UK Prime Minister Admitted to Hospital with Persistent Symptoms of COVID-19

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to the hospital for tests, 10 days after he tested positive for coronavirus.

A Downing Street spokesperson has said in a issued statement that the Prime Minister, aged 55  continues to have persistent symptoms of the virus and this is a precautionary step.

“The Prime Minister thanks NHS staff for all of their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the Government’s advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives,” the spokesperson said.

Boris Johnson had announced his diagnosis in a video posted on social media, in which he said he would continue to lead the UK government’s efforts from self-isolation in his apartment, next door to Downing Street.

Downing Street says the Prime Minister remains in charge of the government and is in contact with ministerial colleagues and officials.

Johnson was a late convert to the strict measures now in place in the UK. Johnson ordered a lockdown of the country on March 20, but initially hesitated to shut down schools, restaurants and bars or ban mass gatherings.

The news of Johnson’s hospitalization followed a rare television address to the nation by Queen Elizabeth, who urged citizens to confront the pandemic with resolve and unity.

“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time,” the Queen said in a taped broadcast from Windsor Castle.

“A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.”

The virus has infected more than 40,000 people in Britain, including the Queen’s eldest son and heir to the British Throne, Prince Charles as well as Health Secretary Matt Hancock.