KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 – British prime minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital due to persistent symptoms of the coronavirus.
“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 10 days after testing positive for the virus,” according to a spokesperson as cited by The Guardian.
Johnson is receiving treatment in an unnamed hospital after having persistent symptoms for the past 10 days. He was already in an isolating period and had hoped to be out of isolation on Friday.
Johnson was thought to be in worse condition than was announced by his officials, and that he was being seen by doctors who were concerned about his breathing.
“Doctors will be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturation,” according to Dr Rupert Beale, the head of cell biology of infection laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
“They will also check blood tests to see what the immune response to the virus looks like, and to assess liver and kidney function. They will perform an electrocardiogram to check the heart. More sophisticated tests may include a CT scan of the chest to get an accurate picture of the lungs.”
If Johnson’s condition does not get better, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, Dominic Raab, will take charge.
As of yesterday, 47,806 people were confirmed positive whereas 4,934 have died in the UK.