British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from the intensive care unit Thursday but remains at St. Thomas’ Hospital in central London battling the Wuhan coronavirus.
“The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery,” a spokesman for Johnson’s office said in a statement. “He is in extremely good spirits.”
Johnson, 55, entered intensive care Monday after his symptoms worsened in the afternoon and was put on oxygen just before admission.
The British leader initially went to the hospital last week for routine tests after testing positive for the novel Wuhan coronavirus.
Last night, on the advice of my doctor, I went into hospital for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms. I’m in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 6, 2020
Johnson is just one of 65,000 confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus reported in the United Kingdom as of this writing. More than a dozen other world leaders have also tested positive for the virus, including the United Kingdom’s minister for mental health, the Iranian vice president, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, and two members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to data compiled by John Hopkins University, more than 1.5 million confirmed cases of the virus have been reported worldwide with nearly 100,000 deaths. However, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that China is manipulating its public figures and underreporting the severity of the crisis.
