BORIS Johnson said 405,000 people have volunteered to help vulnerable people in the coronavirus national effort.

The Prime Minister, speaking at the daily press conference inside Number 10, said he wanted to offer a "special thank you to everyone who has now volunteered to help the NHS".

"When we launched the appeal last night, we hoped to get 250,000 volunteers over a few days.

"But I can tell you that in just 24 hours, 405,000 people have responded to the call."

Mr Johnson said: "They will be absolutely crucial in the fight against this virus. That is already, in one day, as many volunteers as the population of Coventry.

"And so to all of you, and to all the former NHS staff who are coming back now into the service, I say thank you on behalf of the entire country."

The Northern Echo:

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance Picture: PA

The UK's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said there was a "global bottle neck" on buying more testing kits.

Speaking at the press conference, he said it was the Government's aim to be able to buy tests that would allow NHS workers to go back to work if they test negative for coronavirus.

"This is a global problem - every country wants this new test for a disease that wasn't being tested for anywhere three months ago," he said.

"Everybody wants it so there is a global shortage and that's a bottleneck for us.

"The next priority is to get critical workers back to work or to say to them, 'You have got it'. We definitely would like that."

The Prime Minister said the country is coping "very well" in the face of the "most challenging circumstances".

Replying to a question about how well the country was coping, Mr Johnson said that "never in our history has the Government put its arms around people in the way we are doing now to help them get through this time".

He added that a tailored package of support would be announced on Thursday to help self-employed people.

The Northern Echo:

Boris Johnson Picture: PA

The PM said: "I do think when you look at the sheer scale of what the Government is doing to get this country through, we will cope and are coping very well indeed under the most challenging possible circumstances.

"To come out of it well together as I know we can, we all need to follow the instructions the Government have given and to stay at home, protect the NHS and that's the way to save lives."

The PM said: "If you can stay at home then you, overwhelmingly, should stay at home. That's our most important advice.

"If it is absolutely necessary for you to go to work, or place of work, then it's vital that your employer follows the rules as set out by Public Health England and ensures that you have the protections that you need.

"And the proper rules on social distancing do apply."

The PM said the Government was "massively ramping up our testing programmes" and hoped to be conducting 250,000 tests a day "very soon".

The Northern Echo:

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty Picture: PA

Prof Whitty said there were shortages along many supply chains in the production of tests because "every country in the world is simultaneously wanting this new thing".

He added: "It's not that there is no testing going on, what we need, clearly, is to be able to scale it up."

Referring to movement restrictions, the Chief Medial Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said: "We have to remember that many of the things we have to do are going to have to be sustained for a reasonably long period of time.

"And, broadly, the more difficult you make it for people, the less easy it is to sustain.

"So, there is some degree of trade off between those two things."

Mr Johnson said the UK had tested more people than most other European countries.

Prof Whitty also said he did not think people would be able to order tests on the internet next week.

Mr Johnson said the Government would look at legal ways of rallying against those profiteering by hiking up online prices while the country is in lockdown.

He said: "I dislike it very much and I do not want to see people profiteering, exploiting people's need at a critical time, in a national emergency.

"We are indeed looking very carefully at what is going on.

"The Competition and Markets Authority already has various powers that it may use but are looking at the legislative framework to see what it may be necessary to do to prevent profiteering just as happened in war time many years ago."