British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised those who saved his life as he left the hospital on Sunday, saying for him “things could have gone either way.”
Johnson was admitted a week ago for “persistent” Covid-19 symptoms.
He added in a video posted to Twitter that “it’s hard to find the words to express my debt.”
“The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers,” Johnson’s spokesperson said, referring to the PM’s official country residence.
The 55-year-old had been transferred Monday to intensive care. According to his spokesman, he spent three nights at the ICU and received “standard oxygen treatment” but the PM did not require mechanical or invasive ventilation.
The spokesperson said the PM would not return to work immediately following his medical team’s advice.
Johnson’s confirmed intention to continue working after being diagnosed with Covid-19 was challenged by some at his hospital admission.
The PM released a message of thanks to employees of the National Health Service at St. Thomas’ Hospital on Saturday. “I can’t thank them enough. I owe them my life,” he said.
In a video statement released online on Sunday, Johnson publicly named some of the health care staff who took care of him, including two nurses — one from New Zealand and one from Portugal — who stayed by his bedside “for 48 hours when things could have gone either way.”
“I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS has saved my life, no question,” Johnson said in the video. “It’s hard to find the words to express my debt.”
