaning they linger in the air, however, scientists are unsure whether the new SARS-CoV-2 fits into this category. Some evidence suggests that droplets from an infected person may travel through the air of offices, restaurants and planes via air conditioning.

Researchers analysing almost 17,000 COVID-19 admissions found more than half (53 per cent) had at least one comorbidity. Of those, almost a third (29 per cent) suffered from heart disease - conditions that block blood vessels and make it hard to pump blood and oxygen around the body. Nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of patients were diabetic, the same number had lung disease, 15 per cent suffered from kidney disease and 14 per cent were asthmatic. Curiously, fewer than 10 per cent of hospital admissions were smokers - more than a third less than the national rate of 14.4 per cent.

An alert was issued by NHS bosses on Tuesday warning GPs there had been a surge in youngsters needing intensive care after falling seriously unwell with the illness which causes a fatal immune overreaction. So far six British families have come forward after their children suffered tell-tale symptoms of the mysterious condition - some of whom were never tested for COVID-19, leaving them in the dark about whether their illness was linked to the virus. Gemma Brown, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, told MailOnline her two-year-old son Bertie (top, main) was admitted to hospital last month on his second birthday when his temperature soared over 40C (104F) and his blotchy rash began to turn black. Melanie Cook, 38, from Gypsyville, Hull, revealed her one-year-old son George was struck down with the mystery disease in mid-March after suffering red, puffy eyes (bottom left), 'violent vomiting' and fatigue. Parents Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath, Somerset, have been left petrified that sons Dylan, 16, and Colston (bottom middle and right), 14, have the inflammatory syndrome after suffering from sickness and blisters on their tongues. And a mother from Lancashire, who does not wish to be named, shared shocking images of her two-year-old daughter with blotchy purple rashes across her entire body (top right). The parent said she was waiting on coronavirus test results with bated breath.

New figures compiled by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) show care homes and hospitals in England are now reporting around 400 COVID-19-linked deaths a day. But Sir David Spiegelhalter, a Cambridge University statistician, warned that the trajectories in hospitals and care homes were heading in the opposite direction.He said while deaths in hospitals have been steadily decreasing, outbreaks in homes may not have peaked yet and fatalities could already have overtaken those in hospitals.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) claimed that 91.6% of coronavirus patients treated with hydroxychloroquine (left), the malaria drug touted by Trump (inset) fared better - but they cite many anecdotal reports, including two patients treated by Dr Oz, and dismissed the larger number of patients treated with the drug who died in a VA trial. They argue that doctors can make reasonable inferences from anecdotal reports like those they've collected in a data table. Dr Anthony Fauci has warned against reliance on anecdotal evidence about hydroxychloroquine and other potential treatments for coronavirus.

Lewis Greig, from Torry, Aberdeen, has been on a ventilator at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, after he suddenly became unwell last week with a high temperature. His 38-year-old mother Karen Simpson said the family initially thought he had a bug - and were assured he did not have coronavirus as he did not have a dry cough. But Lewis's condition became gradually worse, and he began to show other symptoms, including a rash, red swollen eyes and vomiting. He went on to developed a measles-like rash on his hands.

Coronavirus first enters the cells that produce mucus before 'hijacking' the machinery to replicate itself and spread throughout the body. These cells, found in the lungs and respiratory tract, are 'stiffer' in older patients due to more protein fibers (left and right). Researchers say this stiff tissue provides the best conditions for the virus to multiply and infect other cells. In the US, there are more than 1.02 million confirmed cases of the virus and more than 58,000 deaths (inset).

Testing in New York City has found that a quarter of the city's population has had coronavirus, meaning that the approximately 16,000 deaths recorded there represent a death rate of 0.79 per cent.

England, Scotland and Wales today announced a further 639 coronavirus deaths, with the official death toll now standing at 21,731 in Britain. NHS England declared 552 more fatalities, Scotland 70 and Wales 17. Northern Ireland has yet to release its daily update. But a shock report today revealed the real death toll may be 55 per cent higher than the daily updates given by the Department of Health because it doesn't include people dying outside of hospitals and doesn't take into account a lag in how fatalities are recorded. Weekly data collated by the Office for National Statistics shows that there had been 22,351 coronavirus deaths in England and Wales by April 17 - a significant rise on the 14,451 counted by health chiefs. If the same increase - 54.6 per cent - were applied to the total UK death toll confirmed today (21,731) it could mean the real number of victims is in the region of 33,600. So many people are being killed by the virus that the week from April 11 to 17 was the deadliest for England and Wales since records began in 1993 and had a death toll (22,351) more than double the yearly average (10,497). Four out of every 10 people who died in that week were infected with coronavirus. It comes as an NHS doctor today claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right), who returned to the helm of the Government yesterday, was so badly affected by coronavirus because he is 'significantly' overweight.

