Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 18, 2020 10:46 AM IST
Satyendar Jain took a second test on Wednesday after his fever worsened. © commons.wikimedia
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been tested positive for COVID-19, after his sample was taken for the second time on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) in the early hours of Tuesday after he developed symptoms of coronavirus, including high fever and breathing difficulty. Jain was administered a test for COVID-19 that morning, in which he tested negative. He was again tested for the viral disease after 24 hours of the first test on Wednesday and this time the report came out positive. As per sources, he still has fever.
Two days before he was admitted to the hospital (on Sunday), Jain had attended a meeting between the Union Home Ministry and Delhi government. Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, L-G Anil Baijal and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan were among the leaders who attended the meeting.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Atishi Marlena has also been tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The 39-year-old, who represents the Kalkaji constituency in south Delhi, is currently in quarantine in her house. On Tuesday, the AAP leader was screened for the COVID-19 virus after she complained of a mild fever and cough. The report came on Wednesday and she was found infected with the virus. She is being allowed home quarantine given her mild symptoms.
Atishi is the third MLA from the AAP party to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Earlier two other MLAs Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh) and Rajkumar Anand (Patel Nagar) had tested COVID-19 positive.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday tweeted in support of Atishi. "Atishi-ji has played an important role in the fight against the coronavirus. I hope that she will be healthy as soon as possible," Kejriwal wrote.
Kejriwal was also tested for the novel coronavirus on June 9 after he complained of mild fever and sore throat. However, he tested negative.
The national capital is witnessing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. As of today, Delhi has a total of 47,102 cases and 1,904 people have succumbed to the disease, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website. Delhi is the third worst-hit state after Maharashtra (1,16,752) and Tamil Nadu (50,193)
Considering the alarming rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved use of the rapid antigen test kits along with the RT-PCR test for diagnosis of coronavirus infection in containment zones and healthcare settings. The Delhi government is likely to start using antigen kits from June 18. There are around 240 COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi and the government is planning to conduct door-to-door survey in these zones.
The kits will allow faster diagnosis of infected patients at lower rates and without laboratory examinations of the samples. Each kit will cost 450 and can show results within 30 minutes as opposed to the current RTPCR test that takes 3-4 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in the country has jumped to 3,66,946 and as many as 12,237 people have lost their lives to this condition.
