Tests due next week will confirm whether self-isolating healthcare workers can return to workCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTests for healthcare workers will be rolled out next week, allowing them to confirm whether they have been infected or are safe to work, the government has announced.Michael Gove – standing in for the prime minister at the daily briefing after...

From lending a hand to local charities to bolstering the efforts of the NHS, there are many ways to get involvedAll our coronavirus coverageI want to help. Where can I find about about volunteering?There are plenty of ways to get involved. Many local charities will be keen to attract new volunteers – especially as older stalwarts are forced to stay at home. Or there are national schemes, such as...

With so much misinformation about Covid-19 circulating online, we’ve factchecked some of the more common fallaciesCoronavirus Australia news: live updatesSign up for Coronavirus: Australia at a glance, our daily email newsletterCoronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statisticsThe spread of Covid-19 has been matched only by the spread of misinformation circulating in response to...

Supermarket says it will prioritise deliveries amid concern over food supplies for vulnerable peopleCoronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWaitrose is setting aside at least a quarter of its online grocery delivery slots for elderly and vulnerable shoppers amid rising concern about food supplies for those isolated at home.The supermarket is also expanding its online...

The US president has been exposed by the coronavirus crisis. The only small comfort for the rest of the world is that he’s not their leaderPity the people of America. They do battle now with one of the greatest challenges in their history, led by a man who is not only among the worst ever occupants of the White House but whose character makes him the last person on the face of the Earth you...

Italy and France now prescribing hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus despite fact its effectiveness is unknownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA stampede for an unproven “cure” for Covid-19 is clearing the pharmacy shelves of a medicine that is vital for up to 5 million people around the world suffering from lupus, as countries bow to populist pressure and abandon...

Pistols from Die Another Day, Walther PPK from A View to a Kill and special chrome Magnum from Live and Let Die among items taken in burglaryAn “irreplaceable” collection of prop guns used in James Bond films has been stolen from a house in Enfield, north London.Five deactivated guns, including Beretta Cheetah and Tomcat pistols from Die Another Day and the iconic Walther PPK handgun used in A...

Experts warn leaders of huge social and economic consequences of failing to support developing states against ‘unprecedented threat’ Economists and global health experts have called on G20 leaders to provide trillions of dollars to poorer countries to shore up ailing healthcare systems and economies, or face a disaster that will rebound on wealthier states through migration and health...

Coronavirus – live updatesFull coronavirus coverageThe number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 continues to grow in the US. Mike Pence, the vice-president, is overseeing the US response to the coronavirus.So far, 80% of patients experience a mild form of the illness, which can include a fever and pneumonia, and many of these cases require little to no medical intervention. That being said, elderly...

Dr James Niven in Manchester achieved UK-wide fame during Spanish flu pandemic in 1918Coronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIf the coronavirus outbreak has produced a star it is perhaps England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, the cool-headed epidemiologist described by the Guardian sketch writer, John Crace, as “the Geek-in-Chief, whom everyone now...

Batch with only 30% detection rate was bought by health officials from Chinese supplierCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Spanish government has withdrawn 9,000 Chinese-made coronavirus testing kits from use after it emerged that they had an accurate detection rate of just 30%.Like other countries struggling to diagnose and treat the virus, Spain has looked to China...

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near youCoronavirus - live news updatesFind all our coronavirus coverage hereHow to protect yourself from infectionPlease note: these are government figures on numbers of confirmed cases - some people who report symptoms are not being tested, and are not...

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you go to see a doctor?Find all our coronavirus coverage hereCoronavirus – latest updatesHow to protect yourself and others from infectionIt is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has transferred to humans from animals. The World Health...

Phonecall between leaders came as China prepares to seal itself off from the world to stem ‘imported’ coronavirus casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageChinese president Xi Jinping has called on Donald Trump to take “substantive actions” to improve relations between the two countries, as China prepared to shut its borders to foreign arrivals amid fears of...

Around the world, more than 40 teams are working on a vaccine for Covid-19. We followed one doctor in the most urgent quest of his life. By Samanth SubramanianCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOf the dozens of places where a coronavirus vaccine might be born, one is DIOSynVax, a small company started by a Canadian pathologist named Jonathan Heeney. In ordinary times,...

Bacterium is able to break down polyurethane, which is widely used but rarely recycledA bacterium that feeds on toxic plastic has been discovered by scientists. The bug not only breaks the plastic down but uses it as food to power the process.The bacterium, which was found at a waste site where plastic had been dumped, is the first that is known to attack polyurethane. Millions of tonnes of the...

Restrictions would need to remain in place until a vaccine or other treatment was developedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageJacinda Ardern has implored New Zealanders to “stay local” during a four-week countrywide lockdown as modelling showed that strict measures adopted by the country could limit deaths to 0.0004% of the population – or about 20 people.Research...