Mr Hancock admitted on LBC Radio this morning (pictured left) that Britain had 'lost some children' to a disease 'we think is caused by the coronavirus'. Doctors were on Monday issued an alert about a sharp rise of infants in the UK and Italy being admitted to intensive care with a Kawasaki-like illness. Officials have refused to say how many British children have been affected, but at least a dozen have fallen critically unwell with the disease. One child needed to be put on a form of life support after their heart and lungs began to fail. Mr Hancock said: 'We have lost some children... There are some children who have died who didn't have underlying health conditions. It's a new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the coronavirus'. Medics have likened the illness to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, which can cause redness of the tongue (bottom right) and rashes (top right), but it is unclear whether this illness is having those effects 

University of College London reviewed 28 studies and found smokers were lower than expected among COVID-19 patients, suggesting they do not pick up the infection as easy. However, when they do catch it, smokers are 43 per cent more likely to get sick enough to require ventilation, two studies showed. The graph shows the smoking rate of each country against the percentage of smokers among COVID-19 patients. The lowest figure has been chosen for each country to show the stark comparison discovered by some studies.

Senior sister Anthea Allen has been a nurse for well over 20 years and thought she had 'seen it all' in her long NHS career. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. When it hit, she was - still is - among those in charge of the critical care unit at St George's Hospital in South London, one of Britain's biggest clinical teaching establishments. Now it is in the eye of the Covid-19 storm. She began a weekly internet diary - to share with a few dozen associates. Now she has agreed to parts of her diary being published exclusively in the Mail, a gripping and deeply moving account of NHS life on the front line.

Johns Hopkins University data shows that there are now more than 3 million confirmed cases worldwide and 210,000 deaths from coronavirus. As several countries see a slow down in their infection rates, Australia, Spain and Italy have announced they will begin easing lockdown restrictions. Last night, World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 'the world should have listened' when it first sounded the alarm about coronavirus.

Almost two-thirds of Britons now choose to eat meat substitutes, up from half two years ago, research shows. And supermarkets are catching on and stocking up: almost one in four new food products on supermarket shelves last year was vegan, according to consumer research company Mintel. So how do the new products compare with their meaty counterparts? We asked dietitian Helen Bond to analyse a selection. We then tasted them and chose a winner.

Yale University resarchers found that between March 1 and April 4, 15,000 more Americans died than would be expected absent the pandemic. It suggests a significant undercount of coronavirus deaths.

Predictions University of California, Berkeley, researchers made based on death data out of Italy claim that a 0.5 percent fatality rate is a 'conservative' estimate for New York City. Overall, they anticipate that the virus may up to kill 0.85 percent of those infected in Italy - making the fatality rate as much as eight times higher than the flu's 0.1 percent fatality rate, and far higher than the 0.1-0.2 percent rate most models have suggested for coronavirus. Their estimates were based on the number of 'excess' deaths seen in Italy (black lines in graphs) this year compared to prior years, relying on the assumption that these deaths were by and large due to coronavirus, and suggesting a death toll far greater than models have.

NHS doctors have been issued an urgent alert about a sharp rise in the number of children being admitted to intensive care with a coronavirus-related condition. In an alert sent to GPs, health chiefs said: 'There is growing concern that a [COVID-19] related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK. 'Over the last three weeks there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK. 'The cases have in common overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease (pictured above) with blood parameters consistent with severe COVID-19 in children.' The alert was sent out by a clinical commissioning group in North London and tweeted by the Paediatric Intensive Care Society charity. The alert, seen by the Health Service Journal, told GPs to refer children with symptoms including abdominal pain as a 'matter of urgency'.

Researchers found that the average cost of coronavirus infection alone is $3,045, which is four times higher than the flu. A model found that if 20% of the population became infectWS, the average cost would be $214.5 billion in direct medical expenses (inset, bottom). If 80% of the population were to be infected, it would cost about $654 billion. The report also found that we could need up to 44.6 million hospital beds and 6.5 million ventilators, which is significantly less than the US has. There are currently more than 856,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the US and more than 48,000 deaths (inset, top).

