Boris Johnson Discharged From Hospital After Being Treated For Coronavirus

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for the coronavirus, his office announced Sunday.

He will take time to recover at Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence located about 40 miles northwest of London.

“On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work,” a spokesperson for Johnson said in a statement. “He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received. ... All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.”

Johnson, 55, was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital in London on April 5, nine days after he revealed he had tested positive for the virus. He spent three nights in the hospital’s intensive care unit last week after his symptoms worsened. He was released from the ICU and into a hospital ward on Thursday.

Johnson credited the National Health Service, his country’s publicly funded universal health care system, with saving his life.

“The efforts of millions of people across this country to stay home are worth it,” Johnson tweeted Sunday. “Together we will overcome this challenge, as we have overcome so many challenges in the past.”

Carrie Symonds, Johnson’s fiancée, also thanked the NHS in a tweet.

“The staff at St Thomas’ Hospital have been incredible,” wrote Symonds, who is pregnant with their first child. “I will never, ever be able to repay you and I will never stop thanking you.”

“There were times last week that were very dark indeed,” she added. “My heart goes out to all those in similar situations, worried sick about their loved ones.”