BORIS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
Ten days after falling ill with virus, PM is admitted ‘as a precaution’
BORIS Johnson was taken to hospital last night more than a week after he tested positive for coronavirus. Doctors advised him to go for ‘precautionary’ tests because his symptoms have persisted for ten days after his initial diagnosis.
experts say there is a risk of pneumonia when a temperature lasts more than a week. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will step in this morning to chair a daily ‘war cabinet’ dealing with the pandemic.
But Downing Street insisted Mr Johnson was still in charge despite his illness.
Officials confirmed he was in an NHS hospital but would not say what tests he
was undergoing and how long the 55-yearold would be in hospital.
A spokesman said: ‘On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has been admitted to hospital for tests.
‘This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus.
‘The Prime Minister thanks NHS staff for all of their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the Government’s advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.’
Downing Street said Mr Johnson, who was driven by car to the unnamed hospital, had a high temperature.
Dr Rupert Beale, an infection expert at the Francis Crick Institute, said: ‘Doctors will be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturations. They will also check blood tests to see what the immune response to the virus looks like, and to assess liver and kidney function.’
An ECG could also be carried out to check the heart, or even a CT scan to get an accurate picture of the lungs, he said. ‘They will consider the best way to deliver oxygen, and will also consider other treatments depending on test results,’ Dr Beale added.
Five to 10 per cent of coronavirus victims tend to need hospital treatment.
As the contagion claimed another 621 lives in Britain and cases leapt sharply:
■ A shock report put the economic cost of the lockdown at £2.4billion a day;
■ The Queen spoke to the nation to highlight self-discipline and resolve;
■ Care home giants warned they had no access to vital tests;
■ Scotland’s chief medical officer quit after admitting flouting lockdown rules by visiting her second home – twice;
■ Tony Blair called for mass testing as the only way to end the lockdown;
■ Ministers admitted they still may not have enough ventilators when the crisis peaks next week;
■ Tributes were paid to a Liverpool nurse and an Essex midwife who have died of coronavirus;
■ The Marquess of Bath, owner of Longleat, became another victim.
Downing Street said Mr Johnson, who looked ill in a video message posted from self-isolation last week, would be in hospital ‘as long as needed’.
His fiancée Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant with his child, has also been bedridden with coronavirus symptoms.
The 32-year-old revealed at the weekend she had not been tested and was beginning to feel better after a week.
New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted last night: ‘Wishing the Prime Minister well and a speedy recovery.’
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, said on Twitter: ‘Whatever political persuasion the whole country is united in wanting our PM to get fit and well as soon as possible.’
Mr Raab is the designated successor if Mr Johnson is incapacitated.
GP Sarah Jarvis told the BBC he probably had ‘moderate’ symptoms given he was staying in charge.
She added: ‘The older you are the more likely it is that you will become severely unwell with this.’
The Guardian reported last night that Sir John Laws, the uncle of Mr Johnson’s aide Dominic Cummings, has died of the virus. The retired judge was 74.