The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is calling on health secretary Matt Hancock to set out a clear plan for coronavirus testing, having described the current approach as a “free-for-all”.
RCGP chairman Professor Martin Marshall said GPs need to know which groups they should be prioritising, what was the role of the new antibody test and how often they should be testing people. “What we have got at the moment is a bit of a free-for-all so we are looking for a targeted plan,” he told the BBC.
This comes as the Italian government announced that it would be easing travel restrictions, allowing people to move freely inside the region where they live as of Monday, and between regions starting 3 June.
Follow latest updates below:
Trump's 'warp-speed' drive to create a vaccine
Donald Trump has announced a “warp-speed” drive to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, despite expert warnings that a breakthrough could take longer than 18 months.
At an event held in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, in which many administration officials wore masks but the president did not, Mr Trump expressed his hope that a vaccine would be in place before the end of the year, and said his administration would mobilise its forces to get a vaccine distributed.
The president said the government would invest in all the top coronavirus vaccine candidates, and said a list had been narrowed to 14 promising potential vaccines with a plan to narrow further.
Mr Trump also urged schools to reopen in the autumn, insisting: “Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back.”
He made clear that even without a vaccine, Americans must begin to return to their lives as normal.
Donald Trump has announced a “warp-speed” drive to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, despite expert warnings that a breakthrough could take longer than 18 months.
At an event held in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, in which many administration officials wore masks but the president did not, Mr Trump expressed his hope that a vaccine would be in place before the end of the year, and said his administration would mobilise its forces to get a vaccine distributed.
The president said the government would invest in all the top coronavirus vaccine candidates, and said a list had been narrowed to 14 promising potential vaccines with a plan to narrow further.
Mr Trump also urged schools to reopen in the autumn, insisting: “Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back.”
He made clear that even without a vaccine, Americans must begin to return to their lives as normal.
Italy to ease travel restrictions
The Italian government is easing travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, allowing people to move freely inside the region where they live as of Monday, and between regions starting June 3.
The government decree announced early on Saturday also permits international travel to and from Italy from June 3.
Italy imposed nationwide lockdown rules in early March after it became the first country outside Asia with a major outbreak of coronavirus.
More than 31,000 people have died, leaving Italy with the highest death toll after the United States and Britain. But the government led by premier Giuseppe Conte has gradually reopened the country as the rates of infections and deaths have fallen.
Social distancing rules are being implemented in the sectors of the economy that have reopened, including factories and some businesses. Schools remain closed and crowds are not permitted, though people will be allowed to attend Mass in churches with some restrictions starting next week.
The Italian government is easing travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, allowing people to move freely inside the region where they live as of Monday, and between regions starting June 3.
The government decree announced early on Saturday also permits international travel to and from Italy from June 3.
Italy imposed nationwide lockdown rules in early March after it became the first country outside Asia with a major outbreak of coronavirus.
More than 31,000 people have died, leaving Italy with the highest death toll after the United States and Britain. But the government led by premier Giuseppe Conte has gradually reopened the country as the rates of infections and deaths have fallen.
Social distancing rules are being implemented in the sectors of the economy that have reopened, including factories and some businesses. Schools remain closed and crowds are not permitted, though people will be allowed to attend Mass in churches with some restrictions starting next week.
'What we have got at the moment is a bit of a free-for-all'
The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is calling on health secretary Matt Hancock to set out a clear plan for coronavirus testing, having described the current approach as a “free-for-all”.
The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is calling on health secretary Matt Hancock to set out a clear plan for coronavirus testing, having described the current approach as a “free-for-all”.
RCGP chairman Professor Martin Marshall said GPs need to know which groups they should be prioritising, what was the role of the new antibody test and how often they should be testing people.
"What we have got at the moment is a bit of a free-for-all so we are looking for a targeted plan," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"The focus of the whole of the crisis in many ways on very sick people in hospitals is ICUs. But GPs have been providing an essential role in the background.
"But if we are honest in the Covid crisis the battle is now taking place in the community, not in hospitals. That is where we are trying to prevent the second wave of infections."
