Former president George H.W. Bush was released from the intensive care unit Wednesday and was moved to a regular room at Houston Methodist Hospital, where he continues to recover from an infection.
The news was confirmed on Twitter by Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath, who issued a statement noting that Bush was moved from the ICU to a regular patient room and will likely remain in the hospital for “several more days.” He stressed that Bush has been making good progress since being admitted to Houston Methodist on Sunday.
“He is alert and talking to hospital staff, family and friends, and his doctors are very pleased with his progress,” wrote McGrath.
A few hours prior to McGrath’s statement, Bush made his first Twitter post since being hospitalized, thanking Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and his staff, and the city of Houston in general for their support following the death of his wife, Barbara, and for their “professionalism and obvious care” in making sure everyone who attended her funeral was properly taken care of.
As noted by USA Today , George H.W. Bush was hospitalized on Sunday, April 22, and confined in the ICU after suffering an infection that had reportedly spread to his blood. Bush was hospitalized one day after his wife’s funeral, and five days after the former first lady passed away at the age of 92. According to CNN , Barbara Bush had been hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure in the year leading up to her death.
A report from NBC Dallas Fort Worth detailed the health problems Bush was suffering from prior to his hospitalization. As he suffers from a form of Parkinson’s disease, the 41st president needs a wheelchair and electric scooter to move around. He had also suffered from respiratory issues such as pneumonia, the flu, and chronic bronchitis in recent years, and was hospitalized thrice for these conditions in 2017, USA Today added.
Herewith an update on the health of former President @GeorgeHWBush : pic.twitter.com/vfhKBv8EFD
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) April 25, 2018
McGrath did not go into detail about George H.W. Bush’s exact condition earlier this week, simply stating on Monday night that he will continue giving updates as needed. He added that Bush was hoping to make a successful recovery so he could return to his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Wednesday’s tweet from McGrath, however, suggested that Bush’s main focus for the meantime is not on “anything that landed him in the hospital,” but rather on his hometown Houston Rockets, who hope to clinch their best-of-seven NBA playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves by winning Game 5 on Wednesday night.