Disabled people and their carers are being put at risk of catching coronavirus by returning to the workplace after being missed off the government’s vulnerable list, the Guardian has learned.

As Britain edges back to work, employers are understood to be denying some disabled people and carers paid leave to remain at home if they cannot provide a letter from the government showing proof of vulnerability, despite being at high risk from coronavirus or caring for someone who is.

The government’s register for extremely vulnerable people, which has previously been criticised for excluding a number of high-risk disabilities, is primarily designed to help signpost the need for food support. But it has emerged some employers are using the list as a condition for allowing employees to take paid leave.

Disabled people and carers who were not on the list told the Guardian they had been required to go into work by their employer or face dismissal when they could not show proof of vulnerability, with one worker forced to self-isolate between shifts in order to protect their disabled child.

They included key workers such as a teacher and a supermarket assistant. Harry Banes* has primary progressive multiple sclerosis but is having to go to work as a petrol station attendant. “The manager [has] little regard for social distancing. There are no restrictions on the amount of people coming in, and we only had a screen in front of the till last month,” he said.

Banes said he had asked to be furloughed but his boss had only offered statutory sick pay. “Because I didn’t make the government’s list, I can’t back up potential vulnerability.”

Four-year-old Charlie Sanders has type 1 diabetes with low immunity and is cared for by his parents, Jennifer and Michael. Michael stacks shelves in a supermarket, but because Charlie did not make the extremely vulnerable list, he said, his employer only offered unpaid leave. “We can’t afford that,” Jennifer said. “We’re scared stiff.”

Michael used three weeks’ holiday pay in April but has now had to go back to work. He is self-isolating within the home away from his family between shifts in order to reduce the risk. Last week, it meant he missed Charlie’s birthday. “I went into the garden and watched him open presents from a distance,” Michael said. “Charlie couldn’t understand why Daddy can’t hug him.”

Someone who is advised to shield in accordance with Public Health England guidance is entitled to statutory sick pay but this only applies to the 2.2 million people the government now counts as “clinically extremely vulnerable”.

Employers can also decide to furlough an employee who is shielding, but there is no legal obligation to do so. However, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people if it is less safe for them to go to work than their non-disabled colleagues.

This comes after researchers warned 8 million people with underlying health conditions should be exempt from plans to get the country back to work, amid fears that they would catch the virus.

Most of those are not considered clinically “extremely vulnerable” by the Department of Health and Social Care, and so instructed to shield entirely for 12 weeks, but are still highly vulnerable to coronavirus.

Gemma Jones has ME and is cared for by her husband, Colin, who is a teacher. Despite being housebound, she did not make the extremely vulnerable list. Her husband was temporarily allowed to work from home when they explained the risk of contagion but his headteacher repeatedly called to ask for evidence of her susceptibility to the virus. “My husband has now been told he has to go back to school because I didn’t receive a letter to say I was officially high risk,” she said. “I’m terrified, honestly.

A government spokesperson said: “The clinically extremely vulnerable classification should not be used by employers to decide who can and cannot travel into work.

“We expect employers to be understanding where people aren’t able to work and need to stay at home on government advice. If an employee feels they have been unfairly treated by their employer, they should contact the Acas helpline for free and confidential advice on 0300 123 1100.”

* All names have been changed

Like millions of Britons, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is at home. Unlike other workers, however, the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on her day job has been minimal. That’s because her home in Brighton with her wife and two dogs was already her office and her career is making YouTube vlogs for her 686,000 subscribers.

The deaf influencer, who posts upbeat videos about disability, LGBTQ+ issues, vintage fashion and other subjects, started her channel three-and-a-half years ago after she left a job as a presenter for a local TV station. Because she suffers from nerve disorder HNPP (hereditary neuropathy with pressure palsies), which results in extreme palsy in her arms and weak limbs, as well as a rare autoimmune disease called MCTD (mixed connective tissue disease), she was often unable to meet the demands of the job, and there were days when she couldn’t leave her bed.

“I really needed a more flexible way of working,” the 31-year-old says. “Trying to fit around someone else’s schedule was driving me into the ground and making me really unwell. So when I got married, my lovely wife said: ‘Why don’t you give YouTube a go? For six months I will financially support you – just have a go.’”

Success wasn’t instant. Like all YouTubers, she had to apply to the site’s partner programme to make money from adverts running on her videos. To achieve partner status, your channel needs 1,000 subscribers, and for people to have watched 4,000 hours’ worth of your videos a month. Kellgren-Fozard says she earned just £200 a month at the beginning. It wasn’t until one of her videos went viral and her subscribers swelled to more than 200,000 that she saw her business take off. Now she’s earning a five-figure salary and is the main breadwinner of the family.

As well as ad revenue, she makes money from partnering with brands to promote their products or services in her videos, and from members who pay a fee for access to exclusive content and privileges.

If you are at home now, watching viral cat videos or PE with Joe Wicks, and think you could do better, then join the two-metre spaced queue. As the number of people working from home and self-isolating increased, so did the number of people considering vlogging for the first time.

According to Google Trends, YouTube searches for “how to start a YouTube channel” increased by 230% between 14 March and 4 May, while searches for “how to edit videos” increased by 225% over the same period.

Research conducted by SEO agency Blueclaw claims that even filming mundane activities has the potential to make money. It looked at the most searched-for videos on YouTube and calculated how much the creator whose channel has been monetised stood to make.

For example, a video of someone shopping online could make them £1,523 if it is watched 1,160,988 times. Needless to say, that’s a lot of viewers, and some videos on YouTube struggle to get even hundreds of views.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/reF-x6R1_Ms

Jennifer Quigley-Jones, founder of YouTube influencer agency Digital Voices, says it is about finding a new twist on a popular topic, for example, beauty looks inspired by specific music videos or films. Or food challenges, such as feeding a family for £5. With home schooling now widespread, explainer videos in education are also flying at the moment, she adds.

But while Kellgren-Fozard says the startup costs are minimal – initial videos can be shot on a laptop or smartphone camera and edited on free apps such as Apple’s iMovie – launching a successful channel requires a big time commitment. To launch her usual two videos a week, she works 60 hours coming up with new ideas, filming, editing and managing her social media.

The most important consideration, she says, is choosing the right content for your videos.

“For some it is working out what niche works best, whether you really enjoy making videos that are incredibly fast-paced and funny and chunkily cut together, messy and fun, or whether you want to make the long-form, slower pieces which people will have on when maybe doing the dishes or chopping food ready for dinner,” she says.

As Kellgren-Fozard found, getting enough subscribers to make your videos profitable is the real challenge. People subscribe usually once they trust your channel. If you are lucky enough to have a video go viral, that’s great, but unless you can convince people that you are more than just a one-trick pony and give them a reason to come back, you are not going to grow.

The key, Quigley-Jones says, is building up a bank of videos that shows what you specialise in, what type of content you consistently create and what your channel is about. Consistency is also vital – launch the same number of videos at the same time each week. Making longer videos, naming them in intriguing ways and tapping into trending topics as much as possible can also get your channel noticed in a sea of vlogs.

One of the biggest things that stops people starting their own YouTube channel is the idea that they have to be perfect, she adds.

“We are all perfectionists and deeply self-critical and anxious, but YouTube is not like TV. It’s not embarrassing to make mistakes,” she says. “So try to stop your perfectionist side. A lot of people stop themselves making videos because of that fear, especially women who are quite disheartened by criticism and nervous about how they might be perceived. So try to silence your inner critic and get something out there.”

“Did I see you on the telly?”

Cathryn McShane-Kouyaté keeps being recognised in the supermarket.

As the British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter for the Welsh Government’s televised daily Covid-19 updates, she has suddenly become a familiar face to many.

Most days the 44-year-old cycles from her home in Cardiff to Cathays Park where she shares a stage with whichever minister or official is giving the latest coronavirus developments.

Ms McShane-Kouyaté never set out to be an interpreter.

After moving from Pembrokeshire to study at Cardiff University she took a night class in BSL to try to meet people and “fell in love with it”.

“I didn’t think of it as a career until years and years later,” she said.

She has been quietly freelancing for the Welsh Government for over a decade but this this is the first time it has been so public-facing – leading to her being recognised “a lot”.

“It’s funny,” she said.

“I’ve had it in places like the post office or from the security guard at Sainsbury’s.

“People who’ve seen my face over the years and recognise me as a customer say ‘Is it you who’s on the telly?’

“People I haven’t spoken to for years have been calling or emailing me, some people I haven’t seen since school, and neighbours.”

Ms McShane-Kouyaté said she is sometimes briefed on the content of the statement at the start of the briefing but does not know what questions journalists will be asking afterwards so cannot predict what the speaker will say in response.

“Sometimes it’s complicated messages, some days it’s very statistics-heavy and quite technical and you have to step up and do the best you can,” she said.

“Some days I worry it’s not the greatest interpretation. You can’t create beautiful BSL when the source you’re given is a load of statistics.

“It varies quite a lot. It depends who is presenting on the day, it could be someone who speaks very fast, or if their content is technical. There’s different challenges with different people.”

She said her job is to give a BSL interpretation of what has been said: “I’m not signing word for word what they’re saying,” she said.

“I’m trying to convey the meaning of what they’re saying in BSL.

“It’s the BSL equivalent.”

She said the first few days the briefing was televised she had lot of feedback from deaf people on things such as camera angles.

“There was a time they were panning to people asking questions so people were missing what the questions were,” she said.

She has also been getting feedback on her outfits: “I’d been wearing my one black suit for about a week… I washed it and put on a green dress.

“Then I got texts from deaf people saying it was a better contrast [as] I’m standing in front of grey or black drapes.

“We always wear black so your hands stand out better but because of the background I was being swallowed up.

“Since then I’ve been trying to find green things, but of course, like everyone, I can’t go shopping for clothes at the moment.”

‘Taken off guard’

Like many during lockdown, Ms McShane-Kouyaté is trying to strike a balance between being well-informed about the virus and having time away from it.

“In normal times I’d have the radio on in the morning, listening to the news and be watching news on the television but we’ve stopped that, it can be too much,” she said. “I’ve stopped consuming news.”

It led to a bit of a surprise for her during one of the briefings: “The day that Donald Trump spoke about disinfectant I hadn’t seen the news that morning.

“I couldn’t believe what I was signing. ‘Am I really hearing this right?’ I was really taken off guard,” she said.

“It would have helped if I’d heard that in advance.”

The rights of deaf people have made the news recently with campaigners starting legal proceedings against the UK government over a lack of sign language interpreters at its daily coronavirus briefings.

A Twitter campaign which started as #WhereIsTheInterpreter? has now morphed into a class action legal case.

Number 10 responded, saying the BBC had agreed to use interpreters on the News Channel.

But Ms McShane-Kouyaté is proud of the way Wales has included the deaf community: “[The Welsh Government] has led by example and shown a commitment to equality,” she said.

“I hope it [the daily briefings] is raising the profile of BSL. Hopefully it’s bringing equality issues to the fore…

“Deaf people have the same rights as other people and shouldn’t have to wait until later in the day [to get the same information].”

Deaf people or those with hearing loss will struggle to communicate if more people wear non-medical face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has said.

Face coverings are not advised in Wales, but are part of the strategy for easing England’s lockdown.

Action on Hearing Loss said people could feel “even more isolated and scared” at an already difficult time.

It said there are more than 575,000 people in Wales with hearing loss.

Karen Robson, of Action on Hearing Loss, said: “We’re hearing a lot of concerns from the deaf community and those with hearing loss.

“Many people who are deaf or have hearing loss rely heavily on visual cues for effective communication, including facial expressions and lip-reading.

“Being able to see lip patterns and facial expressions is also vital for those who communicate through British Sign Language.”

Words which sound similar but have different meanings can become difficult to distinguish.

“Many of these people will be unavoidably impeded by face coverings,” Ms Robson said.

“This has the potential to create further isolation amongst an already marginalised community of people, causing additional stress and anxiety to people at an already very difficult time.”

With England’s advice to cover faces in some public places, it is anticipated more people in Wales will choose to wear masks too.

With more than 70% of the over-70s living with hearing loss, the charity said those people were also more likely to end up in hospital being treated for coronavirus.

There they can experience similar communication problems with nurses and doctors wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), due to being unable to lip-read or properly read expressions, and with sound more muffled by the equipment.

The UK government said it was supporting CARDMEDIC, which provides digital flashcards and other communication aids to NHS Trusts across the UK to help communicate with patients with hearing loss.

