Politics

UK coronavirus live news: 'no change' in Johnson's condition after night in intensive care


Welcome to our UK coronavirus live blog as we wait for news about the condition of Boris Johnson.

The prime minister spent a night being treated in intensive care at St Thomas’ hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. He was moved as a precaution so he could be close to a ventilator, but there has been no indication so far that he has been put on a ventilator – a process that would require hime being sedated.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, is currently standing in for Johnson and has vowed to follow set by the prime minister.

Johnson was understood to be conscious when he was moved to intensive care at about 7pm.

Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging at University College London , said the PM could be given a breathing aid known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) which bridges the gap between an oxygen mask and full ventilation.

CPAP uses pressure to send a blend of air and oxygen into the mouth at a steady rate, thereby boosting the amount of oxygen that enters the lungs.

But Prof Hill said many Covid-19 patients eventually “progress to invasive ventilation”. This is for people whose illness is so severe they are struggling or unable to breathe for themselves.

A mechanical ventilator either does all the breathing for the patient, or assists the patient’s own breathing. The patient is heavily sedated while a device called an endotracheal tube is guided through the mouth into the windpipe.

The death rate of those admitted to intensive care in the UK with Covid-19 has topped 50%, according to the latest figures.

The figure comes from data compiled by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre based on a sample of 2,249 coronavirus patients.

The data showed of the 690 patients in the sample whose care outcomes were known, 346 – 50.1% – had died, while 344 had been discharged.

The remaining patients, 1,559, were reported still to be in critical care.
The data shows that of 2,248 patients, 73% were men and 27% were women.



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