Michael Gove says Boris Johnson is in "cheerful spirits" despite being accused of being too slow to act on Coronavirus.
More than 15,000 patients have now died in hospital after testing positive for the disease in the UK, with thousands more deaths expected in care homes.
Mr Johnson did not attend a raft of Cobra meetings - usually chaired by the Prime Minister - as the scale of the pandemic was becoming clear internationally.
At the time Mr Johnson was away from London, staying at the Foreign Secretary's country residence, Chevening.
And it comes amid claims the Government missed a series of opportunities to try and lessen the impact of the outbreak in February and March.
The Sunday Times reported the UK had "severely dwindled" and "out-of-date" stockpiles of PPE prior to the pandemic and that warnings from scientists about potential mass casualties were not heeded.
Mr Johnson is now recovering from the virus at the Prime Minister's country residence, Chequers.
Asked how Mr Johnson was doing by Sky's Sophy Ridge, Mr Gove said: "The Prime Minister is recovering well. He's in cheerful spirits.
"He had the opportunity to talk to Dominic Raab, his deputy, the First Secretary of State on Friday.
"And the PM's instructions to the rest of us in government were communicated by the First Secretary of State when we had a conference call yesterday morning."
He claimed "one or two" aspects of reporting of the government's response to the Coronavirus outbreak were "off beam" - but refused to answer specifics.
But he said it was "grotesque" to say the PM skipped meetings, saying the PM took "all the major decisions" despite not attending the first five Cobra meetings on the outbreak.
Mr Gove added Mr Johnson's leadership had been "clear - inspirational at times".
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Mr Gove's response was "possibly the weakest rebuttal of a detailed expose in British political history."
He said: "These reports raise serious questions about the Government's immediate response to this pandemic and whether they were too slow to act.
"Mistakes have been made, especially over PPE and testing, which ministers must learn from. It is now urgent that our NHS and care staff get the protective equipment they need to keep them safe."
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Government has been working day and night to battle against coronavirus, delivering a strategy designed at all times to protect our NHS and save lives.
"Guided by medical and scientific expertise, we have implemented specific measures to reduce the spread of the virus at the time they will be most effective.
"Our response has ensured that the NHS has been given all the support in needs to ensure everyone requiring treatment has received it, as well as providing protection to businesses and reassurance to workers."
