Union Minister Ashwini Choubey tests positive for COVID-19, goes into home isolation

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey on December 28 announced on Twitter that he has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the update, he had tested for the disease after witnessing initial symptoms of the highly-infectious disease when the reports came back positive. Further, the Union Minister said that he will be in home-isolation and requested all the individuals who came in contact with him in the last few days to not only isolate themselves but also consult medical professionals.

He said, “On getting the initial symptoms of corona, I got the test done today and the report came back positive. My health is fine, following all the guidelines in home isolation on the advice of doctors. I request, whoever has come in contact in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get your inquiry done.”

Choubey tested positive for the disease just amid fears of new COVID-19 variant spreading in India. While two different strains have been detected in South Africa and the UK are being linked to the rapid increase in the infections in respective nations, the government has rolled out directives to not only cease flights to and from Britain but also ordered testing of all the passengers who arrived in the recent days.

Just last week, a UK-returned man in Dwarka, New Delhi tested positive for the disease, the officials said on December 24. Meanwhile, eight people who have returned from the UK and have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Kerala. India has recorded 20, 021 new cases, 21,131 recoveries, and 279 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the country's total caseload to 1,02,07,871. Meanwhile, 97,82,669 people have recovered so far.

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COVID-19 in New Delhi

The authorities reportedly have said that New Delhi recorded 564 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in five months, and 21 more fatalities due to the disease on Monday. Meanwhile, the city's caseload has now mounted up to 6,23,415 and the death toll due to the coronavirus infection rose to 10,474. The authorities reportedly also said on December 28 that 57,463 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Sunday when nearly 757 cases were reported along with 655 on Saturday, 758 on Friday and 1,063 on Thursday.

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