Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care while his deputy tried to reassure Britain that the battle against the coronavirus was under control even as the daily death toll rose to a record.

The U.K. is headed into its peak of the outbreak and the government is contending with criticism over its handling of the crisis, with hospitals short of protective equipment and testing lagging behind other countries.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, pushed into the spotlight as Johnson fights the disease in the hospital, told the nation on Tuesday evening that he was confident his boss would pull through. "If there’s one thing I know about this prime minister, he’s a fighter,” Raab said.