Boris Johnson reveals how close he came to death in coronavirus battle
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed that doctors prepared to announce his death as he battled coronavirus in hospital last month.
The prime minister spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in London with the disease, where he said medics gave him "litres and litres of oxygen".
He described it as a "tough old moment", coming to terms with hospital staff having a “strategy to deal with a 'death of Stalin'-type scenario”, he told the Sun On Sunday.
"I was not in particularly brilliant shape and I was aware there were contingency plans in place,” Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson, 55, said it was "hard to believe" his health had deteriorated in just a few days, saying he "couldn't understand why I wasn't getting better".
The PM told the paper the "indicators kept going in the wrong direction" and he kept asking himself: "How am I going to get out of this?"
Mr Johnson shared his experience of the disease as the number of people to die of COVID-19 in British hospitals, care homes and the wider community rose to 28,131.
The death toll has edged closer to that of Italy, which now stands at 28,710 and is the highest in Europe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
After a fortnight convalescing from the virus and just two days after he returned to work full-time, Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson.
They named him after their grandfathers and two doctors – Dr Nick Price and Professor Nick Hart – who helped save Mr Johnson's life.
The two doctors are experts in infectious diseases and ventilation, and shared their "warm congratulations" with the couple.
"We are honoured and humbled to have been recognised in this way, and we give our thanks to the incredible team of professionals who we work with at St Thomas' and who ensure every patient receives the best care," they said in a statement.
Meanwhile two former British military chiefs, General Lord Dannatt and General Lord Richards, have backed calls for health workers to be given daily allowances like those given to soldiers in war zones.
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