Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will ‘deputise where necessary’ while Boris Johnson is in intensive care, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, on Sunday evening after suffering from ‘persistent coronavirus symptoms’. He had tested positive for the virus on March 27 and was today taken into intensive care.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: ‘Since Sunday evening, the Prime Minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

‘Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.

‘The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputise for him where necessary.

‘The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.’

Johnson is understood to be conscious and has been moved to the ICU ‘as a precaution’ should he require ventilation to aid his recovery.

Today Raab led the government’s daily press conference and gave a positive update on the Prime Minister’s condition, staying that he was in touch with ministerial colleagues and in ‘high spirits’.

He said: ‘I can tell you the Prime Minister had a comfortable night in hospital and is in good spirits. He is still in hospital under observation. He is being given regular updates on developments and he continues to lead the government.

‘I can reassure the British people that the government remains united in a single, overriding, priority, which is to defeat the coronavirus and see this nation through the challenge ahead.’

Raab has tested negative for coronavirus himself, having previously come down with a cough.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Coronavirus latest news and updates

• Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
• Read all new and breaking stories on our Covid-19 news page
• Coronavirus symptoms explained
• Find out the latest on which shops can stay open in a lockdown
• Who needs to go to work, who needs to stay at home and who is classed as a key worker?

Source: Read Full Article