London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is receiving "standard oxygen treatment" and is breathing without assistance, his spokesperson said on Tuesday, a day after he was transferred to intensive care with 'persistent' coronavirus symptoms.
A CNN report quoted Johnson's spokesperson as saying hi condition is stable and he "remains in good spirits". He has not required invasive or non-invasive ventilation and does not have pneumonia.
Johnson has nominated his Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, to deputize for him "as necessary" but there is no recent precedent for a sitting UK prime minister becoming incapacitated for a lengthy period.
Elaborating on Johnson's health, Raab said he was confident that the prime minister Boris Johnson would pull through because "he’s a fighter".
"He remained stable overnight. He's receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance," Raab told a daily news conference.
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 deadliest phase of its coronavirus epidemic, which has already killed at least 6,159 people.
Johnson, 55, was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital, across the River Thames from parliament, late on Sunday after suffering symptoms, including a fever and a cough, for more than 10 days.
But his condition rapidly deteriorated, 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 remains in good spirits and ... his progress continues to be monitored in critical care," Raab said.
(With Reuters inputs)
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