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.
The upheaval of 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 pandemic which has already
killed more than 6,000 people in the country.
Johnson, 55, was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital across the
River Thames from the House of Commons late on Sunday after
suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms, including a 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.
"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..
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 on Tuesday chaired the government's Covid-19 emergency
response meeting, 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 U.S. presidents including
Donald Trump have.
Secretary of State for Foreign affairs Dominic Raab on Downing Street after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care after his coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms worsened and Raab was asked to deputise. Picture: Simon Dawson/Reuters
Raab, the son of a Czech-born Jewish refugee who fled the
Nazis in 1938, takes the helm at a pivotal time. Government
scientists see the death toll rising until at least April 12 and
Britain must ultimately decide when to lift the lockdown.
Johnson's move to intensive care added to the sense of
upheaval that the coronavirus has wrought after its spread
caused global panic, sowed chaos through financial markets and
prompted the virtual shutdown of the world economy.
The United Kingdom is in a state of virtual lockdown, a
situation due to be reviewed early next week, and some ministers
have suggested it might need to be extended because some people
were flouting the strict rules.
The pound dipped in Asian trading on news of
Johnson's intensive care treatment but then rallied in London
trading. Against the dollar, sterling traded to a high of
$1.2349, up 0.9% on the session.
CRITICISM
Even before coronavirus, Johnson had had a tumultuous year.
He won the top job in July 2019, renegotiated a Brexit deal
with the European Union, fought a snap election in December
which he won resoundingly and then led the United Kingdom out of
the European Union on Jan 31 - promising to seal a Brexit trade
deal by the end of this year.
The government has said it is not planning to seek an
extension to that deadline in light of the epidemic.
Johnson has faced criticism for initially approving a much
more modest response to the coronavirus outbreak than other
major European leaders, though he then imposed a lockdown as
projections showed half a million people could die.
He tested positive for the virus on March 26.
After 10 days of isolation in an apartment at Downing
Street, he was admitted to hospital. He was last seen in a video
message posted on Twitter on Friday when he looked weary.