LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was stable in intensive care on Tuesday after receiving oxygen support to help him battle COVID-19, while his foreign minister led the government’s response to the outbreak.
Johnson’s personal battle with the virus has shaken the government just as the United Kingdom, now in its third week of virtual lockdown, enters what scientists say will be the most deadly phase of the coronavirus pandemic that has already killed at least 6,159 people in the country.
Johnson, 55, was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital across the River Thames from parliament late on Sunday after suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms, including high temperature and a cough, for more than 10 days.
But his condition rapidly deteriorated over the next 24 hours, and he was moved on Monday to an intensive care unit, where the most serious cases are treated, in case he needed to be put on a ventilator. He was still conscious, his office said.
“He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance,” Johnson’s spokesman told reporters at an 1100 GMT briefing.
“The prime minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits,” the spokesman said. “He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.”
But the absence of Johnson, the first leader of a major power to be hospitalised after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, has raised questions about who is truly in charge of the world’s fifth-largest economy at such a crucial time.
While Britain has no formal succession plan should a prime minister become incapacitated, Johnson asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, 46, to deputise for him “where necessary”, Downing Street said. If Raab is incapacitated, finance minister Rishi Sunak would take on those responsibilities.
Queen Elizabeth wished Johnson a “full and speedy recovery” and sent a message of support to his pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds, and his family. Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, wished Johnson a speedy recovery.
WHO LEADS?
Raab chaired the government’s COVID-19 emergency response meeting on Tuesday, though ministers refused to say who had ultimate control over the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapons - a role held by the prime minister.
“There are well-developed protocols which are in place,” said Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who himself went into self-isolation on Tuesday after a family member displayed coronavirus symptoms.
British leaders do not traditionally publicise the results of their medical examinations, as some US presidents including Donald Trump have.
The United Kingdom is in a state of almost total lockdown, a situation due to be reviewed early next week. Some ministers have suggested the lockdown might need to be extended, with evidence that some people were using sunny spring weather as an excuse to flout the strict rules.
The death toll announced on Tuesday had risen by 786 - the biggest daily increase to date.