UK PM Boris Johnson tested negative for coronavirus before leaving hospital

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested negative for coronavirus before being discharged from hospital, his official spokesman said Monday.

No update on his health has so far been issued on Monday, but his spokesperson said that on the advice of his medical team, he is not immediately returning to work.

Johnson spent a week in the hospital for persistent coronavirus symptoms.

Upon leaving hospital on Sunday, Johnson released a deeply personal video message thanking his nurses, saying “things could have gone either way.”

His words painted a much starker picture of his battle with Covid-19 and his fiancée referenced a “very dark week” in a post on her Twitter account.

As we set out, his condition did worsen over the course of last Monday afternoon and he had to be moved to the intensive care unit. If someone is moved to intensive care they need a level of specialist treatment,” the spokesperson added.

Asked why the public was told Johnson was in “good spirits” while in ICU, his spokesman said: “All the information we gave to you was provided by St. Thomas’ hospital. Anything which we released to you was cleared with St. Thomas’.”

Johnson is now recovering at the PM’s official countryside residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire. This is considered to be “a suitable place for the PM to continue his recovery,” his spokesman said. He noted that there are no scheduled visitors.