Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved from the intensive care unit at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London and back onto the ward, according to a Downing Street statement released on Thursday evening.
The statement said that the PM would receive “close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery”, adding that he is in “extremely good spirits”.
Speaking at Thursday’s coronavirus briefing in lieu of the prime minister just hours earlier, foreign secretary Dominic Raab had said that Johnson was making “positive” progress, with the further news of his moving from intensive care coming as a major and timely boost for the government.
Raab also took the time to offer his thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the deceased, while thanking NHS and key workers, volunteers, and those who have obeyed government guidelines and remained at home.
7,978 Covid-19 patients had died in hospital as of 17:00 BST on Wednesday, and Raab was clear that social distancing measures are likely to remain in place for some time while the death toll continues to rise.
Raab explained that the government requires time to amass data in order to determine how well the lockdown is working in curbing the spread of the virus.
He said: "The early signs suggest they [the lockdown measures] are having an impact”, but conceded that these would have to stay in place “until we have got evidence that shows we have moved beyond the peak."
Raab added: "We mustn't give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people. I know it is tough going but this is a team effort."
