Prognosis

Johnson Warns That National Health Service Could Be Overwhelmed

Boris Johnson speaks during a daily coronavirus briefing inside number 10 Downing Street in London on March 20.Photographer: Julian Simmonds/The Daily Telegraph/Bloomberg

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By James Ludden

March 21, 2020 at 11:27 PM UTC

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Boris Johnson urged 1.5 million people with underlying health issues to self-isolate for at least three months and said Britain’s medical system is only two or three weeks away from being swamped, as has happened to the Italian health service.