What you need to know about COVID-19 today, Tuesday April 7.

Year 12 students will graduate with ATAR in 2020

The Federal Education Minister has confirmed that all year 12 students will finish high school this year.

Following fears that current year 12 students would have to repeat the current school year, Dan Tehan said the Commonwealth did not want students currently learning from home to be disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For all those students out there, for all those parents out there, there will be no year 13, there will be no mass repeating. You will get your leaving certificate this year,” he said.

“Every year 12 student will get an ATAR for 2020.”

Tehan also confirmed that the national COAG Educational Council would meet to consider possible adjustments to this year’s ATAR scoring.

“When it comes to how the ATAR is calculated and assessed, the Commonwealth is going to do further work with the university sector, with the vocational education sector and will come back to the Education Council in May,” he said.

It’s believed this year’s ATAR scores could be adjusted by taking into consideration students working from home or those without access to technology.

Year 12: @DanTehanWannon says states and Commonwealth have agreed there will be no ‘Year 13’ normal ATAR will apply although consideration will be given to those without access to online options

— ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@samanthamaiden) April 7, 2020

“School will look very different.” Most Victorian students will learn from home when school resumes.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victorian students will learn from home when the school holidays end next Wednesday, with vulnerable students and children of essential workers the exemptions.

“If you can work from home you must learn from home,” Premier Daniel Andrews announced during a Tuesday morning press conference.

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) will continue but the end of year exams will move to December. Andrews said he was confident the state could get students through the VCE before the end of the year, but contingencies were being made in case it dragged into 2021.

The GAT test will be moved from June to later in the year, in either October or November and universities will be asked to delay the start of the first semester in 2021.

Andrews said the rest of the school year would look very different as most students learned remotely.

“We cannot have a million students moving around the Victorian community everyday. All that will do is spread the virus and undermine the really significant progress we’ve made,” he said.

Victoria now had 1191 cases of COVID-19, he said in his update.

Boris Johnson is in intensive care.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, and he has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise, Downing Street says.

Johnson was admitted to hospital on Sunday night and had been undergoing tests after suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms for more than 10 days, but the government had earlier said he was in good spirits and still in charge.

WATCH: An A&E Doctor explains how Boris Johnson being moved to intensive care serves as a “powerful warning.” Post continues after video.

“Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” a spokesman for his office said last night.

“The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputise for him where necessary.”

Johnson, 55, tested positive for the virus on March 26.

Peak of COVID-19 may be behind us.

Details are expected to be released about the government’s coronavirus modelling, as the country’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer cautiously notes the peak of new COVID-19 cases may be behind us.

The National Cabinet is meeting today, with state and federal leaders expected to consider relief for commercial tenants, and to discuss modelling of the spread of the coronavirus in Australia.

The meeting follows Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly's remarks that the slowdown in the rate of new cases each day showed the restrictions on daily life and social distancing measures had successfully flattened the curve.

But he was cautious about predicting that rate wouldn't go up again.

Professor Kelly warned against younger people becoming complacent, saying the coronavirus was not just an older person's disease and there were a number of people aged in their 30s among the worst-affected patients now in intensive care and on ventilators.

That said, the nation's leaders and medical experts are now starting to look at how and when to start easing the tough restrictions in place to slow the disease's spread.

So far, 5795 people have the coronavirus in Australia.

Of these, 41 people have died, including six on Monday and five on Sunday.

The current COVID-19 figures.

Ruby Princess docks in Port Kembla, NSW.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship has docked in the NSW port of Port Kembla, 100km south of Sydney, with 1040 crew on board - a fifth of whom have symptoms of coronavirus.

There have been 11 deaths and more than 600 infections linked to the ship, which is now at the centre of a criminal investigation after being allowed to dock in Sydney and release 2,700 passengers without health checks in late March.

The ship will stay at Port Kembla for 10 days to refuel and stock up on supplies, but where it will go next and what will happen to the sick crew on board remains unclear.

READ: "It's decimated my family." The human faces behind the Ruby Princess cruise ship disaster.

