British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, perhaps the world’s best-known coronavirus patient, was released from a London hospital Sunday, nearly a week after entering the intensive care unit because of complications from the coronavirus.
“I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS [National Health Service] has saved my life,” Johnson, 55, said in a video statement. “It’s hard to find words to express my debt.”
The news came shortly before the health department reported 737 new coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, raising Britain’s death toll above 10,000.
Johnson will continue his recovery at the official country home for the prime minister, Chequers, and will not yet return to work, according to Downing Street. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been deputized to serve as leader in Johnson’s absence.
“On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “He wishes to thank everybody at St. Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received. All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.”
Pippa Fowles
10 Downing Street/Reuters
Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanks the National Health Service in a video message on Easter Sunday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at a news briefing Sunday that there was no timeline for how long the prime minister would remain at Chequers and that it was up to the doctors.
Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital a week ago, 10 days after falling ill with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. His condition worsened Monday, and he was transferred to the intensive care unit. He was released from intensive care on Thursday and had remained hospitalized since.
In his video remarks following his release, Johnson thanked the NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him. He particularly cited the lifesaving care of “Jenny from New Zealand” and “Luis from Portugal,” who he said “stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way” and monitored his oxygen levels.
“I have seen the personal courage not just of the doctors and nurses but of everyone, the cleaners, the cooks, the health-care workers of every description, physios, radiographers, pharmacists, who have kept coming to work, kept putting themselves in harm’s way, kept risking this deadly virus,” he said.
Johnson’s Conservative Party has been accused of underfunding the NHS, a charge it denies. Restricting non-Brits from working in the United Kingdom was also a common demand among campaigners for Brexit. Johnson was one of the biggest champions of Brexit as he vied to become premier.
His administration has also come under fire for what critics say was a slow response to the pandemic. Britain lagged behind other European countries in rolling out strict stay-at-home measures. For much of March, bars, restaurants and gyms remained open despite increasingly dire warnings from hard-hit countries such as Italy.
On Sunday, however, Johnson had only thanks to give as he praised the British people for adhering to social distancing measures.
“Although we mourn everyday those who are taken from us in such numbers, and although the struggle is by no means over, we are now making progress in this incredible national battle against coronavirus,” he said.
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2020-04-12 17:36:48Z
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