BBC News. I'm John Shea. The American billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates says a coronavirus vaccine could be developed within 18 months, but this might involve compromises. Mr. Gates told the BBC that a vaccine was the only way to get back to life, the way it was before the pandemic. The Microsoft founder, whose foundation is helping to fund research and development, said the whole world was working on what was probably the most urgent tool ever needed. There will be a trade-off, will have less safety testing than we typically would have. And so governments will have to decide, you know do they indemnify the companies and really say, let's go out with this when it's we just don't have the time to do what we normally do. So 18 months is about what we'd expect.
BBC 新闻。我是约翰·谢伊。美国亿万富翁慈善家比尔·盖茨表示,可以在18个月内研制出冠状病毒疫苗,但可能需要妥协。盖茨先生告诉BBC,疫苗是恢复疫情之前生活的唯一途径。这位微软创始人表示,全世界都在研究这个可能是有史以来最迫切需要的工具,他的基金会正在为研发提供资金。这将会有一个权衡,新疫苗将会比常规疫苗有更少的安全测试。政府需要决定,他们是否允许这些公司在时间紧迫的情况下按照非常规方法研发疫苗。所以,18个月的研发时间是我们所期望的。
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he owes his life to the doctors and nurses who have been treating him for COVID-19. Mr. Johnson is recovering in hospital in London, where he spent three days in intensive care. Here's the BBC's political correspondent Ben Wright. Boris Johnson continues to get better, but his convalescence is clearly going to take time. Number 10 does not want to speculate about when Mr. Johnson might leave hospital or be back at his desk, but a return to work does not look imminent. The prime minister is expected to rest and recover in the coming weeks, and the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will continue to deputize and will be in charge when ministers carry out a review of the lockdown measures.
Christians around the world are celebrating Easter despite the coronavirus restrictions that have left hundreds of millions confined to their homes. Many priests are conducting services in empty churches. Pope Francis held the traditional Easter vigil in an almost deserted Saint Peter's Basilica. Mark Lowen is in Rome. This is the most important time of the year here at the Vatican, and Saint Peter Square would usually be packed with tens of thousands of people right now from across the world. While the worshipers must stay away, the church is trying to come to them through services and charity, knowing that for many their faith will help them get through this. The Church of the Blessed Redeemer in Bergamo, the worst-hit province, has lost more than 150 of its parishioners to the outbreak. In the Easter services streamed online, reverence mixed with heartbreak.
Israel is imposing strict lockdown measures in four districts of Jerusalem affecting predominantly ultra orthodox Jewish communities in the city. Those living in the areas will only be allowed to out to go to work, to get essential medical treatment or to attend the funeral of a close relative.
North Korea's ruling party has called for stricter measures to counter COVID-19. Pyongyang has taken steps such as closing its border with China, but there's been skepticism over its claim that it remains free of the virus. This is the latest world news from the BBC.