Coronavirus news you might have missed overnight: UK war footing continues with mass new hospitals and vast volunteer service – but Trump says it will all be over by Easter

Britain and US prepare for tsunami of cases as pandemic continues to spread

The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause chaos across the UK and around the world. Here’s your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight.

Massive new hospital to open in London next week…

A 4,000 bed critical care centre is to be set upin the capital’s ExCeL Centre specifically to treat Covid-19 patients.

The Nightingale Hospital - which will open at the repurposed conference facility early next week and will be staffed by NHS doctors and nurses, as well as military medics – dwarfs the 1,000-bed hospital built from scratch in Wuhan at the height of the epidemic in China.

Announcing the plan on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock said: “We have the capacity that we need so that everyone can get the support that they need.”

…and another could be created in Birmingham

Bosses at the National Exhibition Centre in the West Midlands city have said the venue “stands ready" and is "well equipped" to become a second temporary hospital if required.

Reports suggest ministers are currently considering the plan after the region emerged as the UK’s second coronavirus hotspot after London.

In other areas, meanwhile, a number of hotels are also being considered as potential over-spill treatment facilities for if and when if the numbers of people infected with Covid-19 starts to overwhelm hospitals.

More than 170,000 sign up to volunteer for NHS

A plea for some 250,000 volunteers to help the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in some 170,000 people signing up less than a day after the scheme was launched.

The overwhelming response was revealed by the GoodSAM medical group coordinating the effort.

The volunteers will mainly be deployed to help shield the country’s 1.5 million most vulnerable people, who have been told to stay indoors completely for at least 12 weeks.

Tasks will include delivering medicines from pharmacies, driving patients to and from medical appointments, and helping with supplies.

Donald Trump says US will be over virus by Easter…

The US president has claimed the country could be back to normal by the upcoming April holiday.

Speaking on Fox News, the Republican leader said: “We're going to be opening relatively soon... I would love to have the country opened up and just rearing to go by Easter."

He added later: "Easter is a very special day for me...and you'll have packed churches all over our country."

He warned against allowing businesses to stay shut too long for fear of causing an economic depression. If that happened, the 73-year-old said, “you're going to have suicides by the thousands. You're going to have all sorts of things happen. You're going to have instability."

…but New York governor pleads for medical supplies for city

Andrew Cuomo has said his state needs 30,000 new ventilators within days as new figures showed some 25,000 people there had been diagnosed with Covid-19. The state currently has just 7,000 of the machines.

Speaking at a press conference, the Democrat said: “We were looking at a freight train coming across the country. We're now looking at a bullet train.”

He added: "New York is the canary in the coal mine, New York is happening first, what is happening to New York will happen to California and Illinois, it is just a matter of time."

And he warned that the state's hospital system would reach breaking point within days unless the US government provides more healthcare supplies.

Massive $2 trillion pandemic rescue plan announced in US

A vast package of aid measures has been agreed by the American Senate and will be passed into law on Wednesday.

The plan aims to reduce the economic impact of coronavirus on the US.

It includes tax rebates, loans, money for hospitals and rescue packages for businesses struggling because of the epidemic.