London - British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson spent a second night in intensive care and was in a
stable condition after receiving oxygen support for Covid-19
complications while his foreign minister directs the country's
battle against the outbreak.
Johnson, who tested positive nearly two weeks ago, was taken
to St Thomas' hospital on Sunday evening as he had a persistent
high temperature and cough but his condition deteriorated on
Monday and he was rushed into an intensive care unit.
The 55-year-old British leader received oxygen support but
was not put on a ventilator and his designated deputy, Foreign
Secretary Dominic Raab, said he would soon be back at the helm
as the world faces one of the gravest public health crisis in a
century.
"He is comfortable, he's stable, he's in good spirits,"
Edward Argar, a junior health minister, said on Wednesday.
"While he's had oxygen, he hasn't been on a ventilator.
As Johnson battled the novel coronavirus in hospital, the
United Kingdom was entering what scientists said was the
deadliest phase of the outbreak and grappling with the question
of when to lift the lockdown.
Inside the British government, ministers were debating how
long the world's fifth largest economy could afford to be shut
down, and the long-term implications of one of the most
stringent set of emergency controls in peacetime history.
Total hospital deaths from Covid-19 rose 786 to 6,159 as of
1600 GMT on April 6, the latest publicly available death toll,
though just 213 181 people out of the United Kingdom's
population of around 68 million have been tested.
Johnson has delegated some authority to Raab, who was
appointed foreign minister less than a year ago, though any
major decisions - such as when to lift the lockdown - would need
the blessing of Johnson's cabinet.
"I’m confident he’ll pull through because if there’s one
thing I know about this prime minister, he’s a fighter, and
he’ll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in
short order," Raab said on Tuesday.
British finance minister Rishi Sunak, a 39-year old former
Goldman Sachs banker, would deputise should Raab become
incapacitated.