Belgian FM in intensive care with coronavirus

Sophie Wilmes, who as Belgian's prime minister led the country's fight against the coronavirus, has been hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19, her office said Thursday.Wilmes, 45, who handed the reins over to Alexander de Croo earlier this month and is now Belgian's foreign minister, announced last week that she had tested positive.

She was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday.Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Elke Pattyn told The Associated Press that Wilmes is in a stable condition and conscious.She said her condition “is not worrying.”Wilmes was in charge when the first wave of infections hit the country this spring. She said last week she thought she got infected within her family circle.Belgium, a country of 11.5 million inhabitants, has been severely hit by the coronavirus and is currently seeing a sharp rise in new cases.

More than 10,000 people have died from coronavirus-related complications in Belgium.Wilmes became Belgium's first female prime minister in October last year when she succeeded Michel.First appointed as a caretaker, she then led a government with special powers to fight the coronavirus pandemic.Wilmes was praised for her soft touch as she calmly led the country through the crisis.

(Image Credit: AP) 

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