Boris moved to ICU

[YeahWhatevver]

www.itv.com/news/2020-04-06/prime-minister-boris-johnson-moved-to-intensive-care-after-being-admitted-to-hospital-with-coronavirus/

I got a real heart sink last night when I heard he was on ICU. Poor lad.

Woke up this morning hoping for no bad news. I also don't know who else can get the country though this crisis. I really appreciated his upbeat and positive briefings.

Gove said he's not on a ventilator. I don't think he'd risk being shown to be wrong about that. Obviously the lung function isn't what it should be. Johnson must feel he's strayed into a nightmare. I keep having snatches of that feeling and I'm safe and well!

If he does need ventilation at any point, he'll neither know nor care who is around him because he will be in an induced coma. I read a consultant saying that the lungs of sufferers harden so much that it's like trying to ventilate bricks. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I woukd be hugely encouraged to hear good news about anyone who has come through ventilation unscathed and resumed full health, but I think it's probably too soon to know. I have told DH I will probably refuse ventilation if I get the virus and it's deemed necessary, as I'm over 65 and would rather a younger person benefitted. I don't want to crawl back to a poor quality life with a loss of mobility and impaired lung function. There probably won't be a ventilator spare for me anyway!

I think he is over 5’7” he is not noticeably short in this video maybe 5’9”.

He is clearly overweight but this is a couple of years ago.

Really hoping Boris pulls through, very worried during the night kept waking up and checking news, never voted Tory, never will, but that is just politics, this is far more important.

I cannot stand the man's politics but I find myself conflicted

Such compassion.

I cannot stand the man's politics but I find myself conflicted

You really need to take a long hard look at yourself

Boris is 5'9"

I despise the politics he represents but I hope he makes a full recovery. For his own/his family's sake, for the country's need for political stability (and the fact Raab is worse), and for the sake of the poor over-worked NHS team looking after him. I know they treat every patient with the best care they can give, prince and pauper alike, but you'd have to be superhuman not to be aware of the additional responsibility at an already stressful time.

I hope if Boris does pull through, that this gives him an epiphany about the NHS and he goes on to become its champion in the future.

Let me say first of all I have no political allegiance...I'm a floating voter.

However, why do so many people on the left seem to have to state that although they disagree with his politics, they don't wish him harm. Do you routinely wish harm to those who think differently to you? So much so that when you don't, you need to mention it.

Seems really bizarre to me...yet also fits with the fact I've noticed that irl, the left leaning types I know, including in my own family, are often the most unpleasant on a personal level despite their ideologies.

Seems really bizarre to me...yet also fits with the fact I've noticed that irl, the left leaning types I know, including in my own family, are often the most unpleasant on a personal level despite their ideologies

formerbabe I see this too. I have a family member in Momentum and they are so horribly aggressive. They cannot debate so shout and fling insults. We barely interact now because of this. I KNOW what they will have been saying about Boris being in hospital.

formerbabe, er, no, I don't "routinely wish harm to those who think differently" to me.

That's kinda the point. Recent politics has been particularly focussed on divisiveness, and the attempt to push people into opposite "teams", which are encouraged to treat each other as The Enemy. So, for many people it's important to make clear that we have more in common and that we're supportive of each other on a human level, despite having major differences. And that we don't save our good wishes for those "on our team."

Another reason is that some people confuse support for someone as a human being, for support for their personal behaviour or political actions. The media can be a bit prone to this, and it's a mistake.

So, for many people it's important to make clear that we have more in common and that we're supportive of each other on a human level, despite having major differences. And that we don't save our good wishes for those "on our team."

Another reason is that some people confuse support for someone as a human being, for support for their personal behaviour or political actions. The media can be a bit prone to this, and it's a mistake.

Thank you for articulating this Perking. I prefaced my post here the way I did because I've already been called 'hypocritical' elsewhere (not MN) for posting a similar hope that Johnson recovers, presumably because I've previously criticised several Tory policies / Brexit on the same forum.

