According to a statement released by their son Jonathan Jackson on Saturday, the couple are currently in Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“My mom is 78 and my dad is approaching 80. God bless,” his son Jonathan said.
Jonathan shared information about his parents’ condition on Sunday with ABC7.
“I had been genuinely lethargic with flu-like symptoms [and] “He went to the hospital on Friday,” he said. “It was then diagnosed that she and my father had hired COVID.”
According to the family, the couple rests comfortably and responds positively to treatment.
“It has some oxygen, but it can work and breathe on its own without a respirator,” Jonathan said. “Nothing serious. Because of his age and his current health, it’s harder.”
The Reverend was fully vaccinated in January after receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine at Roseland Community Hospital. However, the family said his wife was not vaccinated.
Jackson Sr. he was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017.
“These 5-7 days are the most critical,” Jonathan said.
A virtual prayer circle was held Sunday with church leaders across Chicago.
“None of us expected to be there right now, but, as the Rev. Jackson often says,‘ the field is not a place for a champion and we know we have to live up to the occasion, ’” Janette said. Wilson with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
“We walked with them, we prayed with them, we laughed with them and we hugged them at that very hour,” the Rev. Otis Moss added.
The Jackson family knows the battle is not over yet.
“This is vicious and can turn around quickly, so we’re trying to stay optimistic and optimistic. But I’ve seen this light up on a dime. You really don’t know,” Jonathan said.
Copyright © 2021 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.