British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tested positive for the coronavirus, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, AFP reported. However, he will not be immediately resuming his responsibilities as the prime minister.

Johnson was admitted to St Thomas hospital on April 5 with “persistent symptoms” and was later shifted to the intensive care unit, where he spent three nights. “The prime minister [Johnson] has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers,” the spokesperson said, referring to Johnson’s country estate outside London.

In his first comments after getting discharged from hospital, Johnson thanked the country’s National Health Service staff. “I owe them my life,” he said. In a video message on Twitter, he said that two nurses stood by his bedside for 48 hours at the most critical time. Johnson said he had witnessed the “personal courage” of hospital staff who “kept putting themselves in harm’s way, kept rising this deadly virus”.

“The efforts of millions of people across this country to stay home are worth it. Together we will overcome this challenge, as we have overcome so many challenges in the past,” he added.

Johnson tested positive for the virus on 27 March, but continued to work while isolating himself in Downing Street, including chairing meetings by videolink. He later quarantined himself at his official residence, and said that his infection was “mild”. However, he did not come out of quarantine on April 3, as originally planned.

The United Kingdom has reported 79,885 cases of the virus, with 10,612 deaths as of Sunday, according to a tracker by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 1.79 million people and killed more than 1,10,000.