UK prime minister's condition with coronavirus 'worsened'

LONDON -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's coronavirus case has gotten worse and he is now in intensive care, Downing Street said.

Johnson was admitted to a hospital Sunday to undergo tests on the advice of his doctor 10 days after he announced he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The prime minister's condition has "worsened" and he was admitted to the intensive care unit at St. Thomas' Hospital, in London, as of Monday evening local time, according to a spokesman.

"The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputize for him where necessary," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication," the spokesman added.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth has been informed about Johnson's situation and is monitoring developments.

On Monday afternoon, Johnson gave an update on his condition, saying that he was in "good spirits" as he continues to experience symptoms.

President Donald Trump joined a chorus of voices wishing the prime minister a quick recovery from the illness.

"But before I begin, I want to express our nation's well wishes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he wages his own personal fight with the virus," Trump said Sunday evening at the start of the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. "All Americans are praying for him. He's a friend of mine. He's a great gentleman and a great leader, and he's as you know, he was brought to the hospital today, but I'm -- I'm hopeful and sure that he's going to be fine."

The prime minister was last seen in public at the door of Number 10 Downing Street on Thursday night, as he turned out to clap for National Health Service workers along with much of the country.

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Johnson's partner, Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant with their child, also announced that she had been bed-ridden over the past week with coronavirus symptoms over the weekend.

"I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus," she posted on Twitter. "I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend."

"Being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously wrong," she added, as she encouraged other pregnant women to follow the latest health guidance on coronavirus in pregnant women.

As of Sunday morning, 47,806 people in the U.K. had tested positive for coronavirus, with 4,934 deaths, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

The news of the prime minister's hospitalization came as the queen addressed the nation in a highly poignant televised address. Praising the response of the country's health and care workers, she said: "We should take comfort that while we may have morestillto endure,betterdays will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."