Boris Johnson admitted to hospital with 'persistent coronavirus symptoms'
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Boris Johnson admitted to hospital with 'persistent coronavirus symptoms'

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital on Sunday evening due to "persistent symptoms" of Covid-19.

It's understood that the move was taken as a precautionary step, though it's believed that Mr Johnson has been struggling with a cough and a temperature in the last few days.

He tested positive for the virus 10 days ago, and had been self-isolating at Downing Street ever since.

Though now, on the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has left for hospital and will now undergo a series of routine tests.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.

"This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

"The Prime Minister thanks NHS staff for all their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the Government's advice to stay home, protect the NHS and save lives."

US President Donald Trump was among those to send well wishes to the Prime Minister, who insisted that Mr Johnson would be fine because he is "a strong person".

"All Americans are praying for him. He's a friend of mine, a great gentleman and a great leader," Trump added.

Despite spending the night in hospital, Downing Street insists that Mr Johnson is "still very much in charge of the government.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC: "We hope that as a result of these tests [the Prime Minister] will be able to come back to Downing Street as soon as possible.

"He's been working extremely hard leading the government and being constantly updated. That's going to continue.

"I'm sure this is very frustrating four him, for somebody like Boris who wants to be hands [on] running the government from the front, but nonetheless he's still very much in charge of the government," he added.

In place of Mr Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair this morning's coronavirus meeting in his place.

Last month, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said that if Mr Johnson was too unwell and unable to work, Mr Raab would stand in.