From the news desk

British PM Johnson still in hospital with persistent coronavirus symptoms

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in hospital in London for tests on Monday suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms 10 days after testing positive for the virus, but Downing Street said he remained in charge of the government.Johnson, who had been isolating in Downing Street after testing positive for the virus last month, was taken to hospital on Sunday night because he still had a high temperature and his doctors felt he needed additional tests.

The prime minister is doing well and will undergo routine tests on Monday but will continue to lead the government, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said.

“He’ll stay in hospital as long as he needs to do that, but I’ve heard that he’s doing well and I very much look forward to him being back in Number 10 as soon as possible,” Jenrick said.

“This isn’t an emergency admission and so I certainly expect that he’ll be back at Number 10 shortly,” said, though he gave no time frame.

On March 27, Johnson became the first leader of a major power to announce that he had tested positive. The 55-year-old went into isolation at an apartment in Downing Street and said on Friday he was staying there as he still had a high temperature.

Downing Street stressed it was not an emergency admission. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair the government’s emergency COVID-19 meeting on Monday.

With only an unwieldy collection of sometimes ancient and contradictory precedents to go by, there is no formal succession plan should the prime minister become incapacitated.

Queen Elizabeth, who delivered a rallying call on Sunday to the British people just as Johnson was admitted, has been informed of his admission to hospital, Buckingham Palace said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Johnson was a “strong man” as he passed on his nation’s best wishes.

“All Americans are praying for him,” Trump told a news conference. “He’s a friend of mine, he’s a great gentleman and a great leader, and as you know he went to the hospital today but I’m hopeful and sure that he’s going to be fine.”

The pound fell against the dollar on news of Johnson’s admission to hospital but rose when Jenrick said he expected him to be back at Downing Street shortly.

“PRECAUTIONARY TESTS”
Johnson’s office declined to say what tests he was to have in hospital, but experts said a person of his age with COVID-19 symptoms after 10 days was likely to be assessed for their oxygen levels, lung, liver and heart functions, and undergo an electrocardiogram heart check.

“Clearly the prime minister is finding it difficult to shake this thing off,” said Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at Nottingham University.

“What it does show is how difficult it is to predict how this infection will develop, and whilst most people will experience nothing more than an annoying cold, for others this can develop into a serious and sometimes life-threatening disease.”

Medics said that patients with COVID-19 can deteriorate after about 10 days, with some developing pneumonia.

Health officials said on Sunday the British death toll from the coronavirus had risen by 621 to 4,934.

Source: Reuters


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