People pray under the statue of John Paul II at the entrance to the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is hospitalized in Rome on Monday. Photo by Giuseppe Lami/EPA-EFE
March 10 (UPI) — Pope Francis’ doctors on Monday lited a “guarded prognosis” though he will need to remain in the “hospital setting for a period of time” in the treatment of double pneumonia, the Vatican said.
Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14, originally for bronchitis that worsed into pneumonia and kidney problems.
The pope has had prior respiratory problems and had part of one lung removed while he was a young man in Argentina.
The pontiff has shown improvement in blood tests, clinical findings and a “good response to pharmacological therapy,” the Vatican said.
“For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their guarded prognosis,” the press office said in an update Monday night. “However, given the complexity of the Pope’s clinical picture and the severe infection present at the time of hospitalization, it will still be necessary to continue pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for a period of time.”
Seven days ago, the pope suffered two episodes of acute respiratory insu