New graphs show that all generations, including Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation reported worsening mental health. More than half of Millennials and Generation Z said their mental health had 'somewhat' or 'significantly' worsened. At least 40% of all generations said they be strongly or extremely likely to talk to a mental health professional. One-third each of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation said it wasn't likely at all they would speak to somebody. The results come on the heels of several polls that showed the coronavirus pandemic taking a toll on the mental health of US adults.

Britain's coronavirus testing farce was laid bare again today with claims that drive-through centres are only swabbing a handful of people every day - with a week to go to meet the Government's pledge of swabbing 100,000 people a day. The Army and Amazon have both been drafted in to help Number 10 scale up its testing response, with soldiers helping to ferry mobile testing units across the UK and the retail giant is delivering swabs to people's homes. Damning official figures show Britain is still miles away from reaching its pledge of carrying out 100,000 swabs each day, with Department of Health statistics showing only 22,000 were conducted yesterday (left). Health Secretary Matt Hancock's target was yesterday savaged by MPs as 'arbitrary' and 'stupid', after pictures of near-empty testing centres in London, Coventry and Brighton laid bare the true scale of the UK's swabbing shambles. Pictured top right, a soldier collects swab samples from people in cars. Bottom right, a drive-through site in Cardiff was empty this morning.

Disruptive social distancing measures will have to remain in place for the rest of this year, the country's Chief Medical Officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty said the measures cannot be lifted until either a vaccine for Covid-19 or 'highly effective' drugs to treat the virus become available. He told the daily Downing Street press conference that it was 'wholly unrealistic' to expect lockdown measures to be lifted soon. His daunting warning came as Dominic Raab (pictured left) delivered a tough message to Britons wearying of the lockdown warning that the UK is still 'going through the peak' of coronavirus. The First Secretary said it was not the time to 'take our eye off the ball' as he rejected claims the government is preparing to ease the draconian curbs in mid-May. The intervention comes as figures show an increase in traffic on the M25 (pictured right), while B&Q; opened 14 stores to trial new social distancing measures.

A French study found that only 4.4% of 350 coronavirus patients hospitalized were regular smokers and 5.3% of 130 homebound patients smoked. This pales in comparison with at least 25% of the French population that smokes. Researchers theorized nicotine could prevent the virus from infecting cells or that nicotine was preventing the immune system from overreacting to the virus,To test this theory, hospitalized coronavirus patients, intensive care patients and frontline workers nicotine patches (left). In the US, there are more than 837,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 46,000 deaths (inset top and bottom).

A CDC report found that 45,550 calls were made to US poison control centers related to cleaners and disinfectants from January 2020 to March 2020. This is a 16.4% increase from January to March in 2018 and a 20.4% increase from the same three months in 2019. The increases were due to rising uses of bleach (top right), non-alcohol disinfectants and hand sanitizers (bottom right). Researchers wrote a case report about a preschool-aged child who accidentally ingested an unknown amount of hand sanitizer. In another report, a woman filled a sink with a mixture of 10% bleach solution, vinegar and hot water to clean her produce. In the US, there are more than 827,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 45,000 deaths (inset).

Residents of the tiny Channel Island (map left), which has had 255 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, could soon find out if they have already fought the virus, and therefore have some form of immunity. The first 10,000 tests arrived on April 13 and are being rigorously analysed by the government to make sure they are reliable enough. Only then will the next 490,000 be flown in to start a 'Island-wide testing programme' and relieve the lockdown. The test (see right) only takes 10 minutes, and is up to 97 per cent accurate, according to the manufacturer Healgen, a company based in China.

Britain has one of the worst COVID-19 testing records, meaning a frightening 13 per cent of diagnosed patients in the UK die from the disease (pictured right). But this is considerably higher than the real death rate because it does not take into account the thousands of infected people who had mild symptoms. Scientists say the only way to work out the actual rate is to test blood samples of the population for antibodies, which the immune system makes once infected. While the accuracy of these tests is up for debate, experts agree they give a much clearer indication of who has previously been infected - and are considered key to easing the draconian lockdowns imposed across the world. Results of one antibody survey in Los Angeles suggested the illness may only kill around 0.18 per cent of coronavirus patients (left).

The Care Quality Commisison (CQC), which regulates care and medical services in England, warned that it thinks the care home death toll doubled over the Easter weekend.

About 28 percent of the 368 US veterans treated with hydroxychloroquine (left) for coronavirus died of the virus, compared to just 11% of those who were given standard treatment, an NIH study has revealed. President Trump (right) has widely touted the drug as a game-changer, despite doctors' wariness of the lack of evidence for its efficacy in coronavirus patients. With more than 812,000 Americans infected by coronavirus, including more than 44,000 who have died (inset), the latest trial is a blow to the US's search for a treatment.