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the latest updates from across the globe:
- The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is calling on health secretary Matt Hancock to set out a clear plan for coronavirus testing, having described the current approach as a “free-for-all”. RCGP chairman Professor Martin Marshall said GPs need to know which groups they should be prioritising, what was the role of the new antibody test and how often they should be testing people. “What we have got at the moment is a bit of a free-for-all so we are looking for a targeted plan,” he told the BBC.
- Mexico is moving towards a gradual reactivation of its economy on Monday despite the fact the number of new coronavirus infections continues to grow every day. There were 2,437 new coronavirus test confirmations in the country on Friday, the highest daily total yet and the second day in a row with more than 2,000 new cases.
- Cambodia's last patient with the new coronavirus has recovered and left hospital, leaving the Southeast Asian country with zero cases, the health ministry said on Saturday, while urging continued vigilance. No easing of restrictions related to the virus - including school closures and border entry checks and quarantines - were included in the Ministry of Health statement.
- India's corornavirus caseload rose to 85,940 on Saturday, taking it past China, though a strict lockdown enforced since late March has reduced the rate of contagion. State leaders, businesses and working class Indians have called on prime minister Narendra Modi to reopen the battered economy, but the government is expected to extend the lockdown, which would otherwise expire on Sunday, though with fewer restrictions.
- South Korean officials say they have so far confirmed 162 coronavirus cases linked to club goers in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, but also expressed cautious hope that infections are beginning to wane. Health ministry official Son Young-rae on Saturday said the country may have ducked a major surge in transmissions in a region where half of its 51 million people live, pointing out that the daily increase in infections have been within 30 over the past days despite a jump in tests.
- Democrats pushed a massive three trillion dollar (£2.48 trillion) coronavirus relief bill through the US House of Representatives on Friday, an election-year measure designed to fortify a US economy in freefall and a health care system struggling to contain the pandemic crisis.
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 620 to 173,772, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 57 to 7,881, the tally showed.
- Donald Trump has announced a “warp-speed” drive to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, despite expert warnings that a breakthrough could take longer than 18 months. Speaking on Friday, the US president also urged schools to reopen in the autumn and insisted: “Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back.”
Here are the latest updates from across the globe:
- The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is calling on health secretary Matt Hancock to set out a clear plan for coronavirus testing, having described the current approach as a “free-for-all”. RCGP chairman Professor Martin Marshall said GPs need to know which groups they should be prioritising, what was the role of the new antibody test and how often they should be testing people. “What we have got at the moment is a bit of a free-for-all so we are looking for a targeted plan,” he told the BBC.
- Mexico is moving towards a gradual reactivation of its economy on Monday despite the fact the number of new coronavirus infections continues to grow every day. There were 2,437 new coronavirus test confirmations in the country on Friday, the highest daily total yet and the second day in a row with more than 2,000 new cases.
- Cambodia's last patient with the new coronavirus has recovered and left hospital, leaving the Southeast Asian country with zero cases, the health ministry said on Saturday, while urging continued vigilance. No easing of restrictions related to the virus - including school closures and border entry checks and quarantines - were included in the Ministry of Health statement.
- India's corornavirus caseload rose to 85,940 on Saturday, taking it past China, though a strict lockdown enforced since late March has reduced the rate of contagion. State leaders, businesses and working class Indians have called on prime minister Narendra Modi to reopen the battered economy, but the government is expected to extend the lockdown, which would otherwise expire on Sunday, though with fewer restrictions.
- South Korean officials say they have so far confirmed 162 coronavirus cases linked to club goers in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, but also expressed cautious hope that infections are beginning to wane. Health ministry official Son Young-rae on Saturday said the country may have ducked a major surge in transmissions in a region where half of its 51 million people live, pointing out that the daily increase in infections have been within 30 over the past days despite a jump in tests.
- Democrats pushed a massive three trillion dollar (£2.48 trillion) coronavirus relief bill through the US House of Representatives on Friday, an election-year measure designed to fortify a US economy in freefall and a health care system struggling to contain the pandemic crisis.
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 620 to 173,772, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 57 to 7,881, the tally showed.
- Donald Trump has announced a “warp-speed” drive to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, despite expert warnings that a breakthrough could take longer than 18 months. Speaking on Friday, the US president also urged schools to reopen in the autumn and insisted: “Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back.”
