British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lamented the latest Covid-19 data in Britain, which showed a record increase of deaths there, saying it was a "sad, sad day."
Fatalities linked to the virus in Britain today rose by 563 to a total of 2,352 – the highest one-day rise in deaths there so far.
"Let's be in no doubt this has been a sad, sad day," Mr Johnson said in a video message posted on Twitter.
"But let's be in no doubt that if we can follow the programme that we are currently set upon, if we can comply with the measures that we've embarked on together, then I have absolutely no doubt that we will begin to start to push those numbers down."
Here's an update to bring you up to speed on some of the things that we are doing to protect our NHS.
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) April 1, 2020
We will beat coronavirus together by staying at home, protecting our NHS and saving lives. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/FOYfvzlQPC
He said Britain will turn the tide of the coronavirus in the next few weeks and months.
Earlier, Mr Johnson's government came under renewed pressure for its failure to mass test frontline medical staff, let alone the wider community.
Health ministry figures showed 29,474 confirmed cases, an increase of 4,324.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Prince Charles have all tested positive for Covid-19 in recent days.
Officials have said they expect a surge in cases in the coming days, but hope the effects of a nationwide lockdown introduced on 23 March will then start to show.
But questions are growing about how long Britons will be asked to stay at home, amid a lack of mass testing.
Britain has tested 153,000 people so far. It reached 10,000 a day on Tuesday, and is aiming for 25,000 a day by mid April. Germany is currently testing 70,000 a day.
The vast majority of those being tested in Britain are patients in hospital, and there are concerns about the lack of tests for frontline medical staff.
At the government's daily press briefing, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said increasing capacity was the "top priority".
A spokesman for Mr Johnson earlier said more than 2,000 staff in the state-run National Health Service (NHS) had been tested so far.
Government minister Michael Gove has said the response had been hampered by a lack of "chemical reagents" needed for tests.
But the UK chemical industry has rejected the claim while the main opposition Labour party said the government needed to explain why there was such a difference with other countries.
"NHS staff are rightly asking if we've left it too late to buy the kits and chemicals we need, or whether our lab capacity is too overstretched after years of tight budgets," Labour's health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said.
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'Crisis' kit shortages
A joint statement from trade unions representing health and social workers today reiterated concerns about a lack of protective clothing.
"It's now clear that the lack of personal protective equipment for frontline workers has become a crisis within a crisis," it said.
"Workers are being exposed to unreasonable and unnecessary risk."
In response, Sharma said that "over the past two weeks, we have delivered over 390 million PPE products", while a dedicated hotline had been set up for anyone who needed more.
Britain's total of confirmed cases and deaths only cover hospital admissions.
The Office for National Statistics suggested yesterday the true death toll could be 24% higher, after analysing data for deaths in the community where Covid-19 is suspected.
