UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson released from hospital.

Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds. BBC/Reuters. 

UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson has been released from the hospital after treatment for Coronavirus. BBC. Johnson said that he owed his life to the workers of the National Health Service and that it "could have gone either way". Johnson spent a week in the hospital, three of them in the intensive care unit. Johnson will not be returning to work for some time and will retire to his private residence to continue to recover, under his doctor's advice. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will continue to run the country until Johnson recovers. Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds, who is also under self isolation due to Coronavirus symptoms, welcomed the news and also thanked the doctors and nurses who helped save Johnson's life. 

It is hard to find the words to express my debt to the NHS for saving my life.

The efforts of millions of people across this country to stay home are worth it. Together we will overcome this challenge, as we have overcome so many challenges in the past. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/HK7Ch8BMB5

— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) April 12, 2020

My Comment:
I'm glad that Johnson pulled through. For awhile there it looked like there was a very good chance that he wasn't going to make it. I was pretty afraid that once he got sent to the ICU that he wasn't going to come back out. He survived but that was no sure thing.

Johnson probably got the best treatment possible. And the doctors and nurses were probably very dedicated to keeping him healthy. Johnson admits as much since he thanked several of them by name. It's unclear exactly how Johnson was treated other than that he got oxygen, but I am guessing they did everything they could to keep him alive.

I can't help to think that this helps Johnson politically. Surviving this terrible disease makes him seem pretty bad ass to be honest. It also blunts one of Labor's prime attacks against him and the Tory government. They always say that the Tories are going to get rid of the National Health Service but that attack just seems stupid now that Johnson credits them for saving his life.

Many of the articles reporting on this are attacking Johnson for his handling of the Coronavirus crisis. Though I agree that there is some criticism to be had there (just like in every country, including the United States), I don't think this is the time for it. Johnson's technically not even in charge right now and he's recovering from a deadly disease. Let him have some time to rest before criticizing him.

I do think that Johnson's story is some rare positive news in this outbreak. It will probably give hope to people that could catch or have caught the disease. If someone like Johnson can survive, even though he's in his fifties and overweight, that means a lot of other people should have hope too. 

Despite that good news I do think that it's likely that a major world leader could catch and die from Coronavirus. Iran has already lost some of their leadership and America has had members of congress and senators catch the disease, but thankfully all of them have survived so far. I don't know if that good luck will continue.