Inter Milan midfielder Vidal hospitalized after infected with novel coronavirus

Inter Milan's Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal is receiving hospital treatment after testing positive for coronavirus, his national team said Monday.

The diagnosis means the 34-year-old will miss Thursday's World Cup qualifier between Chile and Argentina.

"The medical team of the Chilean national team emphasizes that at the request of the player Arturo Vidal, it is announced that he has been diagnosed positive for Covid," the national team said on its official website.

It said no other players in the squad had tested positive for the virus.

Vidal was initially hospitalized with severe tonsilitis, but tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, the team statement said.

The former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus star, who was vaccinated against the virus on Friday, will now miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier with Argentina and another qualifier against Bolivia next week in Santiago.

Covid-19 infections in Chile remain above 6,000 daily cases and the health system is overwhelmed.

The virus has killed more than 29,000 people out of a total 1.3 million cases in the country.