Former President Bill Clinton Hospitalized Due to Infection

Former President Bill Clinton is currently hospitalized and recovering from a non-COVID-related infection. Deadline reports that Clinton is currently recuperating at UCI Medical Center in Orange, California. Angel Urena, a spokesperson for Clinton, says he was admitted on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

“He is on the mend, in good spirits, and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care,” Urena said. Per CNN, Clinton’s illness began as a urinary tract infection before spreading into his bloodstream, a condition known as sepsis. Sepsis can be fatal but luckily, Clinton is under good care. At the time of his hospitalization, Clinton was in California on business for the Clinton Foundation, the network reported.

Clinton’s physicians, Dr. Alpesh Amin and Dr. Lisa Bardack, confirmed Clinton has the infection and was hospitalized for close monitoring. He was also given antibiotics and fluids to aid in his treatment.

“He remains at the hospital for continuous monitoring,” the physicians said, adding that Clinton is “responding to antibiotics well.” Clinton’s California team of doctors insists they are in “constant communication” with his New York-based medical team, which includes his cardiologist. “We hope to have him home soon,” they said.

Clinton, 75, had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004. Since then, he’s had two coronary stents implanted in 2010, which he received after complaining of chest pains. Clinton has since adopted a plant-based diet. When speaking with CNN about his lifestyle change, Clinton said that after doing research of individuals who go plant-based with major health issues, he learned they practically healed themselves. “I live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit,” he said. “I drink a protein supplement every morning—no dairy—I drink almond milk mixed in with fruit and a protein powder so I get the protein for the day when I start the day up…I did it because after I had this stent put in I realized that even though it happens quite often that after you have bypasses, you lose the veins because they’re thinner and weaker than arteries the truth is that it clogged up, which means that the cholesterol was still causing a buildup in my vein that was part of my bypass.”