Hospitals In U.K. Facing Critical Shortage of PPEs.
PAUL: So, the growing global number of coronavirus cases and the people who died, it is still reminding us this morning that the world is still struggling to get a handle on this pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 150,000 people have died. There are more than 2.2 million cases worldwide. In Japan, the number of cases is more than 10,000 now. 557 new deaths and six deaths reported yesterday. This week, Japan extended its state of emergency through May 6th.</s>BLACKWELL: The United Kingdom is reporting more than 14,000 deaths, more than 100,000 cases, and that's according to Johns Hopkins. And there's a company in the U.K. that sing some promise in an antibody test. And, of course, we know that if it's reliable enough, it could tell if someone has the disease or rather had the disease, I should say, and that could help get people back to work.</s>PAUL: The U.K. is also focusing on the global hunt for the vaccine. Now, the British government, says it's forming a vaccine task force and investing millions of dollars to help bring vaccine to the market as soon as possible.</s>BLACKWELL: CNN's Nic Robertson is following this from London. Nic, let's first start with this trial from Oxford and what it's showing.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this is an effort to figure out a way, because the government's under a huge amount of pressure about how it can safely bring the country out of the lockdown, exit from isolation if you will, and to get people back to work, to salvage the economy before it's even more affected. It's -- clearly, this is the global issue effect to many countries. But a biotech company and Oxford believes it is -- it has a strong lead on this. The government certainly hopes it does, the government's being heavily criticized for not articulating a way out of -- you know, a way out of the lockdown strategy. Part of it clearly depends on having this test to check whether people have had the virus or not. And the government in some ways is sort of being held hostage to the science here, and the discoveries that are being made. They found themselves caught out in the past where they've said that these kits, these test kits would be available. They were saying this a month ago. Then, they discovered that the kits that they purchase from overseas, China, in particular, were defective. So, you know, the government is under this pressure. So, when you have a company in Oxford like this one that is very important to the government. But it's not a done deal yet, and of course, that's part of the reason why the government is putting such an effort into bringing industry, into bringing companies together, pharmaceutical companies together, academics together, as well as, as well as governments input to try to find a vaccine for the virus. All of these critical to getting out of the lockdown.</s>PAUL: Nick, I know one of the big headlines there this morning in the U.K. is about this shortage in critical-- excuse me, of personal protective equipment, the PPE. We've been talking about this in the U.S., but what is the deficiency there that they're talking about now?</s>ROBERTSON: Yes, this is a deficiency that even the government is describing now as acute and critical. So, this weekend, there is a real risk, a genuine risk in some U.K. hospitals that they were run out of the repellant gowns that are needed in the high-intensity COVID environments -- the sort of ICU type environment. So, these gowns, these fluid repellent gowns are absolutely vital to the safety of the doctors and nurses. And the government is saying -- is calling for what it recognizes is a compromise and an unprecedented measure.</s>ROBERTSON: It is saying that actually in this environment, some of those gowns will have to be washed for reuse. This never normally happens. But the government is saying this is because there is a global shortfall that they're appealing to suppliers in other countries, but they're finding -- when they're talking to other governments here in Europe, those governments as well are recommending to their own health care professionals that they also going to have to reuse the gowns. So, in the U.K. this weekend that is a very real issue. A live issue today that the gowns that protect the doctors and nurses could run out in some hospitals.</s>BLACKWELL: Wow. Nic Robertson, we're hearing similar accounts around the world. Thank you so much for that report. Let's go to Spain now. You know, like much of the world, the clubs there are closed, people are stuck at home on the weekend, but that does not stop a Friday night party.</s>PAUL: Did you know that your house can become a club, or at least, your balcony?</s>BLACKWELL: Yes, I did -- I do.</s>PAUL: These are people in Barcelona. Yes, Victor knows what that's like. So, yesterday, it was the third week in a row that neighbors were together there on their balconies, well together but distant. As they were dancing and singing, some of the neighbors apparently didn't want to have anything to do with it. Local police did interrupt the party briefly yesterday and saying now future permits are going to be needed for parties. Organizers tell Reuters, they plan to ask for a permit and they hope to be back next Friday. Got to do what you got to do.</s>BLACKWELL: Yes, you got to find a way to have a few light moments. And yes, you can turn your balcony into a club.</s>PAUL: No, Victor knows that well.</s>BLACKWELL: Know for the details.</s>PAUL: All right. That -- we'll leave if that yes. So, Facebook -- I don't know if you've heard about this, put warning labels on 40 million posts on its platform just last month. These are posts that contained false claims about COVID-19. We're going to talk more about their efforts to combat the spread of misinformation.