Boris Johnson in intensive care: What the papers are saying about the prime minister’s health

Italian newspaper describes deterioration of prime minister's condition as 'chilling'

News of Boris Johnson’s worsening health in his personal battle against coronavirus has dominated UK front pages and provoked concern from media around the world.

The decision to move the prime minister to an intensive care unit (ICU) on advice of his medical team came as a shock to many and was an alarming escalation after Mr Johnson had previously described his symptoms as “mild” and tweeted earlier on Monday that he was in “in good spirits”.

From broadsheets to tabloids, British newspapers presented the news in stark terms: “Johnson in intensive care,” wrote The Daily Telegraph, while The Daily Mirror led with the headline “Sick Boris faces fight for his life”.

The Times reported Mr Johnson had not been intubated for ventilation but said he had needed four litres of oxygen, below the usual threshold of 15 litres for intensive care - a suggestion that he may be in better health than other patients in ICUs.

However, the newspaper noted that the deterioration in his health had been rapid and quoted a government minister who said it was a “truly shocking” moment.

The Daily Mail highlighted the decision to pick Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, as a “crisis stand-in” for the prime minister after Mr Johnson’s health “dramatically worsened” and said Carrie Symonds, the PM’s pregnant fiancée, was in “agony” as she was unable to see him in hospital.

Meanwhile, The Guardian’s columnist Simon Jenkins wrote that “we can only wish [Mr Johnson] well and a speedy recovery” but noted it must now be recognised that “the machinery of power is malfunctioning” during the Covid-19 crisis.

The rest of the world

Mr Johnson’s health has also captured the attention of newspapers around the world, particularly in Europe and the US, where updates on his worsening condition have featured prominently on news websites.

In the US, The Wall Street Journal said the prime minister’s illness had come at a “critical juncture” in the UK’s coronavirus outbreak, noting research which has suggested the peak of the epidemic could be less than 10 days away.

CNN reported that his sickness had “shocked the nation”, while Fox News focussed on the response of Donald Trump, who said he was “saddened” by Mr Johnson’s condition.

“With the prime minister’s condition worsening Monday, Britain plunged into a harrowing new phase in its struggle against the coronavirus,” The New York Times wrote in its lead article on the PM’s health.

“Mr Johnson is in a debilitating battle after contracting a virus he initially viewed with characteristic nonchalance.”

In France, Le Monde noted Mr Johnson’s optimistic tweet on Monday afternoon but said the disease had now “caught up” with him.

The news also featured on websites in Spain, Germany and Italy, where La Repubblica gave a particularly grave assessment of the situation.

“‘He is still conscious’. The clarification that came from Downing Street shortly after 8 was chilling,” the Italian newspaper said.

“Now it is no longer a mystery: Boris Johnson’s condition is serious.”

The paper warned it was not just the fate of the prime minister that was now in question, but also “the credibility of an entire medical, health and national system.”