British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in stable condition in intensive care and has received oxygen, but he does not have pneumonia, Downing Street said on Tuesday.
“The prime minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits,” a spokesman told reporters.
“He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance.”
Cabinet minister Michael Gove, Johnson’s long-term friend, tweeted that he was self-isolating after a family member “started to display mild symptoms of coronavirus on Sunday.”
“I have not displayed any symptoms and am continuing to work as normal,” he said.
Johnson was moved to intensive care late Monday, following his admission to hospital on Sunday for tests after he experienced “persistent symptoms” of the novel coronavirus. He reported his infection with the virus on March 27.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will “deputize where necessary” while Johnson remains in intensive care, Downing Street said earlier.
Get-well messages poured in from international leaders and from Johnson’s British political allies and opponents following news that he was in intensive care.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Moon Jae In and French President Emmanuel Macron all wished Johnson a quick recovery.
US President Donald Trump said he had offered assistance to Johnson’s health team and that unspecified medical companies working on therapeutics to treat Covid-19 had “arrived in London” and were “ready to go.”
The Downing Street spokesman said British officials were confident that Johnson was “receiving the best possible care from the health service.”
Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to all medical staff in a message to mark Tuesday’s World Health Day.
“I want to thank all those in the healthcare profession for your selfless commitment and diligence as you undertake vitally important roles to protect and improve the health and well-being of people across the Commonwealth, and across the world,” the queen said.
“In testing times, we often observe that the best of the human spirit comes to the fore; the dedication to service of countless nurses, midwives and other health workers, in these most challenging of circumstances, is an example to us all,” she said.
Britain had reported 5,373 deaths linked to Covid-19 by Monday, making it one of the worst-affected countries.
Government experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of people are infected.
Many health experts have criticized the government’s slow response to the crisis, the low level of testing for the virus and the poor provision of intensive care beds, ventilators and protective equipment.
