Boris Johnson Stable, Responding to Virus Treatment: Downing Street

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, Sir Patrick Vallance, arrive for a news conference on the CCP virus, in London, Britain March 3, 2020. Frank Augstein/Pool via Reuters

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in stable condition in an intensive care unit and is responding to treatments for the CCP virus, Downing Street said late Tuesday.

Johnson, 55, is one of the highest profile patients in the world. He was taken to an intensive care unit (ICU) on April 6 after his condition rapidly worsened.

Johnson was hospitalized a day prior after suffering persistent symptoms including high temperature and a cough since testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, last month.

“The Prime Minister’s condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits,” Downing Street said in a statement.

While Johnson was in an ICU, he was not on a ventilator and was conscious, his office previously said.

General view of 10 Downing Street as the spread of the CCP virus continues, in London, Britain on April 8, 2020. HannahMcKay/Reuters

The prime minister’s office on Wednesday released a letter signed by Johnson that exhorted UK residents to stay at home amid the pandemic.

“In just a few short weeks, everyday life in this country has changed dramatically,” he wrote in the three page letter. “We all feel the profound impact of coronavirus not just on ourselves, but on our loved ones and our communities.

“I understand completely the difficulties this disruption has caused to your lives, businesses and jobs. But the action we have taken is absolutely necessary, for one very simple reason. If too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to cope. This will cost lives. We must slow the spread of the disease, and reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment in order to save as many lives as possible. That is why we are giving one simple instruction—you must stay at home.”

People should not interact with friends or relatives they don’t live with and should only leave their homes for limited purposes, such as buying food or exercising once a day.

When they do leave their house, they are urged to comply with social distancing guidelines, including staying six feet from anyone outside their household.

Police officers stand outside St Thomas' Hospital in the background in central London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care as his CCP virus symptoms persist, on April 8, 2020. Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP

If people break rules, police will issue fines and break up gatherings.

It wasn’t clear when the letter was written.

It made no reference to Johnson’s own condition.

The bulk of the country’s hospitalizations are in London, though the Midlands, North West, and North East and Yorkshire have also seen a number of patients requiring hospitalization. The most patients in ICU beds are also in London.

Johnson is being cared for at St. Thomas Hospital in central London.

The United Kingdom reported 3,634 new cases on Tuesday and 854 new deaths.