British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reported to be stable and in good spirits after being shifted to the intensive care unit for coronavirus. In a statement on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and is breathing without any other assistance. "He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support," the spokesman added. Johnson, 55, was hospitalized on Sunday and admitted to intensive care on Monday after his condition worsened. The British premier announced on March 27 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He was admitted to St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday evening for "tests" due to his "persistent symptoms." Johnson has nominated his Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputize for him "as necessary." In its daily update to reporters, Downing Street moved to head off concerns, stressing that Raab was running the country from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the support of government officials. According to a CNN report, Buckingham Palace and the Queen have been regularly updated on Johnson's condition. The Prime Minister's two most senior officials, the cabinet secretary and his principal private secretary, will maintain contact with the palace on the Prime Minister's behalf, Downing Street said. But the weekly audiences with the Queen would not continue for the time being. The spokesperson said that despite the lack of a formal succession procedure in the UK, there was an established order of ministerial precedence, with the top finance minister, Rishi Sunak following Raab. The "letters of last resort," sealed documents written by the Prime Minister to ballistic missile submarine commanders in cases of a nuclear attack, still stand. "The Prime Minister remains the Prime Minister," the spokesperson said. — Agencies
