Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital for tests, 10 days after being diagnosed with coronavirus, Downing Street confirmed.
The Prime Minister has been confined in isolation after being diagnosed with the killer bug – which is said to have hit him “like a sledgehammer”.
His pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds, said she has also been suffering with coronavirus symptoms and has spent the past week in bed.
Boris, 55, last week insisted he was feeling better, but insiders said the disease “had really slammed him”.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.
“This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus.
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.”
Mr Johnson is in a London NHS hospital, where he will remain as long as necessary, Sky News reports.
As news of the Prime Minister’s admission broke, new Labour Party leader Keir Starmer posted on Twitter: “Wishing the Prime Minister well and a speedy recovery.”
In a video message Mr Johnson posted on social media on Thursday last week, the leader insisted he is feeling better despite a high temperature.
But a source told Daily Mail: “It has hit him hard, really slammed him but it’s in his nature to put the bravest face on it.”
It is also said the internal doors between No 10 and No 11 have been closed.
Officials have even moved tables against them to block them completely.
Food is reportedly brought on a tray from No 10 and left outside the ground floor office in No 11 which the Prime Minister is using.
Earlier today Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Mr Johnson is “in good spirits” despite his extended coronavirus self-isolation.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is likely to chair the daily Covid-19 meeting tomorrow morning for ministers and officials in the Prime Minister’s absence.
I’ve been talking to him every day, often several times a day, throughout this, throughout the time that both of us were off and so he has very much got his hand on the tiller but he has still got a temperature,” he told Sky News.
“I was lucky, I had two pretty rough days and then I bounced back and some people do get it pretty mildly, and then for others it’s very, very serious and the Prime Minister is not at that end of the spectrum. (Mirror)