Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Friday evening. We'll have another update on Saturday.

1. Government 'cannot put a date' on a vaccine

Business Secretary Alok Sharma, giving the daily briefing, has announced the launch of a vaccine taskforce aimed at developing a coronavirus vaccine and making it available to the British public "as soon as possible". But Mr Sharma warned: "We cannot put a date on when we will get a vaccine." It comes as the number of deaths in UK hospitals reached 14,576, an increase of 847 on Thursday's total.

Image copyright AFP

2. Police, fire and prison staff to get tested

People with more types of jobs - not just NHS workers - will soon be able to get tested for coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the number of tests being carried out was rising and tests are now being rolled out to public service workers such as police, fire and prison staff. Meanwhile, a global health professor has warned the crisis could lead to 40,000 UK deaths.

Image copyright Reuters

3. China denies cover-up amid new death figures

Months after the virus broke out in Wuhan in China, the city - which is now out of lockdown - has revised its official death toll. It's gone up by another 1,290 deaths. China has been accused of downplaying how serious the outbreak was and under-reporting its figures - but officials say there is no cover-up and the latest figure is due to new data.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Learn how Wuhan dealt with the lockdown

4. No change in face mask rules

The issue of face masks is in the news again today, after London's mayor said people should wear non-medical masks - like scarves or bandanas - as "additional protection" in public. Currently, the UK government does not advise people to wear masks. Minister Grant Shapps says the government will wait to hear from scientists before changing its advice.

Image copyright Getty Images

5. Little boy with cancer recovers from virus

The parents of a four-year-old boy with cancer say it's a "weight lifted off" them after he recovered from the virus. Archie Wilks has stage four neuroblastoma, meaning he's in the high risk group of people who could get severely ill with Covid-19. But after six days in hospital he's now back home and enjoying playing with his brother.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The parents of Archie Wilks, who has a rare form of cancer, say his recovery from Covid-19 is "a weight lifted"

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Here's some advice on how to protect your mental health during the pandemic.

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