A team of 42 researchers calling on governments to give 'urgent consideration' on how to prevent suicide (left, file) amid the coronavirus pandemic (right). This includes providing financial help for citizens such as for food, housing and unemployment support. The group recommends increasing volunteers on mental health hotlines and workers undergo training for speaking with suicidal people. Researchers encourage schools to remain open and governments to prepare to offer them financial support. In the US, there are more than 812,000 cases and more than 44,000 deaths (top inset and bottom inset).

The UK Government made plans to conduct the 'biggest surveys in the world'. But still, less than 4,300 have taken place at Public Health England's lab, despite the goal of 5,000 per day in April. In comparison, Italy started screening 20,000 per day (top left, Milan), Holland has been using blood donations from 10,000 per week (see top right), and one study in the US will involve 40,000 health care workers (pictured bottom right, a volunteer in a 2,500 people study). Germany became the first in Europe to carry out large-scale coronavirus antibody testing last week (pictured bottom left, an antibody test in a German lab).

Liege-based firm ZenTech plans to roll its foolproof antibody tests in Belgium first before scaling up manufacturing to three million per month so they can be used in other European countries. The devices detect if someone has previously had coronavirus and has since recovered, even if they are unaware they were infected. Results take 15 minutes. Scientists say they are crucial for countries coming out of lockdown because they can tell who is likely to have immunity to the virus. The announcement will raise hopes for antibody testing in the UK, where the Government has struggles to one reliable enough for mass-use. Britain says it will not consider rolling out any antibody test that is less than 98 per cent accurate.

Data from the Office for National Statistics, which is released every Tuesday, includes deaths happening outside of hospitals and is the most accurate information about COVID-19 deaths in the UK.

Researchers from Zhejiang University in China have found at least 30 strains of the virus, known as SARS-COV-2, with 19 being news. Some of the deadliest mutations were Zhejiang, where the university is located, as well as in several European countries. The most severe strains could generated up to 270 times as much viral load as the weakest variations. Milder mutations were the varieties mostly found in the United States, such as in Washington state. In the US, there are more than 771,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 41,000 deaths (inset).

Patients have been left in limbo by the coronavirus pandemic, with essential operations cancelled and treatment cut back as all resources are turned to coronavirus. Jack Fetherstonhaugh, 33, (top left) has had his kidney dialysis cut by an hour. Duncan Mclean, 39, (top centre) has had surgery to remove his gladder and prostate gland postponed. Jill Wilson, 54, (top right) has had counselling for heart failure postponed. Laura Beattie, 31, (bottom left) who suffers from cystic fibrosis has been told lung transplants are on hold. Emily Nuttall, 26, (bottom centre) has had therapy for mental health problems cancelled. Graham Wood, 36, (bottom right) has decided to avoid chemotherapy after a trial he was set to be enrolled in was cancelled.

The sharp fall adds to growing evidence that the peak of the UK's epidemic has blown over and that efforts now must be concentrated on stopping the spread of the virus surging to a second peak.

Professor Anthony Costello (right) - who fears the UK is still trying to achieve herd immunity - warned Britain could be left fighting repeated outbreaks of COVID-19 until a vaccine is ready (pictured left, figures for the UK). He blasted the Government's handling of the crisis, saying it is 'a total mess' and the UK has been wrong every step of the way. He urged Number 10 to change tack, calling on ministers to urgently ramp up testing capacity and stop relying on a draconian lockdown.

Controversial guidance issued to NHS doctors and nurses fighting the coronavirus crisis on the frontline have advised them to reuse PPE. It said disposable gowns can be re-used and masks should not be binned between patients - but gloves and aprons should still be disposed of as usual. Medics attacked the guidance, arguing no healthcare worker should risk their life without proper protection, while Labour urged Number 10 to fix the ongoing failure. But health chiefs argued that there is no other option because of the unprecedented shortages of gowns and masks, saying: 'These are exceptional circumstances.' Public Health England, which issued the guidance, said it was in line with the World Health Organization's guidance for optimising the supply of PPE. So, what does it mean for medics fighting COVID-19? Here, MailOnline reveals what the new guidance says - and how long PPE can be used for.