A woman from mid Wales, who did not wish to be named, said face coverings posed significant problems for her 11-year-old daughter who has hearing loss.

“British Sign Language relies heavily on facial expression which is why in itself it’s not an answer to the problem of mask wearing,” she said.

“It will help a lot but people who purely use BSL will miss out a lot on the facial expression aspect of the language, and most will use some level of lip-reading.

“It’s also really hard to sign without touching your face.”

‘Lasting trauma’

She said she was also worried about patients not being able to communicate properly.

“The difficulty of communication when wearing PPE is very near the top of my list of reasons why my daughter has to be kept safe [from coronavirus].

“The thought of her having to go to hospital, alone, with people who don’t know her and who can’t communicate with her, frightens me more than the illness.

“There are going to be people that it’s happened to who have lasting trauma because of it.

“I knew medics in PPE are verbalising their usually non-verbal stuff, literally saying ‘I am smiling at you’ to patients.”

Paul Myres, a retired Wrexham GP with hearing loss, said he too had heard of healthcare workers finding such ways to communicate.

Dr Myers, who was Public Health Wales’ lead for primary care quality and development for 10 years and a GP for 30 years, said: “Speech through masks is indistinct.

“Not only have I lost sound level but I have also lost some definition of speech, so any additional blurring makes interpretation difficult or impossible.

“I tend to move closer to speakers to catch what they say. This is not compatible with distancing.”

Dr Myers, 65, said he began to experience hearing loss in his 50s and used hearing aids, but had difficulty understanding his patients.

“I have trouble admitting disability but over the last two or three years of my working life I have informed people and asked them to speak clearly and indicate clearly if they wish to speak to me.

“I ask people to look at me. I don’t lip read as such but watching the lips does help. Understandably people, including at home, forget to look at me.

“As masks are not yet being used regularly in public, I have yet to find out how I and others respond to the difficulty in communicating – there is a temptation on my part to avoid conversation. It will be a problem.”

How can you help?

“Speak as clearly as possible, avoid soft voices but equally not speak too loudly,” Dr Myers said.

“Speak slightly slower than normal, but again if too slow it’s more difficult to interpret missed words if it takes too long to hear the whole sentence.

“Clearly speakers should not touch or lift their mask as that risks contamination. I think it may sometimes be necessary to write things down.

“I have seen masks which have a see-through area by the mouth. I wonder if it reduces the effectiveness of the mask but it allows those with hearing difficulty to see the lips move – and it also allows others to see more facial expressions, which may be reassuring to those who are anxious.

“I think it is worth making the effort to expressing how you feel. We can use our eyes but eyes alone may be misconstrued.

“The forehead may also be visible if head gear is not worn too low and that can show expression.

“Also to remember that people with hearing impairment are not (necessarily) stupid, so to avoid speaking down to them or in a patronising manner.”

Action on Hearing Loss said it had redirected its attention to address the challenges, and is promoting communication tips which include reducing background noise, writing things down, facing the person and using simple gestures.

It has launched a Covid-19 emergency appeal to provide hospitals with equipment to enable easy communication for patients and staff with hearing loss, and a BSL coronavirus information service.

It is hoping to raise £50,000 to buy 300 personal listening devices to help people in hospital.

A Broadway actor who had his right leg amputated while fighting Covid-19 has woken up from a medically induced coma, his wife has revealed.

Amanda Kloots said it was “a miracle” that husband Nick Cordero was on the road to recovery.

The Canadian actor, who was nominated for a Tony Award for the Bullets Over Broadway musical, has been in hospital in Los Angeles since the end of March.

Kloots has been posting regular updates about the 41-year-old’s condition.

A fundraiser set up to support the couple and their young son Elvis has raised more than $500,000 (£407,000).

Cordero was initially admitted to hospital on 30 March after being diagnosed with pneumonia, and later tested positive for coronavirus.

According to his wife, he went into septic shock while in hospital, had two “mini strokes” and had blood clotting complications that resulted in his leg being amputated.

Speaking on Instagram on Tuesday, Kloots said her husband was “extremely weak” but was “following commands which means his mental status is coming back”.

Cordero’s other theatre credits include stints in Waitress, Rock of Ages and the musical version of A Bronx Tale.

The brother of a teenage boy who took his own life has appealed for people to seek help if they are struggling with the psychological effects of lockdown.

Chris Mackell’s 17-year-old brother Matthew was found dead in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells on 7 May.

Mr Mackell said the A-Level student had been worried his grades would be affected by the closure of his school.

He called for “anyone that is feeling any sort of sadness and is dealing with anything” to speak out.

He said his brother had been fearful of his future, “probably because of the lockdown, where, obviously he’s not doing his work to the same quality, maybe, or he felt like he wasn’t in the right mindset to do it at home versus at school.

“He obviously didn’t see a way out of it.”

Ben West, who set up a mental health campaign after his 15-year-old brother Sam took his own life, said the isolating impacts of lockdown on young people should not be underestimated.

“I absolutely have no doubt in my mind that people who are already struggling are struggling much more because of lockdown,” he said.

“People that rely on people in their lives, such as friends that keep them happy, to not be allowed to see them, to have that lack of social connection, can really impact people’s mental health.”

Psychiatrists and psychologists have called for urgent research into the potential for the coronavirus pandemic to have a “profound” effect on people’s mental health.

On Sunday evening, Boris Johnson set out the roadmap for easing the lockdown in England. It was a complex and at times meandering speech. But it was striking that the prime minister said nothing of the next steps for people who are deemed high risk, who have previously been asked to “shield” from coronavirus by remaining at home for at least 12 weeks. Johnson notably paid tribute to “the fortitude of the elderly whose isolation we all want to end as fast as we can” but made no mention of disabled people enduring the same.
Less than 24 hours later, it was confirmed that “the clinically extremely vulnerable” would have to remain at home and avoid face-to-face contact for “some time yet”.

In recent days there has been concern that high-risk groups may be asked to comply with an extended lockdown just when it is eased for the general population. One poll of disabled people found that only 4% thought an extended lockdown for high-risk groups was “fair”. Meanwhile, Ros Altmann, the former pensions minister, has warned against “blanket bans” to prevent older people leaving their homes, and the actor Michael Palin has said it would be “very wrong” to exclude over-70s from an eased lockdown as there are many who “are very active, very thoughtful, who’ve got lots of ideas”.

Some of this rhetoric is less than helpful. Evidence shows that age (even if the person is fit) and underlying health conditions seriously compromise immunity. It isn’t the government that’s discriminating against older or disabled people – it’s the virus. As a high-risk disabled person, I’ve been shielding at home for months without going out at all. It is not exactly fun, especially to not even get fresh air for an hour like everyone else, but it is sensible. My “ideas” won’t keep me out of ICU.

And yet it is not hard to see why there’s frustration. The guidance for disabled and older people has been so confused in recent weeks that even the health secretary seems to be unsure of whether they are included in the “clinically vulnerable” or extremely vulnerable category. A poll by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers last week found that 52% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that the government was doing enough to support them during this crisis (up from 44% four weeks ago).

Stuck at home, after watching Downing Street unveil its opaque new “stay alert” slogan, it felt increasingly as if shielders were being forced to suffer the worst of the government’s inaction – from the lack of early testing, delayed lockdown and failure to quarantine arrivals at airports at an earlier stage, to its dire communications strategy.

It is hard to shake the sense that the burden of keeping safe is being placed disproportionately on high-risk groups. A strategy of “keep the disabledinside”, with little to no clarity on what comes next, is as much an attitude problem as a policy one.

Cultural prejudice that equates being disabled with being isolated, unproductive or sexless reinforces the idea that it doesn’t really matter if this group has to give up months – even years – of our lives. If it’s thought that disabled people don’t have jobs to keep, kids to raise, or dates in the pub like “normal people”, it’s much easier to see leaving us at home indefinitely as no big issue. Ministers and the media repeatedly using the word “vulnerable” to describe disabled people in conversations around coronavirus only reinforces this.

The fear in all this is that a two-tier pandemic society is developing. Just as working-class people are being forced back to work while middle-class professionals are staying safe at home, we could see non-disabled people being slowly allowed back out while the disabled community is stuck inside.

Currently, we know more about how close a healthy person can sit to a friend in the park than when disabled people can leave their homes. In the coming months, there will be a need for compromise between high-risk individuals shielding and the collective actions of the rest of the public, be it immunity passports, mandatory face masks, or extensive track and trace (as well as a debate about the ethical and practical issues these actions raise). The fact that unequal access means disabled people were effectively segregated for years before this pandemic only makes this more pressing.

Any prolonged lockdown for high-risk individuals needs to go hand in hand with support from the state – from financial security for those unable to work while shielding, and an increase in disability benefits, to improved food supplies and testing for carers.

We’re already seeing widespread problems with disabled and older people struggling to access food and medicine while shielding. Expecting people to stay at home indefinitely when you can’t even guarantee them a supermarket delivery slot feels very much like being forgotten.

There is rocky terrain for all ahead, and those of us at high risk will have a particularly rough path to tread. And yet what shielders need is simple recognition: to be told the facts like adults, and to feel as if ministers remember we exist. Disabled people have long been used to making judgments about our own health: what’s a risk, what’s safe, what restriction can be overcome. As we wait in hope that Johnson will provide shielders with more details, ministers would do well to ask us what we need. Disabled people’s voices, like our lives, hold more value than society often thinks.

Navigating busy roads, public transport and trips to the shops are all in a day’s work for a guide dog.

But with the training centre in Wales closed and roads quiet, there are concerns visually impaired people may have to wait longer to get a dog.

Volunteers, known as boarders, are instead using video lessons to keep training going around the house and garden during the coronavirus lockdown.

Guide dog instructor Amy John said they were going “above and beyond”.

From when they start their training at about 12 months old, guide dogs live with their boarder and are taken every day to the Guide Dogs Cymru training centre to learn essential skills.

But when social distancing measures came in, the training centre had to close, leaving it up to the volunteers to try to train the 15 dogs from their living rooms and gardens.

“They can still go out for their daily walks, or for a free run, and that’s been invaluable for the moment,” said Amy.

But with cafes and restaurants closed and less traffic on the roads, Amy said the puppies were not able to get used to many of the daily challenges guide dogs have to face.

“We take our dogs into shops and cafes, we use public transport regularly to get them used to being on buses, but at the moment all that is completely off,” she said.

Amy and her dog Bryngwyn are making videos of exercises and then sending them to the boarders, who are practising them with the dogs and sending back footage for feedback.

They may look like games, but the tricks teach essential skills, such as hand touching and putting their heads on seats, which are important to keep their owner safe and provide reassurance.

“They’re so used to going out and about while they are with us, so it’s important that we keep up this up, to keep their little minds going,” Amy said.

Near the end of their training, which normally takes 16 weeks, the dogs are “matched” with a visually impaired or blind owner, with factors like the dog’s speed taken into account.

But this has been paused until the lockdown ends.

“It was a real shame, we did have some dogs that were nearly at the end of their training and were ready to be matched,” Amy said.

Currently there are 59 visually impaired people on the waiting list for a guide dog in Wales.

But even with the volunteers’ efforts, with dogs unable to practice essential skills like guiding across busy roads and on to trains and buses, owners may have to wait a little longer.

“It will be challenging for the dogs, it will mean that when they do come back into training with us, and we are able to start training them again, it might just take that little bit longer,” Amy said.

“We will have to work quite hard on to make sure that the dogs are really confident before they are matched with a client.”

‘Victor was a bit afraid of the cardboard’

It is not just the guide dogs in the making being kept busy during lockdown – some old dogs are being taught new tricks by their owners.

Heather Worofka from Wrexham is using her time during the lockdown to teach her two-year-old guide dog Victor more skills.

Heather, 25, who is blind, has made a game using a cardboard box and a carrot, which she is using to try to teach the labradoodle, along with her retired guide dog Una, who she now keeps as a pet.

“Victor was a bit afraid of the cardboard and Una kept trying to climb into the box,” she said.

“We’ve also been testing Victor’s concentration and obedience in the garden, with my mother holding a squeaky toy and food, but fair play to Victor, he’s not distracted.”

The coronavirus pandemic has caused daily difficulties for everyone. But what if you are visually impaired? Blind journalist Kate Pounds explores the particular challenges the virus has thrown up.

As the train approached London Waterloo on my last journey home from work before lockdown, a fellow passenger remarked he didn’t want to press the button to open the doors because of Coronavirus.

It got me thinking. As someone who cannot see, I have to touch objects and surfaces much more than your average person.

