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6 April 2020updated 07 Apr 2020 12:11pm

Boris Johnson taken into intensive care

The Prime Minister is in "good spirits" having been admitted as a precaution on Monday.

By Stephen Bush

Boris Johnson remains in intensive care after his admission on Monday (6 April).

The Prime Minister, who tested positive for coronavirus on 27 March, was admitted to St Thomas, an NHS hospital, on Sunday 5 April. He remains conscious, and has been moved to intensive care as a precaution in case he needs ventilation. 

Briefing journalists on Tuesday (7 April), Johnson’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister had been stable overnight and was not on a ventilator, though he is receiving standard oxygen treatment.

The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and is breathing without any other assistance. He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.”

Messages of support poured in from leaders across the world, on social media from across the political spectrum and all walks of life. The leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, has said that “all the country’s thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family during this incredibly difficult time”. 

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Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, will assume the Prime Minister’s responsibilities as part of his role as First Secretary of State, the Prime Minister’s de facto deputy, while the PM recovers. 

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