The veteran newswoman has been hospitalized for more than a week after falling and hitting her head during an inauguration party in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19.
Doctors would not release the 83-year-old because she was running a temperature, and now they know chickenpox is to blame. Apparently, Walters never had it as a child.
Whoopi Goldberg said on "The View" Monday that Walters has been transferred to a New York hospital and hopes to go home soon.
"She's been told to rest. She's not allowed any visitors," Goldberg said. "And we're telling you, Barbara, no scratching!"
Chickenpox can be serious in older people because of the possibility of complications like pneumonia.
In May 2010, Walters underwent heart surgery but returned to work a few months later. Her busy schedule includes appearances on "The View," the hit weekday talk show she created in 1997. She also continues to host prime time specials and interviews.
"We love you, we miss you," Goldberg said. "We just don't want to hug you."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
