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Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital on Easter Sunday as he thanked the doctors and nurses who saved his life.
"The NHS has saved my life, no question," Johnson said in a statement released on Sunday afternoon. "It’s hard to find the words to express my debt."
Johnson gave the first names of several NHS workers "whose care has been so astonishing", including "Jenny from New Zealand" and "Luis from Portugal", two nurses "who stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way".
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
The prime minister will begin what is expected to be a month-long recovery at his Chequers country residence after spending a week at St Thomas' hospital in London battling the coronavirus, including three nights in intensive care.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers.
“On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work. He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received. All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.”
Johnson's fiancé Carrie Symonds tweeted that she would "never, ever be able to repay" the NHS staff at St Thomas'.
There were times last week that were very dark indeed. My heart goes out to all those in similar situations, worried sick about their loved ones.
Senior ministers are urging Johnson not to rush back to the day-to-day running of government. BuzzFeed News reported on Saturday that they believe he should act at most as “chairman of the board” for several weeks while he recuperates and allow foreign secretary Dominic Raab to operate as “CEO” in charge of daily decision-making.
One minister said the current lockdown was likely to continue until at least early to mid-May anyway, allowing Johnson a month to make a “phased” return to work while immediate decisions are left to the cabinet.