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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the fact that he was “full of antibodies” after having had coronavirus before would not affect his isolation after contact with a deputy who tested positive.
It comes as Johnson’s attempt to rethink his term as prime minister was left in limbo after his meeting with Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who has since tested positive for Covid-19.
Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care with coronavirus in April, said he was notified by the NHS Test and Trace yesterday that he must isolate himself and that he will now remain in Downing Street for a period of 14 days.
In a video message, he tweeted that he was “in good health” and had no “symptoms.”
The prime minister said: “Hello friends, the good news is that NHS Test and Trace is working more and more efficiently, but the bad news is that I have been pinged and I have to isolate myself because someone I was in contact with a few days ago has developed Covid.
“It doesn’t matter that we were all doing social distancing, it doesn’t matter that I’m fit as a butcher dog, I feel great, a lot of people do it in my circumstances.
“And in fact, it doesn’t matter that I’ve had the disease and I’m full of antibodies.
“We have to stop the spread of the disease and one of the ways we can do that now is by isolating ourselves for 14 days when we contact each other through testing and tracing.”
Johnson said he was isolating himself with “his heart high” that the country was recovering from the virus, with high-speed testing and hopes of having a vaccine before Christmas providing cause for encouragement.
Hello friends, our NHS Test & Trace program has instructed me to isolate myself for two weeks, after having been in contact with someone with Covid-19.
I am in good health and have no symptoms, and will continue to lead our response to the virus and our plans to #BuildBackBetter pic.twitter.com/yNgIme8lOz
– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 16, 2020
When Johnson contracted Covid-19 in March, he tried to overcome the disease “in denial” but ended up wearing an oxygen mask in an intensive care unit and was ultimately out of action for nearly a month.
He later said that he had fought for his life as the state prepared for the unthinkable: the possible death in office of a prime minister.
Meanwhile, the British health minister said that even if progress is made with the Covid-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, most people in the UK will not be vaccinated until next year.
“Even if that comes as quickly as possible, the vast majority of people, we hope, will get vaccinated in the new year,” Health Minister Matt Hancock told Sky News.
He said the government was working hard to be able to launch the vaccine when it becomes available, adding that across the UK different administrations hoped to agree on a set of rules so that people could come together at Christmas.
“We are absolutely working to make Christmas as normal as possible,” he said.
Additional Reuters reports
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