Union Min Smriti Irani tests positive for COVID-19, urges those in contact to get tested

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday informed that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The union minister took to Twitter to announce her test results coming out to be positive. While making the announcement, she urged the people who came in contact with her to get themselves tested.

She has not divulged details on whether she is asymptomatic or will be discharging her duties while remaining in isolation. On Sunday, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das also informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19, The RBI had said he will continue to work in isolation since he was asymptomatic as his condition was stable and he was "feeling very much alright."

On October 24, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis tested positive for the Coronavirus. The BJP stalwart had been leading the party's campaigning in poll-bound Bihar after he was selected as the election in-charge for the state.

India's fight against COVID-19

In yet another milestone for India in its COVID-19 battle, the country's national recovery rate has reached 90.85% with an overall recovery of nearly 72 lakh 60 thousand patients so far. Nearly 59 thousand patients recovered and were discharged during the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases reported at the same time period stood at nearly 44 thousand, the Union Ministry of Health said. Meanwhile, the active caseload of the country has also fallen below 8%. 

According to the Union health ministry's latest data on Wednesday, the new coronavirus cases reported in India in a span of 24 hours remained below 45,000, even as the total COVID-19 caseload inched closer to 80 lakh. India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 79,90,322 with 43,893 fresh cases being reported in a day. While the death tally climbed to 1,20,010 with 508 new fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am revealed.

The ministry further informed that a total of 72,59,509 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far thus pushing the national recovery rate to 90.85% while adding that the case fatality rate stands at 1.50%. Further, the total positive cases in the country stood at 6,10,803 which comprises only 7.64% of the total reported cases, the ministry said. With a high number of COVID-19 patients recovering every day along with a steadily falling and sustained low mortality rate, India’s trend of registering decreasing active cases continues, the ministry said. Over the last 24 hours, 10,66,786 COVID samples were tested in the country, according to ICMR. With this, the total testing figure has further risen to 10,54,87,680 according to ICMR.

READ | Govt's ESanjeevani OPD Completes Six Lakh Tele-consultations Amid COVID-19 Pandemic