Just at the station I have to feel around the ticket machine to find the card reader, touch the escalator’s moving handrail to see if it’s going to take me up or down, and touch the side of the train doorway to gauge the width of the gap I’m so often reminded to “mind”.

Added to these obvious hygiene problems, it’s also harder to find a bathroom or alcohol gel point when you want to wash your hands.

So how are other visually impaired people adapting?

Sajid Ali, a 40-year-old market researcher from West Yorkshire, says a trip to the supermarket is difficult – holding a week’s shop in one hand and a white cane in the other makes navigating a challenge.

He says he can lose balance and that it’s hard to walk in a straight line.

He says he usually asks for help to find the items he needs, but getting that vital assistance has proved challenging recently.

“They said they were not sure they could help because of ‘current things going on,'” he says. “I guess it was a contact thing, because of having to take someone’s arm for guiding. I waited around for over five minutes, and in the end they did help.”

Just getting to the shops is a challenge for Reanna Parkinson, 22, from Lancashire.

“There are a lot of main roads around here and hardly any crossings so I can’t get to other shops safely on my own,” she says.

Her dad gave her a lift last time but she feels this threatens the safety of her mum, who is classed as high risk and needs to shield for 12 weeks.

Reanna, a graduate in criminology and sociology, values her independence but says she now may have to move in with her parents to survive.

“Normally I get a delivery, but all the slots have been taken,” she says. “Some online services say they have prioritised people with disabilities for delivery slots. I’ve seen a lot of tweets from blind people asking how they get these priority deliveries but I haven’t seen any responses.”

But even if you manage to get a slot, shopping online is no picnic. For blind and visually impaired people, the process involves many more steps and is far slower, which matters when everyone is rushing to buy.

Sajid says by the time he had listened to the electronic voice of his screen reader, which tells him what’s available, other shoppers had already bought the items he needed.

“I’m worried everything will be out of stock by the time I’ve even looked,” he says.

Another issue with online shopping occurs when items are sold out and substituted, which can be a far bigger problem for some people with multiple impairments.

Hampshire mum-of-three, Mandy O’Malley, 42, has allergies, diabetes and children with particular dietary needs, so if the delivery people arrive with items she has not researched, she has to turn them away.

“In our delivery yesterday we had seven items unavailable and 14 substitutions,” she says.

Despite needing them, she had to decline the items because she couldn’t read the packaging, and social distancing meant the driver couldn’t help.

She isn’t alone here. In 2017, the RNIB reported that the employment rate among visually impaired people was around 25%, compared to 81% for the UK generally, putting them among the poorest in society.

The charity also reported higher rates of isolation and subsequent depression among sight-impaired people in normal times.

Sajid, who usually enjoys taking part in his local Parkrun at the weekend, is concerned that a lack of contact with people will get worse during the current crisis.

“I think there will be some lonely days ahead. Usually I work and go out, but I still spend a lot of time alone, I am used to it, but with all the restrictions I could get really isolated.”

Despite these difficulties, many of the sight-impaired people I spoke to reported they were managing well. Some feel the complications of coronavirus are the same for them as for sighted people.

And Sajid thinks visually impaired people’s strategies and resilience may sometimes put them at an advantage in tough times.

“There’s always a lot to concentrate on for visually impaired people, it’s ten times harder,” he says. “You’ve got to keep your sense of humour.

“We face this kind of stuff every day so we probably have more of that humour in the locker.”

Every vulnerable child has access to school during lockdown, right?

Our daughter, Liora Sarnaik, age 13, has an education and health care plan and a social worker, so meets the government’s definition of vulnerable and should have been able to go to school when lockdown started. I actually thought I might be one of those people who work from home, learn how to bake a cake, sort through the attic, have Zoom chats. But Liora hasn’t been at school.

Today there are only 15 children attending Liora’s excellent special needs school, Downs View in Brighton. Normally there are more than 100. Liora is not one of the 15: these are all children who live in residential care because their families have not been able to cope with caring for them. So they don’t have a choice about going to school.

Liora has three life-long conditions: uncontrolled epilepsy, a chronic kidney condition and autism. She can’t speak and she’s doubly incontinent. She’s beautiful, upbeat and humorous and her father, Rahul, and I adore her.

I desperately want to send her to school because without it she is home full-time and needs someone to care for her, all day every day, from the moment she gets up to the moment she sleeps, no weekends off. My last day off was before lockdown.

So why are we not sending her to school? On the first day of the lockdown, I spoke to a school staff member on the phone. “It’s up to you, of course, but I wouldn’t send her,” he said. “I can’t see how it can be safe.”

Many of the pupils, like Liora, don’t have language, they can’t speak or understand more than simple words such as food, drink, toilet. The majority have saliva issues; they dribble and wipe their mouths on any available person or surface. They don’t know how to wipe their noses, they are not able to wash their hands without help – and often resist it. They don’t know how to social distance, they don’t know anything about the pandemic. Many are also violent to parents and teachers and they are not able to stop biting, punching and kicking. Liora is not violent to others, but she is to herself, banging her own head with her fists when in pain or frustrated. She needs close physical contact at all times to be cared for properly.

Liora’s headteacher, Adrian Carver, says if he lets more children into school, they could simply die of contracting coronavirus. These are his words, not mine, because it will be impossible to keep them – and his staff – safe. He’s having to turn desperate parents away, which he hates doing, as he knows how hard it is for us.

It’s pretty glib, then, of the government to announce that all children meeting the vulnerable criteria will receive an education. Clearly he has no understanding that thousands of disabled children can’t go to school, and thousands of families in utter crisis are having to care for their children full-time. The Disabled Children’s Partnership has just launched a survey focusing on the “hidden” lives of families with disabled children during lockdown; the findings will be announced some time in May, and I expect there will be many stories like mine.

Parents like myself can’t provide what a school can offer. We have constant big challenges with personal care, with behaviour, and with sleep deprivation, as our children are often up in the night. As well as being on the receiving end of violence. “Today I’ve been punched, kicked, had an umbrella smacked around my head, been screamed at, he’s smashed up the house AGAIN,” a parent wrote on one of my WhatsApp groups. Without school, it’s not only our children who are vulnerable, it’s the whole family: siblings hide in their rooms to get away from the behaviour, parents are close to breakdown. Liora’s father and I have a sense that we are expected to just suck it up.

So what do we need? I want recognition at the highest level for families caring for their disabled children. I want to know that, if Liora’s dad and I fail to survive looking after her full-time, there will be a place for her in residential care, a place she can be safe. However, there are no places in residential care in normal times, never mind in lockdown.

And I want professional carers to be valued and paid properly for their extremely specialist skills caring for children like Liora. Skilled carers leave their jobs because their wages are so low. Us parents are in a constant fight with each other, first to get carers and then to keep them – we are like rats in a trap.

It’s about recognition. It’s about not being forgotten.

Residents of an assisted living home have made a “time capsule” that captures their emotions during lockdown.

It was created at The Old Rectory in Winterton-on Sea, Norfolk, which supports people with learning disabilities.

Contents includes a note on residents’ feelings, and crafts that have been designed while in lockdown.

It was buried last week in the hope someone would find it in the future.

The Old Rectory is home to seven residents, and support worker Taylor Goodrum said the idea came about as “an opportunity to open a conversation up about it so they could have all their questions answered” about the current crisis.

Through the project, Miss Goodrum said the staff and residents were able to speak about “what things we could do that they like doing that could make it more bearable for them”.

The group then dug a hole in the garden and placed the time capsule inside.

Miss Goodrum said: “We’ve put on there we’d like to know when it’s been dug up and who’s dug it up; whether they found it interesting and whether that far in the future coronavirus is still talked about.”

One of the residents, Paul, said he had been “finding the lockdown quite hard” and that “everything about my usual routine is changing”.

But he added: “I’m really happy to have the support of my support workers and we’ve been doing so many fun activities.”

Edel Harris, chief executive of Mencap, the learning disability charity that runs the home, said support workers “are going above and beyond to create a sense of normality and community”.

She added: “In some cases, they are the only contact some people have.

“They must be recognised on par with healthcare workers for their extraordinary response to this crisis – including being paid in line with NHS staff to demonstrate that society values the incredible work they do every day.”

Staff who have moved into the care home where they work say it has had a “positive effect on the residents”.

In March, 10 members of staff moved into The White House in Teignmouth, Devon, where they care for people with dementia.

They are sleeping in a campervan and the staff offices to ensure the 17 residents are “kept safe”.

Manager Demelza Lamport said since moving in “we have established better relationships with the residents”.

She said the staff have “settled in really well”.

Finance and office manager Rebekah Hayden said: “We made the decision because we thought it was going to be the only way to keep them safe.

“It’s had a positive effect on the residents – seeing the same faces all the time.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision because I am one of the team, but I talk to my son and parents every day – I miss him and he misses me.”

She has been working in the kitchen to release other staff members who can work as carers.

“My office is now a bedroom for three of us. I moved everything around and turned it into three separate cubicles so we’ve got as much privacy as possible,” she said.

Katie Smith, a care assistant, said the decision to move in “keeps the residents safe and my family safe”.

“I’ve only been here for two months so it was a massive change. I’m getting to know the staff and residents better, like a family.”

The staff unable to stay with the residents have been working at The White House’s sister care home.

The National Care Association said what staff members were doing was “most admirable”.

For most people the Covid-19 crisis is an unsettling, confusing time. But for hundreds of thousands of adults with autism in the UK the problems are acute.

Families and charities say this vulnerable group has been forgotten in the pandemic and they are often not receiving the care they need. Here some of them describe what things have been like since the lockdown began.

‘Sick with worry’

In a few weeks Simon will be 53. He was diagnosed with autism when he was three and has been in residential care his whole life.

He has very limited communication but can say when he wants a cup of tea. In normal times, he would go riding and swimming once a week.

“He’s a very active young man,” says his mother Andrea. “And to me he’s still a young man.”

But two weeks ago Simon fell ill, with a high temperature and severe cough.

“I just felt sick with worry,” Andrea says. “I mean what’s going to happen to him if he is so ill he has to go into hospital?”

Despite having typical symptoms, like thousands of others, Simon has not been tested for coronavirus and Andrea is not allowed to see him.

She has nothing but praise for the care home staff but says: “No doctors will come and that is the whole problem. We don’t know what we are dealing with.

“It’s been terrible – probably the most stressful week in my life.”

Simon has no way of communicating how he’s feeling, whether he’s getting better or worse, and no way of processing what is happening to him.

“I can’t imagine what he’s thinking,” Andrea says.

“Even his favourite cup of tea has disappeared because they are giving him cold drinks to keep his temperature down. He can’t even say to someone, I’d really love to have a cup of tea.”

Under NHS guidelines if someone with autism or a learning disability does need hospital treatment for Covid-19 then a single family member or carer can visit.

But Andrea still thinks Simon would struggle to cope.

“He would be absolutely terrified,” she says. “Most hospitals have very, very limited staff who can deal with autism and learning disabilities. I just don’t know what would happen.”

She says Simon’s condition has started to improve and he is now eating small amounts and sitting in the garden with a drink.

‘What protection do I have?’

David* was diagnosed with autism and multiple learning disabilities as a child. Now in his 50s, he’s spent the last 30 years living in three different residential care homes.

He is worried about what will happen if the virus spreads in the home and says people like him have been forgotten.

“Testing should be done daily on residents and care workers,” he says.

“If my care workers get it or other residents get it, I’m stuck. What protection do I have? I am concerned about the lack of PPE for all care providers not just my own.”

Like many people with autism, Christopher finds it hard to handle the unpredictable.

“He gets very confused, very frustrated, with any form of change to his timetable or his daily routines,” says his mother Jane. “So when situations like this arise you get a lot of anxiety from him.”

Christopher lives on his own, in his own house. He has two long-term carers who help with meals, cleaning, personal care and other everyday tasks he can’t do alone, but last month they both had to resign – one for health reasons, the other to look after their own children – leaving him with no support.

And because Jane lives with another vulnerable person, lockdown means she isn’t able to help her son face-to-face.

“Everything has to be done within his drive, keeping the two metre distance,” she says. “But that means we can’t provide the personal care he desperately, desperately needs.”

If – as seems likely – the lockdown continues for weeks, perhaps months, Jane fears it could be “catastrophic” for her son.

“The longer this goes on, the more anxious he’s becoming, the more unconfident he’s becoming, the more he’s losing what we’ve built up with him over the years.

