Boris Johnson’s admission that there were “48 hours when things could have gone either way” during his coronavirus treatment is the Daily Telegraph’s main takeaway from a video message the prime minister recorded after he was discharged from St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The PM praised the care of staff and said he saw first hand the pressures the NHS is under. The paper adds that aides have declined to say whether he would take part in the government review of lockdown measures, scheduled for Thursday.
“Bojo’s Angels” is the Sun’s take on the prime minister’s “emotional” video message, after he named two NHS nurses he credited with saving his life. He said Jenny McGee and Luis Pitarma, both pictured on the paper’s front page, cared for him at his bedside for 48 hours as he battled coronavirus.
The prime minister’s video message also features on the front of the Daily Express, with the paper leading on his praise for the NHS staff involved in his care, calling them the “beating heart of this country”.
The i leads on Boris Johnson’s “heartfelt tribute” to the “astonishing” care of NHS medics who treated him for coronavirus.
Boris Johnson’s first appearance since leaving hospital is an “Easter picture to cheer us all”, according to the Daily Mail. The paper’s lead story, though, centres on the “fiasco” of getting protective equipment to front-line medics treating coronavirus patients. Delivering the kit to staff has become “hand to mouth”, one health leader tells the Mail, as it reports airlifts of PPE from China – the world’s main supplier – are being held up by “red tape”. Meanwhile, other deliveries of equipment reaching the UK have been wrongly labelled or have been deemed unusable after failing safety checks, it adds.
The Times leads on Boris Johnson’s video message, but its second story hones in on continued concerns over supplies of protective equipment, with nurses being told they can refuse to treat patients if they are not given the right kit. In new guidance, the Royal College of Nursing has told nurses that leaving patients without care would go against everything they had been trained to do but their own safety must not be compromised.
Upon his release from hospital, the PM attempted to reassure people the UK was “making progress in this incredible national battle against coronavirus”, but the Guardian says criticism of the government’s handling of the pandemic is mounting. It says there are concerns about the “failure” to supply front-line medics and care home workers with enough protective equipment.
The Daily Mirror leads with a warning that Britain’s coronavirus death toll could become the worst in Europe. The comments by Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), came as recorded UK hospital deaths rose by 737 in 24 hours, taking the nation’s total deaths to 10,612.
Poorer countries are to be offered a freeze on debt repayments for at least six months as part of a deal being finalised by the G20 group of nations, the Financial Times says. The initiative follows concerns that some developing nations lack the resources to manage the economic and health impacts of coronavirus.
The same image of Boris Johnson delivering his Easter message after leaving hospital is on many front pages.
The nurses named by the prime minister in his statement praising the care he received in hospital is the subject of much focus.
“Bojo’s Angels,” is the headline in the Sun accompanying pictures of Jenny McGee and Luis Pitarma – who were initially referred to as “Jenny from New Zealand” and “Luis from Portugal”.
Both the Times and the Daily Telegraph highlight the prime minister’s quote that “things could have gone either way”.
Writing in the Daily Express, Leo McKinistry says Mr Johnson’s personal battle with coronavirus has become “an epic symbol of our national ordeal”.
PM’s ‘Messiah moment’
Sarah Vine – in the Daily Mail – describes Mr Johnson as looking “as pale as a ghost”. She suggests that not many people will begrudge him his “Messiah moment”- even if, under normal circumstances, a prime minister rising miraculously from his sickbed on Easter Sunday would be considered the work of an “over-imaginative spin doctor”.
The Daily Mirror reports that the cabinet is split over when to begin lifting the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. It says that there is a “chilling fear” about damaging the economy “beyond repair” and whether the NHS can cope if there is an easing of measures introduced last month.
The decision may also be complicated by whether a recovering Boris Johnson wants to have any input. Sources with knowledge of No 10 are quoted in the Guardian as saying that any review of the lockdown was “very unlikely” without “at least some input from the prime minister”.
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The Financial Times has seen a chart which has been circulated to clinicians – which will ask them to “score” thousands of patients to decide who is suitable for intensive care treatment. The categories used to judge people are reportedly someone’s age, frailty and if they have any underlying conditions. The paper says that although clinical discretion could come into play – any patient over the age of 70 will be considered “borderline” for treatment.
“Spreading like wildfire” and the “hidden front line” are two stark assessments of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on care homes.
The Sun reports that Covid-19 was so contagious at one home in Essex family members were not allowed to take jewellery from their dead relative and corpses are no longer being washed.
The owner of 15 care homes has told the Times the sector is bracing itself for a “tsunami” of cases. The paper also says that there is a perception among care staff that they play “second fiddle” to the NHS.
“Unforgiveable” is the Daily Mirror’s view of delays in getting personal protective equipment to doctors and nurses. The paper says government ministers reciting numbers of items is “meaningless” when health care workers in hospitals “know the terrible truth”.
The Sun is more sympathetic to the government’s plight – saying that while it appreciates getting more PPE is “easier said than done” – ministers should “strain every sinew” to resolve the situation.
Moss a ‘true sportsman’
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Sir Stirling Moss was the first British driver to win a home grand prix
Away from coverage of coronavirus, tributes are paid to the racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, who has died at the age of 90.
The Daily Telegraph’s Oliver Brown considers whether Sir Stirling was the “perhaps the greatest racer of them all” – pointing out that he won 40% of the races he entered.
Writing in the Guardian, former F1 World Champion Damon Hill describes Sir Stirling as a “true sportsman” and someone who was a throwback to an era that understood what it meant to be generous in defeat, chivalrous and a fair winner.
Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor was best known as one third of the popular 1970s show The Goodies, and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue
“Covid kills a Goodie,” is the Daily Star’s headline as it pays tribute to Tim Brooke-Taylor, who died yesterday aged 79.
In a similar play on words, the i describes him as “Always a Goodie”.