No preferential treatment for Boris Johnson, nurse says

New Zealander Jenny McGee and a Portuguese nurse were praised by the UK premier for aiding his recovery

New Zealand nurse Jenny McGee speaks about her efforts to help save coronavirus patient British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. TVNZ via AP

Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not receive special treatment from Britain’s state-funded national health service while in intensive care for coronavirus, a nurse singled out for praise has told a British broadcaster.

Jenny McGee, from New Zealand, said that the prime minister “absolutely needed” to be moved to the critical care unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London.

She declined give details of the treatment given to the premier, who is currently recuperating at his official country residence outside of London.

Mr Johnson spent a week in the hospital and three days in its intensive care unit when his condition worsened. He left hospital on April 12.

"We take it very seriously who comes into intensive care, these patients who come into us it's a very scary thing for them so we don't take it lightly and he absolutely needed to be there," Ms McGee told Sky News.

On his release from hospital, Mr Johnson praised Ms McGee and a Portuguese nurse who “stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way”.

"The reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed," he said.

Ms McGee said she had exchanged text messages with New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Adern after her role in the premier’s recovery was revealed.

“She just said how proud she was of me and the country was so proud and it was so heart-warming and that's something I will never forget.

"I responded and she like messaged back immediately, a little bit of banter which again was surreal, a couple of emojis and so it was very, very surreal experience."