India’s Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and is currently under home quarantine with mild symptoms. He had to skip the Indian Air Force Commanders’ conference that he was scheduled to attend. Singh had attended the Army Commanders’ conference earlier in the week. He was joined by the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande and other senior Army commanders when he attended the Army Commanders meeting on Wednesday. On a small weapon firing simulator, he practiced shooting.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attended the conference without any mask on. This has raised several concerns. It is expected that people who came in the contact of Rajnath Singh might be infected with the Covid-19 virus. Currently, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is under home quarantine. He has been advised to take care of himself by the doctors, said Rajnath Singh.
India reported 12,591 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, marking a significant jump from Wednesday’s tally of 10,542 cases, with eight states reporting a spike in daily new cases. The country’s active cases increased to 65,286, and the recovery rate stands at 98.67%.
States like Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan were mentioned since Covid -19 cases are rapidly increasing in these states. The recent increase could be due to the waning immunity gained from vaccines or increased testing for H3N2 influenza.
The Indian government has requested those states take stock of hospital preparedness, such as the availability of drugs, medical oxygen, and Covid-19 vaccination coverage. Experts believe that the worst is over because of population immunity, and new variants of the virus might require new vaccines.
