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Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen has been moved out of intensive care after “a long and difficult” 47 days, his wife said.The children’s novelist and poet was admitted to hospital in London eight weeks ago.Emma-Louise Williams said her husband was continuing his recovery on a ward and it “will take time”.Rosen, 74, documented the early stages of his illness online, describing possible coronavirus symptoms. In an update on Saturday, his wife tweeted: “Michael has been in hospital for eight weeks and I’m very happy to say he left ICU yesterday after a long and difficult 47 days.”His recovery is continuing on the ward and will take time. “He has done so well to get through this but please don’t expect him back here yet.”The post was re-tweeted on Rosen’s Twitter account, alongside a comment praising “the amazing efforts of the lovely kind staff” at Whittington hospital in north London, where he is receiving treatment.
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Media captionBBC presenter Sophie Raworth reads These Are The Hands by Michael Rosen.Rosen, who was Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009, detailed his early symptoms in a series of tweets. On 22 March, he said: “Can’t stop my thermostat from crashing: icy hands, hot head. Freezing cold sweats. “Under the covers for bed-breaking shakes. “Image of war hero biting on a hankie, while best mate plunges live charcoal into the wound to cauterise it. Emerge as dawn breaks over grape stalks.”The following day Rosen said he did not have chest pains or a persistent cough, “so all along it could have been a heavy flu and not corona”.His wife, who has not confirmed whether he contracted coronavirus, later took over providing updates on his condition on his social media account, after he was admitted to hospital at the end of March.In early May, to mark Rosen’s 74th birthday, she shared a picture of him surrounded by friends at an event last year.
Rosen’s many works for children include We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Little Rabbit Foo Foo and Tiny Little Fly.In 2008 he wrote the poem These Are the Hands to mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS, which has since been published in These Are The Hands: Poems from the Heart of the NHS. All proceeds from the book go to the NHS Charities Covid Appeal.
