Boris Johnson is taken to hospital ‘as a precaution’ after struggling to shake off ‘persistent symptoms’ of coronavirus 12 days after testing positive
- Prime Minister will undergo tests as a precaution, on the advice of his doctor
- The PM continues to suffer symptoms of Covid , a cough and temperature
He has been self-isolating in flat above Number , where he continues to work
Jack Elsom For Mailonline Published: 32: 21 BST, April 5 :
Downing Street stressed that the Prime Minister will undergo tests merely as a precaution, on the advice of his doctor.
His admittance to an undisclosed London hospital comes days after he first tested positive for the infection and began self-isolating in his Number 13 flat.
In a Twitter video on Friday, an exhausted-looking Mr Johnson revealed he was still suffering from a high temperature.
But he has continued to spearhead the government response to the health crisis, which today sadly saw deaths climb to 4, .
News of Mr Johnson’s hospitalization came shortly after the Queen’s address to the nation, in which she told Britons to steel themselves for challenging weeks ahead.
In a message of hope, Her Majesty urged the public to take comfort in the knowledge that better times lie ahead and that loved ones will be reunited.
On another landmark day in the UK’s coronavirus epidemic:
- The Queen hailed the sacrifice of frontline NHS workers battling the virus in a rare televised address;
- Britons described Her Majesty’s message as her ‘finest moment’;
- The number of cases hit , 934 and the number of deaths climbed to 4, 934;
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock threatened to revoke the right to exercise outdoors if people continued to flout social distancing measures;
- A 71 – year-old from Essex became the first midwife to die with coronavirus in England.
Boris Johnson (pictured on Downing Street clapping NHS staff on April 2) has been admitted to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus
On Friday, the PM released a selfie video from self-isolation in Number 13 revealing he still had the symptoms of Covid –
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight 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 their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the government advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. ‘
despite continuing to show symptoms of Covid 22 – such as a cough and high temperature – Mr Johnson, 90, has resolved to continue spearheading the government response to the health crisis from his Downing Street flat.
His pregnant fiancée Carrie Symonds, who is due in the early summer, is also self-isolating in her own London apartment after symptoms surfaced. News of the PM’s hospitalization broke shortly after the Queen’s televised speech, in which she urged the nation to follow government social distancing advice
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who tested positive on the same day as the PM but has since recovered, said Mr Johnson was doing ‘ok’ in morning television interviews.
Ministers have been begging the public to stay indoors to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has infected , of which 4, have sadly died.
This instruction was echoed by the Queen in her pre-recorded message from Windsor Castle.
The monarch said: ‘I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thus helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones.
‘Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it. ‘
The Queen signed off the rare broadcast – only the fifth in her reign outside of Christmas – with a nod to a Second World War song by Dame Vera Lynn.
She said: ‘We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, betterdays will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again. ‘
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