Coronavirus: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ‘not on ventilator’ after intensive care admission, minister says
- Prime minister spent night in intensive care with a deteriorating case of coronavirus
- Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to take over the duties of the prime minister where necessary
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received “oxygen support”, but was not on a ventilator after he was admitted into intensive care fighting worsening coronavirus symptoms.
“He’s not on a ventilator, no,” Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said Tuesday after Monday’s shock UK government announcement about Johnson’ s condition that prompted an outpouring of well-wishes from world leaders.
“The prime minister has received some oxygen support and he is kept under, of course, close supervision.”
Johnson had earlier asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to temporarily take over the prime minister’s duties where necessary.
A statement from 10 Downing Street on Monday said: “Over the course of this afternoon (Monday), 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 St Thomas’ Hospital, just across the Thames from Westminster.
This came a day after Johnson was sent to hospital from his home, where he had been in self-isolation since being diagnosed with Covid-19 on March 26. He wrote on Twitter that he had checked in “for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms”.