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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the first British patient had been put in a randomised trial for a treatment for coronavirus.

He said: "UK experts, scientists, expect to start trials for the first vaccine within a month. And above all we're getting better at testing.

"To give you an idea of what is coming down the track, we're in negotiations today to buy a so-called antibody test, as simple as a pregnancy test which can tell whether you have had the disease and it's early days, but if it works as its proponents claim, then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable.

"Because obviously it has the potential to be a total gamechanger."

Mr Johnson added: "By the same token we're massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now and ramping up daily testing from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000."

He said that the government is also in talks to buy antibody tests, which can see whether someone has the virus.

Government would buy "hundreds of thousands" of the tests, which he calls a "game changer" because then people could go back to work if they've had the bug.

His remarks came soon after US President Donald Trump said trials had indicated a drug called Hydroxychloroquine had been approved by the US Food and Drug administration and would be available for prescription immediately.

Mr Johnson had also said the UK can 'turn the tide' on the coronavirus pandemic within the UK within 12 weeks.

He also said there was great scientific progress being made on 'where the virus is' which will make a "huge difference to how we are able to manage the disease going forward.

"We can turn the tide in 12 weeks and we can send it packing if the public takes the steps outlined.

"And that's vital because that's how we're going to reduce the peak.

"If we do this together we will save many, many thousands of lives."