Republic of Congo candidate hospitalized with COVID-19

Relatives say the leading opposition presidential candidate in Republic of Congo is receiving oxygen at a private hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19

Republic of Congo Election (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The leading opposition presidential candidate in Republic of Congo was receiving oxygen at a private hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a family member said, casting Sunday's election into doubt on the eve of the vote.

Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, 61, had skipped his final campaign event on Friday after telling some reporters a day earlier that he feared he had malaria. A relative who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter said plans were under way for Kolelas to be evacuated abroad for further treatment.

A video circulating on social media dated Friday showed Kolelas wearing an oxygen mask and with a blood pressure cuff on his arm as he lay in a hospital bed.

“My dear compatriots, I am in trouble. I am fighting death,” the candidate says in a weak-sounding voice after removing his oxygen mask. “However, I ask you to stand up and vote for change. I would not have fought for nothing.”

A campaign spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the video and Kolelas' hospitalization. Two people at the hospital who had seen the Kolelas' test results confirmed to the AP late Saturday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.