“He’s a 40-year-old young man who has lots to give. He’s an absolute treasure, but I’m so worried about this time for him.”

‘I’m afraid he’ll lose his social skills’

Living in supported accommodation, James* has been used to receiving regular visits from his care workers.

But since the coronavirus outbreak his contact has been limited to brief phone calls or a knock at the door.

He has Asperger Syndrome and has recently been discharged from hospital where he was a patient for over 10 years.

“Gradually he’s staying in more, not seeing or speaking to anyone, staying up all night and in bed for a huge part of the day,” says his mother Kathy.

“I’m afraid that he’s going to lose all his social skills again and get very depressed, ending up back in hospital.”

Because of her age, Kathy is having to self-isolate so can only contact her son by email or video call.

“He keeps saying ‘what’s the point of living if we’re in lockdown’.

“He’s relying more and more on me for mental support rather than turning to his team. So I’m on the receiving end of the brunt of his frustrations. I’ll be very glad when the lockdown is over and he can get the full support he needs.”

Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society, says “Autistic people often have communication difficulties. That means that it’s harder to understand what is going on in the first place.

“But also autistic people don’t often have the best support networks to start with so it’s really, really hard for them to get support in a crisis, things like shopping or even just a phone call just to check that somebody is okay.

“There will be thousands of people across the country who are deeply isolated during this crisis and who need support more than ever.”

The charity has published guidance for autistic people and their families to help during the pandemic. For more information on organisations that can help visit BBC Action Line.

Phil Rossall, a 67-year-old retired teacher and charity worker from Kent, was first diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2016.

At the time, doctors told him he had just “one or two” years left to live.

Four years have passed since his diagnosis, and he is now unable to move his limbs or breathe without a ventilator.

But he has refused to let the disease break his spirit, and last year managed to smash two Guinness World Records for running marathons in his wheelchair.

Phil says that it has become difficult to keep track of how far his disease has progressed: “I don’t notice day-to-day changes, but then looking back to the start of this year is a scary experience for me,” he told the BBC.

MND is a degenerative and often fast-progressing disease. Due to its nature, those with the condition have a heightened risk of complications if they catch a respiratory infection like Covid-19.

Phil and his partner, Brenda, have been self-isolating for the last month.

“The enforced isolation has meant that my blog and book have been the main respite from a world of hoists, wheelchairs and face masks,” he said.

“My speech is now completely incomprehensible, so writing is now my only form of communication with the outside world. I miss my St Christopher’s carers and the MND Association visitors, but my heart goes out to people who are desperately ill and who feel deserted by their own government.”

‘Mixed messages’

Despite relying on a ventilator to breathe, Phil was not initially included in the government’s list of who should be shielding. He says that the government’s advice since the coronavirus outbreak began has felt like a succession of “mixed messages” that left him and his partner unsure of his situation.

“I have two postgraduate degrees and have worked as a research manager, and yet I have been very confused,” he said. “Seeing that I have a debilitating condition and that I am reliant on ventilation 24/7, I was expecting to be included, but instead I was not in the 1.5 million most vulnerable in the country. All I can say is that there must be an awful lot of very sick people out there.”

While the disease is on the NHS England list of underlying health conditions, it has yet to be explicitly named on the list of those who should be “shielding”.

The advice on whether MND patients should be on the shielding list has said it depends on the stage of their illness.

The MND Association, a charity dedicated to the care and protection of those living with the disease, told the BBC it had been inundated with concerned and upset patients and families.

“Many are terrified of catching coronavirus, knowing the implications for them could be catastrophic,” said head of policy and campaigns, Susie Rabin.

She said more than 3,500 of the charity’s supporters had emailed their MPs urging them to ask Health Secretary Matt Hancock to add MND to the “extremely vulnerable” list.

“Not being automatically added to the extremely clinically vulnerable shielding and protecting list, means that people are struggling to get food and essential medicines delivered, particularly if they live alone.

“People with MND have died of Covid 19 already. We’d like all people with MND shielded and protected from this disease.

“We believe that inclusion on the ‘extremely vulnerable’ list is the safest and most appropriate option for people with MND.

“There needs to be more support for social care workers and much more adequate provision of PPE for carers both in care homes and in domestic settings to enable them to support and care for disabled people.”

‘Vital service’

As his primary carer, Phil’s partner is unable to leave him alone in the house. Because of this, the couple have come to rely on a delivery service from their local supermarket over the last three years.

However, due to not being classed as “extremely vulnerable” by the government, the couple were told that they were not eligible for a delivery slot.

“The fact remains that I was receiving a vital service until the ‘extremely vulnerable’ rules came in. Whether the omission of MND from the official shielding list was a result of incompetence, ignorance or prejudice, doesn’t matter to me.

“I will not go hungry. But for the first time in my life, I feel I am a victim of discrimination. I never get angry. I may be wrong, but I feel like I don’t count, that I belong to a group that’s not worth bothering about because we’ll be dead soon anyway.”

He felt forced to take matters into his own hands, and only after he had asked his consultant to send a supporting letter to his GP, did he finally receive the phone call to tell him he had been placed on the list.

Case-by-case basis

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC that patients with MND are being assessed on an individual basis.

“Expert doctors have identified specific medical conditions that put someone at greatest risk of severe illness from Covid-19, meaning they’re clinically extremely vulnerable and need to shield.

“The list will continue to be reviewed, and doctors are identifying additional people who need to shield depending on their individual circumstances.”

Those who are not classified as “extremely vulnerable”, but have underlying health conditions, are still advised to adhere to stay-at-home guidelines, he added.

Despite his victory, Phil says he’s concerned that others like him may not be so lucky.

“I am still concerned that other people with this terrible disease do not have the support I have.”

He added: “I am still angry that the government advisers forgot some of the most vulnerable people in the country and ignored our pleas for so long. Surely it shouldn’t be so hard.”

Like so many people with autism, lockdown rules have only added to the challenges Matthew Russell faces.

A trip to McDonald’s or the local pub had not only become a treat, but a key part of a settled weekly routine.

However, the coronavirus outbreak has taken away those routines, causing distress and anxiety for many.

So staff at an autism centre in south Wales have come up with ideas to help maintain structure, including a replica drive-through burger restaurant.

Support workers at Glamorgan House in Neath were eager to help those with autism get through the restrictions.

With the help of a local McDonald’s restaurant that was closed during the lockdown, staff sourced packaging and cups for an authentic experience as well as making their own uniforms by hand.

“As soon as we began serving up meals there were smiling faces all around and orders were flying in,” said senior support worker Abbie Williams.

It is reassuring for the parents of the 20 people who normally use Glamorgan House every day, including Catherine Russell, of Cardiff, whose son Matthew, 41, has been visiting the centre since it opened in 2004.

“Matthew likes to go to McDonald’s and also the pub for his tea once a week but he’s not able to do those things anymore,” she said.

“It’s difficult because he really needs to have his routines and keep to the same things. So it’s lovely that the staff are doing this under really difficult circumstances.

“It’s amazing they’re keeping them happy and are able to continue their routines, even when everything is changing. Matthew is really enjoying it.”

The burger bar drive-through is just the latest idea from the staff, which have already included an ice-cream parlour and pick ‘n’ mix sweet stand.

Glamorgan House offers help and support to autistic people as well as providing a place to socialise and and study in an environment similar to a college.

The National Autistic Society (NAS) said changes to routine, the sensory challenges of increased handwashing and the general anxiety of the pandemic can have a significant effect on those with autism.

“Many of the autistic people we support can feel anxiety about change or unexpected events and that is particularly the case at the moment,” said Nick Haake, of NAS Cymru.

“The staff cross all of our services have been amazing during this difficult period and have taken extraordinary steps to limit the impact that unexpected changes are having on the people they are supporting.”

Working from home is a challenge for many of us, from learning how to communicate with colleagues via Zoom, to acquainting ourselves with the nuances of telephone conference calls. But imagine what it must be like if you are deaf or have difficulty hearing.

Research published on Wednesday by the charity Action on Hearing Loss found that three-quarters of people who live with deafness fear they will be less productive working from home.

Rob Geaney, head of campaigns and public affairs at Action on Hearing Loss, says: “Home working is a huge challenge for people living with deafness or hearing loss. They are at greater risk of further isolation due to social-distancing measures. While many people will use phone and video calls to stay in contact with friends and families and work colleagues, people with hearing loss, especially those who lip-read or use British Sign Language, will be excluded from these interactions.”

Lip-reading requires an individual to concentrate intently on both the movement of the lips and the sound they can hear to piece together what is being said, Geaney explains. This is tiring and many people only get most of what is being said – with contextual clues being used to fill the gaps.

“It is therefore helpful to consider using text boxes or visual presentations alongside video conferences, particularly if communicating numbers or complex jargon,” he says.

In the UK, 12 million people have hearing loss and 65% of working-age deaf people are employed, compared with 79% of the general population. An estimated 24,000 people use BSL as their main language. The Equality Act 2010 obliges employers to make adjustments (like a BSL interpreter or a speech to text reporter) and the government’s Access to Work scheme provides grants for specialist equipment.

“To make the workplace more accessible, face someone when speaking to them, speak one at a time in meetings, and don’t give people a desk facing a wall but allow them to face into the office, so they can communicate,” says Geaney.

“The key thing for home working is that managers should feel able to talk to members of staff about their hearing loss and the adjustments that they need,” he adds.

But the charity’s focus groups revealed a reluctance among employees to disclose hearing loss at work because of embarrassment, stress or fear that it might affect job prospects. One said: “You want to do a good job at work, you do not want anyone to see hearing loss as a weakness.”

“It’s a hidden condition and many staff who have concealed their hearing loss and coped without any support might now need support to find adjustments that work for them,” says Geaney. Similarly, those who had adjustments set up in their place of work might now need new adjustments put in place, such as an amplified telephone or handsets that can be linked to an individual’s hearing aid.

Behaviour changes that hearing colleagues could make include speaking one at a time, muting themselves when not speaking to reduce background noise, having a clear agenda to provide structure and contextual clues to what is being said. For video conferencing it is helpful if the camera is square-on and everyone is well lit from the front. If the source of light is behind the individual then faces might be in shadow.

Action on Hearing Loss research suggests the biggest reason people are without support is that they feel colleagues lack the knowledge to help. Almost half of respondents surveyed said deaf awareness (“information on educating your colleagues or managers”) would help them fulfil their potential, and more than a third said support to manage the anxiety of hearing loss at work would help.

City Lit adult education college in central London holds an annual Deaf Day to raise awareness (although this year’s has been postponed due to coronavirus). Founded in 1919, the college began running lip-reading classes for soldiers deafened in the first world war. Courses specifically for deaf people include BSL, English, maths and digital skills. There are 12 deaf tutors and six who are hearing (but teach in BSL) plus a network of BSL interpreters who offer support in meetings or job interviews. It also provides employment advice to its students in partnership with the Royal Association for Deaf people. A bursary helps low-income deaf students pay course fees and travel.

Mark Hopkinson, head of City Lit’s Centre for Deaf Education, says solutions to better integrating deaf people at work rest on attitudes: “Support in the workplace depends on the organisation and ethos. Are hearing colleagues prepared to help with deaf colleagues?” BSL, in particular, is vital, he says. “Supposing you weren’t allowed to speak for a number of years, [forced] to remain silent, how would you feel?”

English is often a second language for deaf people after sign language. But for Ilyaas Cader, a refugee from Sri Lanka, his first language is Tamil Sign, his second BSL and his third English. “I learned sign language first – that helped me learn the English. I had to learn English grammar, which is different from sign grammar,” he tells me, using a BSL interpreter.

Cader, 45, won a City Lit centenary award last year for outstanding achievement. He is a children’s mental health worker in a specialist NHS unit for deaf children, and says his career is largely due to his time at City Lit. Without the specialist classes and support to get a job, he says, “I definitely wouldn’t be working in mental health where I’m using my skills and my challenging experiences – barriers, emotional struggles, lack of access – to be a role model to children of how a deaf person can succeed.”

Deaf people are twice as likely to have mental health issues compared with hearing people, with communication barriers exacerbating symptoms like depression. There are also communication barriers for deaf people receiving mental health support. BSL interpreters are third parties in counselling sessions designed to be one-to-one. This can affect treatment because the counselling can be less intimate.

Cader believes that “audism” (negative attitudes towards deaf people) is deeply ingrained. More hearing professionals using sign language would help, he says.

“If a deaf person needs to go to the doctor, they should be able to have a conversation with the doctor in their first language. And there should be more people like me out there doing the sort of work I’m doing.”

