Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmès has been admitted into the intensive care unit following her infection with the new coronavirus last week.
Wilmès, who took over Belgium's premiership and steered the country through the first wave of the pandemic, was admitted into the ICU on Wednesday night, according to one of her spokespersons.
The spokesperson confirmed the news to Belgian media and said that that the 45-year old minister was conscious and in a stable condition.
Related News
- Belgian minister Sophie Wilmès tests positive for Covid-19
- Belgian minister Sophie Wilmès goes into self-isolation
Wilmès announced last Friday that she was going into self-isolation and getting a coronavirus test after developing "suspicious symptoms."
Her announcement came hours before a government meeting on new coronavirus regulations, which she said she would not be physically attending.
The day after, she confirmed on Twitter that she had tested positive and said she had probably contracted the virus from within her family circle.
Days earlier, she had attended a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers following which her Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, also tested positive for Covid-19.
Schallenberg and Wilmès sat next to each other during a breakfast at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, according to reports by Reuters.
Wilmès, who is also deputy prime minister, is one of several politicians hospitalised after contracting the coronavirus, including the UK's Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
