London – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now being treated in the intensive care unit of a London hospital for his COVID 19 disease. Politicians from all over the world wished him a quick recovery on Tuesday night.
Johnson had commissioned Secretary of State Dominic Raab (46) to represent him where necessary, a government spokeswoman said on Monday evening. Downing Street, on the other hand, did not provide information about the exact condition of the 55-year-old.
“The Prime Minister is in excellent hands and thanks to all employees of the (health service) NHS for their hard work and their commitment,” the official announcement continued. Queen Elizabeth II (93) was informed of the situation. According to media reports, Johnson is conscious.
The agency’s PA reported that Raab’s first act as prime minister will lead the daily “War Cabinet” corona video conference on Tuesday. When fighting the virus, he wanted to follow Johnson’s line, it said. Raab’s ambitions to rule the country should come true on Tuesday, “temporarily and not under the circumstances he hoped for,” PA wrote. The Times has called Raab “de facto prime minister” since Monday evening.
Since there is no permanent deputy for the British prime minister, he decides who will represent him.
Johnson had been taken to St. Thomas’ State Hospital near Parliament on Sunday. The condition of the 55-year-old had suddenly worsened over the course of Monday afternoon so that the doctors transferred him to the intensive care unit in the evening.
Chancellor Angela Merkel wished the Prime Minister much strength and a speedy recovery. They hope that Johnson can leave the hospital soon, government spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote in the short message service Twitter.
US President Donald Trump was dismayed by the news from London. “It was just so shocking to see,” Trump said at a press conference in the White House. “You know what that means, intensive care is a big deal in terms of what we’re talking about. It’s a very big thing, a very scary thing. »
Trump also said that Johnson’s doctors had been offered support. “We’ll see if we can help.” He hinted that it was about medication that is not yet approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron also wished the head of government a quick recovery via Twitter. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote: “A lot of strength, Boris, and will be well soon.” Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “My thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family.” British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak also said on Twitter that his thoughts were with Johnson and his pregnant girlfriend Carrie Symonds.
Symonds spent a week in bed with symptoms of lung disease. The couple announced their engagement at the end of February. The baby is said to be born in early summer.
Johnson had made his infection with the pathogen public on March 27. Initially, he continued to work in isolation at Downing Street’s government headquarters. In his video messages about the pandemic, he was optimistic, but he already looked battered and had also lost a lot of weight.
On Monday, Johnson told Twitter that he had gone to the hospital on the advice of his doctor “for some routine tests”. According to a government spokesman, he suffered from a fever and cough. Some British media, however, wrote of a serious lung disease; Johnson has already been ventilated. Foreign Minister Raab already represented him at a meeting.
In early March, the prime minister bragged about shaking hands in a hospital, including COVID 19 patients. He would continue to do that, he said at the time.
The British government is under considerable pressure in the fight against the pandemic: a lurching course wasted valuable time in containing the outbreak. The chronically underfunded health service NHS (National Health Service) also does not have enough tests, protective equipment, and respirators. According to British media reports, the first clinics even reported a lack of oxygen for respiratory ventilation.
