NEWS: Pope Francis health: A timeline and what we know so far..

Pope Francis, 88, has been hospitalised at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since February 14, for a respiratory tract infection, which he had been fighting since early this month.

The infection worsened and developed into pneumonia in both lungs. He is currently experiencing an “initial, slight insufficiency” in his kidney function, according to the Vatican.

What is the current status of Pope Francis’s health?

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis is in critical condition and he has been receiving treatment for the double pneumonia.

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs, typically caused by a viral or bacterial infection. It occurs when the alveoli (small sacs in the lungs) become filled with pus and fluid, making breathing painful and limiting oxygen absorption.

Blood tests on Sunday also showed mild signs of kidney failure, but things are “currently under control”, the Vatican said, referring to the kidneys’ function of filtering waste products from the blood.

Francis also developed anaemia and, during blood transfusions on Saturday, received hematin, a treatment that can help increase haemoglobin levels, which in turn helps the blood carry more oxygen.

Pope’s condition
According to the Vatican, he remains alert and responsive. On Sunday, “the Pope attended mass in his apartment in Gemelli Hospital with the doctors and nurses who are overseeing his treatment”, the Vatican said.

The Vatican also said Francis had not had any more respiratory crises since Saturday night but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen.

Francis had received high-flow oxygen after a respiratory crisis but had a peaceful night in the hospital.

“The complexity of the clinical picture, and the necessary wait for drug therapies to provide some feedback, dictate that the prognosis remains guarded,” his doctors said on Sunday.

For only the third time in his nearly 12-year papacy, he did not deliver the weekly Angelus prayer last week.

Doctors have warned that sepsis, a severe blood infection that can develop as a complication of pneumonia, remains a major threat to Pope Francis’s health. But there has been no mention of sepsis in any of the Vatican’s medical updates, including the one on Monday.

This is the longest hospital stay for Francis since his election as pope in March 2013.

Sergio Alfieri, a surgeon on Francis’s medical team, said he acknowledged his fragility and recognised that his health was in a precarious state. “He told us both doors are open,” Alfieri said, according to a report by The New York Times.