News hit earlier this morning in Asia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been admitted to hospital:
The news as it happened:
- GBP lower in early (very early) Asia morning as UK PM Johnson admitted to hospital
- UK PM Johnson to remain in hospital overnight. Monday's Covid-19 meeting will be chaired by Raab
And there was this also:
For background to Sunday's developments:
- The Guardian was told last week that Johnson was more seriously ill than either he or his officials were prepared to admit, and that he was being seen by doctors who were concerned about his breathing.
- But Downing Street flatly denied that the prime minister's health had seriously deteriorated, and insisted there were no plans at that point for him to be admitted to hospital.
So far it would appear that the denial of Johnson's deteriorating health were not well founded in fact. His being admitted to hospital is confirmation of the seriousness of his situation. There is no way Johnson would want to use the resources of an already stretched UK health system if he was not ill.
What's next? Again, Guardian:
- "Doctors will be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturations," said Dr Rupert Beale, who heads the cell biology of infection laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London."They will also check blood tests to see what the immune response to the virus looks like, and to assess liver and kidney function. They will perform an electrocardiogram to check the heart. More sophisticated tests may include a CT scan of the chest to get an accurate picture of the lungs."
