The UK's death toll from Covid-19 has risen by 684 to 3,605, up 23% in a day. A total of 173,784 people have been tested, of which 38,168 were positive.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has taken two weeks to increase from just under 4,000 (3,983 on 20 March) to just under 40,000 (38,168 today).
Today's figures from the Department of Health also show that for the second day running more than 10,000 new people were tested in the UK for the virus.
This is the equivalent of around 261 people in every 100,000, or 0.3% of the population.
Earlier, the Health Secretary said the peak of the UK's outbreak will be slightly sooner than previously thought and will come in the next few weeks.
"The modelling suggests that that peak will be slightly sooner than previous, in the next few weeks but it is very, very sensitive to how many people follow the social distancing guidelines," Matt Hancock told the BBC.
Mr Hancock has described having coronavirus as a "pretty unpleasant experience".
He finished his self-isolation yesterday after testing positive for Covid-19 last week.
He said he had lost half a stone during the illness and said it was "like having glass in my throat.
"For me it was short-lived and I was able to come back to work yesterday and I'm in full health.
"But it is worrying. I've lost half a stone, it's quite a serious impact directly. But thankfully for me I could get through it."
Queen Elizabeth is to address the UK this weekend in relation to the coronavirus outbreak, Buckingham Palace has said.
The televised message was recorded at Windsor Castle and will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday.
Around 8,000 patients a day need to be tested for Covid-19 but with social distancing measures in place it is hoped that number will flatten out, Mr Hancock said.
He said that around 1,500 frontline healthcare staff are being tested daily since centres opened at the weekend but that number is "ramping up fast".
He added: "At the moment we think that there are around 35,000 frontline NHS staff who aren't in work due to coronavirus. The number is much smaller than some of the anecdotal evidence that we've been hearing, although of course there may be pockets.
"Over the next couple of weeks" the testing figures for frontline staff "should" rise to thousands a day.
"But I don't want to make a commitment that I can't meet and that's why when I was asked about it yesterday I said by the end of the month."
Asked if he can guarantee 100,000 tests a day will happen by the end of April, Mr Hancock said: "Yes, it's got to happen."
He added: "I've got a plan to get us there. I've set it as a goal. It absolutely is what the nation needs." He said there is still a "huge amount of work to do" to get to that point.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is still ill after testing positive for Covid-19 last week and will continue his self-isolation.
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Meanwhile, a nurse in the midlands, who was in intensive care on a ventilator, has died, her friends have said.
A close friend of the 36-year-old mother-of-three, who worked at Walsall Manor Hospital, paid tribute to her on social media and confirmed she had died.
The first of the government's new Nightingale hospitals opened in London today.
The NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in east London is due to admit its first Covid-19 patients, while two other temporary hospitals have also been announced for Bristol and Harrogate.
NHS England said 1,500 extra beds for coronavirus patients will be available at two newly-planned hospital sites at the University of the West of England and the Harrogate Convention Centre.
The temporary hospital in Bristol will be able to look after up to 1,000 patients, while Harrogate can care for up to 500.
They will join other sites due to open at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre and Manchester's Central Complex.
Meanwhile in Essex, fallow deer have been roaming around a housing estate near Romford.
The semi-urban deer are a regular sight in the area around Dagnam Park.
However, as the roads have become quieter due, the deer have staked a claim on new territories in the vicinity.
Additional reporting Reuters
