Mink, 74, is running for re-election. She was hospitalized Sunday.

"The family just wants to have their privacy," said Joan Manke, chief of staff for Mink's Honolulu office.

"She does have pneumonia and is being treated. She is in the intensive care unit. There are no visitors or flowers allowed. She was basically quarantined because of her condition."

Manke described Mink's condition as serious but said that was not based on an official physician's assessment.

"With pneumonia, I think it's serious," Manke said.

Mink has struggled to shake the virus since being admitted, said hospital spokeswoman Claire Tong. Mink was suffering from a high fever yesterday, Tong said.

"As you get older and you get chicken pox, you get really, really ill," Tong said. "It's actually a very serious thing when you get older. It's not like when you're young. She's having a hard time with the chicken pox."