The Prime Minster has been taken into intensive care

The Prime Minister was admitted to a London hospital last night after suffering from coronavirus symptoms.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “Since Sunday evening, the Prime Minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

“Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.

“The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputise for him where necessary.

“The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”

The Conservative Party leader is understood to be conscious and has been moved to the ICU at about 7pm as a precaution should he require ventilation to aid his recovery.

At a press conference less than two hours before the decision was made, Mr Raab told a press briefing that the PM remained in charge of the Government despite remaining under observation.

Two uniformed police officers were stationed at the entrance to St Thomas’ Hospital on Monday evening where the Prime Minister is now being treated in intensive care.

Throughout the day officers and police vehicles could be seen entering and exiting the central London hospital.

Prof Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging, University College London (UCL), said it was “very likely” Mr Johnson would be put on a mechanical ventilator in intensive care.

He said:  “It seems clear that the Prime Minister went to hospital because he had difficulty breathing. It seems he was initially put on oxygen, and was conscious.

“But as often happens with Covid-19,  his condition has now deteriorated so he has been admitted to intensive care where he is very likely to have been put on a mechanical ventilator to breath for him.”

Dr Hill added: “It isn’t yet clear whether Boris Johnson is breathing on his own – with help from the ventilator. Or whether he has been heavily sedated and paralysed and the machine is doing all the breathing for him.”

Dr James Gill, locum GP & honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School, said Mr Johnson’s admission to intensive care would hammer home the danger of the outbreak.

He said: “For some people the Coronavirus outbreak just became real. Numbers on a report and lines on a graph can be intellectually challenging, but for a not insignificant proportion of the British population the Covid-19 infection didn’t really have teeth.

“A virus that affects other people. Boris Johnson is not other people.

“Whether we agree with it or not, as the Prime Minister of this country, he will have had access to the best medical advice possible, and has still regrettably fallen ill.

“Boris Johnson’s revelation of his positive result for Covid-19 initially caused a degree of concern, but his appearance on TV and social media likely tempered that concern of some people over this deadly virus.

“Without a doubt, the deterioration, and now admission of the British Prime Minister to hospital and now intensive care must underscore for everyone, across the world, how indiscriminate this virus is.”