LONDON: United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, according to government officials.
Johnson, 55, asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise, a Downing Street spokesperson said on Monday. “The government’s business will continue,” Raab told reporters. “The prime minister is in safe hands.
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.
“Since Sunday evening, the prime minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“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. “The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”
“Boris Johnson himself put out a tweet on Monday saying he was in good spirits,”
“[Foreign Secretary] Dominic Raab at the daily briefing said much the same thing, insisting that Johnson, from hospital, continued to lead the government and receive regular updates – but he also admitted he hadn’t spoken to the prime minister since Saturday, and that raised a few questions and sceptical looks,” Baba added.
“We were told [when Johnson was admitted on Sunday] that he would receive routine checks – they could involve checking his lungs, but beyond that, there’s been very little detail of what treatment he has received and what condition he has been in. But now, it is clear that he is in a serious condition, and serious enough that he is not just going to be in hospital overnight, but for some while further.”
