LONDON — The British government on Monday dismissed a Russian media report that the U.K. prime minister had been put on a ventilator after being hospitalized with persistent coronavirus symptoms.
Boris Johnson, who said he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 27, was admitted to hospital on Sunday for tests. On Monday, Russias news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed healthcare source saying that Johnson had been given “artificial ventilation of his lungs.”
The prime ministers spokesman dismissed the report as “disinformation.”
“Our specialist government units have seen a rise in false reports since the coronavirus outbreak started. Its vital that any [such] information is knocked down quickly,” the spokesman said.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Cabinet Office “continue to work closely with social media companies to stop the spread of false information and rumors,” he added.
