Recovered from Covid-19, PM Boris Johnson says risk of second spike

Covid-19 update: Boris Johnson, who revealed the precarious nature of his condition after leaving hospital when, as he said, “things could have gone either way,” appeared to have fully recovered as he made a statement outside No 10, Downing Street.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to his desk in Downing Street on Monday after recovering from coronavirus, but resisted demands to ease lockdown curbs due to “maximum risk” of a second spike, as the UK’s death toll was set to cross 21,000.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks out of number 10 to make a statement, on his first day back at work in Downing Street, London, after recovering from a bout with the coronavirus that put him in intensive care, Monday, April 27, 2020. (AP)

Johnson, who left hospital last week and revealed the precarious nature of his health – “things could have gone either way” – appeared to have made a full recovery as he made a cautiously optimistic statement that asked people to “contain your impatience” with the lockdown.

However, his claim that many are “looking now at our apparent success”, referring to the hospital system not being overwhelmed, was questioned by critics who pointed out that the number of deaths and cases made the UK rank among the worst in Europe.