After losing 26 pounds, UK PM Johnson says he was 'too fat' when he contracted COVID-19

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently admitted that he was ‘too fat’ when he contracted coronavirus back in March. In an online speech to his party conference, Johnson said he has to admit to the reason why he had such a ‘nasty experience’ with the disease. While acknowledging that he was superficially in the peak of his health, the UK PM said that he had a very common underlying condition - “my friends I was too fat,” he added.

Since his recovery, Johnson, however, informed that he has lost around 26 pounds and added that he is going to continue that diet. The UK PM has repeatedly urged Britons to use restrictions imposed by the pandemic to lose weight, as new cases continued to surge across the country. In a recent interview with BBC, he had said that the pandemic should be a ‘teachable moment’ for the UK. 

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According to the Johns Hopkins University, UK has over 518,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 42,459 lives. On Saturday, the country also recorded the highest daily rise of cases at 12,872 and 49 deaths. However, officials said that a technical issue was responsible, having included infections not recorded earlier for the September 24 to October 1 period. 

The UK PM, who recovered from the virus after three days in the intensive care unit, has been trying to achieve a balance between saving lives and protecting economy, but he also cautioned that daily life would not return to normal until Christmas, perhaps beyond. During the virtual party conference, Johnson said that on the one hand, the government has the imperative to save lives, but on the other hand, they also have to keep the economy moving and the society going. 

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Sunak says further lockdown would ‘cripple economy’ 

While Johnson is trying to strike a balance between saving lives and reviving the economy, finance minister Rishi Sunak had said that a further lockdown would not only cripple the country’s economy but would also devastate society. He had said any future lockdown would have a strong economic and social impact, expressing his dissatisfaction with the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants. He even cautioned against a shutdown adding that it will hamper the long-term future of the country. 

"Lockdowns obviously have a very strong economic impact, but they have an impact on many other things. We have to look at this all in the round and beating coronavirus is important and minimising the harm that it causes is important. But there are other things that are important. Kids not being in school for months... if university students’ learning is impacted that’s not a good thing. People not showing up for medical appointments because they are worried is not a good thing," Sunak said. 

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