Coronavirus news you might have missed: 20,000 ex-NHS staff return to work as two doctors deaths confirmed in UK

Police catch group having karaoke party despite restrictions

As the UK starts its second week under lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect lives all around the world.

Here is your morning briefing of everything you may have missed in the fight against Covid-19.

Around 20,000 ex-NHS staff return to tackle coronavirus, British PM says

In a video from self-isolation, the UK prime minister said around 20,000 former NHS professionals have come back to work as the UK battles coronavirus.

Boris Johnson, who has been working from home after testing positive for the disease, also thanked the 750,000 volunteers who had offered to help the national health service during this time.

“Thank you to everybody who’s now coming back into the NHS in such huge numbers,” the PM said.

“Just this evening I can tell you we have 20,000 NHS staff coming back to the colours.”

The government had appealed to retired staff to come back to work for the health service during the outbreak.

Two doctor deaths confirmed

Two surgeons have died after contracting coronavirus in the UK, it was confirmed on Sunday.

Dr Amged El-Hawrani, a 55-year-old consultant and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) trainer, died at the Leicester Royal Infirmary on Saturday evening, which the NHS said was its first confirmed “frontline” death.

Meanwhile, Dr Adil El Tayar - an organ transplant consultant volunteering at a Midlands A&E department – died earlier in the week after testing positive for the disease.

Police clampdown on lockdown

The UK faced its first weekend under lockdown, with police stopping those trying to carry on life as normal while people are only allowed to go outside for essential reasons, and gatherings larger than two are banned.

Members of the public were discovered having house parties and on cross-country road trips by officers in various parts of the country.

One motorist was stopped on the motorway with his wife in the boot of his car, having made a 224-mile round trip to collect a £15 eBay purchase, despite people only being told to make “essential” journeys.

In Derbyshire, police posted pictures from the 25-person karaoke party they went to break up.

Officers were said to be “in absolute shock” about the gathering in Normanton on Saturday night.

Donald Trump accuses hospitals of hoarding equipment

The US president has accused American hospitals of stockpiling ventilators which are in short supply across the country.

Donald Trump said that all hospitals not using the breathing devices they have should release them.

The president, whose critics have accused him of trying to deflect blame over his handling of the crisis, did not cite any evidence or name the places he was referring to.

Syria’s first coronavirus death

A woman has died after contracting coronavirus in Syria, marking the war-torn country’s first official death linked to Covid-19.

The number of confirmed cases rose to nine from an earlier five cases, but medics and witnesses have claimed there are many more.

Meanwhile, some pilgrims returning to Iraq from Syria tested positive for the disease, raising concern that such pilgrim travel could be a source for a larger spread of the disease around the country, a senior Iraqi official and health officials said.

Additional reporting by agencies