Indian Defense Minister Self-Isolates After Testing Positive For COVID-19

Sumaira FH Published January 10, 2022 | 06:22 PM

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine at home amid a new surge in cases in the country

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2022) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine at home amid a new surge in cases in the country.

"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," Singh said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, India started administering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk population groups, including healthcare and frontline workers, as well as people aged 60 and above with comorbidities.

In the past 24 hours, India confirmed 179,723 new COVID-19 cases, which is a record daily increase since June.

The Indian health authorities said the growth in cases has become exponential, likely due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, believed to be less symptomatic but more transmissible.

While the number of active COVID-19 cases in India increased tenfold in the early days of January, the health authorities said that only about 4,000 cases were caused by the Omicron infection and more than 60% of cases were caused by the Delta variant.

India continues to have the second highest cumulative COVID-19 toll after the United States, with over 35.7 million cases and more than 483,000 deaths reported since the start of the pandemic.