Deaf people across the country are enjoying getting fit with Joe Wicks, because of a Cambridgeshire charity.

The Cambridge Deaf Association (CDA) has helped add sign language and subtitles to Joe’s popular daily fitness videos

.

Andy Palmer, CDA chief exec, said: “It’s important that people get active, so we approached Joe’s team, and they were positive about the idea.

“We’ve had a great reaction and a lots of deaf people have been taking part.”

Covid-19 fatalities in care homes in England and Wales have more than quadrupled in a week, rising to 1,043, according to the latest official figures.

By 10 April, more than 1,000 people were confirmed to to have died in care homes from the virus, up from 217, the previous week. The number of people who died in private homes also more than tripled, to 466.

But the latest assessment of the virus’s impact on the most vulnerable by the Office of National Statistics, released on Tuesday, remains far short of the care sector’s own warnings that many thousands more have already died.

Amid growing concern that figures underestimating the scale of the crisis in care settings may have slowed down the UK government’s response, the Department of Health and Social Care said it was trying to speed up data collection and close the 10-day time-lag in data collection.

Figures gathered from care homes by the Guardian this week show the actual death toll is considerably higher, while Care England and the National Care Forum, which represent home operators, have estimated that between 7,500 and 4,000 residents may have already died from Covid-19. The official figures rely on death certificates, which can take 11 days to process and may not always include Covid-19 as a cause of death, sometimes including deaths from flu, pneumonia or other underlying causes.

By Monday, five of the largest care home providers had recorded 1,052 deaths from confirmed or suspected Covid-19, with the death toll rising sharply in recent days. At least 412 people had died at homes operated by HC-One, the UK’s largest operator. Care UK, which runs 122 homes in England and Scotland, recorded 140 deaths, a 65% increase, in four days, while Four Seasons Health Care reported more than 160 deaths in 190 care homes – a 60% increase in six days.

The latest ONS figures show that of 9,869 Covid-19 deaths to 10 April, less than 11% happened in care homes. By contrast, official figures from Scotland up to 12 April show one in four deaths are recorded in care homes. In Scotland, there were 237 deaths in care compared with 596 in hospitals and 128 at homes and in other non-institutional places, according to the National Records of Scotland.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 has pushed the overall weekly death toll for England and Wales to a record high for the second week running. For the week to Good Friday (10 April), there were 18,516 deaths, the highest number since weekly data was first gathered in 2000. Just over a third of all deaths were attributed to Covid-19 – rising to more than half in London and 37% in the West Midlands, two of the worst affected areas.

In the previous week ending 3 April, 3,475 of deaths registered in England and Wales mentioned “novel coronavirus (Covid-19)” – 21% of those who died.

According to separate, more up-to-date, figures from NHS hospitals in England and Wales released daily by Public Health England, the total death toll from confirmed Covid-19 since the start of the epidemic in hospitals in England and Wales reached 15,412 on Monday.

The latest figures on care deaths are set to fuel the row between social care bosses and ministers over whether enough has been done to save lives in care comes. Local Authority care bosses earlier this month warned the government that, in line with emerging research from the rest of the EU and North America, more people may be dying from coronavirus in care homes and the community than in hospitals, according to a leaked letter.

Ministers have continued to quote the ONS figures while being forced to acknowledge that it is out of data.

The Department of Health and Social Care says it takes a minimum of 11 days for deaths in care homes to feed through into reporting, with the process of death registration taking five days or more. It said it was working with the ONS to speed up the process. Care home operators are obliged by law to quickly inform the regulator, the Care Quality Commission, of deaths but it only started asking whether people had died from Covid-19 on 9 April, two and a half weeks after Boris Johnson announced the UK-wide lockdown. CQC figures are expected to be included in the official data from 27 April.

We hope readers can understand why we felt it was important for our post to include the graphs above.

While the coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented restrictions for billions of people, for many with disabilities, the lockdown has paradoxically opened up the world. As society embraces “virtual” living, disabled people – who for years have missed out due to poor access – are suddenly finding themselves able to take part in work, culture, or socialising from their own home.

Nicola Welsh, 43, has always loved going to museums but a painful nerve condition means she’s been housebound for 17 years. As cultural institutions including the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House go online, she’s been able to tour the world visiting museums.

“I ‘went’ to the Watts Gallery [in Surrey] and then the Louvre. The Rijks [museum in Amsterdam] had a walkthrough on their Instagram account,” she said. The experience has been profoundly moving. “Having the opportunity to visit virtually has given me back something that I’d resigned myself to not being able to do within my limitations. I hadn’t realised how much I had missed it.”

For Paula Knight, it was seeing gigs again. The 50-year-old, from Bristol, has been bedridden for two years with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and had to give up going to concerts. Like many artists, her favourite band, Low, are doing weekly Instagram shows from home during the lockdown. “[Watching them] felt elating, especially when they played my favourite song,” she said. “I was alone in my bedroom but felt part of the audience because everyone else was too. Suddenly, it seems like the abled world I used to inhabit has become accessible to me.”

Brian Spalding, 47, who has been on bed rest for four years with spina bifida, can now socialise with his friends online. “Since lockdown I have actually felt better about my situation, given all of society now experiencing a form of ‘bed rest’,” he said. Spalding, who lives in Argyll, Scotland, is even giving advice to loved ones on how to cope with isolation when they feel anxious or stressed. “I’m finding my community, for so long seeming so much further away, is now literally so much closer to home.”

For others, lockdown has seen career doors open. Laura Elliott, in Sheffield – who has hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects connective tissue, and ME – has always wanted to be a writer. The 28-year-old has been mostly housebound since 2016 and has had a few short stories published in magazines, whilst plugging away at a novel.

“For years, I’ve been looking wistfully at Penguin’s Write Now scheme, which provides potential year-long support for under-represented writers trying to break into the industry, including those with disabilities. Sadly, they’ve always required physical attendance at workshops before,” she said. But because of coronavirus, suddenly the scheme will be conducted online. It means for the first time, Elliot was able to send in an application. “It’s entirely possible I won’t be selected – but at least now I’ll know, instead of being prevented from even giving it a try.”

Last week, churches and cathedrals across the UK broadcast Easter services online, with the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, speaking from his kitchen using an iPad. Karin Turner, 42, who has a brain injury and broken ankle, is now able to “go to church” online with her pastor in his living room.

“I had been missing the feeling of community. Being able to listen to my pastor preach, hear stories about what is happening in the wider community and have some leadership has made the difference,” she said. “Of course, you can pray and have faith at home, but a big part of Christianity is community and it is difficult to feel cut off from that.”

Even healthcare has opened up; disabled people who have long campaigned to see their doctors virtually, report they are now being offered Skype time with consultants.

As well as joy at being offered new opportunities, many feel frustrated that it took the non-disabled world to become house-bound before access was granted. Emma Duke, 21, who has Pots syndrome – which results in an abnormally increased heart rate after sitting up or standing – and neurological problems, has been trying to get remote access to film classes for her degree for the last three years in Los Angeles. She was frequently refused – “I was told it wasn’t ‘feasible’” – but the coronavirus pandemic means her entire university is now online.

“I am so torn between being so grateful that I can get my education and […] feeling a bit betrayed that it was possible the whole time,” she said.

Rather than “more” opportunities opening up, 30-year-old Tom Staniford in Exeter describes the phenomenon as a levelling of the playing field. “I find it infuriating to see people moaning about reduced mobility, challenges of remote working, fear of illness risk, long periods of isolation – all things many disabled people already endure on a daily basis,” said Staniford, who has the rare MDP syndrome, which leaves him with physical and auditory disabilities. He thinks the lockdown could open up the chance for permanent accessibility. “But my overriding suspicion is it will be a massive missed opportunity.”

Turner is more hopeful. “I feel like people are finally understanding the physical barriers disabled people face,” she said. “I’m actually really optimistic good will come out of this.”

Disabled people are being left without food after being missed off the government’s list of those vulnerable to coronavirus, the Guardian has learned.

The government set up an online register billed as a way to reach “extremely vulnerable” households in England who have been told to shield for 12 weeks – either offering them food parcels via their local authority or liaising with major supermarkets to give priority for online delivery.

But it has emerged that large numbers of disabled and older people are being excluded from the scheme due to the highly selective criteria.

One hundred people with severe disabilities and chronic illness say they have been rejected for the government’s register and thereby left without any support to access food without leaving their home, despite being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.

Their conditions include cancer being treated with chemotherapy, heart disease, tetraplegia, motor neurone disease (MND), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and muscular dystrophy. Some disabled people reported sleeping to avoid hunger pains, or living off fruit. At least one rejected for assistance has gone on to contract coronavirus.

“I’ve had four letters to say I should be shielding yet the Gov.uk site doesn’t recognise me to be put on the online vulnerable list,” said 40-year-old Vicky McDermott in Northumberland, who has the immune disorder rheumatoid arthritis and a daughter with a life-limiting condition who has also been told to shield.

“I tried registering last night for the fifth time. The supermarkets won’t put us on the priority list as we’re not registered with the government.”

McDermott has resorted to buying food from “online corner shops” with a large markup. “A tin of beans is £2,” she said.

Deborah Bhatti, 50, from Bury in Greater Manchester, is on 40 medications a day including for asthma and autoimmune disease, but has not made the list. It means she is not eligible for her local council’s scheme to collect prescriptions or give out food parcels. “I had to share a tin of tuna with my cat,” Bhatti said. “I feel desperate and fearful and have bad dreams every night.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said there was a short delay between people being identified as clinically extremely vulnerable by their GP, and receiving the NHS letter from their clinician, and their identity being pulled from GP records to enable them to register for support. It added it was updating the patient list that enables people to register for support from GP records on a weekly basis.

But both doctors and patients report confusion over how this is being handled. When Denise Stephens, 41, who has multiple sclerosis and is immunocompromised, was rejected, she followed instructions to call her GP but hit a brick wall. “My GP said they couldn’t help me and they didn’t know why the government is directing people to them about this,” she said. Last month, Stephens contracted coronavirus. She has had to call an ambulance twice to her London home but is still not eligible for help with food or medication.

In recent days, the government’s website has begun to allow some people to add their details even if they do not meet the criteria, but charities say this is not enough to stop people missing out.

“We’re hearing from people that their GP won’t put them on the list after they tried to self-register as MND isn’t listed,” said Susie Rabin, the head of policy and campaigns for the MND Association. “I’ve seen responses from MPs to people saying that not everyone with MND needs to be in the list as ‘some may have a mild form’. I’ve never seen a mild form of a terminal illness.”

The charity WellChild estimates any of the 100,000 children and young people with serious medical conditions in the UK do not meet the criteria for the gextremely vulnerable list.

There are also concerns the government is excluding people whose disability means they cannot physically distance safely at supermarkets, such as those with sight loss or autism. One woman with autism and mental health problems, who is self-isolating, said she had lost her carer who helps her shop but still did not make the vulnerable list. “I’m absolutely terrified I’ll be dying of starvation in the coming weeks,” she said.

Close family members will be able to say goodbye to dying relatives in hospitals and care homes under new coronavirus guidelines, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He said the UK would introduce new steps to “limit the risk of infection” and allow goodbyes “wherever possible”.

Mr Hancock also launched a new network to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to care home staff.

It comes as the number of hospital deaths in the UK rose by 761 to 12,868.

Many loved ones have been unable to say goodbye to family and friends since stringent restrictions were introduced to life in the UK on 23 March.

Mr Hancock highlighted the death of Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, from Brixton, south London. Ismail died alone in hospital last month and his close family were then unable to attend his funeral because they were self-isolating.

Speaking at Wednesday’s briefing, Mr Hancock said wanting to say goodbye to dying loved ones was “one of the deepest human instincts”.

Announcing the new guidelines, Mr Hancock said: “I’m pleased to say that working with Public Health England, the care sector and many others, we are introducing new procedures so we can limit the risk of infection while, wherever possible, giving people’s closest loved ones the chance to say goodbye.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has made big play of the fact relatives are to be allowed to visit dying family in care homes.

This was already allowed under guidance issued on 2 April, but many care homes have blocked visiting because of concern about spread of the virus, partly fuelled by a lack of protective equipment.

The same applies to hospitals. It has meant many people with Covid-19 have died with no family or friends around them.

Just because a minister says it is allowed, it does not mean it will happen.

On the frontline, staff are under huge pressure and are reluctant to take risks.

The practicalities of the new guidelines have not been announced but further details could lie in the government’s social care plan, expected to be published later.

