Delhi Health Min tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracing started

(Eds: Adding details)

New Delhi, Jun 17 () Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19, a day after he was admitted to a hospital here after running high-grade fever and suffering a sudden drop in oxygen level, a senior official said.

Sources in Delhi government said contact tracing of people who interacted with him in the last couple of days has been started and accordingly, they will be quarantined as per the advice of doctors.

As Jain would be in hospital for the next few days, the charge of the health department may be given to another cabinet minister, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is yet to take a decision on it, they said.

On Sunday, the 55-year-old minister had attended a high-level meeting on coronavirus situation in the national capital, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which was also attended by Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

Jain was brought to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) in the early hours of Tuesday and was administered a test for novel coronavirus infection that morning, for which he tested negative.

"He was still running fever and showing symptoms, so we had decided to run another test today, after 24 hours of the first test," a senior official said.

He tested positive on Wednesday, the official said.

Sources said three iterations of tests were done on Wednesday to double check the results, and all came positive.

Doctors at the RGSSH said his condition is "stable" but he has been put on oxygen support.

A senior pulmonologist has examined him and said, "we will be keeping him under observation" just in case more medical attention is required later.

"The minister is still in a very calm mood," a source said.

The death toll from COVID-19 infection in the national capital had surged to 1,837 on Tuesday while 1,859 fresh coronavirus cases had taken the tally in the city to over 44,000, according to the health bulletin released by the Delhi government. KND BUN TDS TDS