UK’s Johnson in stable condition
LONDON » British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in stable condition with the coronavirus Tuesday in a hospital intensive care unit, where he was given oxygen but was breathing on his own without a ventilator, officials said.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has temporarily taken over many of the prime minister’s duties to lead the country’s response to the pandemic while Johnson is being treated. Britain has no official post of deputy prime minister.
The 55-year-old Johnson is the first major world leader confirmed to have COVID-19. He was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital late Sunday with a fever and cough that persisted 10 days after he was diagnosed with the virus and was moved to the ICU on Monday evening after his condition worsened.
At a news conference, Raab said the government’s thoughts were with Johnson’s family and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant and is herself recovering from coronavirus symptoms.
“He is not just the prime minister. For all of us in Cabinet, he is not just our boss. He’s also a colleague and he’s also our friend,” Raab said.
“And I’m confident he’ll pull through because if there’s one thing I know about this prime minister, he’s a fighter.”
Johnson was “receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance,” Raab said, adding: “He has not required mechanical ventilation or noninvasive respiratory support.”
No other details were released about what form of oxygen treatment the prime minister was getting.
The deterioration
of
Johnson’s health took many in Britain by surprise. On Monday afternoon, he tweeted that he was in good spirits and thanked the National Health Service for taking care of him and others with the disease.
St. Thomas’ Hospital is just across the River Thames from Parliament that was one of the first public hospitals in the country to treat COVID-19 patients. Officials have not said whether Johnson has a private room.
“It was a shock yesterday to hear the news of his going into intensive care,” said Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who is in isolation at home after a family member showed mild coronavirus symptoms. “All of us just want him to pull through — he is the leader of our country. He is a big-hearted, generous-spirited guy. who believes in public service. We are rooting for him.”
The government faced calls Tuesday to be more transparent about Johnson’s condition amid concerns it had underplayed how serious it was.
It’s not common for details about the health of British prime ministers to be made public, except at times of crisis. Even then, information has sometimes been scanty. When Winston Churchill suffered a debilitating stroke in 1953, the government kept it secret until Churchill recovered.
Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II was being kept informed about Johnson’s condition. Buckingham Palace said the monarch told Johnson and his family “said they were in her thoughts and that she wished the prime minister a full and speedy recovery.”
The queen’s son, Prince Charles, who tested positive for the virus but has recovered, and grandson Prince William also sent messages of support.