Care providers have been calling for more testing and PPE for weeks, amid outbreaks at more than 2,000 homes.

Earlier, the government promised to test care home residents and staff with Covid-19 symptoms as laboratory capacity increases.

At the news conference, Mr Hancock extended that promise to include anyone moving from hospital into social care.

Labour’s shadow minister for social care Liz Kendall, said the UK needed a “clear and detailed plan” to protect care home workers and residents.

“More still needs to be done to ensure enough PPE regularly gets to frontline staff, who are desperate not to infect the elderly and disabled people they care for, or their own families,” she said.

“There are too many reports across the country that this vital protective equipment still isn’t getting through.”

Mr Hancock also announced the launch of a “badge of honour” to allow care workers to “proudly and publicly identify themselves” during the pandemic – in a bid to their boost public recognition of all those in caring roles.

And he said supermarkets have been asked to ensure social care workers are given the same priority access as NHS staff.

Families of children with special educational needs and disabilities are a resilient and resourceful group of people. Many of the qualities required to endure the coronavirus pandemic – vigilance, self-containment and mutual aid – are basic skill sets to parent carers. Whether at school, work or in community life, we are past masters at social distancing and social isolation.

Our families have poorer physical and mental health than most. We earn less, have higher household costs, are more isolated, and break up and break down more. Somehow, perhaps because we have no choice, we manage to endure.

Ours is also a vulnerable group – not just to the virus itself, but to the social and economic consequences of the pandemic.Little has been said by government or the national media about the very complex needs of our families during this crisis; no answers yet for a parent-carer like Debbie Taylor, an NHS psychotherapist and key worker who cannot send her daughter, Sarah, to school as she has tuberous sclerosis and is prone to chest infections.

The pressure on the NHS also means Sarah’s annual MRI scan, to check that tumours on her major organs have not grown, has been cancelled. Meanwhile, Debbie works and juggles caring for Sarah over an 18-hour day. “I am exhausted, there is no let up,” she says. “Normal coping strategies or self-care mechanisms are all gone. All our support systems were already unravelling. There is no plan B. We are now on our own.”

While Debbie’s daughter is one of 1.5 million people advised by the government to self-isolate for 12 weeks, Maria Barnes, whose son Tom has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, epilepsy and visual impairment, didn’t get that message. Drugs used to control Tom’s epilepsy may have weakened his immunity. A high temperature can trigger his epilepsy. Maria took no chances: she quarantined her family before schools officially closed and now refuses entry to paid carers in order to protect Tom.

Quarantining for Tom means missing out on specialist therapies: physio, speech and language therapy, and support with his visual impairment. Maria is sick with fear. “What if Tom does get the virus and there are two children and one ventilator. What then?”

Maria refers to our families as the “great unseen”. She has a point. Maybe 10-20% of the families who Reaching Families provides with information, training and peer support would fit the government definition of vulnerable: those who have a social worker or an education, health and care plan, which legally entitles children to additional resources and support.

The remaining 80% usually survive with minimal or no external help. Like Lisa, struggling to know how to support her daughter Kaitlin, who has reacted to self-isolation by questioning whether she actually exists, and has begun self-harming and writing the word “REAL” on her arm. Kaitlin is waiting for diagnostic assessment for special educational needs but that has been put on hold. “We’ve essentially lost our support system so have used Reaching Families’ Facebook group to ask other parents for advice,” she says.

These stories are just a handful of what we have learned at Reaching Families in the past three weeks. Charities like ours are doing what we can to meet families’ needs. As a small grassroots organisation, we are fortunate that we can adjust our services to suit the current reality.

Our books and factsheets are already available in PDF and eBook format, and our training has been adapted to deliver as live chat and webinars. Our support groups are on Zoom, and our befriending and counselling is now delivered by video chat or by phone. We are lucky too to have supportive funders, and like many smaller organisations our size and flexibility has enabled us to change track quickly.

But how to ensure the very survival of families already living close to breaking point is something else entirely. It urgently requires national attention, government acknowledgement that our families are a vulnerable group, and investment and support that does justice to that definition. We also need new, creative and flexible solutions to education, health and care needs.

If the pandemic has proved anything, it is that government can move mountains when it has the political willpower to do so. For our community, so long ignored, that must at last mean now. We might be resilient but are far from invincible.

A press release:

Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, a Leeds GP trainee with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is helping elderly and vulnerable people recover during the COVID-19 crisis with support from her WHILL powerchair from TGA.

Hannah Barham-Brown is a British Medical Association Council member, speaker, and gender and disability equity campaigner. She is a practicing GP however is currently working for Leeds Community Healthcare which supports an increasing number of senior patients who have been rapidly discharged from hospital. As she has reduced mobility due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, she uses a technologically advanced powered wheelchair known as a WHILL Model C.

Hannah is the UK Ambassador for TGA who supplies this multi-award winning product in the UK. In addition to her career, charity work and media commentary, she gives motivational talks and for the second year running, was included in the Shaw Trust’s Power 100 list – making her one of the most influential disabled people in the UK. Hannah is currently caring for elderly people who require support during rehabilitation from hospital before returning to their homes.

Hannah says: “When I went to medical school, I trained for many unexpected things however nothing could have prepared me for everything I would face working during Coronavirus. In many ways, I am very lucky. I’m currently based in the Leeds NHS ‘Recovery Hub’ for older patients who have been discharged from hospital, but need some rehabilitation or a care package starting before they are able to go home. However COVID 19 is now everywhere, with many of those who have it appearing to have no symptoms at all. I am spending much of my day in my WHILL wearing a facemask, visor over my glasses, apron and gloves.  My patients aren’t able to have visitors so sometimes I have to make difficult phone calls to loved ones to explain the situation and the options we may or may not have.”

Hannah is able to complete her rounds and consultations with her TGA WHILL which she calls ‘Merida’. As walking is very challenging, she moves around using ‘omni-wheel’ technology which allows pioneering manoeuvrability – with the ability to position herself in tight spaces and closer to patients. This contemporary product can be dismantled and stored in a car boot and ‘parked’ using a remote-control smartphone app.

Hannah continues: “I’m also lucky that my condition doesn’t leave me especially ‘vulnerable’ to Coronavirus – whilst as a healthcare professional I know I am at higher risk of catching it than the average member of the population. I know there is a lot of very justified fear in the disabled community at the moment; as ever, it feels like the challenges faced by wider society are magnified for those who rely on care, and have additional health needs. Please, if you are struggling, reach out. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have an amazing community of disabled people sharing their experiences and supporting each other. TGA Mobility are also helping their customers through social media and to try and support people with mobility and independence. In medical school, the most important thing I learnt was the importance of working as part of a team – my WHILL helps me do this, especially during this incredibly demanding clinical situation.”

A quarter of Scottish deaths linked to coronavirus have occurred in care homes, new figures have suggested.

The National Records of Scotland said 962 deaths had now been registered in Scotland where the virus was mentioned on the death certificate.

The majority of these deaths occurred in hospital, but 25% were in care homes and 13% in other settings.

In the week from 6 to 12 April, the virus was mentioned in 31% of all deaths registered in Scotland.

The NRS figures provide a wider picture of the impact of the virus on Scotland than the Health Protection Scotland statistics which are announced each day.

The HPS figures, which only reflect cases in hospitals where a positive test has been recorded, placed the death toll at 566 on 12 April.

The new NRS figures said coronavirus had been logged on the death certificate in 962 cases – 608 of them in the past week.

Of the total, 596 deaths occurred in hospitals, 237 were in care homes and 128 were in the home or outside of care.

Just under 70% of all registered deaths involving Covid-19 were of people aged 75 or over, and only eight of those who died were aged under 45.

The report also examines which areas of Scotland have been worst affected.

The Covid-19 death rate is 2.7 per 10,000 of the population in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and 2.6 in the Borders. However, the rate was 0.8 in Grampian and Western Isles had no recorded deaths.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the NRS report provided “a comprehensive figure and therefore a more accurate one”.

She said she was “acutely aware” that the figures were “hard to hear” and were “higher than anyone would ever want to think about”.

But she said the information was vital in understanding the spread of the virus and informing what to do next.

Ms Sturgeon said 433 care homes in Scotland had now recorded cases of coronavirus, and stressed that the government was “doing all we can to prevent infection and to control it when there is infection in a care home”.

She said moves would be made to test all patients in care homes who were showing symptoms of Covid-19.

However, she said guidance to homes was “already very clear”, and that isolation and social distancing remained “the most important factor” in managing and preventing infection.

And she stressed that “none of us are powerless” in the face of the virus, as “all of us have some control here” by following lockdown rules.

The provisional total number of deaths in Scotland for the week up to 12 April was 1,969 – “much higher” than the average for the same week over the last five years, which was 1,100.

Ms Sturgeon said that while much of the increase could be attributed to the virus, “not all of it can”. She said this was a “very serious issue for us to look into and explore further”.

The first minister also said 1,748 people were currently in hospital with the virus, 195 of whom are in intensive care.

Both of these figures are down on recent days, which she said was “cause for some very cautious optimism”.

How is this different from the daily data?

The figures announced each day by the Scottish government come from Health Protection Scotland (HPS), and reflect coronavirus cases which have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

This daily figure reveals how many people have died in hospital within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.

The wider figures which come out on Wednesdays are from the National Records of Scotland, and capture a bigger picture.

All care home residents and staff with Covid-19 symptoms will be tested for coronavirus as laboratory capacity increases, the government has promised.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “determined” to ensure everyone who needed a test had access to one.

Labour welcomed the pledge but said the social care sector needed more support.

Care providers have been calling for more testing for weeks, with charities saying the virus is “running wild” amid outbreaks at more than 2,000 homes.

At the moment only the first five residents who show symptoms in a care home are tested, to determine whether there is an outbreak of the virus.

Providers have also complained that deaths among residents were being “airbrushed” out of official figures and demanded greater support for the industry.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is urging the government to publish an exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown.

Sir Keir said his party would support the government if, as expected, it extends lockdown measures later this week. But he called for more transparency about how and when the rules will be relaxed.

It comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned of “tough times” ahead for the economy after a bleak forecast of the fiscal impact of the pandemic.

However, Mr Sunak insisted: “It’s not a case of choosing between the economy and public health.”

Figures released on Tuesday revealed 12,107 people had died in hospital with the virus, an increase of 778 on the previous day.

And Office for National Statistics data, which includes every community death linked to Covid-19 in England and Wales, showed 406 such deaths registered up to 3 April had occurred outside of hospitals – 217 of them in care homes.

However, the total is expected to have increased since then.

Britain’s largest care home operator, HC-One, said the virus represented about one-third of all deaths at HC-One’s care homes over the last three weeks. And MHA, a charity which operates 131 homes, said it had recorded 210 coronavirus-related deaths to date.

Mr Hancock said he would ensure anyone in a care home with symptoms of the virus, as well as any new care home residents being discharged from hospital into care, would be tested.

“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus, and as part of our plan to prevent the spread and save lives we will ensure that everyone in social care who needs a test can have a test,” Mr Hancock said.

‘Sense of insecurity’

Gail Grant, from Swindon in Wiltshire, has not been able to visit her husband Ian for three weeks.

Ian, a former dentist, has dementia and lives in a care home in Marlborough, some 12 miles away. He turned 70 this month.

“Because of his cognitive level, we can’t Skype or talk on the phone. He doesn’t have any understanding of the situation and doesn’t really know us anymore. But it’s more me – I’m aware I’m not going to see him,” Dr Grant says.

“They say they don’t have any cases at the moment at his home. But I think it’s a matter of time. And when any carers go down with it, it will be a difficult situation.”

She says of the official figures currently just including hospital deaths: “What right do they have to withhold information that should be in the public domain?”

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is co-ordinating the effort and will offer tests to the UK’s 30,000 care providers by the end of the week, the Department for Health and Social Care said.

Mr Hancock is set to give further details of the scheme when the government’s coronavirus social care action plan is outlined on Wednesday.

The increased tests in care homes will bring the government closer to its target of completing 100,000 tests a day by the end of April, the government said.

‘Not hopeful’

The latest figures show a total of 302,599 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the UK.

Dr Clare Wenham, assistant professor of global health policy at LSE, told BBC Newsnight the government was “nowhere near” hitting its target.

“I just don’t know how they can,” she said.

“We don’t have the same infrastructure and laboratory capacity of some of the countries which are really leading the way on this like South Korea and Germany. So I hope they can [hit the target], but I’m not hopeful they will.”

