Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in intensive care with bronchopneumonia

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted Friday to intensive care with bronchopneumonia, his doctors reported after he was transferred to the hospital after feeling ill in jail.

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting an alleged coup, was hospitalized with a "high fever, drop in oxygen saturation, sweating and chills," according to a report from DF Star Hospital in Brasilia shared on social media by his wife Michelle Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, 70, is now receiving antibiotics intravenously to treat "bilateral bacterial bronchopneumonia" detected in tests.

Bolsonaro's delicate health

The former president was transferred to the clinic after suffering from chills and vomiting. The information was announced on social media by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who asked for prayers that the health problem is not serious.

Bolsonaro has had several health problems  for years. On Jan. 1, he received a medical discharge after undergoing surgery for a hernia. In addition, since 2018, he has been suffering from recurrent hiccups and other complications stemming from the stab wound he received during a campaign rally.

He was also diagnosed months ago with skin cancer.

Since late last year, the former president has been held in the military wing of a maximum security prison known as Papudinha. In September, the Brazilian Supreme Court convicted him, along with several generals and close associates, of leading a coup plot surrounding the 2022 election.