COVID-19: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu tests positive; goes into isolation
What's the story
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for COVID-19, a statement from his office said on Sunday. The vice president, who is in Hyderabad, has decided to go into self-isolation for a week after his diagnosis, the statement said. He has also asked those who came in contact with him to get tested.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Naidu is the latest among several top officials and politicians to have tested positive for COVID-19. India is currently witnessing a massive spike in infections, dubbed the "third wave." On Sunday, India added over three lakh infections for the fourth consecutive day. The latest outbreaks have been attributed to the highly infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Twitter Post
Here's the statement from the VP's office
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is in Hyderabad, tested COVID positive today. He has decided to remain in self-isolation for a week. He has advised all those who came in contact with him to isolate themselves and get tested.
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) January 23, 2022
Recent news
Naidu's recent public engagements
Earlier on Sunday, Naidu had paid floral tribute to independence activist "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose on the latter's 125th birth anniversary in Hyderabad. On Friday, he had addressed the first convocation of the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) in Visakhapatnam. At the convocation, Naidu had presented medals and certificates to the graduating batch.
Information
Many political leaders infected in 'third wave'
This month, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Ministers of State Bharati Pravin Pawar and Nityanand Rai were among the several political leaders to have been infected. Bihar's two deputy CMs and three ministers had also tested positive.
Outbreak
India reports 3.33 lakh new cases
India on Sunday added 3.33 lakh new COVID-19 cases along with 525 more deaths and 2.59 lakh fresh recoveries. India's daily positivity rate was also recorded at 17.78%. The daily COVID-19 tally has jumped more than 30 times over the past month alone. The states/union territories of Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu are reporting the most cases.
Omicron
Omicron now in community transmission stage: INSACOG
Since confirming its first Omicron case on December 2, 2021, India has witnessed a rapid spread of the variant. Omicron is now in the community transmission stage in India, said the weekly bulletin of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) on Sunday. It has become dominant across multiple metros. While most cases have been mild, there has been a considerable rise in hospitalizations.