Labour’s shadow minister for social care, Liz Kendall, said her party looked forward to details of how the increased testing would be delivered.

The government’s pledge to give the NHS whatever resources it needs to tackle the pandemic “must also apply to social care”, she said.

Ms Kendall also called on ministers to ensure care homes are given sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) to safely care for people with the virus.

And she renewed her party’s call for the government to release daily figures on deaths outside hospitals “so we know the full scale of the challenge we face”.

Fifteen residents in a care home have died of suspected coronavirus in the past two weeks, its manager has said.

Andrea Lyons, who runs Oak Springs in Wavertree, Liverpool, said it was “like losing 15 grandparents”.

New Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows more than 217 people had died of Covid-19 in care homes in England and Wales up to 3 April.

And a healthcare body has warned the spread of coronavirus in care homes has “largely gone under the radar”.

The NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, said this was due to the way data on deaths has been collected.

Age UK said current figures on coronavirus deaths “are airbrushing older people“.

Among other care homes affected by the pandemic was Stanley Park, in Stanley, County Durham where 13 residents have died after displaying symptoms of the virus.

There have also been nine deaths at Wren Hall Nursing Home in Selston, Nottinghamshire, from suspected coronavirus.

Edgemont View Nursing Home, on the outskirts of Bristol, has reported a “number” of deaths linked to the pandemic.

The government has confirmed there have been outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England, but did not specify the number of deaths that had occurred.

“The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don’t matter,” Age UK director Caroline Abraham said.

Britain’s largest care home operator HC-One said coronavirus was present in two-thirds – 232 – of its homes.

The ONS figures show more than one in five deaths in England and Wales is linked to coronavirus, with Covid-19 mentioned on 3,475 death certificates in the week ending 3 April.

Unlike the daily figures, which only include people who have tested positive for Covid-19 and died in hospital, the ONS includes deaths in other settings.

Its data shows one in 10 coronavirus deaths this year have been in the community with more than half – 217 – in care homes.

‘Very difficult time’

Ms Lyons said: “It is like losing 15 grandparents all in the space of two weeks.

“You spend every day with these people – 12 hours a day – often more than… your own family.

“It has been a very difficult time.”

Oak Springs appealed earlier this month for more “hands-on” staff after 50 of its 72 workers had to self-isolate.

Ms Lyons said she had managed to fill the rota after an “absolutely amazing response” from agency staff, ex-doctors and Liverpool City Council.

An independent care home in Southport, Merseyside, with 25 residents, said it had not had a single case of the virus or any staff off self-isolating.

Lynsey Mylrea, who runs Glade Residential Care, said: “I had a sixth sense and pre-empted the government lockdown by about three weeks. I’m so glad I did.”

People with learning disabilities or autism can leave the house for exercise more than once a day and can travel outside of their local area under current lockdown measures, the government has said.

The guidance, which had previously stated that non-essential workers should only leave their homes once a day for exercise or to shop for basic necessities, was amended on Wednesday.

The updated advice reads: “If you (or a person in your care) have a specific health condition that requires you to leave the home to maintain your health – including if that involves travel beyond your local area – then you can do so.

“This could, for example, include where individuals with learning disabilities or autism require specific exercise in an open space two or three times each day – ideally in line with a care plan agreed with a medical professional.”

Although those with autism and mental health conditions are advised to limit their travel, and stay as close to their local area as possible, carers and support workers who do not live in their household can accompany them.

The change comes after lawyers from Bindmans LLP and 39 Essex Chambers were asked for help by two families with children on the autistic spectrum.

Bindmans said one of the children, whose conditions mean it was necessary for them to leave the house more than once a day for their wellbeing, was deliberately taken to a quiet location outside of their local area because of their particular needs.

The firms argued that the “inflexible policy”, which also says people should stay two metres apart from anyone outside of their household, disproportionately impacted those with certain health conditions and was “therefore unlawful and discriminatory”.

After the amendment was made to the guidance, one of the affected families said they were “delighted” they could support their son’s needs “without breaking the rules”.

Many older people are being “airbrushed” out of coronavirus figures in the UK, charities have warned.

The official death toll has been criticised for only covering people who die in hospital – but not those in care homes or in their own houses.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC the daily figure was based on hospital deaths because “it’s accurate and quick”.

Meanwhile, scientists will begin a review of the UK lockdown later.

The evaluation will be passed to the government – but ministers have said it was unlikely restrictions would change.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which include every community death linked to Covid-19 in England and Wales, showed a total of 406 such deaths registered up to 3 April had occurred outside of hospitals.

That would have added an extra 11% to the official UK figures, based solely on deaths in hospitals, that were being reported at that time.

Of those extra deaths, 217 took place in care homes, 33 in hospices, 136 in private homes, three in other communal establishments and 17 elsewhere.

Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer has said details about the number of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes remain unclear, but it was reported last week that there were cases of Covid-19 in 20 care homes across the nation.

Industry leaders from Age UK, Marie Curie, Care England, Independent Age and the Alzheimer’s Society have written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding a care package to support social care through the pandemic.

They have also called for a daily update on deaths in the care system.

It comes after the government confirmed there had been coronavirus outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England – although they did not specify the number of deaths that had occurred.

The figures prompted the charity Age UK to claim coronavirus is “running wild” in care homes for elderly people.

“The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don’t matter,” Caroline Abrahams, the charity’s director, said.

Meanwhile, Britain’s largest care home operator said coronavirus was present in two-thirds – 232 – of the group’s care homes.

Its director, Sir David Behan, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that coronavirus deaths represented about one-third of all deaths at HC-One’s care homes over the last three weeks. HC-One has 329 care homes throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

About 410,000 people live in care homes in the UK, living in 11,300 care homes for older people supplied by 5,500 different providers.

Addressing why deaths in care homes are not being included in the government’s data, Ms Coffey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the figures published weekly by the ONS is a “fair” way of establishing the “unfortunate picture” of where deaths are occurring.

England’s care home regulator, the Care Quality Commission, has said it will begin recording deaths in adult social care from this week – asking care providers to give daily updates on the number of confirmed and suspected cases.

Labour’s shadow social care minister Liz Kendall said daily figures were essential to dealing with the “emerging crisis” in care homes and called for the government to offer social care “whatever resources it needs”.

Conservative peer and former work and pensions minister Baroness Altmann told Today that “one or two” people in care homes had said to her they felt as though older people are being treated “like lambs to the slaughter”.

“They [care homes] are left without protective equipment, they are left without testing,” she said.

She added that “the mark of a civilised society” was “how it treats it most vulnerable and oldest citizens”.

It comes after Ms Abrahams said care homes were “underprepared” for the outbreak, adding that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing was leading to the spread of coronavirus across the care home sector.

However, Ms Coffey told the Today programme that the care sector was not being left behind, adding that PPE was being delivered “to over 26,000 care settings across the country including care homes, home care providers and also hospices”.

On Monday, the UK’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty told the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing that 92 homes in the UK reported outbreaks in one day.

The Department of Health and Social Care later confirmed 2,099 care homes in England have so far had cases of the virus.

Care England has estimated there have been nearly 1,000 deaths from coronavirus in care homes, leaving social care as “the neglected front line”.

The Labour Party has called on the government to publish daily figures of deaths in care homes to highlight the “true scale” of the spread of the virus, which causes the Covid-19 disease.

The issue has regularly been raised by journalists at the daily Downing Street briefing and the government response has been that the number announced each day is based on hospital figures as this can be quickly gathered and analysed – whereas deaths in the wider community take much longer to be collated after death certificates are issued by doctors.

The government says it is following the international standard by quoting the hospital figures each day – and that the fuller ONS figures can lag many days behind.

The latest care homes to confirm residents have died with symptoms of the virus include a home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, a specialist dementia home in Selston, Nottinghamshire, and a home in County Durham where 13 residents have died.

The Department of Health’s official death number of deaths of people in hospital with coronavirus rose to 11,329 on Monday – up by 717 in a day.

Several elderly residents have died with coronavirus at another Scottish care home.

The Care Inspectorate confirmed there had been a number of deaths at Almond Court in Drumchapel, Glasgow.

According to the Scottish Sun, a total of five residents have died after contracting coronavirus, and one staff member is currently ill.

The 42-bed care home, owned by the Holmes Care Group, specialises in dementia care and frail elderly care.

A spokeswoman for the Care Inspectorate said: “We are aware of the tragic death of residents at this care home as a result of suspected cases of Covid-19.

“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those affected as well as the staff and wider community of the home.

“We have been notified of the circumstances and we are in contact with the care service and the local health and social care partnership during this difficult time.

“All of Scotland’s social care sector is working under very difficult circumstances to care for people during the pandemic and the Inspectorate is doing everything it can to support them.”

Almond Court is the fourth care home to report multiple Covid-19 deaths in the last month.

Thirteen residents at Burlington Court Care Home in Glasgow’s Cranhill died in one week following a suspected outbreak of coronavirus.

Eight residents of Castle View Care Home in Dumbarton died after showing symptoms of the virus.

And Tranent Care Home in East Lothian became the third nursing home in Scotland to suffer a surge in deaths following lockdown measures.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said 406 care homes in Scotland had at least one confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus, representing 37% of the country’s care homes.

Nicola Sturgeon said in her Monday briefing that figures due out later in the week would detail where people had died including whether it was in a hospital, a care home or at home.

Earlier the owner of a Scottish chain of care homes told BBC Scotland he believed nearly two thirds of his homes have coronavirus cases.

‘Postcode lottery’

Robert Kilgour, who runs Renaissance Care, has previously warned the sector is facing a “tsunami of deaths” from the virus.

He told Good Morning Scotland the official figure for deaths in Scotland did not reflect the actual number of suspected care home deaths.

He estimated there would have been a further 200-300 deaths due to the virus not included in the total.

He also described the situation regarding testing as a “postcode lottery”.

He said: “As far as testing of care home residents goes, it doesn’t seem to be government policy.

“I would ask the question why are these vulnerable elderly being treated as second class citizens and not being given access to testing when they have symptoms?

“We are discouraged from asking for them to be hospitalised and the tragic sad death figures are for hospital deaths, not for care home deaths or deaths at home.”

At the weekend, trade body Scottish Care said the impact of the virus on residents alongside staff absence levels of up to 30% had put homes under huge strain.

Scottish Care’s members provide the vast majority of Scotland’s 36,000 care home beds, with chief executive Dr Donald Macaskill saying the virus had left the sector facing an “unprecedented challenge on every front”.

Information gathered by Scottish Care from its members suggests that about half of care homes in Scotland have at least one suspected case of coronavirus.

Twelve residents of a County Durham care home have now died after displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

Managers at Stanley Park care home in Stanley said they were “devastated” by the deaths.

The first death was in late March with the latest five confirmed by home operator Care UK on Sunday.

It has not been disclosed how many other residents at the 72-bed home are ill. One resident who tested positive for the virus is in hospital.

Care UK regional director Karen Morrison said: “We are completely devastated that this many residents have lost their lives to what we believe to be Covid-19.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with all those families who have lost someone.

“The team at the home continue to be absolutely amazing and I cannot thank them enough.

“Despite all that has happened, they continue to deliver the very best care in a kind and professional way.

“They have had all the necessary PPE and have been using it meticulously ever since the first case was seen at the end of last month.”

Parents of disabled children in NI have called on the government for better support during the coronavirus crisis.

Limited access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hygiene products and a lack of interaction are some of the biggest concerns for parents.

One charity said these families urgently needed reassurance.

Speaking in the assembly on Thursday, Education Minister Peter Weir said his department was in constant contact with special schools.

There are 39 such schools across Northern Ireland, all of which closed amid coronavirus health and safety concerns last month.

‘Inhumane’ lack of support

Marian Bradley’s 17-year-old daughter Meabh has cerebral palsy.

Mrs Bradley said the lack of support she had received since the school closed had been “inhumane, unfair, unjust and once again it’s the people who need the most help being left behind”.

• Special schools ‘worried’ over coronavirus advice

“Families in our situations are so isolated at the best of times,” the Belfast woman told BBC News NI.

“When your child goes to school, it’s the first time parents start to hear good news and that their child has potential and they’re in an environment which, hopefully, allows them to start fulfilling that potential.

“But that’s now gone.”

The charity Children in Northern Ireland said the government had a responsibility to young people with disabilities and their families “to ensure no further structural discrimination takes places during this pandemic”.

Its chief executive, Pauline Leeson, said the charity had experienced an “overwhelming” number of calls from parents of disabled children.

