Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Thursday. The minister is currently under home quarantine with mild symptoms. The senior Minister tested Covid positive at a time when Coronavirus cases are rising in the country. India recorded 12,591 new Covid cases in a day, the highest in around eight months, while the active case burden increased to 65,286, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
According to news agency PTI, the defence ministry said that a team of doctors examined him and advised him to rest.
He was scheduled to attend the Indian Air Force Commanders' Conference in Delhi on Thursday, but had to skip it after testing positive, the ministry said, as per PTI.
Previously, the Defence Minister tested positive for Covid-19 in January 2022 when the Omicron variant was driving the surge of Coronavirus cases. Informing about it on Twitter, Rajnath Singh had said that he had mild symptoms and was under home quarantine. "I have tested positive for Corona today with mild symptoms. I am under home quarantine. I request everyone who have recently come in my contact to isolate themselves and get tested," Rajnath Singh tweeted at the time.
Covid-19 Situation In India
Currently, the total tally of Covid cases is at 4.48 crore. The daily positivity rate was 5.46 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was 5.32 per cent.
Active cases now comprise 0.15 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.67 per cent, according to the health ministry website.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,42,61, 476 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent.
According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
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