Thousands of cancer patients will be operated on at new centres designed to be kept clear of coronavirus. The regional "virus-free" centres have been set up in 21 areas of England to carry out urgent surgery during the pandemic. Trusts have been told all essential cancer treatments must continue despite the NHS focus on coronavirus. But it is estimated cancer referrals have dropped by about 70%. A survey by NHS England of 1,000 people found a third were worried about seeking

NHS doctors have been warned to look out for a rare but dangerous reaction in children that may be linked to coronavirus infection. An urgent alert sent out to GPs said that intensive care departments in London and other parts of the UK have been treating severely sick children with unusual symptoms. This includes "multi-system inflammation" with flu-like symptoms. Some, but not all, tested positive for coronavirus. It is unclear how many children have experienced the reactio

The first human trial in Europe of a coronavirus vaccine has begun in Oxford. Two volunteers were injected, the first of more than 800 people recruited for the study. Half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and half a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not coronavirus. The design of the trial means volunteers will not know which vaccine they are getting, though doctors will. Elisa Granato, one of the two who received the jab, told the BBC: "I'm a scientist,

The coronavirus emerged in only December last year, but already the world is dealing with a pandemic of the virus and the disease it causes - Covid-19. For most, the disease is mild, but some people die. So how is the virus attacking the body, why are some people being killed and how is it treated? Incubation period This is when the virus is establishing itself. Viruses work by getting inside the cells your body is made of and then hijacking them. The coronavirus, officially

The UK must keep a "significant level" of social distancing until a vaccine for coronavirus is found, a scientist advising the government has said. Prof Neil Ferguson told the BBC there was "little leeway" to relax measures without "something... in their place" - such as testing and contact tracing. A three-week extension to the lockdown is expected to be announced later. It comes as the UK recorded another 861 coronavirus deaths, taking the total number of hospital deaths to