I don't know which hospital is currently quoted as having 1 to 6 care in their ICU but I would be very surprised if that was true.

He's either was 5ft 9 and has shrunk a couple of inches or never was. I'm 5ft 10 and was looking down at him. He also had more than a bit of a belly! This was last year though.

I was not impressed at all about having to meet him and considered phoning in sick! That said - he was actually an OK bloke - polite and not as outwardly confident as you'd think, very bubbly as he is on TV.

I hope he's not suffering too much and that he turns a corner soon. He will get the best care, same as everyone else. I don't expect any news to be imminent, ventilation and ITU care tends to be a bit of a long game and not a quick fix.

formerbabe most of the abusive comments and censorship have come from right wingers insisting that anyone who wants to discuss Johnson’s political policy and how his government is handling a crisis that is killing people is an evil vile monsters.

Certainly most of the shouting and insult-flinging on MN lately has come from right wingers.

The only people making sweeping statements with the intent of demonising an entire political viewpoint are right wingers.

Surely saying you wish someone well is normal? You know full well if non-right wing posters did not say that, you’d be lining up to accuse us of wanting him dead. So don’t play the faux naive “oh but whyyyyyyy are left wingers saying they wish him well SO STRANGE!!” card.

Personally I think it’s disgusting that you’re exploiting the serious health crisis of a man with young children and a pregnant partner as a way to score political points. Shameful.

Personally I dislike Boris. He is a racist, bigoted, sexist adulterer whose only admiral quality is the fact he doesn’t try to hide any of this. Nonetheless for the sake of his children, family and for the countries mental well being I wish him a speedy recovery.

Certainly most of the shouting and insult-flinging on MN lately has come from right wingers

This is just not true.

AnyFucker I've seen reports in FB groups made up of frontline NHS staff that 1:6 is the ratio for the Nightingale hospitals, rather than existing ICUs, but am not an ICU medic myself so happy to be corrected on that.

koshkatt it 100% is true.

Look at this thread. Almost all the left wingers are being reasonable and saying things like “I don’t agree with his policies but I wish him well and hope he gets better.”

The right wingers are making sweeping statements based on absolutely nothing about how aggressive and nasty left wingers are, hurling insults at anyone who wants to discuss political policy, using abusive language, and exploiting a seriously unwell person to score political points.

Fucking hell - 1 to 6 ratio of people that acutely ill! If that's the normal standard I dread to think what the reality would be taking into account staff absence etc. Does anyone know if that is due to be staffed fully by army medics, are there even enough?

I am a BJ fan but think all mumsnetters wish him well as I would if Stamer were ill too. I don't think left and right need to fall out over this.

However the bottom line is that 60% of people in the UK are fat, let's not beat about the bush and if you look at Matt Hancock and that very good chief medical man Whitty - who had it when he did - they are slim and fit and BJ like many of us struggles with his weight. If we learn nothing from this crisis it would be a good idea to lose weight and get your waist measurement to what the NHS says is safe. That does not mean no one in good health who is healthy weight has not had it badly but it does perhaps partly explain why he might have found it harder to fight off.

Are army medics trained up to ICU standard?

A few will be. I know they have some in the US doing that kind of work.

I don't get the vitriol aimed at people saying 'I'm not keen on the man/ I'm no Tory' etc. They may not wish to be seen as a hypocrite especially if they have criticised him in the past.

And that said - I'm not a Corby fan either, but I'm not convinced people wouldn't be openly making shitty comments/ jokes if it was him in ICU.

Very few people, regardless of any politics, have made unkind comments about Boris, yet they get pounced on even if they admit they are not a fan of him or his politics.

The right wingers are making sweeping statements based on absolutely nothing about how aggressive and nasty left wingers are, hurling insults at anyone who wants to discuss political policy, using abusive language, and exploiting a seriously unwell person to score political points

I just do not see this.