UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urgently admitted to hospital for tests as he continued to display persistent symptoms of COVID-19, Downing Street said on late Sunday. Johnson will undergo artificial lung ventilation, a source close to the UK healthcare authorities told Sputnik later.
"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 statement said.
During the Sunday coronavirus White House briefing, US President Donald Trump sent his good wishes to the British premier.
"He's a friend of mine, he's a great gentleman", Trump said, expressing hope that Johnson would be fine and saying that he is a "strong man".
The premier was expected to stay in hospital overnight, the BBC's political editor said earlier.
On Friday, Johnson said he still had symptoms of coronavirus and had to remain in quarantine. His pregnant girlfriend Carrie Symonds has also contracted the virus.
The prime minister said that he was continuing to carry out his duties and was communicating with other government ministers while in self-isolation to take measures to curb the spread of the disease.
Another leading government official, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, also tested positive for COVID-19 earlier.
Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the UK Department of Social Care has confirmed 47,806 cases of the disease and the death toll stands at 4,934. A further 621 deaths were reported on Sunday by the health authorities.