Barbara Walters hospitalized with the chickenpox

Barbara Walters has the chickenpox.

The television veteran has been hospitalized for more than a week after taking a fall. Doctors wouldn't release her because she was running a temperature, and now they know why: The 83-year-old news veteran has a disease many people deal with when they are children.

Whoopi Goldberg delivered the news Monday on "The View," the daytime talk show Walters started. Goldberg delivered an ultimatum to Walters: "No scratching."

Walters has been transferred to a New York hospital after being in Washington. She fell on Jan. 19 and hit her head, and was hospitalized for observation.

She was gearing up to leave the hospital soon, saying in a statement last week, "I am running a low grade fever and the doctors are keeping me in the hospital until my temperature is normal...I will be home soon."