Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Boris Johnson, has been hospitalised, 10 days after he was diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19).
Is Boris Johnson in a critical condition?
Boris Johnson picked up the virus in his political encounters about two weeks ago. The 55-year-old prime minister has been in self-isolating in his Downing Street residence since he tested positive.
According to ABC News, Johnson has been conducting his presidential duties as per normal, presiding over daily meetings and virtually manning the front in the UK’s fight against COVID-19.
However, in the 10 days since he has been treating the virus in self-isolation, the prime minister has not recovered.
According to experts, patients who detect and treat COVID-19 while showing mild-to-moderate symptoms have a better chance at recovery in at least two weeks.
The same can’t be said for Johnson, unfortunately. The prime minister has been admitted to an undisclosed London hospital and according to his doctor, it is a precautionary measure, not an emergency.
It is not clear when Johnson will be released from hospital care. In the interim, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will preside over government meetings in the prime minister’s place.
UK COVID-19 updates
The UK is struggling with getting a grip on the spread of COVID-19. According to the latest statistics, almost 48 000 people have tested positive for the virus and 4 934 patients have died.
Elderly people with a compromised immune system are at a greater threat of dying from the virus.
According to Dr Rupert Beale from the Francis Crick Institute for biomedical studies, doctors will be paying close attention to the state of Johnson’s lungs. It is likely that they will “be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturation, performing blood tests and possibly performing a CT scan on his chest to assess his lungs.”
In a rare televised address, Queen Elizabeth II urged the Brits to practise extreme caution and believe that much like World War II, “we will succeed — and that success will belong to every one of us.”
“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,” she said.