London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 02, 2026

British PM Johson say he ‘owes his life’ to NHS staff as UK coronavirus death toll closes in on 10,000

British PM Johson say he ‘owes his life’ to NHS staff as UK coronavirus death toll closes in on 10,000

UK PM Boris Johnson has credited doctors that have been treating him for coronavirus for saving his life in his first statement after being released from intensive care, as the country’s death toll continues to soar.
“I can’t thank them enough. I owe them my life,” Johnson was cited as saying in a short statement, reported by British media.

The brief statement, issued late Saturday, has become the first the ailing PM made after he was taken to instensive care in St Thomas’ Hospital in central London on Monday after his condition deteriorated due to him experiencing “persistent” coronavirus symptoms.

Sunday would mark a week since Johnson was transferred to hospital, and it’s unclear when he would be discharged.

Intially, the Downing Street reported that the PM “went into hospital for some routine tests,” but as Johnson’s condition continued to worsen, he was taken to an intensive care ward, where he received oxygen treatment but is not believed to have ever been in need of a ventilator.

Since his hospitalization, Johnson has received an outpour of support and well-wishes from both his backers and most outspoken critics, as his health woes saw the majority of Brits, shocked by the development, rallying for his full recovery.

The Labour Party, in a rare move, expelled a mayor from its ranks, after she argued that Johnson, who was still in intensive care at the time, “completely deserves” his health troubles.

With Johnson’s health issues overshadowing much of the coronavirus coverage in the UK, the stark criticism his cabinet has drawn from its ‘herd immunity’ approach to the pandemic has faded into the background.

Before falling ill with the Covid-19 late March, Johnson used to send mixed messages to the public, telling fellow Brits “to go out and enjoy yourselves” despite ordering a three-week nationalwide lockdown later the same day.

Johnson,who had been self-isolating inside Downing Street for 10 days before he required hospitalization, has been chastised for not taking his personal fight with the virus seriously enough as well.

His half-brother, however, pinned the blame on the medics, monitoring the PM’s condition inside the residence, for allegedly taking a hands-free approach to the matter,

“From what I gather - and I wasn't there - no one asked a doctor to mask up and physically examine him the whole time - more than 10 days," Max Johnson said.

His allegation, however, was dismissed by his brother’s office, with Downing Street saying that it would be “incorrect” to suggest that the PM had never been subjected to a physical exam while in self-isolation.

As the PM appears to be on the mend, the country’s death toll is smashing records, adding about a thousand fatalities a day. Some 9,875 people died of the coronavirus in the UK as of Saturday, after 917 lethal cases were registered in a single day.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Sainsbury Agrees to Sell Argos in £120 Million Deal to Private Consortium
High Court Clears Way for Construction of Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court
UK Fuel Prices Climb to Multi-Month Highs as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Disrupt Oil Supplies
Severe Summer Drought and Record Heat Put UK Harvests at Risk
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backbench Opposition Over Potential Support for New North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
Bank of England Warns Inflation Will Stay Above 3% as Middle East Energy Shock Prolongs Cost-of-Living Pressures
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
×