What coronavirus symptoms does Boris Johnson have?

BORIS Johnson was rushed in to intensive care for round-the-clock monitoring after his Covid-19 symptoms deteriorated.

But how was the killer bug, coronavirus, indicated in the first place, and how did it worsen? Here's an explanation.

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What coronavirus symptoms does Boris Johnson have?

On March 27, Boris Johnson said that "over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus.

"Those are a temperature and a persistent cough.

"On the advice of the chief medical officer, I have taken a test and that has come out positive.

"So I am working from home; I'm self-isolating and that's the right thing to do."

However, 11 days after he self-isolated at 11 Downing Street, the PM is in a serious condition at St Thomas' Hospital's ICU.

His sudden deterioration occurred hours after his admission late on Sunday, when Downing Street reported he was suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms, including a high temperature and a cough, for more than ten days.

The PM's last on-camera engagement with the public was last Friday, when he recorded a Twitter video telling viewers he still had symptoms so was following Public Health England guidance to stay in self-isolation.

His voice sounded croaky - plus he appeared pale, and exhausted.

The Mail on Sunday quoted a source as saying that the prime minister, “has not been resting enough and is still leading from the front.

"Obviously that is beginning to slow down his recovery. He needs to go to bed.”

As feared, he was taken to hospital on Sunday, with aides downplaying his admission as merely a "precaution".

And while Mr Johnson was in good spirits on Monday morning, worryingly, during the course of the day he began to struggle to breathe and needed oxygen.

The PM was given four litres of oxygen, sources at the hospital told The Times.

He is not yet on a ventilator and is still conscious, according to the latest official updates.

When did Boris Johnson start self-isolating?

The Prime Minister has been self-isolating since March 27 when he announced he had contracted the virus.

Here's a timeline of what's happened since then:

• March 28: One day after revealing that he had contracted the bug, he chaired a meeting of the Covid-19 war cabinet, from 11 Downing Street. Working alone, Mr Johnson began holding meetings by video link.
• March 30: He tweeted: "Thank you to the 20,000 former staff coming back to the NHS." But, after chairing another cabinet meeting, sources revealed that during such video calls, he was "coughing and spluttering" his way through them.
• March 31: Still in isolation, Mr Johnson warned the pandemic was "going to get worse before it gets better" in the UK. He urged people to follow social distancing rules to save lives.
• April 1: A clearly poorly PM shared a video on his Twitter account, where he said: "We will beat coronavirus together by staying at home, protecting our NHS and saving lives."
• April 2: Downing Street maintained that Mr Johnson was only suffering "mild symptoms". The PM appeared for the first time in public after his diagnosis, clapping for carers from the step of 11 Downing Street, where he was still self-isolating.
• April 3: He posted an update on Twitter, saying he was continuing to lead the Covid-19 battle from self-isolation, as he still had a high temperature. By comparison, Matt Hancock had returned to Westminster, one week after testing positive to the disease.
• April 4: The Mail on Sunday quoted a source as saying that the PM, "has not been resting enough and is still leading from the front. Obviously that is beginning to slow down his recovery. He needs to go to bed.”
• April 5: Mr Johnson was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital late on Sunday after suffering persistent coronavirus symptoms, including a high temperature and a cough, for more than ten days.
• April 6: The Prime Minister was moved to intensive care on Monday after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, and he was given oxygen as he was struggling to breathe. Before his transfer, he asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise for him.
• April 7: Mr Johnson remains in St Thomas' ICU, close to a ventilator, while being closely monitored around-the-clock.