Norway has controlled their epidemic.

The Norwegian government says a person carrying coronavirus now contaminates on average 0.7 other individuals.

Before the country shutdown, it was infecting 2.5 other people on average.

Schools, and public and private institutions were all shutdown three weeks ago in the country triggering thousands of lay-offs.

The government will decide tomorrow if they extend their restrictions beyond mid-April.

More than 5,700 people have been infected in the country, with 59 deaths.

Good news for Italy, USA and Spain.

The steep rise in coronavirus deaths in New York appears to levelling off in a possible sign that social distancing is working in the most lethal hot spot in the US.

US Governor Andrew Cuomo said the number of new people entering hospitals daily has dropped, as has the number of critically ill patients who require ventilators.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 6, 2020

Italy's day-to-day increase in new COVID-19 cases have dipped again, for the lowest one-day increase in nearly three weeks.

The country, ravaged by the virus, also recorded a drop for the third straight day in the intensive care beds occupied by patients with coronavirus infections.

Italy still has, by far, the world's highest coronavirus death toll - almost 16,000 - but the pressure on northern Italy's intensive care units has eased so much that Lombardy is no longer airlifting patients to other regions.

In Spain, deaths and new infections dropped again on Monday. The health ministry reported 637 new deaths, the lowest toll in 13 days, for a total of more than 13,000 dead. New recorded infections were also the lowest in two weeks.

Japan to declare state of emergency.

As other countries slow down, Japan is ramping up.

More than 3500 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan and 85 have died - not a huge outbreak compared with some hot spots, but the numbers keep rising with particular alarm over the spread in Tokyo, which has more than 1000 cases, including 83 new ones on Monday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement on the state of emergency in remarks to media televised live. It could be confirmed as early as today.

JK Rowling suffering symptoms.

JK Rowling says she has "fully recovered" from symptoms of coronavirus.

The Harry Potter author said she had not been tested but used a breathing technique to get air in to the bases of her lungs and shared a video of a doctor advising how to do it.

"Please watch this doc from Queens Hospital explain how to relieve respiratory symptoms," she wrote on Twitter.

"For last 2 weeks I've had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven't been tested) & did this on doc husband's advice. I'm fully recovered & technique helped a lot."

Please watch this doc from Queens Hospital explain how to relieve respiratory symptoms. For last 2 weeks I've had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven't been tested) & did this on doc husband's advice. I'm fully recovered & technique helped a lot.https://t.co/xo8AansUvc via @YouTube

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 6, 2020

In the video the doctor shows how to take deep breaths, hold the breaths and then cough, before lying flat on the stomach to allow air into the lungs.

He says: "While you have an active infection you need to get a good amount of air into the bases of your lungs and the only way you are going to do that is by having a technique.

"I want you guys to start doing this if you have the infection right from the beginning, if you want to do it before you even pick up the infection, good idea.

"Take five deep breaths in, hold the breath for five seconds, on the sixth deep breath you will take it in and do a big cough, covering your mouth.

"Do this twice and then lay flat on your bed (on your stomach) with a pillow in front of you and taking slightly deeper breaths for the next ten minutes."

Camilla reunited with Charles.

The Duchess of Cornwall has been reunited with the Prince of Wales just in time for their 15th wedding anniversary.

Camilla, 72, tested negative for the virus but isolated for 14 days after Charles tested positive.

The pair had been staying in separate areas of their Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire, but a source has confirmed Camilla "came out of isolation this morning".

Charles described his experience of isolation as "strange, frustrating and distressing".

The Prince worked through his symptoms, opening a new NHS hospital via video-link on Friday.

- With AAP.

Feature image: Getty/Twitter.

To protect yourself and the community from COVID-19, keep at least 1.5 metres away from other people, regularly wash your hands and avoid touching your face.
If you are sick and believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your GP ahead of time to book an appointment. Or call the national Coronavirus Health Information Line for advice on 1800 020 080. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
To keep up to date with the latest information, please visit the Department of Health website.