Boris Johnson Leaves Intensive Care Unit
U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson has left the intensive care unit where he was being treated for coronavirus.
“The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery. He is in extremely good spirits,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Johnson was placed in intensive care for three days after his symptoms worsened. The prime minister is the first head of state to have a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Johnson had been receiving “standard oxygen treatment” but was not on a ventilator, his spokesperson said.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was deputized by Johnson to take over government duties, and he had not spoken to the prime minister since the move to intensive care.
“I think it is important to let him focus on the recovery–we in the government have got this covered,” Raab told the BBC.
Johnson will remain in the hospital for the foreseeable future while recovering.
Britain had reported over 61,500 cases of coronavirus and 7,100 deaths as of Thursday. The government has been rushing to increase its health care capacity after an initially slow response to the pandemic.
