Boris Johnson Admitted To Hospital With Persistent Coronavirus Symptoms, Queen Promises Better Days

Shivdeep Dhaliwal
·2 min read

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was admitted to hospital on Sunday, after running a fever and showing other symptoms of COVID-19, ten days after he had tested positive for coronavirus.

What Happened

Johnson was taken to a London Hospital where he is expected to stay overnight. He will be subjected to “routine tests,” reported BBC.

A Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement, “On the advice of his doctor, the prime minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.” The spokesperson said the prime minister continues to have “persistent symptoms” of coronavirus 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

President Donald Trump began his coronavirus press briefing by expressing the United States’ best wishes for the ailing Prime Minister and said, “All Americans are praying for him. He's a great friend of mine, a great gentleman and a great leader.” Trump expressed confidence that Johnson would be fine because he is a “strong person.”

Separately, the Queen made a rare speech to the U.K. from Windsor Castle on Sunday night. She thanked people for staying at home and highlighted the global nature of the fight against COVID-19, “This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.”

Why It Matters

Johnson continues to be in charge of the government, although a Monday morning meeting regarding the coronavirus will be chaired by the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The prime minister was last seen on Thursday evening, applauding National Health Service workers from his flat on Downing Street. He had been self-isolating since he tested positive for the disease.

In her speech, the Queen also paid her tribute to NHS workers and promised a return to “better days.” The monarch said, “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”

The Queen’s son and heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, also tested positive for the coronavirus, but is recovering.

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