Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital after failing to shake-off coronavirus symptoms 10 days after testing positive.
Downing Street said he had gone to hospital for tests as a “precautionary step”.
He continues to have “persistent symptoms” of the virus – understood to be a high temperature.
The PM is understood to be receiving treatment at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London – across the bridge from Parliament.
It comes after aides became increasingly worried about the PM’s health after he continued to show symptoms seven days after testing positive.
Most people manage to shake-off symptoms after seven days, with doctors saying patients are at risk of developing pneumonia if a temperature persists for more than a week.
And late last night a Downing Street spokesman announced: “On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.
“This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus.
“The Prime Minister thanks NHS staff for all of their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the Government’s advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
Yesterday the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who recovered after also testing positive for coronavirus last week, insisted the PM was “OK” but still had a temperature.
And he said he did not know whether the PM had been seen by a doctor.
Government aides said he had been “coughing and spluttering” on video conference calls over the last few days.
Mr Johnson was due to end his seven days of self-isolation last Friday but was still recording a high temperature so continued to stay holed up in his No11 flat in accordance with Public Health guidance.
Mr Hancock said the contrast in how he and Mr Johnson had suffered exposed how difficult to predict and dangerous the virus was.
Asked about the PM’s health, the Health Secretary told Sky News: “He’s okay, I’ve been talking to him every day, often several times a day, throughout this, throughout the time that both of us were off and so he has very much got his hand on the tiller but he has still got a temperature.
“In a way it shows this virus affects different people differently.
“I was lucky, I had two pretty rough days and then I bounced back and some people do get it pretty mildly, and then for others it’s very, very serious and the Prime Minister is not at that end of the spectrum.”
Mr Hancock added: “He’s working away inside Downing Street but he is protecting others by making sure that he too follows the clear public health advice, which is to self-isolate if you have got symptoms.”
Yesterday, his partner Carrie Symonds revealed she has been suffering from coronavirus symptoms.
Despite keeping away from the infected PM, the 32-year-old, who falls into the high-risk category, announced that she had spent the past week bedbound.
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