THE GOOD NEWS NHS WRAPS UP

Every day, we are reporting snippets of comfort as the world fights coronavirus

♦ A brigade of doctors and nurses from Cuba have flown to Italy this weekend to help fight coronavirus – Italy is now the centre of the global crisis.

It is not the first time Cuba has been part of a global medical response. Since 1959, it has sent six groups of “armies of white robes” to tackle diseases abroad. The Cubans were applauded on arrival.

♦ Factories across the UK have converted their production lines to produce thousands more ventilators for the NHS. The Mclaren F1 team, Coventry-based RDM Automotive, and vacuum manufacturer Gtech have all switched their focus to ventilators. As of yesterday morning, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said the NHS now has 12,000 ventilators, up from 5,000. It’s thought the NHS needs at least 30,000.

♦ The Army is being brought in to distribute masks and protective suits to front-line NHS staff. NHS England has said “millions more items of personal protective equipment” have been delivered to NHS services over the last few days.

♦ Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases yesterday – there were also no new locally transmitted infections. In

Wuhan, residents were told they could return to work if they did not have a temperature and presented a green health code (which marks their virus-free status).

♦ Brazil’s top football clubs are handing over their stadiums to allow health authorities to turn them into field hospitals and clinics to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “In this grim moment, I wanted to invite our great Red and Black nation to renew hope and work for better days. Let us take care of our elders, help those who need it most,” said Rodolfo Landim, the club president of South American champions Flamengo. Harriet Barber