At Stormont on Thursday, Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle asked Education Minister Peter Weir how children with special educational needs (SEN) were being catered for.

Mr Lyttle told BBC News NI that the education and health ministers “must urgently clarify what they are doing to support the delivery of learning, health and social care normally accessed by pupils at special schools at home”.

Mr Weir told the assembly: “In the vast bulk of cases most parents – even if there is a level of medical vulnerability – have expressed a desire that they want to look after their child directly at home.

“Many of the schools are not open at present and we’re trying to facilitate where there is opening.

“But we’ve been told by 23 of the special schools that they’ve had no request by any parent to be open.”

Mrs Bradley said she would like to see schools “becoming leaders in all of this”.

“Just because (the pupils) are not able to go to school, doesn’t mean they should be forgotten about,” she said.

‘Parents are struggling’

“You don’t want a child that is making so much progress in school to go backwards now and the poor parents, stressed out, worrying about them.

“We had finally got Meabh a social life where she went to school, all her wee groups and swimming, and now none of that is happening.

“We’ve had to explain to her that it is just too dangerous for us to take her out and we have to stay well, but that’s very hard for a young person to understand.”

Some parents say that, with limited access to PPE, they are also struggling to secure online shopping slots for food and are worried about going to pharmacies.

Ashling Fitzmaurice, from Newry, County Down, is concerned about her three-year-old daughter, Lily, who has CASK gene mutation.

They are self-isolating, to protect Lily, whose condition affects brain development.

Lily attends Rathore Special School where she receives physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy.

“She also attended music therapy, equine therapy and play therapy via the autism group which all helped with Lily’s development but with the current situation they have been all cancelled,” Ms Fitzmaurice told BBC News NI.

“I’m missing the advice from the other parents in the autism group, too, as they have been a great source of information and support.

“We really won’t know the full extent that missing months of therapies will have on Lily as early intervention is key for Lily and other children with SEN.”

‘Taking steps backwards’

Ms Fitzmaurice added: “Lily is coping well at present – she enjoys her own space – but our worry is that Lily has a lot of anxiety around others.

“It took a long time for her to settle into school and she struggled to go to play centres or anywhere too busy.”

After a few months of tears, Lily was progressing well at pre-school and she was even able to attend assembly a few weeks ago.

“But the longer she is out of school and therapies, the harder it will be for her to adjust back into them again,” said her mother.

“We will be taking steps backwards in her ability to socialise.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the minister had decided all schools should open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children where it was safe to do so.

“Schools have put provisions in place to maintain the educational needs of children,” they added.

“The Education Authority has moved many of its services to support children with SEN online.

“Parents who have concerns that the needs of their children are not being met should discuss this with the school or their health and social care trust.”

NHS staff on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic could develop anxiety, burnout, or post-traumatic stress disorder, the BBC has been told.

Psychological first aid should be provided as the UK runs the risk of a “future mental health crisis”, the British Psychological Society said.

Ministers say NHS staff can call a helpline if they are feeling stressed.

But MPs say this is not enough and that the government should provide extra support to those feeling overwhelmed.

The cross-party group says any support should be extended to all front-line staff such as care home staff, mortuary workers and cleaners.

In a letter, MPs call for management in front-line organisations to put in place preventative measures like regular breaks, encouraging people to look after themselves and to tell people that it is “OK to not be OK”.

The MPs and British Psychological Society also say professional help from psychologists and therapists needs to be easily accessible – so trauma can be dealt with early.

Front-line staff in the coronavirus crisis are routinely exposed to things the general population would never encounter – loss of patients, illness of colleagues, high levels of stress and increased exposure to Covid-19.

Trauma can leave some with insomnia, feeling disorientated, with a sense of guilt or even physical symptoms like shaking, headache, loss of appetite and aches and pains.

Some people could see a deterioration of their mental health or develop anxiety or PTSD.

“We are running the risk of a future mental health crisis and a generation of burnt-out health workers,” said Kathryn Scott, director of policy at the British Psychological Society.

“If we act now with a plan focused on prevention and leadership we can minimise the impact of trauma on responders to Covid-19.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ”We share the concerns that this epidemic poses challenges to the mental health and wellbeing of all our health and care workers.”

The spokesperson said NHS England had partnered with Headspace, UnMind and Big Health to offer “free-to-use mental health apps for both NHS and care staff”.

A £5m grant was also available for mental health charities to fund additional services for people who are struggling, the spokesperson said.

Dr Andrew Molodynski, a consultant psychiatrist and mental health lead for the British Medical Association, said: “Health workers are used to seeing death, but we aren’t used to seeing lots and lots of people die when we can’t do anything about it.

“That will cause a lot of symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma.

“I’m already seeing that in my hospital – staff are anxious and some are already off work because of the impact that has had on their mental health.”

The all-party group of MPs has asked the government to encourage the NHS and care organisations to treat their staff with compassion, and signpost ways to get help.

The MPs also call for a focus on psychological first aid, developed for use in disasters like hurricanes or wildfires in the US.

It sees people at risk encouraged to seek help and support one another with stress before it becomes a serious permanent problem.

SNP MP Lisa Cameron, who wrote the letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, said protecting the mental health of staff was “essential” – just like providing adequate protective equipment.

Ms Cameron added: “If we fail to act now, front-line staff and communities will be living with the psychological consequences of coronavirus for decades to come.”

Thousands of people in the UK have died after being diagnoses with coronavirus, including nurses, doctors, surgeons and other NHS staff.

When her newborn son was placed in her arms for the first time, Lucy Lintott shed tears of joy. It was the most natural of reactions after what was, undeniably, a remarkable pregnancy.

The 25-year-old was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2014, making her the youngest person in Scotland with the terminal disease.

The illness cast doubt over the very possibility of Lucy bearing children – and so when baby L J arrived in February, she could not believe he was real.

“I had built it up so much in my head, I didn’t think it was going to happen,” said Lucy. “I was very emotional and I wouldn’t let anyone take him off me.”

MND gradually makes gripping, walking, talking and swallowing extremely difficult – and eventually impossible. It kills about a third of people within a year and more than half within two years.

Yet six years on from her diagnosis, Lucy, from Garmouth in Moray, says she is experiencing the “best feeling ever”, taking care of her “strong, cheeky bundle” – who has a “great set of lungs”.

Lucy says she has navigated early motherhood without much advice, given that MND usually affects people over the age of 40 and, as such, pregnancy among patients is incredibly rare.

She said: “I think there’s only five or six cases in the world of people who have given birth while having MND.

“They didn’t know how my body or lungs would deal with it so it was really up to me.

“But it went really well – the only thing I did was come off medication to give L J the best start in life.”

Just weeks ago, Lucy and her fiancé Tommy were planning a May wedding, which has now been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As one of the 400 people in Scotland with MND, Lucy has been advised to stay at home for 12 weeks.

Normally she would go about her daily life with assistance from three carers – however, she has had to move back to her parents’ home in order to protect her health and still receive the care she needs.

She said: “Because of isolation, I’m down to one carer and I can’t really go out.

“The coronavirus has had a massive impact, I’d normally be out shopping, at the gym or seeing friends.

“I’ll have to reorganise the wedding – and it’s hard enough preparing one wedding then to have to change it all. So I’m quite gutted.”

‘It’s crazy and surreal – but the best feeling ever’

In 2017, Lucy gave a stark account of how MND was like being “slowly paralysed” in the BBC documentary MND and the 22-year-old Me.

However, her strength, positivity and good humour were very much at the forefront of her story – she confessed most people knew her for her “weird-ass laugh”.

Such qualities have now carried her through not just the upheaval of lockdown, not just illness and not just the challenges of parenthood – but all three at once.

She says that living with her parents has been a “godsend”, and laughs as she admits the greatest challenge to her family – “probably dealing with me”.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to introducing LJ to friends and do what we’d normally do over the summer, like going swimming or taking him to the park. Just the little things.

“I’m staying away from the coronavirus and my MND is stable and hasn’t really changed.

“It’s very crazy and surreal that I’m a parent – I’m responsible for a little bundle. But honestly, it’s the best feeling ever.”

The UK’s organ transplant network could be forced to shut down as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the body that runs the scheme is warning.

One factor is the pressure on intensive care beds, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

But there is also the risk to transplant patients, who have their immune systems suppressed so their bodies don’t reject new organs.

Since the beginning of March the number of transplants has fallen dramatically.

This time last year more than 80 transplants were being carried out each week in the UK.

But now just a handful of the most urgent cases – mainly heart and liver – are going ahead.

Pressure on intensive care

Prof John Forsyth, medical director for transplant and organ donation at NHSBT, admits the system may struggle to operate while the epidemic continues.

“When I hear from other countries who have been at the centre of this Covid pandemic, they have got to the point where no transplant is possible in certain regions at all.

“We may get to that point, and we may get to that point in the next days or weeks.

“But we are working very hard to keep organ donation and transplant open for as long as possible, accepting the safety of our patients is paramount.”

The pressure Covid-19 cases are exerting on intensive care units is one important factor.

Both donors and recipients need that high level of care, so fewer potential donor families are being approached.

But surgeons are also understandably reluctant to treat immuno-suppressed transplant patients anywhere near those with the highly infectious Covid-19.

This is the dilemma for those like Ana-Rose Thorpe, from Manchester, who is waiting for a liver transplant.

Now aged 29, Ana-Rose has lived with hepatitis almost her entire life after contracting it as a baby.

The disease has taken its toll and now her liver is failing and she is in desperate need of a transplant.

‘I could get sicker and sicker’

“Having to go into hospital while there are coronavirus patients there is very worrying,” she says.

“This is a window of opportunity for a transplant without the coronavirus.

“Whilst my body could withstand the transplant, the longer I’m not being monitored, not being seen as often as I was, the longer I leave it, I could just get sicker and sicker.

“I feel like it’s patients that are already on the transplant list, patients waiting for other operations, we have just been swept aside.

“Its not any fault of the NHS, no-one can help what is going on.

“They are trying to make it safe for us but we are still terrified of going into hospital.

“It’s my life – it is a matter of life and death,” Ana-Rose says.

‘Balance of risk’

Vanessa Hebditch, director of policy at the British Liver Trust, says this is a very worrying time for everyone.

“The outbreak means that unfortunately many intensive-care unit beds across the United Kingdom are now being used to care for those affected by this pandemic.

“The British Liver Trust understands that at the moment liver transplant centres will remain open, and urgent transplants are still taking place.

“However, transplant recipients are considered to be an extremely high-risk group should they develop coronavirus.

“Whilst, we are concerned that some people who need a transplant may have this delayed because of this unprecedented crisis, the balance of risk needs to be assessed and vulnerable patients need to be protected from contracting the virus.”

Each year 450 patients die before their transplant can be carried out.

The sad reality is that many more will die if transplants cease altogether – another hidden cost of the coronavirus emergency.

Seven residents of an east London care home have died with coronavirus.

Another 21 residents are displaying Covid-19 symptoms at the Hawthorn Green home in Stepney – which houses 48 people.

A dozen staff members are also off work, either self-isolating or shielding, the care home said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it was “working around the clock to give the social care sector the support it needed”.

A care home spokesman said: “Regrettably, seven residents have died who had symptoms consistent with Covid-19.

“Twenty-one residents are showing at least one symptom consistent with the virus.”

Jamshad Ali, an 87-year-old retired tailor who moved to London from Bangladesh in 1962, is one of those who died.

Mr Ali, who had worked for Burberry, died in the Royal London Hospital on 24 March after contracting Covid-19, a week after being discharged from hospital for a chest infection.

His daughter Luthfa Hood told the Local Democracy Reporting Service : “If we had known the virus was so prevalent in Hawthorn Green we would not have sent him back there after he had been in hospital.

“We knew that if he got it, that would be him done.

“We cannot praise the NHS enough for what they did. But there needs to be more testing, especially in places like care homes where the most vulnerable live.”

‘Serious risk’

Labour MP for Barking and Dagenham Dame Margaret Hodge has written to the government about the shortage of PPE and staff at the care homes in her constituency.

“Care home staff said they were forced to wash or reuse disposable aprons and face masks. Some care homes had run out of gloves and face masks entirely”, she said,

“I was shocked to hear that one care home had been forced to borrow protective eye equipment from a local secondary school.

“This situation is completely unacceptable and puts the health of care home staff and residents at serious risk.”

A DHSC spokesman said: “We are providing personal protective equipment to over 26,000 care home providers across the country.”

Very sadly there are similar situations in Luton and Belfast.