British PM was like 'any other patient', say nurses who treated him for coronavirus

Two nurses who were singled out for praise by Boris Johnson for their care while he was in hospital with the coronavirus said the British prime minister was treated like any other patient.

New Zealand nurse Jenny McGee said she was unfazed by the task of caring for Johnson, who “absolutely needed to be there”, while Luis Pitarma, from Portugal, said the responsibility “was quite overwhelming”.

“There was a lot of media interest about him being in hospital and, to be honest, that was the toughest,” McGee told TVNZ in an interview that aired on Thursday, her first public remarks since the episode.

“As a unit, he was just another patient we were trying to do our best for, so it was business as usual. It was just another day at the office,” added McGee, who has worked for the National Health Service since 2010.

In a statement issued by London’s St Thomas’ hospital, where 55-year-old Johnson was taken on April 5 after his COVID-19 symptoms worsened, Pitarma said: “I asked how he would like to be addressed and he said to call him Boris. That made me feel less nervous because he took away any formality.”

“I’ve never looked after someone high profile before. But he was also a patient like any other patient, a life like any other life.”

Johnson was moved into intensive care on April 6, remaining there for three nights. On being discharged from hospital on April 12, he said in a video message: “The NHS saved my life, no question”.

Johnson named several nurses who had cared for him, before thanking two in particular — “Jenny from New Zealand” and “Luis from Portugal” — who he said had stood by his bedside “when things could have gone either way”.