Chilling images (left and top and bottom right) from inside the temporary mortuary at the Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Small Heath, Birmingham, have given a rare insight into the scale of the coronavirus crisis. The government has now announced that it will be expanding mortuaries by an extra 30,000 spaces, a plan ministers say is a precaution rather than a prediction. As part of the new scheme local government authorities will use existing buildings and may adapt some buildings, that will be next to NHS and other mortuaries.

DR ELLIE CANNON, pictured, has changed her mind about the need to use masks in public and now urges people to make their own from old T-shirts to help protect people from Covid-19. Dr Ellie says if people are not willing to cut up an old T-shirt, they can use a scarf or a tea towel instead. She said members of the public should not buy surgical masks as these are desperately needed by NHS staff.

Psychiatrist Sue Stuart-Smith believes that gardening and growing our own food can help our mental health during this time of lockdown, drawing comparisons with the Second World War. Garden centres across the country reported a boom in business until they were forced to close down by the government.

The new preliminary figures come after a leading public health expert dramatically warned today Britain could suffer 40,000 coronavirus deaths in the first wave of the outbreak.

Coronavirus may have struck three quarters of Britain's care homes, industry bosses say amid growing fury over Government's handling of the crisis. The chief executive of one major UK provider today warned the spread of the killer infection in homes is 'far more widespread than acknowledged'. Barchester Healthcare's Peter Calveley (right) revealed around half of its homes have been hit by confirmed or suspected cases of the life-threatening illness. But he admitted the rate is closer to 75 per cent for some providers - other industry figures have raised similar concerns that two-thirds of homes have been struck. Despite the startling claims directly from providers, Health Secretary Matt Hancock today insisted only 15 per cent of homes have been hit by COVID-19. Mr Hancock's (left) figure is also staggeringly lower than what ministers have reported in Scotland, where up to 40 per cent of homes are battling outbreaks.

China has revised the death toll in coronavirus ground-zero Wuhan, revealing that nearly 4,000 people have died from the illness in the area. In a social media post, the city government added 1,290 deaths to the tally in Wuhan, bringing the toll to 3,869. Officials said many fatal cases were 'mistakenly reported' or missed entirely in an admission that comes amid growing global doubts about Chinese transparency. The global pandemic originally emerged in Wuhan and went on to suffer the vast majority of China's fatalities from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Pictured: Medical staff in Wuhan are seen removing the body of a person suspected to have the coronavirus on February 1.

Adam Fresco heartbreakingly said goodbye to his wife, Stacey (both pictured), because NHS doctors at Whipps Cross Hospital, East London, were convinced she would die of the infection within a 'couple of hours'. Out of desperation, he asked if there was anything 'weird and wacky' they could try, and the leading doctor offered one last solution - 'proning'. They would lay Mrs Fresco on her stomach for 12 hours per day to improve her lung capacity. Mrs Fresco improved overnight and slowly began regaining her strength. She was discharged from hospital less than two weeks later. NHS England guidance issued to fight the coronavirus pandemic advises doctors use proning, also used in Italy (main). Before the pandemic, proning has been regarded as 'unfamiliar' to nurses. But now, full teams of up to eight are required to turn one body using detailed protocol.

The CDC in the US has recommended people wear 'cloth face coverings' when they go out to stop spreading the coronavirus and the UK's chief scientists said it is being considered there, too. NHS staff in Britain are now required to wear one of three types of mask when they are working around patients who do or might have the coronavirus. The filtering ability of masks varies from FFP3 (pictured bottom right), which is the most protective form of dust mask, to FFP2 (pictured left), known as N95 in the US, which blocks 95 per cent of particles, to standard surgical masks (top right), which can block liquid droplets from people's breath which may be carrying the virus. Pictured are three of the best-selling face masks on Amazon today, including the N95 for £6.99 (left), two FFP3 masks for £39.99 (bottom right) and a pack of ten face coverings for £9.39 (top right)

NHS hospitals have been ordered to drastically free up beds, meaning thousands of patients have been released, with scores of elderly Britons meeting the criteria sent to care homes dotted across the UK. In a revolt against the 'dangerous' drive, some care homes have already refused to accept patients over coronavirus fears - not everyone is swabbed for the killer virus before they are discharged from hospital. But the Birchwood Residential Care Home (right) in Essex was allegedly forced to accept an elderly COVID-19 patient 'against their wishes' before they were re-admitted to hospital the next day. The daughter of a 96-year-old resident accused Number 10 of 'recklessly exposing' others to the infection. Despite hospitals being told to free up space, it was revealed last night that London's Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel Centre (left) sat almost empty with just 19 coronavirus patients treated over the Easter weekend.