Union Home Minister Amit Shah tests negative for coronavirus
What's the story
Home Minister Amit Shah informed through a tweet on Friday that he tested negative for coronavirus, twelve days after he contracted the infection. The BJP leader, seen as number 2 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, said that he will remain in home isolation on doctors' advice for a few more days, confirming that he won't attend tomorrow's Independence Day function at Red Fort.
Tweet
Thank well-wishers for support: Shah
In the tweet, Shah thanked his well-wishers for their support and prayers. To note, Shah was the most notable Union Minister to have contracted the highly-contagious disease. After him, his colleagues Dharmendra Pradhan and Arjun Ram Meghwal also tested positive. Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka — Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BS Yediyurappa were also infected. Chouhan has recovered as well.
Twitter Post
Shah informed the latest development through a tweet
आज मेरी कोरोना टेस्ट रिपोर्ट नेगेटिव आई है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 14, 2020
मैं ईश्वर का धन्यवाद करता हूँ और इस समय जिन लोगों ने मेरे स्वास्थ्यलाभ के लिए शुभकामनाएं देकर मेरा और मेरे परिजनों को ढाढस बंधाया उन सभी का ह्रदय से आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ।
डॉक्टर्स की सलाह पर अभी कुछ और दिनों तक होम आइसोलेशन में रहूँगा।
Background
Shah had been admitted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram
Shah, 55, had tweeted on August 2 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He was subsequently admitted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, Haryana. Just a few days before that, he had attended a Cabinet meeting at the official residence of PM Narendra Modi. The meeting included the PM, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Twitter Post
Shah also appreciated the doctors for their efforts
कोरोना संक्रमण से लड़ने में मेरी मदद करने वाले और मेरा उपचार करने वाले मेदांता अस्पताल के सभी डॉक्टर्स व पैरामेडिकल स्टाफ का भी आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ। @medanta
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 14, 2020
Throwback
Shah helped Kejriwal in curbing coronavirus cases
Long before he had been diagnosed with the virus himself, Shah had been at the forefront of Delhi's fight against coronavirus. In June, he held meetings with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and L-G Anil Baijal on more robust and enhanced methods of COVID-19 tracing. In the conversations, isolation of patients' contacts and re-mapping of all containment zones were discussed.
Measures
Shah visited largest COVID-19 facility in Delhi with Kejriwal
On June 15, Shah had also called an all-party meet on the COVID-19 situation, putting political differences aside. The meet was attended by leaders of BSP, AAP and the Congress, besides the BJP. He had also gone on an inspection of the country's largest COVID-19 facility which is located at Chhatarpur, along with Kejriwal. The facility, having 10,000 beds, was constructed in record time.
Numbers
India is the third-most affected nation
According to the statistics provided by WHO (World Health Organization), data collected from August 4 to 13 shows that India has been reporting the highest number of cases this month. India currently has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. Recovery rate is currently at 70.17%, with the absolute number of total deaths having reached 48,040. The infections' tally stands at 2,465,662.