After an extended hospital stay for coronavirus, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is serious about new initiatives to combat obesity, according to a Business Insider report.
The Prime Minister is reportedly convinced that his lengthy hospital stay is due to his weight. Johnson spent a week at St. Thomas’ hospital in London in April, which included several days in the intensive care unit receiving oxygen treatments.
“It was hard to believe that in just a few days my health had deteriorated to this extent. I remember feeling frustrated. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting better,” he told The Sun.
Government fast coming to the conclusion that UK’s obesity rate, more than 1 in 4 are obese, is one of the main reasons why death toll here is so high here. Boris Johnson now wants a ‘much more interventionist’ approach to tackling obesity https://t.co/5j918mp0uC
— James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) May 15, 2020
“But the bad moment came when it was 50-50 whether they were going to have to put a tube down my windpipe,” he said. “It was a tough old moment, I won’t deny it. They had a strategy to deal with a ‘death of Stalin’-type scenario.”
Johnson has now made a commitment to combating obesity and now wants to get more people walking and cycling, the Guardian reported.
Obesity leads to a higher risk of coronavirus complications, according to the CDC. Obese individuals may experience complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe breathing problem. It also leads to many underlying health conditions that could complicate treatment, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and coronary heart disease.
“As we outlined in our recovery strategy, this government will invest in preventive and personalized solutions to ill health, helping people to live healthier and more active lives,” The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said when asked about the public health initiative.
“You have heard the PM speak on a number of occasions about the importance he attaches to cycling.”
Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Jonathon Ashworth reacted positively to the initiative, calling it a “welcome conversation.”
“We’ve repeatedly warned of the long-term health risks of obesity,” he said. “We are facing an obesity crisis, and decisive action is urgently needed.”
Johnson has fully recovered from the virus. His son was born 17 days after his discharge. The baby boy has the middle name Nicholas in honor of the doctors who saved the Prime Minister’s life in intensive care, Nicholas Price and Nicholas Hart.